March 19, 2020
The business investment measures are designed to assist economic growth in the short term and encourage a stronger economic recovery following the coronavirus outbreak. Tax incentives for businesses The below tax incentives will support over 3.5m businesses employing more than 9.7m employees. Increasing the instant asset write-off. The instant asset write-off allows small businesses an immediate deduction for depreciating assets costing less than the threshold of $30,000 (which will revert to $1,000 from 1 July 2020), to the extent that the asset is to be used for tax-deductible purposes. With effect from 12 March 2020, the instant asset write-off threshold is increased from $30,000 to $150,000, and access will be expanded to include businesses with an aggregated annual turnover of less than $500m (up from $50m) until 30 June 2020. The rules apply from 12…
March 19, 2020
Proudly family-owned and operated, KNS was founded by Kamal Singh. Kamal had been working in the sheet metal industry for more than 30 years when in 2014 he spotted an opportunity in the marketplace. With his extensive experience, he believed that it was the right time to go it alone. He took that knowledge with him when he founded the company with his wife and two sons. The business has grown rapidly over the past several years. Today KNS now operates with around 10-15 staff at its facility in Dandenong South, south east of Melbourne. Amal, Kamal’s elder son, is now the company’s General Manager. KNS Metals specialises in custom programming and design fabrication for both commercial and residential customers. Commercial is the backbone of the company, providing around 95% of its business, while residential makes up the remainder. The company also offers a range of other services, including CNC turret punching, laser cutting, pressbrake bending and welding. KNS operates Australia-wide but most of…
March 19, 2020
New demands have affected and influenced almost every element of a technology process: from planning and communication networks, to machinery – and even cutting tools, which are arguably the most conservative element in a manufacturing system. Cutting tool producers need to react appropriately and provide products according to these new requirements. Digitisation in the cutting tool field is characterised by two emerging trends. The first trend is to enable the cutting tool to communicate with advanced machinery and cyber-physical production systems in order to advise about variables such as tool wear, predictable tool life, total time of the tool involved in cutting, and so on. The second trend relates to the information about the tool that should be provided by a cutting tool manufacturer. Manufacturers are expected to supply data about their products, and catalogs and guides have long been an integral part of the product itself. The…
March 19, 2020
Plastool was established by Bert Down in the 1950s, originally operating out of Box Hill, Victoria. The company has undergone significant growth over the years, and now employs a staff of 14 at a purpose-built 1,600sqm facility in Mordialloc, in Melbourne’s south-eastern suburbs. The business remains very much a family operation, with Bert’s sons Gary and Andrew now serving as Chief Executive Officer and Manufacturing Director respectively. Plastool provides high-precision 3D CNC machining, engineering and toolmaking solutions. This includes new tooling, repairs, and modifications to all types of moulds. The company’s primary focus is on the food packaging, aerospace, defence, automotive, housewares, medical, electronics, building and construction industries. It has now expanded into thin-wall plastic and composite tooling. According to Kieron Donoghue, Project Manager at Plastool, the secret to Plastool’s success has always been good leadership. “Gary and Andrew Down always research the future trends of the market and pursue them,” he explains. “They are willing to reinvest any profits back into the company. This includes investing in new machinery and…
March 19, 2020
Australia’s maritime industry operates in a wide variety of open water and coastal environments ranging from hot, humid tropical, to windy, freezing sub-Antarctic. According to international standards, most of these are classified as having very high to extreme corrosion severity, containing high levels of salt-laden aerosols. The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) has all its water-borne assets and most support infrastructure exposed to these environments. For the RAN, corrosion has consequences in addition to the economic ones faced by other organisations. The RAN consists of approximately 50 warships including frigates, destroyers, amphibious landing ships, submarines and patrol boats. It also operates minehunters, resupply vessels and hydrographic survey ships. In addition to its vessels, the RAN’s rotary wing aircraft are integral to its operations. Generally, warships can tolerate higher levels of corrosion causing structural damage than aircraft. All of the RAN’s vessels, equipment and structures must be protected…
March 12, 2020
AMT: You’ve been CEO at ANCA for about a year and a half now. How’s it gone so far? Christopher Hegarty: In general, very positive. It’s a great company, fantastic products. We have more recently faced some tough market conditions. That’s driven by the end of the smartphone boom; trade issues between China and the US aren’t helping, and Europe’s got its own struggles, so people are cautious. But we have some fantastic new products in the pipeline that will really grow our business, so I’m looking forward to the next upturn. ANCA is a machine tool manufacturer, we make tool and cutter grinders, automation systems and metal fabrication, but our customers have demand for more products than that: other machines, other process steps. There’s a lot we can do to help around integration and automation, delivering an end-to-end tool production system, with no manual operations at all. That’s the vision. That’s what we’re aiming for. And the beauty of that is it’s a much bigger market than just the machine part; it’s highly attractive for…
March 12, 2020
Australia is continuing to closely monitor the ongoing outbreak of respiratory illness caused by a novel (new) coronavirus (COVID-19). Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that can cause illnesses from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the outbreak of COVID-19 as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. While the majority of confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported from Mainland China, cases have been reported in many other countries and regions, including Iran, Italy and South Korea. Cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Australia. You can access the latest information on COVID-19 from the Australian Government Department of Health. Currently in Australia, people most at risk of contracting the virus are people who have either been in a high-risk country or region recently, or been in close contact with someone who is a confirmed case of coronavirus. Managing the risks from COVID-19 The model Work…
March 12, 2020
The revised Bill which will be considered by Parliament early this year (and if enacted expected to apply to all claims from 1 July 2019), could be a significant barrier for the growth of many companies such as the manufacturing sector that rely on government support like the R&D Tax Incentive for much-needed cash-injections. Disappointingly, the proposed R&D Tax Incentive changes could decrease the benefits available to manufacturing companies performing legitimate R&D activities in Australia. The most impacted would be companies with an aggregated turnover (i.e. which includes the turnover of all grouped entities) above $20m that will be subjected to a new more complicated R&D intensity test. This test, if it results in a low ‘R&D intensity’ score (‘R&D intensity’ measured by eligible R&D deductions divided by total company expenses) could…
March 12, 2020
According to RAM3D, the world has, at long last, woken up to the benefits of additive manufacturing. For more than 10 years the company has been leading the way in metal 3D printing in the Southern Hemisphere, and prints parts for a range of industries worldwide. The sectors it serves include aerospace, defence, marine, food manufacturing, industrial and speciality. Many of the industries that it engages with have Non-Disclosure Agreements in place, meaning RAM3D can’t usually talk about its clients or the parts that it prints for them. However it has been allowed to discuss its working relationship with Oceania Defence. An early adopter of additive manufacturing technology, Oceania Defence has been able to secure patents on firearms suppressors made using metal 3D printing. The company supplies suppressors for defence and law enforcement clients all over the world. Health & safety regulations around the world are driving the demand for suppressors as regulators and firearm users look to reduce significant hearing risks to themselves and others. Oceania Defence has been working in collaboration with…
March 12, 2020
In the packaging industry, floor space costs money; the wider the machine, the fewer lines you can operate. Triangle, a Chicago-based manufacturer of vertical form fill seal machines primarily for the food packaging industry, was presented a unique challenge by its salad industry customers. Triangle’s research with clients revealed they needed a high production rate on each line, but a lower machine speed to allow leafy greens to fall nicely in the bag. To answer that need, Triangle’s research & development team designed its new Compact Sanitary Bagger (CSB), which is narrow enough to install two machines per line in a twin configuration. Triangle knows the demands of the food packaging industry very well. A sanitary design is a necessity, so the Triangle team knew they’d build a solid stainless steel frame, fully welded, with round bars so…
March 12, 2020
Their 3D printing bureau offers services such as rapid prototyping, functional production items and short-run manufacturing. Due to customer demand they also offer reverse engineering, as well as 3D design, equipment hire and training. The business was established in Sydney in 2013. It was Australia’s first ever 3D printing retail shop and the fifth worldwide. The business expanded to Perth a year later, and then to Melbourne in 2017. In December, Howard and Stuart realised their vision to open a factory of the future where they specialise in mass personalisation – that is, functional items personalised for customers. Repeat short-run products can save customers large production set-up costs and cut down on waste with a just-in-time production approach. Howard and Stuart’s factory of the future vision was realised with a world-class additive manufacturing solution supplied by John Hart: an EOS P396 industrial 3D printer, capable of producing thousands of high-quality plastic parts per week. “We purchased the EOS because…
March 9, 2020
According to RAM3D, the world has, at long last, woken up to the benefits of additive manufacturing. For more than 10 years the company has been leading the way in metal 3D printing in the Southern Hemisphere, and prints parts for a range of industries worldwide. The sectors it serves include aerospace, defence, marine, food manufacturing, industrial and speciality. Many of the industries that it engages with have Non-Disclosure Agreements in place, meaning RAM3D can’t usually talk about its clients or the parts that it prints for them. However it has been allowed to discuss its working relationship with Oceania Defence. An early adopter of additive manufacturing technology, Oceania Defence has been able to secure patents on firearms suppressors made using metal 3D printing. The company supplies suppressors for defence and law enforcement clients all over the world. Health & safety regulations around the world are driving the demand for suppressors as regulators and firearm users look to reduce significant hearing risks to themselves and others. Oceania Defence has been working in collaboration with RAM3D…
March 5, 2020
Aurora developed and flew the first 3D-printed jet-powered unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), capitalising on the strength of fused deposition modelling (FDM) ASA thermoplastic for the main wing and fuselage structures. The aircraft’s main purpose was to demonstrate the speed at which a design can go from concept to a flying aircraft. It also illustrates the validity of AM for flight-capable parts, beyond the traditional role of prototyping. While AM methods and applications may differ among these companies, the reason they use it is common: it provides multiple benefits that collectively improve their bottom line. That might come in the form of meeting delivery schedules, improving performance, reducing waste, optimising the supply chain, or a combination of the above. From rapid prototyping to flight parts Since its inception, a common use case for AM has been rapid prototyping, allowing aerospace companies to validate fit, form and function…
