March 4, 2021
Manufacturing economics determines a company’s profitability. With metal cutting, production economics should focus on ensuring these processes and environments are secure and predictable. There should be two ultimate goals: firstly, maintaining the highest production output; and secondly, the lowest production cost. These goals present challenges in steel turning operations, with bottlenecks, production slow-downs, or restrictions in the number of components produced per run. Now, there are the wider industry challenges posed by COVID-19. Manufacturers, particularly in mass production, are especially conscious of cost-per-part when managing steel turning operations. The basic principle of cost-per-part is calculated by the total fixed costs plus total variable costs, divided by the total units produced. The parameters of steel turning also depend very much on market demand, with a view to either reducing production costs or increasing output. Companies that manufacture automotive components, for instance, could face either high or low demand scenarios going forward. Low…
March 4, 2021
The flight of the first military aircraft to be designed and manufactured in Australia in more than 50 years flew under the supervision of a Boeing test pilot monitoring the aircraft from a ground control station at the Woomera Range Complex. “The Loyal Wingman’s first flight is a major step in this long-term, significant project for the Air Force and Boeing Australia, and we’re thrilled to be a part of the successful test,” said Air Vice-Marshal Cath Roberts, RAAF Head of Air Force Capability. “The Loyal Wingman project is a pathfinder for the integration of autonomous systems and artificial intelligence to create smart human-machine teams. “Through this project we are learning how to integrate these new capabilities to complement and extend air combat and other missions,” she said. Following a series of taxi tests validating ground handling, navigation and control, and pilot interface, the aircraft completed a successful take-off under its own power before flying a pre-determined route at different speeds and altitudes to verify flight functionality and demonstrate the performance of…
March 4, 2021
AC Australia CAD CAM Solutions is the authorised reseller of ALPAHCAM in Australia. AC Australia is dedicated not only to supplying software, but to delivering solutions that optimise the production of Australian manufacturers. Lead by Brand Manager, Blake McCrossen, the AC Australia team aims to work closely alongside all of its customers to ensure that manufacturing is enhanced as a result of their investment. Describing the benefits of ALPHACAM, McCrossen explains: “ALPHACAM is a customisable system that can be configured to generate and produce files for all CNC machines. We customise and integrate the software to suit each individual business’ needs. This allows AC Australia to provide a customised approach to improving manufacturing processes and ensures our customers gain the most out of their software investment.” CAD Translator functionality is at the core of ALPHACAM’s CAM (computer-aided machining) capability, as it can import and analyse almost any CAD (computer-aided design) file while applying tooling operations…
March 2, 2021
Robots are such an integral part of industry these days it is hard to imagine production facilities without them. However, their use requires strict safety measures, especially when they come into contact with people. A new generation of robots drastically minimises the risk of injury and offers other advantages: these new robots are made of a flexible material, such as silicone. The movement of the robot is created by a specific filling and emptying of cavities (often using compressed air or vacuum). An example of a soft robot already used in industry is the so-called pneumatic gripper. These actuators are characterised in particular by their high flexibility in gripping shapes and the non-destructive handling of fragile objects. However, the production of these flexible grippers is a challenge. The complex geometries and the many cavities make injection molding very complex or, in some cases, impossible. This can be remedied…
March 2, 2021
The scanner will be small enough to be placed in ambulances or Royal Flying Doctor Service aircraft and will give more Australians rapid access to treatment in the crucial first “golden hour” after a stroke. It is expected to revolutionise stroke care particularly for rural and remote Australians who are twice as likely as city stroke survivors to be left with a serious, lifelong disability. The Australian Stroke Alliance received $40m under the initiative for a five-year program to lay the foundations for a national and equitable approach to the treatment of stroke. Micro-X will receive $8m of that to develop the portable scanner using their unique technology. Stroke patients have a much greater chance of surviving and avoiding long-term brain damage if they are diagnosed and treatment begins within that first hour. “We are excited to be at the forefront in developing technology which has the potential to radically transform health care for all Australians,” Micro-X Managing Director Peter Rowland said. “This unique collaboration puts Australia and the Australian Stroke Alliance at…
March 2, 2021
An international study by car rental comparison website StreeFreeCarRental.com has ranked the top ten countries in the world when it comes to adopting carbon-saving electric vehicles, and Australia is nowhere to be seen. The electric vehicle market in Australia has faced various difficulties and the country is falling behind its global competitors. The Netherlands was found to be most advanced in the rollout of electric vehicle technologies followed by Norway and Sweden with France ranked in fourth place. Researchers looked at both electric vehicle sales per head of population and state investment in infrastructure and charging points to compile a definitive leader board of the countries showing the way when it comes to electric cars. The study highlights how much work there is still to be done for Australia to catch up with other countries in the race to net zero carbon emissions. Although there continues to be an undeniable upturn in electric vehicle sales as registrations hit 20,000, the percentage of vehicle sales that were pure electric in…
March 2, 2021
The emergence of cleaner energy options, and more ‘energy producers’ in the market, has increased the competition for your green dollar. There is already a clean alternative to fossil fuels that does not emit greenhouse gases and unlike solar and wind energy, can be produced at any time of the day or night, whatever the weather. Green hydrogen is made using clean electricity from renewable energy to electrolyse water (H2O), separating the hydrogen from the oxygen. Aside from the sustainability factor, one of the benefits of hydrogen is that it can be used immediately or be stored and transported for later use, making it a mobile energy source. It can also be used as a clean fuel for transport, for providing additional electricity to the grid,…
March 1, 2021
Six of the seven activity indices in the Australian PMI expanded in February (readings above 50 points indicate expansion in activity, with higher results indicating a faster rate of expansion). Only the stocks (inventories) index contracted (down 5.6 points to 48.0), perhaps because of buoyant sales in the month (up 15.7 points to 62.2). Production, sales, employment and new orders all improved from the December and January period, with the new orders index (up 5.3 points to 59.9) indicating further strong production in the coming months. “Australia’s manufacturers lifted production and employment in February as sales recovered a large share of the ground lost in 2020,” said Ai Group Chief Executive Innes Willox. “Growth was distributed broadly across manufacturing with particular strength among producers of machinery & equipment and chemical products.” Five of the six manufacturing sectors in the Australian PMI expanded in February, with only the metal products sector reporting mildly negative conditions (down 0.8 points to 48.7).…
February 25, 2021
AMT: Firstly, tell us about the Electricity Infrastructure Investment Bill that was passed by the NSW Parliament in November? What are the key points of the legislation and what is it aiming to achieve? Matthew Kean: The NSW Electricity Infrastructure Roadmap is our plan to power NSW into the future and cement our State’s rightful place as an energy and economic superpower. As the NSW Energy Minister, my priority is ensuring we have the policy settings in place to keep the lights on and get electricity prices down for families and businesses across NSW. Our Roadmap and the Electricity Infrastructure Investment Act that underpins it will do exactly that. Our Roadmap will bring 12 gigawatts of renewable energy and two gigawatts of storage such as pumped hydro, online by 2030. It will inject $32bn of private investment into the State and deliver 9,000 jobs – mostly in the regions – by 2030. It is expected to deliver average electricity bill savings of $130…
February 25, 2021
About 40% of businesses that apply to win Defence work have insufficient cyber security measures to meet Defence’s standards. The guide will help industry overcome those issues to become ‘Defence-ready’, in turn supporting the Government’s $270bn investment in Defence capability over the next decade. Minister for Defence Industry Melissa Price launched the Working Securely with Defence guide alongside Australian Industry Group national president Chris Jenkins this week. It was jointly developed by Defence, Australian Industry Group, the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD), the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) and the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) over the past 12 months. “The development of this guide has been a genuine team effort, drawing on deep expertise and connections across Government, Defence, Australian defence industry and industry associations,” said Price. “It has been developed by industry for industry and will help businesses understand what they need to do to improve their security practices. “The guide also provides direction and support to current and prospective defence industry…
February 25, 2021
At Interlease, we believe that manufacturing will be firmly in the driver’s seat in leading the Australian economy to not just recover but grow and thrive in the post-COVID world. To do so, it is imperative that all businesses have the tools available to them to help them succeed. In June 2020, the Government announced it would be increasing the Instant Asset Write-Off threshold from $30,000 to $150,000. On 6 October it went one step further and removed the threshold altogether, meaning any asset, new or used, could be immediately depreciated up until 30 June 2022. The scheme is available to all businesses that have an aggregated annual turnover of less than $50m. Small businesses with an aggregated annual turnover of less that $10m can also deduct the balance of their simplified depreciation pool at the end of the income year. As an…
February 25, 2021
The first data the team at Salvagnini has available is the percentage of its systems with the ACUT option – where the system and parameters are set up for air cutting – compared to the total number of lasers sold. “If we analyse the data from the last few years, over 90% of laser systems have been supplied with the ACUT option,” explains Pierandrea Bello, Product Manager for laser technologies at Salvagnini. “This is an important figure, but it is not in itself sufficient for understanding how many customers actually cut with air. This is why we use data from LINKS, our Internet of Things (IoT) solution used to monitor system performance in real time and to conduct analyses. “The database consists of a significant sample of our laser systems installed around the world. It includes a…
February 23, 2021
With X, Y and Z axes traverses of 14,000mm x 13,000mm x 3,500mm, plus an 11m rotary table to permit turning operations in the same set-up, the five-axis giant, supplied by Starrag Group, will be used to machine hull elements and other high-precision components for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN)’s Attack class submarines. The order for the machine comes after the Federal Government selected French company Naval Group to deliver a fleet of 12 regionally superior submarines, to be built in a modern construction yard in Osborne. The Future Submarine Program will deliver Australia a capability that can be built, operated and maintained with sovereignty, which maximises opportunities for Australian industry throughout all phases of the programme. As the design of the Attack class progresses, the Naval Group is continuing to deliver on a commitment to achieve this through its pool of suppliers. This pool now includes the Starrag Group, which was selected to supply a Droop+Rein G 110TT HR100 C vertical gantry machine, capable of handling both…
