Industry News

Walking the factory floor at Sutton Tools’ headquarters in Thomastown, Victoria, defies what many would expect of a firm that each year produces some 20 million drills, taps, milling cutters and specialist tools for industries, ranging from medical and mining to aerospace and automotive. It’s clean. Really clean. “We used to be a far more manual operation up to the 2000s, with an environment not as clean as it is now, and more moving parts on the loading mechanisms” says Sutton’s Engineering Manager Tim Schurmann. “Our first robot was about 15 years ago, a Drake thread grinder that had one robot fitted to it. “We decided this was a pretty good idea, so we purchased some more robots and we started to install them ourselves. But we soon found we needed help from somebody to integrate them to the control system on the CNC machines, so we got Pat in to do that work.” By “Pat”, he means Pat Green,…

In addition to designing and producing trailers for general freight, temperature-controlled freight and bulk transport, MaxiTRANS manufactures rigid truck bodies, and supplies parts and consumables through its MaxiPARTS division. As such, it is a longtime user of SolidWorks and has been utilising SolidWorks PDM to assist in product management for almost a decade. Over this time an ongoing relationship was established with Central Innovation – whose development team was able to assist with custom-built tools to help expedite data delivery of Excel files into its production department. This laid the groundwork for Central Innovation’s in-depth involvement in ‘Project Transform’, which MaxiTRANS initiated in 2014 to replace 13 legacy IT systems and its now-unsupported core IT system with a new JD Edwards ERP system and other integrated systems across its business. The aim was to improve operational efficiencies by streamlining its business processes and practices while reducing operational…

While the global population continues to grow and age, the gradual urbanisation of our civilisation is creating a plethora of new health risks. The United Nations expects that an ageing global population will precipitate significant social changes – changes for which Tornos has been prepared for many years, especially in the medical and dental sectors. The Swiss machine tool manufacturer has such expertise in the field that it knows it can anticipate the needs of this booming market and meet those demands by providing innovative customised high-performance solutions. Growth and ageing of the population The global population is forecast to grow 16% by 2030. In the same period, the global population will also be ageing. The number of people aged 60 years and older is increasing faster than that of younger age groups and it is expected to double by 2050, and even triple or more by 2100. This demographic trend of ageing opens up new prospects with regards…

In falling to 48.1, the Australian PMI slipped below the 50-point threshold separating expansion from contraction for only the third month since July 2015 (readings below 50 points indicate contraction in activity, with the distance from 50 indicating the strength of the contraction). An increasing pace of contraction in new orders suggested a weak Christmas period may be ahead for Australian manufacturers. The weaker manufacturing sector in November was driven by contraction in employment and new orders and sales and production were barely steady. The overall weakness was not evident in the large food & beverages sector, which reported a further strengthening of performance. Both the machinery & equipment and the chemicals sectors also continued to expand in November, with weakness concentrated in the metal products, building products and TCF & printing groups. “A decline in performance across the diverse manufacturing sector had been telegraphed by the weakness in new orders in recent months,” said Ai Group Chief…

Security, natural ventilation, ultraviolet (UV) and insect protection, as well as safeguarding from the risk of bushfires – these are just some of the many reasons that numerous buildings throughout Australia are equipped with security window and door screens. Prowler Proof has been manufacturing premium security door and window screens to meet this myriad of requirements since 1984. Remaining proudly Australian-owned and -made, the company delivers the highest-performing doors and screens in Australia thanks to a manufacturing process that includes welding the security door and window screens, making them stronger than any screw or rivet. All Prowler Proof door and window screens are manufactured in the company’s high-tech, fully automated facility in Banyo, Queensland. The factory is currently the only manufacturing facility in Australia that has achieved the rating ‘World Class’ on the PROBE Manufacturing global benchmark, one of the world’s…

Bonfiglioli’s high-quality, rugged drives are engineered and assembled at their headquarters in Glendenning, New South Wales, and are delivered to major projects such as the Melbourne Metro Tunnel, Westgate Tunnel, NorthConnex, Westconnex and Sydney Metro 2, where they power Eilbeck’s cranes and lifting equipment. “Eilbeck’s market-leading status in Australia is due to our consistently high-quality and robust products, ongoing reliability and outstanding backup service,” says Charlie Eilbeck, Head of Eilbeck Heavy Machining Centre. “Having a supplier like Bonfiglioli that shares these qualities is an asset in ensuring safe, efficient and reliable operations.” Eilbeck says the company has a strong focus on short delivery times, reliable service and a tradition of never turning down a problem for being too complex. Consequently it’s rewarding to work with a company like Bonfiglioli with similar values and a focus on innovation and problem solving. “In our business, our cranes are hauling 24/7, so safety and reliability are imperative,” says Charlie. “Clients rely on us for smooth running operations. In addition to hauling products, many of…

Anatomics has developed an innovative solution involving a custom patient-specific kit, SpineBox, that is 3D-printed using EOS’ selective laser sintering (SLS) technology in Nylon 12 powder. The SpineBox kit greatly simplifies minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar fusion surgery (MIS TLIF) and can be adapted to support most spinal fusion techniques. Anatomics is an Australian-owned medical device company that has been manufacturing and marketing surgical products to surgeons locally and internationally since 1996. Anatomics pioneered CT scan-derived surgical implant technology and was first to market with an innovative, quality product that assisted surgeons to produce better surgical outcomes and save valuable operating theatre time. The company’s customers include neurosurgeons, plastic & reconstructive surgeons, oral & maxillofacial surgeons, orthopaedic surgeons, ENT surgeons and thorasic surgeons. Using patient…

There are undoubtedly many benefits associated with the use of AM as a production technology. Manufacturers can not only build complex parts in one piece that were previously impossible, but they can also build stronger, lighter-weight parts, reduce material consumption, and benefit from assembly component consolidation across a range of applications. These advantages have been well documented during the last 10-20 years as AM has emerged as a truly disruptive technology for prototyping and production, invariably seen as enabled by the additive hardware that builds the parts. In reality, however, this is a partial picture, particularly for serial production applications. AM systems are actually just one part — albeit a vital part — of an extensive ecosystem of technologies that enable AM, both pre and post-build. By focusing just on the AM build process, a fundamental part of the production process chain is often overlooked, namely post-processing once the part is out of the AM machine. Manufacturers using (or…

The new redesigned TESTit features enhanced electronics with an even more attractive price point. The new generation of clamping force measuring device is now made up of two parts, the Test Module or measuring unit that changes depending on the specific measurement application, and the IT Module or basic unit. Combining the different variants makes for an extremely flexible solution that can measure almost anything. The updated product can be used on multi-spindle machines, turning centres and machining centres. Moreover, the system incorporates an additional module for measuring and recording the insertion force of hollow shank taper tool holders. The Testit works as a modular system with plug-and-play functions that communicate via the impressive new software that can be viewed on a tablet, via USB stick or as a download. The Testit was only previously available as a complete unit and users bought one Testit for external clamping, another for internal clamping, and – depending on…

An experienced prosthodontist specialising in pioneering practical and cost-effective solutions, Hart has made a name for himself as an innovator and leader in his profession. After earning his Bachelor of Dental Science from the University of Melbourne, he built up his expertise working as a dentist in a variety of patient care environments. After earning his Master of Dental Science degree, he was selected to be part of an international team of implantology scholars, an accolade that took him to the University of Bern in Switzerland, where he was mentored by world-renowned faculty member Professor Daniel Buser at the university’s dental medicine clinic and in its department of surgery. Upon returning to Australia and working in both private practice and hospital settings, Hart discovered that he couldn’t find adequate prostheses to serve the functional needs of oncology patients. So, he decided to make those…

Zero-waste manufacturing is, as the name suggests, a method of production that is so efficient that tools are able to be made without sending anything to landfill. Why is this important for toolmakers? Of course, minimising the impact of manufacturing on the environment is an admirable goal. But it’s also true that the materials you use to make cutting tools can be expensive. Reducing waste is more than an environmental concern; it also makes good economic sense. Zero waste is a whole-of-business approach that starts with where you source your materials and ends long after the product has left your warehouse. Although true ‘zero waste’ is not completely achievable yet, there are steps you can – and should – be taking towards a more efficient future. At a basic level, zero-waste manufacturing requires getting the first component (the cutting tool) right, and then maintaining those tolerances and dimensions through the entire production so there is minimal waste/rejection of tools at the end. Factors that will influence the amount of waste…

A family-owned company, Hansen Products has been making fittings and valves since the 1950s. Based in Whangarei, the company originally made brass fittings for the agricultural industry in New Zealand. Known for high-quality products with great tolerances, Hansen continues to make technically advanced plastic fittings and valves for the domestic and international markets. The company believes in ‘Best Installed Value’ and achieves this with in-house R&D, product design, toolmakers, manufacturing, assembly, marketing, sales and distribution. In 2018 the team at Hansen saw there was a gap in their production data and decided to install AspectPL manufacturing productivity software to digitise its production floor. Jon Kirby, Manufacturing Manager, explains how the management team came to the conclusion that implementing AspectPL would benefit production “We were aware of the benefits that AspectPL would provide from our research and site visits,” says Kirby. “We realised that we also wanted to have the team ready to take advantage of the information AspectPL made available – along with the benefits of the scheduling function.” To help…