Month: May 2021

Based in Keysborough, Victoria, Automation Innovation has developed a new turnkey robotic cell laser cleaner that incorporates artificial intelligence and robotic automation as an answer to manufacturers’ needs for a safer, environmentally friendly, and more economical solution to cleaning glass moulds. In 2020, the glass and glass product manufacturing market size in Australia reached $4.2bn. It’s grown 2.1% in the last five years. Glass and glass product manufacturing in Australia as an industry continues to increase faster than the Australian manufacturing sector overall. The growth is attributed to increasing investments in building construction, and a heightened awareness of glass as a more sustainable material in comparison to plastic. Glass is also fully recyclable, and lasts several years longer than plastic, which gives the material its conspicuous environmental appeal. The art behind glass cleaning and raised concerns Glass moulds are used in the manufacture of glass products, and are made up of interlocking parts, small features, and pinhole-sized cooling vents. In glass bottle manufacturing processes, lubricant is used…

The Demmeler 3D workbench and welding table is a versatile jig and fixtures system for all types of welding and fabrication work. When paired with an ALM Positioner it can bring a whole new level of safety and accuracy to the workshop because the work can be held in place firmly and rotated. Positioners (which are also sometimes called manipulators) allow 360-degree rotation of parts to eliminate heavy lifting and allow for more comfortable welding. Leussink’s Managing Director Jason Leussink explains how he went in search of a company that could supply precision positioners to his Australian-based clients. “We’ve been working with Demmeler for nearly 30 years and have not found a local supplier who can provide the type of product our clients seek,” says Jason. “We were approached by a client who wanted to be able to hold work in place while welding. They fabricate large trailers in their workshop…

According to Josh Budd, Managing Director of McNeall Plastics, the past year has shown that the modes of acquisition, distribution and transportation traditionally relied upon, can no longer be considered as always dependable, available or guaranteed for use. “The supply chain issues, which are still being experienced, and perhaps will continue to be for the foreseeable future, have driven many companies to revise their own supply strategies to manage the current volatility as well as protect against inevitable future disruptions,” Budd elaborates. “In fact, we are finding that many industry sectors are aware that, had they relied on Australian manufacturers throughout this unstable time period, they would have been better positioned to weather the impacts of not only the pandemic, but other disruptions to the supply chain too.” This realisation has prompted many companies to look at ‘reshoring’ their manufacturing activities back home to Australia, to overcome the current challenges of…

A major trend in the Asia Pacific electric motor market is the development of electric motors with high power-to-weight ratios. Sustainability concerns, as well as the necessity to cut costs and increase profit margins, are encouraging manufacturers to invest in the latest energy-efficient technology. However, improving the energy performance of an electric motor does not necessarily mean swapping your trusted favourite for a new one – maintaining it properly and installing a few relatively inexpensive add-ons can be enough to drastically cut costs in the long run. The right load factor The load factor represents the average load of a motor compared with its capacity over a specific period of time. The load factor significantly impacts the energy consumption of an electric motor. Motors are most efficient when operating at full or near full load…

The company has been responsible for numerous workholding innovations that reduce costly changeover time, reduce operator workload and maximise productivity. One of the many benefits of using Lang Technik products is their patented Quick Point zero-point clamping system. This allows for a one-time installation – once the base plate is mounted and aligned to the machine tool table and the zero point is defined, workpieces and fixtures can be built quickly and accurately. “The zero-point system provides a huge boost to productivity, reducing changeover time from 1-2 hours to around five minutes,” says Paul Fowler, Managing Director of Dimac Tooling, Lang Technik’s agents for Australia and New Zealand. Two recent additions to Lang Technik’s respected Makro-Grip range of vices are the Makro-4 Grip and Makro-Grip Ultra. The Makro-4Grip allows Lang’s stamping technology to now be utilised for round parts. The stamping is a patented form-closure technology, which provides the highest holding power for five-face machining worldwide. Often referred to as pre-stamping, it…

In addition to the country’s biggest manufacturing industry expo, AMW 2022 will feature several parallel events to complement the main event. Situated in the middle of the AMW exhibition, the Future Solutions Stage will feature a series of speakers sharing knowledge, expertise and insights. For each of the four days of AMW, the Future Solutions Stage will explore a specific theme. They are: Tuesday 8 March: Women in Manufacturing Wednesday 9 March: Unlimit3D – Unlocking Additive Technology Opportunities Thursday 10 March: Research & Innovation Friday 11 March: A Celebration of Australian Manufacturing The first day of AMW 2022 will coincide with International Women’s Day. To mark this the show will begin with a day-long celebration of the contribution made by women to Australian manufacturing, with the Future Solutions Stage featuring an all-female line-up of speakers from across the industry. The opening of AMW will also be preceded by a special Women in Manufacturing networking breakfast. “It’s a happy coincidence that next year’s show is opening…

Over the last few years there has been a lot of angst with respect to uncertainties and potentially disadvantageous ‘proposed’ changes and cuts to funding of the R&D Tax Incentive (RDTI). The 2020-21 Federal Budget provided R&D companies with long awaited clarity on the RDTI changes, while this year’s Budget further enhanced Australia’s innovation ecosystem by announcing the introduction of a new Patent Box scheme to encourage commercialisation of Australian IP. Below we provide a brief refresher of the new RDTI laws set to take effect from 1 July 2021 and a summary of the new Patent Box scheme, set to commence from 1 July 2022. R&D Tax Incentive The 2020-2021 Federal Budget provided much needed relief for companies involved in undertaking R&D, with confirmation that the previously proposed $2bn cuts to the RDTI were off the table, that there would be no rate cuts for most claimants and no refund caps. The new laws…

Among other things, the new TM grades offer customers used-edge detection technology, resulting in increased productivity. More than a decade ago, Seco’s research & development (R&D) specialists realised that nanoscience could be harnessed to develop highly sophisticated coatings that offered thermal and chemical resistance, which could be extremely strong and durable, and which could be designed at an atomically thin level. The result of their work was a patented insert coating technology that brought a combination of wear resistance and edge toughness to maximise insert grades in the prevention of cracks and breakage. They called it Duratomic. In this, the very first development of Duratomic in 2006, Seco R&D addressed the texturing of atomic layers in critical parts of the coating. “There are different ways to manipulate the various parts of the coating, and different translations of upper, bottom and center layers for various usages,” explains Mikael Lindholm, Product Manager, General ISO Turning at Seco Tools. “Knowing when and how to do it is what would I call the essence…

AMT: How long has NZTM been in business? Terry Carter: New Zealand Tube Mills stared in 1938. Originally, we were focused on producing truck rear-vision mirrors and pram wheels. The production of steel tubing and car exhaust systems followed soon after and took us down the path we are today. During and following the Second World War there was a shortage of materials, which prompted the company to design and build tube mills capable of producing tubular steel using oxy-acetylene welding. Today, we focus on manufacturing precision carbon tube and an extensive range of stainless architectural food and beverage tube. Our primary industry these days is horticulture and viticulture – with tubular steel trellising solutions. Export sales have increased steadily over the last three years, from 17% to over 35%. In addition to New Zealand, we sell into Australia and the USA. We also made sales to parts of Europe…

There is little doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic has forever changed the way in which businesses interact with customers, suppliers, and advisors. Although each state has experienced varying degrees of uncertainty, all have shared the need to be better positioned to thrive in the new COVID normal. Through lockdowns, delays in supply-chains, zoom meetings, and disruptions to global trade and currencies, we now understand how important it is to have solid foundations in every aspect of one’s business. Predominantly, these foundations can be best described as: Supply Chain Management and IT Systems Marketing and Visibility Financial, Accounting, and Legal advice and advisors HR and Staff Management By focusing on these four areas of a business, one can expect to identify areas in which the effects of the pandemic have highlighted the need to change how they are managed and operated. The following paragraphs will provide a brief overview of how you can thrive in the new COVID normal. Supply chain and inventory management A business’ performance during the pandemic can almost…

Premier Daniel Andrews’s Government will invest $179.4m to support stage one of the Fishermans Bend Innovation Precinct development at the former General Motors Holden factory, just 4km from Melbourne city centre. The precinct will encourage collaboration between industry and academia, with the University of Melbourne leading the way. Fishermans Bend will house the University of Melbourne’s School of Engineering from 2024 and the innovation precinct is forecast to be capable of supporting up to 30,000 STEM jobs by 2051. The precinct is intended to cement Victoria’s status as a major centre for advanced manufacturing and support high-paid innovation jobs in defence, aerospace, clean energy and transport. It will also strengthen the state’s capacity to commercialise new ideas and foster new business ventures. GM Holden established its Fishermans Bend operations in the 1930s, first to assemble imported engines and locally produced car bodies. In the late 1940s, the site delivered Australia’s first mass-produced vehicle – the FX…

The manufacturing industry in Australia is facing a period of renewal and transformation. With more robotic density in manufacturing factories and warehouses comes the need for connectivity, since there is more data to consume. The ability to have low latency and secure connectivity at high speed is becoming critical to the future of manufacturing. Local manufacturers are now looking to private 5G capabilities for this low latency and secure connectivity to improve the overall manufacturing process. In fact, some are looking at combining private 5G with optical infrastructure to create test beds for autonomous guided vehicles and autonomous guided robots to increase the accuracy and speed of tracking. This testing has so far seen many opportunities that go well beyond the initial concepts that manufacturing businesses conceived, including addressing quality assurance, safety of employees, and making sure the right assets are at the right location at the right time. This integration of information with other members of the supply…

Fortescue Metals Group’s Chairman and founder, Dr Andrew ‘Twiggy ’ Forrest, surprised a few with his first Boyer Lecture of 2021, highlighting the mining giant’s commitment to renewables, green hydrogen, and ultimately to the production of green steel . Acknowledging his group’s significant greenhouse gas contribution – two million tonnes a year, more than the entire emissions of Bhutan – Twiggy said the answer is not in stopping mining iron ore, which is critical to the production of steel and to humanity, but instead ensuring that iron ore and steel activity use zero-emissions energy. Twiggy believes green hydrogen – the purest source of energy in the world – could replace up to three-quarters of global emissions, if we improve the technology and add scale. He argues that the green hydrogen market could generate revenues – at the very least – of US$12 trillion by 2050. So, as the…