Month: September 2020

While unveiling a new fleet of Chinese-built Waratah 2 trains last week, NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance said “there’s a reason” why the trains weren’t built locally. Constance said that locally manufactured trains were likely to cost 25% more due to higher labour, energy and material costs. His comments came just a week after NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian reportedly said Australia and NSW are “not good at building trains”. The comments drew widespread criticism from the opposition, unions and industry bodies. Geoff Crittenden, Chief Executive Officer of Weld Australia, said: “It is precisely this attitude – that sees state governments send what could be local jobs offshore – that will prevent Australia from recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.” Weld Australia has called on all state governments to support local welders and fabricators in their rail procurement processes, arguing that this would create thousands of jobs, a solid local supply chain, and an industry equipped to export world-class trains all over the world. According to Crittenden, there is a real opportunity for…

The award was in recognition of Boeing Australia’s achievements in the recycling of more than 76 tons of aerospace-grade carbon fibre. The recycling endeavour, achieve in partnership with UK-based ELG Carbon Fibre, saw scrap materials from Boeing manufacturing sites collected and sent to ELG to be treated to remove binding agents. The result of this process is clean material that can then be sold to third parties to make products such as electronic accessories and automotive equipment. “As Australia’s largest aerospace manufacturer, we have a responsibility to our employees and our community to continuously identify ways to minimise environmental impact while we produce state-of-the-art product parts for our commercial programs,” said Jose Garza, Managing Director of Boeing Aerostructures Australia. “The Australian manufacturing environment has experienced some extraordinary challenges and now, more than ever, we need to look to sustainable practices to guide our future.” The Sustainability Leadership Award recognises what Boeing has done to embrace global processes to achieve several environmental goals by 2025, including reducing greenhouse gas…

Undoubtedly there are many benefits associated with the use of additive manufacturing (AM) as a production technology. Across industries, manufacturers exploit the fact that with AM they can not only build complex parts in one piece that were previously impossible, but they can also build stronger, lighter-weight parts, reduce material consumption, and benefit from assembly component consolidation across a range of applications. These advantages have been well documented over the last 10-20 years, as AM has emerged as atruly disruptive technology for not just prototyping but also production. They are invariably seen as being enabled by the additive hardware that builds the parts. In reality, this is a partial picture, particularly for serial production applications of AM. The hardware systems are just one part – albeit a vital one – of an extensive ecosystem of technologies that enable AM, both pre- and post-build. Of unique importance today is the role of…

For maximum flexibility and efficiency of production, Swiss gearbox manufacturer Rollstar AG recently invested in a large six-jaw pendulum compensation chuck with a jaw quick-change system and jaw quick adjustment. The convenient solution minimises set-up times and delivers perfect results right from the start – faster and more economically than conventional clamping solutions. The SCHUNK ROTA NCR 1250 six-jaw pendulum compensation chuck, which Rollstar uses to manufacture gears on a Pittler PV 1600 turn machining centre, is a large-dimensioned chuck with clever features. Christian Märki, Purchasing Manager at Rollstar considers whether it was a worthwhile investment. “Definitely,” he says. “Due to the machine design, including the clamping devices, we were able to reduce set-up times by half while decreasing the reject rate by 75%.” In particular the investment pays off when it comes to thin-walled components and high-quality materials. The company’s aim was to achieve the necessary quality levels, reduce throughput times and lower the overall costs of producing deformation-sensitive parts in two operations while ensuring process reliability. Due to the SCHUNK ROTA NCR,…

With more than 19 years’ experience in the industry, this award-winning engineer with trophies for Top World Skills Machinist for Western Australia and a top ten World Skills entrant for Australia, has a business theme of ‘If you can dream it, we can machine it’. When establishing a new green-field site with a pristine engineering workshop, Latham’s first purchase has been a brand new Okuma Model Genos L3000e-MY x 1000 CNC lathe. “Over the years I have worked on a wide range of CNC machines and I love the Okuma machines for the easy interface and the outstanding finish they achieve,” says Latham. “The back-up service that Okuma provides is also outstanding from people who really care. This machine is a very big investment for us; however the new plant layout is planned for additional machines and I already know the next Okuma machine model I want.” In following his dream, Latham has held a passion to start his own engineering business for some…

Regional Development Minister Alannah MacTiernan announced on 3 September that the State Government will take the next steps in exploring the viability of the proposed hub. It is envisioned a facility in Bunbury Geographe would give manufacturers an edge when competing for work by providing local access to infrastructure, technology, training, education and research. The State Government has identified technology and advanced manufacturing as a priority economic sector that will help to grow and diversify the economy, create jobs, and secure WA’s future. By boosting business capability and capacity to develop new supply chains that would capitalise on global markets, the hub would support hundreds of future jobs, including apprenticeships. “We have the capability to be manufacturing much more than we currently do in WA,” said MacTiernan. “We know that the skills and services developed by our mining expertise can drive local manufacturing. We are inspired by success stories of numerous South West advanced manufacturers. This study will show where the industry has the potential to grow, build…

The company manufactures carbide-tipped circular saw blades and has relied on sharpening technology from Vollmer for more than 15 years. The specialist in grinding and erosion machines has previously supplied seven machines, including sharpening machines from the CP and CHP model series. “We are currently manufacturing around 3000 carbide-tipped circular saw blades a month for companies in the wood and metal industry,” says Vikas Tiwari, CEO of Basco Tool Industries. “Our vision is to not only increase the quality of products and services, but also achieve further growth. Specifically, we want to produce at least 10,000 saw blades per month within a few years.” Basco Tool Industries’ ambitious goals reflect how the Indian economy looks. For two decades, the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) has grown by more than 7% a year. Six years ago, the ‘Make in India’ initiative was established in the country, with the goal to support Indian manufacturers…

In March, metalwork manufacturers across Australia who rely on overseas suppliers for their materials saw drastic supply shortages, and many manufacturers and food processors waiting on materials or ingredients have had to make the difficult decision to put their businesses on hold. As a result, this places enormous pressure on the supply chain. Globalised supply chains require globalised visibility Manufacturers and suppliers providing services and stock to businesses such as food processors face a lot of pressure and responsibility, propping up the smooth running of producers’ ability to provide goods for end-of-the-line consumers. For example, food manufacturers utterly depend on the smooth running of the supply chain, but all too often relationships with suppliers can be problematically complex and unclear. Globalisation and complicated supply lines mean that some manufacturers and supply chain sites might be in risky and unreliable supply chain relationships without even knowing it. This can mean supply chain sites tasked with receiving and delivering goods and services can unexpectedly become affected…

A team of Royal Australian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (RAEME) soldiers from 1st Combat Service Support Battalion (1CSSB) overcame extreme conditions to design, print and finish a series of ground-breaking 3D printed parts in the field as case studies. The trial proves metal 3D printin can support the Army’s supply chain resilience and strengthen Australia’s sovereign capability. Developed by SPEE3D, Australian award-winning manufacturer of metal additive manufacturing technology, the WarpSPEE3D is the world’s first large-format metal 3D printer to use patented cold spray technology. The printer is capable of printing large metal parts up to 40kg at a record-breaking speed of 100 grams per minute. The process harnesses the power of kinetic energy, rather than relying on high-power lasers and expensive gasses, allowing 3D metal printing in the field, at an affordable cost. Prior to the trial, the team conducted 3D printing training at Charles Darwin University, teaching them the skills they need to design, print, heat treat, machine, test and install metal parts that may fail in the field…

The Australian Army has now completed a successful two-week field trial of a ‘WarpSPEE3D’ metal 3D printer at the Mount Bundey Training Area, Northern Territory. A team of Royal Australian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (RAEME) soldiers from 1st Combat Service Support Battalion (1CSSB) overcame extreme conditions to design, print and finish a series of ground-breaking 3D printed parts in the field as case studies. The trial proves metal 3D printing enabled, by appropriate technical documentation and engineering processes, can support the Army’s supply chain resilience and strengthen Australia’s sovereign capability. Developed by SPEE3D, Australian award-winning manufacturer of metal additive manufacturing technology, WarpSPEE3D is the world’s first large-format metal 3D printer to use patented cold spray technology. The printer is capable of printing large metal parts up to 40kg at a record-breaking speed of 100grams per minute. The process harnesses the power of kinetic energy, rather than relying on high-power lasers and expensive gasses, allowing 3D metal printing in the field, at an affordable cost. Prior to the trial, the team conducted 3D printing training at Charles Darwin University, teaching them the skills they need to design, print, heat treat, machine, test and install metal parts that may fail in…

As Singapore’s public housing authority, the Singapore Housing & Development Board (HDB) is responsible for the development of 80% of the housing in the island city-state. There is a great demand for housing, and 3D concrete printing could help to speed up the housing development task that HDB faces. On 16 September 2019, HDB declared South-East Asia’s largest 3D printer for construction operational. The Virtual Smart Factory (VSF) 3D Concrete Printing System is capable of printing concrete components up to 9m long, 3.5m wide and 3.8m tall. The project was a joint effort involving Robin Village Development, Nanyang Technological University, Witteveen+Bos and CNC Design. Witteveen+Bos is an independent engineering consultancy that services clients in water, infrastructure, environment and construction projects. Witteveen+Bos engaged CNC Design for the development of an advanced six-axis gantry robot as part of the 3D Concrete Printing System. This is now operated for HDB by Witteveen+Bos. CNC Design is an Australian-owned company established in Melbourne in 1984, with core competencies in machine tools,…

Undoubtedly there are many benefits associated with the use of additive manufacturing (AM) as a production technology. Across industries, manufacturers exploit the fact that with AM they can not only build complex parts in one piece that were previously impossible, but they can also build stronger, lighter-weight parts, reduce material consumption, and benefit from assembly component consolidation across a range of applications. These advantages have been well documented over the last 10-20 years, as AM has emerged as atruly disruptive technology for not just prototyping but also production. They are invariably seen as being enabled by the additive hardware that builds the parts. In reality, this is a partial picture, particularly for serial production applications of AM. The hardware systems are just one part – albeit a vital one – of an extensive ecosystem of technologies that enable AM, both pre- and post-build. Of unique importance today is the role of post-process…

Multiple free web events to help Victorian manufacturers create and capture new value. Swinburne University’s Advanced Manufacturing Industry 4.0 Hub would like to help manufacturers use this time to find opportunities for new ways of working, keep people motivated and engaged, and to transform their business. The Hub is hosting multiple web-based presentations, catered to owners or senior leaders of Victorian-based manufacturing companies. The Hub would like to invite you to these virtual events and take advantage. The topics covered in these virtual events are practical, accessible and immediately applicable to businesses.  Based on this positive feedback from the industry, the Hub has introduced a variety of new Industry 4.0-based topics to expand your thinking and implement the knowledge into your business. Vision Systems in Industry 4.0 will be held on Tuesday 8 September from 8:30 am to 9:30 am futuremap® Embedding Industry 4.0 in Manufacturing will be delivered on Friday 11 September from 8:30 am to 11 am Digital Twins in Industry 4.0 will be held on Tuesday 15 September from 8:30 am to 9:30 am Value Proposition Design for Leveraging Industry 4.0 will be held on Tuesday 22 September from 8:30 am to 9:30 am Please…