Month: June 2019

Opportunity is dead. After being expected to survive for around 90 days, the Opportunity rover transmitted its last signal an incredible 14 years after it touched down on the Martian surface (a few weeks after its partner and identical twin, Spirit). Last contact with the iconic, 180kg vehicle was on 10 June 2018, before a global-level dust storm cut off its energy source (solar power) and telecommunications. On 13 February, John Callas, Manager of the Mars Exploration Rover (MER) project at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) said in a press release that after over 1000 attempts to re-establish contact, it wasn’t feasible to continue. Opportunity now rests in state, having given us more scientific insight and inspirational images than we could hope for – not to mention the record for driving the farthest distance in a single day on another planet. Now, the quest for signs of life in the Solar System continues, and because Mars is only in our backyard in astronomical terms, we…

Founded in 2015, Orbex develops small satellite launch vehicles. The spaceflight company introduced Prime, its revolutionary, environmentally-friendly rocket at the grand opening of its new headquarters in Forres, Scotland. The novel Orbex launcher not only uses 100% renewable fuel to cut carbon emissions by 90%, and a novel zero-shock staging and payload separation resulting in zero orbital debris, but was also design-optimised for selective laser melting (SLM), helping to create a structure 30% lighter and 20% more efficient than any other launch vehicle in its category. Orbex aerospace engineers partnered closely with the applications engineering team at SLM Solutions’s headquarters in Lübeck, Germany, to ensure success transferring the design into SLM production – a feat that required the partnership of the equipment provider due to the complexity and size of the component. Applications specialist Lukas Pankiewicz headed the consulting team inside SLM Solutions to develop a unique set of parameters optimised for this particular geometry. Working closely with the design team at Orbex, Pankiewicz consulted on the various design features and…

Applications are now open until 14 July. BBM Innovation Scholars receive an $8,000 grant to go overseas for international industry experience in global innovation hotspots. “The 2019 focus is on sustainability and innovation,” says Melanie Stray, CEO of BBM Youth Support. “And we can’t wait to see the ideas and vision that our young industry talent will put forward.” This year, a total of 33 scholarships are on offer, and they are available for the most inspiring ideas from young people in vocational roles, including metal manufacturing, especially additive technology. Applicants must be between 17 and 23 years of age and at least in their last year of their Certificate III or higher in their chosen field. BBM’s Global Industry Scholarships exist to develop Australia’s talent base in agriculture, trades and performing arts through global experience, networking and opportunities. Past BBM Horticultural Scholars have visited industry trailblazers in Europe, the UK and Asia. They drew inspiration from new processes, materials and technology and have gone…

Without missing a day’s production, Cut To Size Plastics brought the new 3500kg Morbidelli Author M100F heavy duty CNC router and machining centre from delivery truck tray to factory floor production readiness over two days at its Sydney headquarters. The new high-speed, vibration-free Italian technology – which offers unmatched finishing quality and rapid production turnaround for the company’s Asia-Pacific markets – was eased into place by truck and crane. With careful planning, it threaded its way among the ongoing production processes, coming to rest besides the machine it replaced, which was still working at full capacity until the switchover. “This was a real team effort to ensure that the high capacity new machine – which is about 6.5m long installed – could be efficiently threaded though busy factory floorspace among other high-tech machinery, then introduced into production without a hitch,” said Cut To Size Managing Director Laurie Green. The new machine moved smoothly into production in March, to produce high-precision,…

One such company that makes certain proper servicing equipment and maintenance on aircrafts can be carried out smoothly is Muhibbah Airline Support Industries (MASI). Headquartered in Selangor, Malaysia, MASI manufactures a variety of products for the aviation services sector, including maintenance docking systems, aerobridges, and aircraft parking guidance systems. A subsidiary of Muhibbah Engineering, the first company in Malaysia to achieve ISO 9002 certification in the construction sector, MASI places strong emphasis on quality and safety in every aspect of its operations. MASI’s strength lies in the design and construction of a full range of aircraft maintenance docking systems. These systems are specialised platforms positioned around the aircraft to allow maintenance personnel to access all areas of an aircraft, providing an efficient and safe working environment. An effective aircraft maintenance docking system enables the maintenance team to perform their jobs better, which then…

It is commonly understood by Lean and TPS practitioners that Toyota’s own production system (the father of Lean) is a product of both Continuous Improvement and Respect for People. Most also understand that within this pair lie five guiding principles: Challenge, Kaizen (Improvement), Genchi Genbutsu (Go and See), Respect and Teamwork. Why then is it so difficult to achieve success? There are so many books and articles on this topic that you would have thought it would be relatively simple by now to read the material and just follow the instructions therein (even with some adaptation for organisational nuances). Unfortunately, it is not quite so simple. Much of the writing today only describes the theory of strategy, never really delving deeper into how the necessary (seemingly mythical) mindset required for success manifests itself in practical terms. For example, ask…

Based in Wingfield, in Adelaide’s northern suburbs, Castech installed 368 solar panels rated at 270 watts on its factory roof-top last June and it has been progressively reducing its power bill by around $3,000 a month ever since. This could save the business up to $36,000 annually in energy costs. The panels are also providing a renewable energy feed of 14,000kWh to Castech’s foundry and Castech 3D, its additive manufacturing spin-off business. Recent increases in SA’s electricity pricing has had a large impact upon the state’s commercial businesses and Castech was faced with a 64% increase in supply charges, prior to installing the solar panels. To counteract these rising power costs, Castech’s Quality Manager Brad Walsh says that the panels were installed to cut the massive power bills that the foundry generates and to provide the plant with emission-free energy. “The panels will never provide the amount of power that we need to run the foundry’s induction furnaces from 7.30am to…

The digitalisation of manufacturing, a clear trend today, is one of the distinct technological breakthroughs stimulated by the “Fourth Industrial Revolution” and the implementation of Industry 4.0 standards. The wind of change has already transformed even a relatively conservative industrial sector: metalworking. As machining remains an essential method in metalworking technology, cutting tool manufacturing, which provides tools for this method, has faced the necessity to meet new requirements. Consequently, the information that specifies the tools should be unified and digitised in the same manner. Information interoperability is the key to ensuring a relevant data exchange between different components of tomorrow’s smart manufacturing processes. The ISO 13399 standard specifies data representation for cutting tools and tool holders, in a manner that will ensure platform independence universally. The main target is to create a computer representation of the tools and the holders that is unified and understandable for various elements of metalworking technology,…

Let’s start with five reasons you need an Exit Mindset, even if you’re not ready to exit: Eventually everyone The question isn’t ‘If’ you will exit but ‘How’ and ‘When’. An Exit Mindset means when you do exit, it’s on your terms! Even if an exit isn’t on the horizon, an Exit Mindset helps you work on the business, rather than in What will make it a more valuable business tomorrow? An Exit Mindset makes your business is a better place for you to be today! An offer may come to you out of the blue. The more prepared you are, the better you’ll be able to respond to the opportunity. Questions you’ll be ready to answer include: Is it a good offer? Am I personally ready to leave the business? What’s important to me in an exit? With an Exit Mindset you’re always ready to consider an unexpected opportunity. A good business exit doesn’t come quickly. The best exits are the…

Our latest campaign had a similar contact threshold as last year, but also saw an unprecedented influx of paid members over the period of the census. At the start of the census AMTIL had a membership of 221, which rose to 282 by the end – a 27.6% increase. Of those 282 members, the total membership comprised 140 manufacturing technology suppliers (MTSs), 120 manufacturing technology users (MTUs), and 22 Industry Supporters (ISs). The rise in membership appeared to have an impact on the number of call backs. A total of 531 calls were made, but only 34.4% of these resulted in contact being made, significantly down on the 46% of last census. By the end of the census, 183 members had been successfully contacted – a disappointing figure at 65% of the membership. Nonetheless, the number of contacts was similar enough to the last census for comparisons to be made. The total turnover of the…

Kahi was 29 years old when he lost his left leg after being crushed by a forklift at work. As a member of the icare Paralympic Speakers Program, he now visits workplaces around NSW to help support a culture of safety at work and drive down workplace injuries. “I’ve experienced first-hand the devastating effect of a workplace injury and the ramifications it has on your loved ones and your workplace,” said Kahi. “By sharing my experience, I can make people more safety-aware. Being able to prevent one workplace injury is worth its weight in gold. I wanted to reinforce with the guys at Real Pet Food that life is precious, and they should never be afraid to speak up about unsafe situations in the workplace.” Kahi spoke to 35 plant operators, forklift drivers, managers and other support personnel during Wednesday’s night shift at Real Pet Food’s Ingleburn site. “Kahi’s attitude towards life and the injury he had to overcome definitely made…

Most durable and engineering grade plastics can be printed reliably at moderate sizes, but when scaled, many of these materials become much harder to print without advanced printing systems or technologies. Compromises must be made between print time and resolution, and consideration should be given to the desired printing material. It can be easy Full-size 3D printing with some materials can be fairly straightforward. Polylactide (PLA) can be printed reliably at room temperature and has therefore maintained its reputation as the most popular 3D printing filament. When printing large parts, draughts can certainly cause shrinkage or warping, so a printer with enclosed sides is ideal and a heated bed or printing surface is recommended to maximise bed adhesion. The main consideration when printing PLA at larger scales is minimising print time with larger layer heights/nozzles and ensuring…

Equipped with a state-of-the-art augmented reality lab featuring the most advanced welding simulators available anywhere in the world, the AWTC will help ensure local welders are ready to meet the huge demand that will be created by the naval shipbuilding program. It is anticipated that the continuous naval shipbuilding program in South Australia will require around 2,600 tradespeople from 2020 to 2027. Almost half of this demand will be for welders. Minister for Education John Gardner and Minister for Industry and Skills David Pisoni were both on-hand at the official opening ceremony today. Minister Pisoni said the state-of-the-art equipment will provide a valuable training platform to supply skilled workers to the Osborne naval shipyard when the program commences next year. “There are enormous naval shipbuilding opportunities on the horizon that are heading to South Australia and the Marshall Liberal Government is ensuring that we provide the right resources to fill these jobs through appropriate skills and training,” said Pisoni. “Welding techniques required for shipbuilding are of a higher quality standard than regular welding…