Month: June 2021

After successfully navigating the global COVID-19 pandemic, with record sales values for the Western Australian resource sector in 2020, and amid suggestions that mineral production levels will accelerate further over the coming years, it has become more important than ever that market-leading technologies are at the forefront of the industry’s expansion. Strategy, collaboration and technology have emerged as key themes for the mining industry to deal with the risks and opportunities posed in 2021. The two-day program of the WA Mining Conference will actively explore topics such as the geopolitical and economic drivers of a post-COVID world, as they pertain specifically to the Western Australian mining sector. The program will examine the latest technological advancements including automation, robotics and how organisations will be challenged by the absorption of innovation. On day one, the highlight of the plenary stream will be a panel discussion centred around how innovation will look post-COVID and what the impact will be on exploration, new projects, mining operational demands…

CBA’s Executive General Manager Business Lending, Clare Morgan, said asset financing across a number of sectors within CBA’s Business Bank continue to surge as businesses restock and invest in new assets: “The construction industry in particular, has benefited from multiple government stimulus packages, including record investments in public infrastructure projects and the Homebuilder grant. We’re also seeing strong demand for vehicle financing and machinery, particularly in the food manufacturing and agriculture sectors. In fact demand for agriculture machinery is the highest we’ve seen in several years.” The construction industry has seen significant year on year growth of excavators (up 191%) and other earthmoving equipment (up 121%). The agriculture industry has also seen growth in the financing of energy-efficient equipment such as lower emitting tractors (up 88%) and loaders (up 73%) compared to this time last year. “Many businesses are also taking advantage of CBA’s Energy Efficient Equipment Financing (EEEF) which rewards customers with a 0.5% discount on financing for energy efficient…

Mineral Resources Tasmania reports that the mineral extraction and processing sector is Tasmania’s largest export industry and accounts for more than 50% of mercantile exports. The state exports ores and concentrates of iron, copper, lead, zinc, tin, high-grade silica and tungsten. Launceston manufacturer P&D Lipski Engineering (P&D L) has been supplying the Tasmanian and Australia-wide mining sector for more than 34 years. On a site tour of the company, P&D L’s quality assurance manager Martin Lipski points to around 30 steel quick release hock assemblies, lined up in the front of the business. Martin explains that these were manufactured at P&D L a few years ago and are now in for refurbishing. “The assemblies are a docking and berthing mechanism for ships,” he adds. “We make and refurbish them for one of our main clients, and the longest-serving one, Trelleborg Marine Systems Australia. Trelleborg supplies our assemblies to their mining clients like Rio Tinto and other Western Australian mining businesses. These are used…

The project will create around 200 jobs including apprentices and aboriginal workers to manufacture, test, commission and maintain 41 six-car electric (EMU) and two three-car diesel (DMU) trains, which includes 20 years maintenance of the EMU trains and maintenance support services for the DMU trains. The fleet of 43 trains will be built with the support of a thriving ecosystem of local suppliers, contractors and equipment vendors. Alstom has committed to 50% local content for the vehicles, bringing additional flow on benefits beyond the delivery of the trains to the WA economy. The new facility was opened in a ceremony attended by WA’s Premier Mark McGowan and Minister for Transport Rita Saffioti. “Alstom is delighted to begin operating METRONET’s brand-new train manufacturing facility in Bellevue, revitalising the rail industry in WA,” said Mark Coxon, Managing Director for Alstom in Australia & New Zealand. “Over the coming weeks we will begin ramping up the production of these new trains in line with our commitment…

The welding shortage is a global problem. The American Welding Society has predicted a deficit of 400,000 welders by 2024. In Australia, the problem is arguably even greater. According to specialist welding technologists K-TIG, a US welder’s skills are in such high demand they can demand a salary of $100,000 – the figure is twice as high in Australia and up to three times as high for oil & gas projects in remote locations. The bad news looks set to get worse, because the welding workforce isn’t getting any younger. Estimates vary, but even the more favourable figures suggest that 30% of Australia’s welding workforce is over 45. The millennials are not rushing to replace the retiring baby boomers. Negative perceptions of careers in manufacturing, and welding in particular, are putting off younger generations from what could be a bright career destination. Unfortunately, welding is seen by many younger people as dirty and monotonous. Added to all this is a skills shortage,…

The project’s aim is to advance Compliant Multilayer Environmental Barrier Coatings (EBCs) that can be applied to rocket engine components. The outputs of the research will have commercial applications in aviation, space, defence, and high-temperature processing applications. “This is an exciting project that showcases Swinburne’s strength in materials and coatings for space,” says Director of Swinburne’s Space Technology and Industry Institute, Professor Alan Duffy. “By bringing together the brightest minds and world-class capabilities from Swinburne, ANFF, and local industry excellence in Amaero, we can address the material issues within the extreme environment of a turbine engine. In solving this problem for space, we also benefit through its use back on Earth. Swinburne is delighted that Amaero is partnering with us in this breakthrough space manufacturing technology.” Through the research collaboration Amaero will: Identify suitable 3D printed designs that allow for the construction of the EBCs. Provide technical advice during manufacturing and performance testing. Manufacture and provide of…

The highly regarded Lonsdale-based manufacturer plans to build upon recent expansion success with a co-funding investment of more than $800,000 to extend its smart factory and skill capabilities across its in-house and supplier operations. The project is expected to result in the creation of up to 35 new roles. REDARC, a strong advocate for reinvestment, allocates up to 15% of its yearly revenues to research & development (R&D). As a result, the company has developed more than 600 product lines during its 40-year history, of which most are exported to markets including Canada, USA, Mexico, Europe, New Zealand, the Middle East, South Korea and South Africa. “In that context, we need to have a nimble, agile and value-driven manufacturing base to be able to sustain that type of business and respond quickly to customer needs,” explains Andrew Rogers, Manufacturing Engineering Manager for REDARC. “Industry 4.0 is more than a buzzword; it represents the next leap in technological prowess and competitiveness. It should…

Based in Port Melbourne, 3DM has been at the forefront of metal surface finishing technology for more than 25 years, with international sales based on patented technologies. Its new technology, based on electro polishing, overcomes historical limitations to achieve surface finishes of less than 4 Ra surface roughness in under five minutes – delivering outcomes that previously took 30 to 60 minutes. This new technology enables surface smoothing to be shape-sensitive, predictable and controllable like never before. The challenge Metal 3D printing has enabled the design freedom and mechanical optimisation of parts never seen before. When using laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) technology, the surface finish is an intrinsic part of the design requirement; this is particularly the case in medical applications, where it can help to prevent bacteria growth, enable bone osseointegration, provide corrosion resistance, optimal fluidics or mechanical strength. Surface finishing technologies to date have largely been ‘adapted’ from traditional machining industries, and not readily transferrable to the complex geometries and selective surface requirements of metal 3D printing. Most…

Every workshop organises and solves the first steps of recovery – i.e. the logistics, storage and cataloging of leftovers – in the method that best suits the company’s production strategy and the materials available. Methods range from simple text files listing the parts available, to automatic software solutions for inventorying leftovers, and from storing the leftovers on sheet metal packs, to stacking on shelves, and on to more sophisticated warehousing solutions for more costly materials such as stainless steel. However, storage and cataloging affect above all the times and effectiveness of the recovery activities and the search among the leftovers. The last step in the recovery process is measuring the leftovers: the dimensions are required because the programmer, who is generally not in the workshop but in the office, has to refer to the formats…