Month: February 2021

AMT: How long has NEPEAN Engineering & Innovation been in business? Peter Buckley: NEPEAN first opened its doors in 1974. Today we are now one of Australia’s largest, privately owned engineering service providers. Our capacity and capabilities have expanded over the years. Our original site and workshop facilities was less than 600sqm. Today, we have grown to have over 50,000sqm of high-tech manufacturing space, running multiple shifts to ensure we can deliver to our clients on time, every time. We now employ over 120 full-time employees at our facilities in Narellan, NSW. We have employed five new team members in the past year alone. AMT: What industries do you service and what is your specialty? PB: NEPEAN has the depth, diversity, capability and experience to successfully deliver on the largest and most complex engineering projects. We service the construction, infrastructure, mining, defence, civil works, pharmaceutical, scientific and aerospace…

  The company will provide the Hunter Class Frigate Program, as well as with BAE Systems’s UK Submarines business, with its bespoke displays to provide 3D visualisation for respective research and technology programs to test situational awareness, systems integration and specialist engineering design applications. Voxon is a global leader in the manufacture of 3D volumetric display technology and leading provider of volumetric software and content. In late 2020 Voxon, together with BAE Systems, Flinders University and the University of South Australia, was awarded a Defence Innovation Partnership grant to support the advancement of the technology to enable superior decision-making through battlespace visualisation. Voxon Chief Executive, Gavin Smith, said: “Voxon would like to acknowledge the support that BAE Systems has given to specialist SMEs like ourselves via the Australian industry Global Access Program team. The team has been highly engaged with us from the beginning and established connections for us with the broader BAE Systems international business.” Future activities will focus on scalability, ruggedisation and specific operating functions that will have multiple…

The technology aims to differentiate Australia’s highly prized Pacific oysters, which are some of the few able to be consumed direct from the ocean due to pristine growing environments, from the highly farmed items that make up 80% of the world’s oyster supply. To achieve this, Tasmania Oyster Co. has developed a new CO2-based laser etching process that allows the company to etch a brand mark (logo) on the oyster’s shell, providing customers with peace of mind concerning the quality and provenance of the product. “Probably one of the biggest challenges is being able to distinguish our product from others, either here or in export markets. AMGC helped us expand our thinking to export markets,” said Simon Rechner, Project Manager at Tasmanian Oyster Co. “We think Australian oysters are some of the best in the world, but being able to market overseas is very difficult. An oyster sold in Singapore, Japan and Australia, without something on…

As a global leader in adhesives, sealants and functional coatings, the upgraded facility positions Henkel at the forefront of innovation for key growth sectors in Australia and New Zealand, namely food and beverage, packaging, engineered wood and general manufacturing and maintenance. Daniel Rudolph, President of Henkel Australia and New Zealand, said: “Henkel’s customers are looking for the latest innovations to increase performance and efficiency, and improve their sustainability footprint. The upgrading of our Innovation and Application Lab allows us to test and tailor solutions to meet the requirements of the local market, ranging from the latest in product design and food safety standards to adapting to a circular economy.” The Innovation and Application Lab is co-located at Henkel’s adhesive manufacturing facility. This facilitates a rapid transition and reduces the time to market from product concept and development to volume production. Mark Dorn, President of Henkel Asia-Pacific and Global Head of Craftsmen, Construction and Professional Division, Henkel Adhesive Technologies, said: “Our upgraded Innovation and Application Lab in Sydney enables us to offer the latest product innovations to the market. From…

Based in Adelaide’s Salisbury Plain, Innomation offers a variety of services including mechanical design and drafting, electrical schematic design and drafting, machine design and automation. One of the issues that faced the company was the amount of money being spent on outsourcing bending and laser cutting. The solution for Morton was to establish Lasermech, a subsidiary of Innomation located on the same premises, offering design, cut, fold and fabrication of all types and sizes of components. Not only would Lasermech handle Innomation’s requirements but importantly it would offer these services to a raft of companies in Adelaide. To get things rolling, Morton visited Applied Machinery’s Melbourne facility in October 2019 to look at pressbrakes and fibre lasers. While impressed with the quality and value for money of the Yawei machines, Morton wanted to see the Yawei factory in China for himself. His first impression of the factory was positive to say the least. “I was blown away by…

Approximately 10% of the electricity supplied to Australian industry is used to compress air.  Constantly rising electricity costs have fuelled demand for industrial compressed air systems to deliver greater output for less energy input. The continued effectiveness of compressed air as an industrial power source lies in technological advances in compressor design, control methods, reticulation design and maintenance of systems to ensure optimum operational effectiveness. Specialist compressed air service companies can inspect, advise and restore systems to maximum operating condition. Maintenance programs are available and recommended to keep systems operational and avoid costly downtime for compressed air-reliant industries. Regular checks and maintenance are essential for continued efficient operation and minimisation of downtime. Like any other piece of expensive machinery, well-maintained systems give users many more years of operating life at low cost. Leading suppliers to offer tailored maintenance programs to suit individual customer needs. Selecting the right system or…

A large-format SPEE3D metal 3D printer was installed by the Fleet Support Unit (FSU) at HMAS Coonawarra Navy Port in late November, making the RAN the latest branch of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) with the capability to print its own metal parts, on demand. Sustainment, or the repair, maintenance and overhaul of equipment makes up a substantial proportion of the costs for all defence forces globally. The difficulty and expense of getting spare parts through regular supply chains has been exacerbated and highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The world has been looking to additive manufacturing (AM) to solve this problem; however, most AM technology has proven too delicate, too expensive, and far too slow to solve the problem. SPEE3D has proven to be the exception. SPEE3D’s metal 3D printing technology was developed in Australia and is the world’s fastest and most economical metal 3D printing technology. It is also the only large format metal 3D printing technology that has been trailed and proven field-deployable by the ADF. SPEE3D recently completed a series of successful field trials deploying…

Palaszczuk said Rheinmetall has the full support of the Queensland Government in landing the Phase 3 contract that will deliver 450 infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) for the Australian Army. “Rheinmetall estimates the Phase 3 project could create an additional 500 jobs in addition to the 450 highly skilled positions being brought to Queensland through their Phase 2 win,” said the Premier. “Rheinmetall’s new Military Vehicle Centre of Excellence (MILVEHCOE) here in Redbank is the most advanced military vehicle manufacturing facility in Australia, if not the world, and it would definitely be a compelling consideration in the Commonwealth’s LAND 400 Phase 3 tender evaluation.” Deputy Premier and Minister for State Development Steven Miles said when the Commonwealth selects its preferred tenderer, Rheinmetall’s MILVEHCOE will be fully operational, fully staffed and will have the necessary supply chains in place delivering on its contracts. “Rheinmetall’s Lynx IFV is specifically developed to meet the Army’s requirements and the Hungarian Government…

“We’re excited to have representation from such a respected and experienced supplier in the manufacturing sector, especially one with 3D printing experience,” said Ben Leung, Vice-President, Asia at ExOne. “As ExOne strengthens our network and strategy in Asia, we expect TCL Hofmann to play a key role in our growth and expansion.” TCL Hofmann joins the ExOne network as binder jet 3D printing is increasingly recognised as the additive manufacturing method that will be used for high-volume production because of its high speed, material flexibility, and low waste and cost. Joseph Hancock, Managing Director at TCL Hofmann, added: “We believe that binder jetting is well-positioned to grow quickly, and we’re looking forward to bringing this technology to manufacturing customers across our region.” ExOne’s patented binder jet 3D printing process transforms powdered materials — metal, sand or ceramic — into highly dense and functional precision parts or tooling at high speeds. An industrial printhead selectively deposits a…

Funding of between $100,000 and $3m is available under Round 11 of the Cooperative Research Centres Projects (CRC-P) grants program. In support of the Government’s Regional Decentralisation Agenda, Round 11 will also provide up to $6m for two Regional CRC-Ps to boost research and development projects in regional areas. Minister for Industry, Science and Technology Karen Andrews said making science and technology work for industry was central to the Government’s economic recovery plan. “We are backing Aussie businesses and our world-class research institutions to work together, because when they do they unlock innovation that is critical to creating jobs – both now and for generations to come,” Andrews said. “We want to support our industries and researchers to work together to find innovative solutions to challenges and improve the productivity, competitiveness and sustainability of their operations.” Minister for Decentralisation and Regional Education Andrew Gee said the grants would deliver real results on the ground for country Australia by turbocharging the competitive advantage of…

Effective communication in the workplace is an integral element of a business’ success; it enhances relationships within the company and with clients, and it increases employee engagement and the overall effectiveness of a team. However, recent research by US firm Gartner shows over 70% of business mistakes are due to poor communication. As we enter a post-COVID world with people still operating from home, restricting our ability to meet face to face, communications in the workplace take on an even stronger necessity. Even having to socially distance in the office or business environment if we get there makes it difficult to manage communication, particularly in large groups. For some, good communication comes naturally, but for others, it can be hard to articulate their thoughts and feelings in conversation, often leading to conflict and fundamental errors. So, whether you’re an effective communicator or not, it’s essential to understand the importance of good communication and how it…

In a statement, ExxonMobil said the Altona refinery was no longer considered economically viable and would be converted to an import terminal that will ensure “ongoing, reliable fuel supply for Victoria”. The decision was made following an extensive review of operations at the refinery, which commenced operation in 1949. The review considered the competitive supply of products into Australia, declining domestic crude oil production, future capital investments and the impacts of these factors on operating earnings. “We are grateful for the tremendous efforts by our employees to improve the viability of the operation,” said Nathan Fay, chairman of ExxonMobil Australia. “We extend our thanks to the Federal Government for the significant support offered to Altona and other refineries. Our decision to convert our facility to a terminal is not a reflection of those efforts.” Angus Taylor, the Federal Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction, said ExxonMobil’s decision was “extremely disappointing”. “The refinery employs around 300 staff,” said Taylor. “Our thoughts are with all of the refinery’s workers, their families and the local community businesses that will…

In realising the factory of the future, 3D printing will be a critical driver – but before we get there, the technology will need to be fully implemented, leveraged and optimised on a more widespread basis. Read on for a roadmap of where 3D printing is headed and how it will impact the industry in 2021. Stop 1: 3D printing will help organisations take control of supply chains As the manufacturing industry begins to recover from the pandemic and the landscape grows more competitive, it’s critical that organisations speed up their iteration cycles and provide new, innovative solutions quickly in 2021. To achieve this efficiency, organisations must use 3D printing to optimise processes, minimise downtime and circumvent circuitous supply chains. In today’s global landscape, the longer the supply chain…