Industry News

Professor Mahendran said the project, in collaboration with the National Association of Steel-Framed Housing (NASH), would specifically examine the fire resistance levels of complex, high-strength Light Gauge Steel Framed (LSF) wall systems, which are being increasingly used in low and mid-rise buildings around the world. “We are seeing plasterboard-lined LSF walls being used more and more, because they are a cost-effective load-bearing wall, but that has required new wall designs, which involve complex steel stud wall configurations. The real issue is that their fire resistance is not yet fully understood,” Professor Mahendran said. “This project aims to investigate the thermal and structural behaviour of those wall systems when they are exposed to fire, and to also develop a generic model for predicting fire resistance levels of LSF wall systems.” Professor Mahendran said he was pleased that this project would further increase awareness of fire-resistance levels and make important fire…

Deakin scientists Dr Nolene Byrne and PhD candidate Beini Zeng have discovered how to dissolve denim and manipulate the remains into an aerogel – a low-density material with a range of uses including cartilage bioscaffolding, water filtration and use as a separator in advanced battery technology. Dr Byrne, who completed the ground-breaking work in a joint project with Deakin’s Institute for Frontier Materials (IFM) and the School of Engineering, said the process worked because denim was made from cotton, a natural polymer comprised of cellulose. “Cellulose is a versatile renewable material, so we can use liquid solvents on waste denim to allow it to be dissolved and regenerated into an aerogel, or a variety of different forms,” said Dr Byrne. “Aerogels are a class of advanced materials with very low density, sometimes referred to as ‘frozen smoke’ or ‘solid smoke’, and because of this low density they make excellent materials for bioscaffolding, absorption or filtration. When we reformed the cellulose, we got something we didn’t expect – an aerogel with a…

There is strong evidence that at an economy-wide level, business investment in digital technologies results in higher productivity over the long term. Manufacturing processes that were once standalone and analogue are becoming increasingly digitised. This facilitates development of “smart factories” that are significantly more flexible, transparent and customisable. A recent Epicor study found that over half of global businesses are assigning a high priority to IT investment. The adoption and deployment of Industry 4.0 within Australia has the potential to significantly improve the competiveness of the advanced manufacturing sector. In 2016, the Prime Minister’s Industry 4.0 Taskforce was announced, with an initial aim to connect Australian and German industry leaders to collaborate and share information on Industry 4.0. The Taskforce now plans to create a network of Industry 4.0 testlabs, built in partnership with industry leaders to improve the competitiveness…

Compiled by the Australian Industry Group, the latest PMI extended the index’s period of uninterrupted growth to 25 consecutive months – the longest run of recovery or expansion since 2005. Readings above 50 indicate expansion in activity, with the distance from 50 indicating the strength of the increase. For a third consecutive month, all seven activity sub-indexes in the Australian PMI expanded in October. Production (up 2.9 points to 61.6), supplier deliveries (up 3.7 points to 60.9) and sales (up 2.3 points to 59.9) were all encouragingly strong, while employment (down 5.4 points to 52.6), new orders (down 3.8 points to 58.8) and exports (down 3.8 points to 55.1) all slowed in comparison to September. “The strength of Australia’s manufacturing sector continued into October with production, domestic sales and new orders all growing at encouraging rates,” said Ai Group Chief Executive Innes Willox. “Employment also lifted – although at a slower pace than in September.” Seven of the eight manufacturing sub-sectors expanded in October…

Based in the Netherlands, Seatools is a global provider of bespoke subsea solutions for companies ranging from offshore oil and gas to offshore renewables and aquaculture development. In light of its expansive and diverse scope, Seatools faced a distinct challenge in quickly and effectively communicating its range of custom offerings at the highly attended Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in Houston, Texas. As the largest event in the world for the oil and gas industry, OTC attracts over 2,300 exhibitors a year and counting. Therefore Seatools knew it needed to make a splash with a creative trade show display to ensure a positive return on investment, and that it had to do everything in its power to attract attention and engage new business. With the help of 3D Systems’ On Demand Manufacturing services, Seatools devised a unique subsea landscape to display seven distinct 3D printed appearance models of its various custom underwater technologies. Offering expansive prototyping and manufacturing services to support the entire product development lifecycle, 3D Systems’ On Demand…

Assad Ibrahim worked in car manufacturing for 12 years. He started at Ford in Melbourne straight out of school when he was still a teenager, in the body shop, literally putting cars together. “The exterior, the side assembly, the hood, the bonnet, the works,” he says. Assad did an apprenticeship for a trade in fitting and turning, and then also a diploma in engineering. He went on to work in project management at Ford, working with the newest manufacturing technology in a high-stakes, well-paid role. Then the Australian automotive industry hit the skids. In Victoria, Toyota has now been reduced to a skeleton staff in Altona doing non-manufacturing roles. Ford stopped making cars in Victoria in 2016. Holden shut its last Australian plant, in Adelaide, last year. It had spanned nearly 100 years; the first Ford factory opened in Geelong in 1925. The grand era was over. “We all knew it was doom and gloom,” says Assad. “It was just a matter of when. It was heartbreaking.…

Global manufacturer Dormer Pramet tasks its product management and development department with creating new tools every year. One member of the team is product and development engineer Jan Bittner. In January 2015, Bittner joined Dormer Pramet and became part of the company’s project to develop an assortment of high feed milling tools. Almost three years later, a new range of SBN10 cutters and BNGX inserts were launched into the global market. The time taken to introduce a product is an indication of the investment a manufacturer makes to create a new product which will add value to customers for many years. At Dormer Pramet, the process of creating a new tool begins with its product management department, which identifies the market needs and gaps in the company’s current assortment. Karel Tiefenbach is the company’s Product Manager for indexable milling and he created a concept brief and clear objective for the development team. Dormer Pramet’s aim was to create an assortment of tools for its double-negative cutters, which allowed high…

I wonder how many readers of this article have ever been part of a high-performance team? I suspect many may well have been part of a team that produced great results, or a team whose members enjoyed working with one another, or perhaps one in which the team felt that they were engaged in something really worthwhile, but these things alone do not constitute a high-performance team. Sure, they can be indicators of great performance but participation on a high-performance team is a rare and very special experience. Over the decades I have worked in various different teams across a range of industries and organisations and have been privileged to have been part of what I consider a “high-performance team” on just three occasions. Although each team operated in quite diverse domains, with different objectives and unique team members, the common, consistent element between each team was a feeling of effortlessness and invincibility – stretch goals and outcomes were achieved…

AMT: Tell us about Innovation and Science Australia (ISA) and its objectives. Charlie Day: ISA is a board which comprises up to 15 senior leaders from across the innovation, science and research system. It’s chaired by Bill Ferris, who is the father of venture capital in this country, the deputy chair is Alan Finkel, the Chief Scientist, and we have a range of people from across the science and innovation system. It was set up as part of the “ideas boom” back in late 2015 with the intent of providing independent advice to the whole of government about making the Australian innovation system work better. Our job really is to provide advice to government about innovation policy and how those innovation policies can make the system work a bit better. We also have a role as advocates for the system; there’s a lot of good news stories, great examples of innovation that we like to celebrate around the country. And we also have a role overseeing some of the key government support programs like the…

The Additively Manufactured Titanium Complex Structures Project will focus on enhancing TKF as a transformational technology for the highest standards of aerospace and defence industries as outlined by The Metallic Materials Properties Development and Standardization (MMPDS). The MMPDS is a widely accepted source for metallic material and recognised by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the US Department of Defense (DoD) and NASA. Currently, industries that use laser and electron beam melting processes in metal 3D printing have significant limitations due to the melting of the metal causing layering inclusions, evaporation of some alloys, and thermal distortion within the parts, meaning they cannot be certified for the production of aerospace structures components. The Titomic-led program will create new industry certification standards for the TKF process allowing it to be used for producing aerospace structures in continuation of the already approved processes for repairs on aircraft such as the B-1 bomber, F/A-18 Fighter and Black Hawk and…

One of the greatest advantages of my role with Sutton Tools has been to gain a perspective of the global manufacturing industry. Over the years, I’ve been able to observe technological trends and advancements across the industrial sector, and in different market segments. One of these changes has been the way additive manufacturing is replacing subtractive manufacturing in some areas, beginning with the aerospace and medical sectors. Subtractive manufacturing is the process of machining the purchased raw material to precisely required dimensions by removing the excess material. Across the medical industry, where unique low-volume components need to be produced from expensive and difficult-to-machine materials such as titanium, additive manufacturing is proving to be more effective in both cost and effort. One of the tools that is proving particularly important and useful for the medical mould-and-die industry undertaking additive manufacturing is the micro endmill. This tiny cutting tool precisely cuts away material for medical device moulds in the orthodontic, orthopaedic and respiratory…

Weber Grinding Machines offer a solution to this with a range of machines that can grind, round, deburr and descale lasered, punched and nibbled parts, thereby providing perfect surfaces and edges. The technology allowing this is Weber’s sophisticated brush system, comprising multiple brush heads. Three types of brush head are available: a compact planetary head, double-row planetary head, or the multi-rotation brush (MRB). The Compact Planetary head provides an excellent solution to the problem of large rotating brush systems. Dividing up the brushes onto several smaller tool carriers minimises machining differences along the operating width of the machine, which occur otherwise. The DR planetary head provides all-round edge machining across the entire width. This allows for all-round edge machining with cup brushes. In this process, several rotating brushes arranged in groups are given an additional turning motion. This means that the brushes work at the ideal angle on the workpiece. Weber’s MRB system is ideal for perfect edge machining. When round brushes are used, several rotating heads are also arranged next to…

Australia’s manufacturing industry is on the rise again after a tough period in which many businesses ceased operating or moved offshore. Traditionally a competitive and innovative industry, Australian manufacturing is embracing additive manufacturing techniques as a way to increase competitive advantage in the face of cheaper overseas competitors. Manufacturers are reimagining the industry with the help of this emerging technology. Additive manufacturing technology and 3D printing have been prominent for some time, letting manufacturers make custom products quickly and to a high standard. This ability to custom-make products onshore and deliver them to customers faster can help local manufacturers compete with offshore companies that must ship products to Australia, which takes time, as well as with those manufacturers clinging to traditional methods, which are costly and just as time consuming. Since 3D printing doesn’t require expensive moulds and complex equipment setups, it lets manufacturers be more agile in responding to customer demands. Short-run and customised products are now not just economically viable…