July 30, 2020
The Australian Manufacturing Technology Institute Limited (AMTIL) has announced the launch of Australian Manufacturing Week, an industry exhibition encompassing all aspects of manufacturing in Australia. Since 2000, AMTIL has operated Austech, Australia’s premier advanced manufacturing and machine tool exhibition. With more than more than 170 organisations exhibiting state-of-the-art manufacturing hardware, software and support services, Austech 2019 was attended by more than 12,000 industry professionals from across Australia and around the world. With Australian Manufacturing Week, AMTIL is widening the scope of its exhibitions portfolio with an event that will provide a more comprehensive showcase of manufacturing in Australia. The inaugural Australian Manufacturing Week will be held in Melbourne on 11-14 May 2021 [NOTE: This event has now been rescheduled to 8-11 March 2022]. “With so much depressing news out there lately, it’s really good to be able to announce something that we believe is a really positive development for our industry,” said Shane Infanti, Chief Executive Officer of AMTIL.…
July 30, 2020
Established in 1952 by Alan Bell, the company has grown steadily from its origins as a patternmaker for the Australian foundry industry. Now led by a third generation of the Bell family, it has evolved into a high-end automotive supplier as well as playing an integral part in several global defence, aerospace, space and biomedical device supply chains. Today, the company operates from its modern 13,000sqm production facility in Dandenong South, Victoria. It is an AS9100D-accredited aerospace supplier of complex metal parts, incorporating investment casting, sand casting, rapid prototyping using 3D printing, production machining and tier-one assembly technologies. Employing some 100 highly skilled personnel, AW Bell specialises in high-quality metal products made from advanced ferrous and non-ferrous materials and continues to develop advanced technology. Continuous improvement together with research & development has been critical to the company’s success. Technological developments such as its Aluminium Billet Equivalent (ABE) casting…
July 30, 2020
Leading German medical technology company Ottobock Industrials is revolutionising the capacity for manual overhead labour with an innovative wearable tech body suit, the Paexo Shoulder exoskeleton, which could provide major benefits for a vast range of different industries and professions in Australia. The upper body exoskeleton, which is now used in 500 plants and factories worldwide, has just launched in the Australian market following its initial release 18 months ago in Europe. Retailing for $6,900, the Paexo Shoulder is now in international use across many different regions including most countries in Europe, the US, Canada, Mexico and India. The suit has already been used in a number of industries, including manufacturing sectors such as shipbuilding, automotive, rail and aerospace; as well as construction & trade, and general maintenance and repair. It also has the potential to be used in farming and agriculture; food processing; engineering and any other profession that requires raised arm movements. How it…
July 30, 2020
BMS is an agile, lateral thinking insurance broker that specialises in crafting bespoke solutions to protect the growth and reputation of its customers’ businesses. The BMS team has spent decades nurturing clients through the ups and downs of business. We’re all used to receiving those insurance renewals at the same time year on year, but we rarely consider whether those policies are properly protecting the unique commercial risks facing our businesses. Circumstances can change quickly: your business structure; revenue and staffing; securing or divesting assets, or even a pandemic like COVID-19. Moreover, changes in your business often require alterations to your policies to ensure you are correctly covered. Most importantly, you don’t have to wait for your insurance renewal to review your policies. Renewals may be annual, but reviewing and potentially updating your policies should be an ongoing process. BMS knows manufacturing and its staff take the time to understand your business circumstances, before structuring a bespoke insurance solution tailored to each unique risk profile. That means that BMS becomes a natural part of each client’s team,…
July 30, 2020
FLSmidth ABON is a leading manufacturer of low-speed sizers, roller screens and chain feeders for the worldwide mining industry. The company’s products are mainly used in mining operations of mineral resources such as a coal, iron ore and copper, and are also used in various industries such as quarry applications, smelter applications, fertiliser production, or cement plants. To stay competitive in the global arena, FLSmidth ABON has strived to remain at the forefront of manufacturing technology. The company has long been no stranger to the power, versatility and user-friendliness of Mazak multi-tasking machines - having used them over a decade to produce complex high-quality parts in a minimum number of operations. And the team has been highly successful in utilising the Mazatrol programming system to achieve this. Successful companies seldom rest on their laurels, and do not shy away from a challenge. Recently FLSmidth ABON found a new challenge in the form of…
July 30, 2020
The challenge While Garry Rogers Motorsport’s in-house workshop can do some manual machining and composites fabrication, it does not have CNC machining capability. The team would instead turn to third parties each time it needed several low-volume complex parts, but the turnaround time was not fast enough and was cost-prohibitive. The more time spent outsourcing parts, the slower the R&D process, meaning the team had less time to focus on finding ways to improve their cars’ performance, both on the racetrack and in the pit during pitstops. Engineers and designers at Garry Rogers Motorsport use computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software to test the airflow of parts. The software often recommends changes in a part’s design to increase speed and improve overall performance, which can result in extremely complex parts – something the team can’t create using any other method. This challenge, coupled with the high costs and long lead times of adding extra details…
July 30, 2020
Despite widespread awareness, the manufacturing industry is failing to fully address and manage mobile security risks, leading to a spike in reported breaches. In fact according to Verizon’s data-driven Mobile Security Index 2020, 41% of manufacturers admitted to mobile device related breaches in the past year, almost double the 21% reporting these breaches in 2019. A large majority of these breaches are serious, with more than two-thirds (67%) reporting a major mobile security compromise. The IP paradox One of the biggest concerns raised in the report is competitors stealing their intellectual property (IP), cited by 87% of manufacturers, yet half of all manufacturers admit to sacrificing mobile security to get the job done. This creates a paradox for IP, where reality doesn’t quite match the very real fears around IP theft while simultaneously disregarding those threats. Clearly, manufacturers are displaying a disconnect between challenges and solutions. Mobile…
July 30, 2020
Australian manufacturing will be the star of a comprehensive new industry showcase next May, with the launch of Australian Manufacturing Week, unveiled by AMTIL today. The Australian Manufacturing Technology Institute Limited (AMTIL) has announced the launch of Australian Manufacturing Week, an industry exhibition encompassing all aspects of manufacturing in Australia. Since 2000, AMTIL has operated Austech, Australia's premier advanced manufacturing and machine tool exhibition. With more than 170 organisations exhibiting state-of-the-art manufacturing hardware, software and support services, Austech 2019 was attended by industry professionals from across Australia and around the world. With Australian Manufacturing Week, AMTIL is widening the scope of its exhibitions portfolio with an event that will provide a more comprehensive showcase of manufacturing in Australia. The inaugural Australian Manufacturing Week will be held in Melbourne on 11-14 May 2021. “With so much depressing news out there lately, it’s really good to be able to announce something that we believe is a really positive development for our industry,” said Shane Infanti, Chief Executive Officer of AMTIL. "Our ambition for Australian Manufacturing Week is not only to create a fantastic platform for the industry, but for it to become a real celebration of manufacturing in this country.” The…
July 29, 2020
AMTIL has announced the appointment of BMS Group as the latest addition to its Corporate Partner program. BMS is an agile, lateral thinking insurance broker that specialises in crafting bespoke solutions to protect the growth and reputation of its customers’ businesses. The BMS team has spent decades nurturing clients through the ups and downs of business. We’re all used to receiving those insurance renewals at the same time year on year, but we rarely consider whether those policies are properly protecting the unique commercial risks facing our businesses. Circumstances can change quickly: your business structure; revenue and staffing; securing or divesting assets, or even a pandemic like COVID-19. Moreover, changes in your business often require alterations to your policies to ensure you are correctly covered. Most importantly, you don’t have to wait for your insurance renewal to review your policies. Renewals may be annual, but reviewing and potentially updating your policies should be an ongoing process. BMS knows manufacturing and its staff take the time to understand your business circumstances, before structuring a bespoke insurance solution tailored to each unique risk profile. That means that BMS becomes a natural part of each client’s team, allowing us to provide strategic,…
July 23, 2020
Welding – excuse the cliché – is in Jason Elias’ blood. Raised by a blacksmith/welder father, Elias took up the torch at 12 and went on to an apprenticeship at Transfield Services (now Broadspectrum), before founding Precision Metal Group (PMG) at the beginning of the millenium. Elias is passionate about nurturing welding skills, and his company’s tag line is “servicing a dying trade with a new generation.” It’s not just welding at PMG, but the varieties of welding they handle are many: orbital, sub arc, pulse, robotic, and more conventional methods. Chasing growth through different kinds of projects has also led the NSW-based company to amass a long list of certifications, each of them important in proving they’re up to the job as a supplier. The company’s two decades of growth, which saw its headcount reach a high of 52 in March, have been, according to Elias, the result of “chipping away and … just adding more and more services over the years”. “Clients have seen the need…
July 23, 2020
From baked bars, nut bars, muesli and granola and cereal-style bars, to raw fruit and nut snack packs, dried fruits, nuts and baking products – you will find products manufactured by Tasti Foods on most supermarket shelves throughout New Zealand and Australia. Now in its third generation, Tasti Foods remains proudly New Zealand-owned and -operated. The company began life back in the 1930s when two friends decided to start producing crystallised ginger. Fast forward more than 80 years and a workforce of over 250 staff now produce a whole range of food products, as well co-manufacturing for a number of internationally recognised brands. The company also supplies nearly every supermarket chain in Australia and New Zealand with private label snack bars. Operating an efficient manufacturing facility Tasti has always manufactured in New Zealand and has been…
July 23, 2020
A machining workshop seeks to produce a certain number of parts, at a required level of quality, in the most efficient way, delivered on time. Traditionally, manufacturing businesses defined efficiency by return on investment. Success was measured in terms of continuous runs of thousands or hundreds of thousands of pieces and maintaining steady output from one or many machines was the goal. From that point of view, a machine that was running and making parts was considered efficient. Today, manufacturers more frequently carry out low-volume/high-mix production scenarios tailored to varying customer needs. Lot sizes may range from hundreds of pieces to single digits. However, even when all the machines in a shop are running non-stop, customers nevertheless could still be waiting for parts they ordered. High-volume output strategies conflict with the flexibility and complex planning requirements of low-volume production scenarios. While…
July 23, 2020
The Demmeler 3D workbench and welding table distributed by Leussink is a versatile jig and fixtures system for all types of welding and fabrication work. Projects such as steel construction, sheet metal processing, robot technology, assembly and measuring equipment, laser welding, laser cutting, prototype construction, body construction, and many others can be set up easily and precisely. The Demmeler system can meet all horizontal and vertical requirements and is complemented by a full range of components to fixture virtually any part. Due to its modular nature, engineering changes are easily handled, and duplicate fixtures can be ready in as little as 20 minutes. By using modular fixturing, users can recover valuable production space once used for storage of old dedicated fixtures and jigs. Another factor to consider with welding table systems is hardness, because welding obviously creates a lot of heat. Demmeler’s Demont range uses a high-strength base material for the worktop in combination with a special optimised low heat hardening process that provides the…
