Industry News

EcoCooling is the result of long-term, interdisciplinary R&D from the same team that developed the technology behind Amazon’s ground-breaking family of front-lit Kindle devices. Now the group of scientists, engineers and experienced businesspeople from various disciplines has developed a dry, clean and environmentally friendly method to lubricate metal workpieces with ionised and cooled air, without using any emulsions. “Workshops have wanted to get rid of fluids and many have tried to find a solution to the problem, but with poor results”, says Leo Hatjasalo, co-founder and CEO of EcoCooling. “Now we have the answer to this demand, since EcoCooling can be used even with the hardest known metals like chrome, titanium and tungsten carbides.” The global market value for metalworking fluids is estimated at approximately US$12bn this year. It is growing steadily, with estimates for the global market value for machine tools expected to grow from US$120bn to US$150bn in five years’…

Prime contractor ASC Shipbuilding, a subsidiary of BAE Systems Australia, has engaged Queensland-based Craig International Ballistics to investigate an Australian solution for ship bridge windows and armour protection. Adelaide-based REDARC Defence Systems has also been engaged to explore an Australian solution to LED lighting. A third Australian company, West Australia-based propeller manufacturer Veem is conducting a study to examine security requirements for local propeller manufacture in Australia. The Minister for Defence, Linda Reynolds, said the feasibility studies demonstrates the Government’s commitment to maximising Australian Industry Content in the construction of Defence’s new anti-submarine warfare frigates. “We are on track to begin the prototyping phase of the Hunter Class Program at the end of this year, which is why it’s vital we continue to form new partnerships with Australian industry as we look ahead to the build phase,” Minister Reynolds said. “These feasibility studies announced today build on a feasibility study already underway into locally manufactured main reduction gearboxes for…

To retain its position as a key supplier to the aerospace industry, XCEL invests heavily in the latest technology and innovation to ensure cost-effective manufacturing of high-quality precision components. As part of this drive to ensure cost-effective manufacturing, the company recently invited tooling manufacturer Guhring to review the machining process on an aerospace valve component. The problem for XCEL was the cost-efficiency of its existing Woodruff type cutters that were being used to machine a cast aluminium component with a 9% silicon content. The previous solid carbide Woodruff cutter consisted of three teeth on a 21.7mm diameter tool, which was both expensive with relatively poor tool life. Only capable of cutting 10 components before tool replacement, the abrasive high-silicone-content aluminium was creating productivity, cost and surface finish issues…

Entitled Ten Ways to Succeed in Australian Manufacturing, the AMGC’s report identifies – as a result of expansive industry consultation – the manufacturing industry’s pain points and opportunities. These points were stress-tested against industry peers, the public and more than 1,000 students to gauge where Australian manufacturers can focus to better align their practices, to increase positive perception, and to grow their overall business impact. COVID-19 then struck, thrusting Australian manufacturing into the national spotlight. Manufacturers responded in record time to produce everything from hand sanitiser to invasive ventilators. However, for some, the impact of the pandemic served to reinforce pain points identified in the report and that businesses need to be worked ‘on’, rather than ‘in’. The response to the pandemic has proven that there is a high level of onshore manufacturing capability and significant public appreciation for the industry. By adopting ten practical steps, manufacturers can become smarter operators:…

With all of its products having direct contact with patients, it’s crucial that Nidek produces fully functional prototypes that precisely replicate the final product. This enables a comprehensive evaluation of the fit, form and function of new devices before investing in expensive clinical trials and moving to final production. As this process often proved costly in terms of lead time and capital, Nidek turned to Stratasys 3D printing in a bid to optimise its prototyping process and, as a result, accelerate its clinical validation. This was demonstrated in a recent project that saw Nidek produce a new automatic Gonioscope, a device designed to observe the space between the iris and cornea. Typically, the R&D team would create the prototypes using traditional manufacturing, requiring expensive injection moulds or using CNC machines to create the individual device components. This led to escalating lead times and, should iterations be required, substantially increased prototyping costs. To overcome these barriers, Nidek invested in a Stratasys Objet500 Connex3 3D printer. “Our prototyping process has become much more streamlined since incorporating Stratasys 3D…

On behalf of the ICN Vctoria Board, Chairman Tim Piper confirmed the appointment on 10 September. He acknowledged the significant contribution by outgoing Executive Director, Grant Anderson, and thanked him for his stewardship of ICN over the past two years. “As Victoria emerges from the substantial impacts of COVID-19, the role of ICN and growing local jobs and content could not be of greater importance,” says Piper. “Grant has been a knowledgeable and excellent leader for ICN, and Dianne will build on this, bringing a fresh perspective for our future challenges.” Smith has exceptional industry and government connections to ICN having served as Chief Executive of the Melbourne Chamber of Commerce (part of the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry) for the past four years, and also as a member of the Victorian State Government’s Advanced Manufacturing Advisory Council. Prior to that, she led the state’s peak body for tourism and events, the Victoria Tourism Industry Council. “With the current situation, and in line with our Local Jobs First policy, it is certainly the time to continue our…

The world-first personalised nutrition wearable patch being developed by Melbourne-based start-up Nutromics painlessly measures key dietary biomarkers and sends the information to an app, enabling users to precisely track their bodies’ response to different foods. A collaborative team led by Nutromics, RMIT University, Griffith University, and established medical device manufacturer Romar Engineering, with support from the Innovative Manufacturing Cooperative Research Centre (IMCRC), is now developing the capabilities required to pilot manufacture the device. Diabetes is one of the largest chronic health challenges globally, but with early interventions and lifestyle changes, the condition is often preventable. Nutromics co-CEO Peter Vranes said the smart patch leverages emerging technologies to empower people to take greater control of their health: “Research has shown that what we eat affects us all differently; two people might have the same meal but their post-meal response can vary wildly. People want to make healthy food choices but with so much conflicting nutrition advice, many of us are confused. Being able to…

To improve backend processes, organisations should focus on building digital ecosystems that break down silos that have little interaction, within businesses and between enterprises. By doing so, organisations will increase accessibility and visibility to critical data, enabling swifter corrective action on any issues. Moreover, digital ecosystems allow organisations to make sales via ecommerce, providing more flexibility to customers. There’s no quick fix for building a digital ecosystem; it requires dedication and resources. To develop a digital ecosystem, organisations must break down walls between departments and other enterprises. This can be done by investing in data collection and machine-learning technologies that enable inter-departmental and inter-organisational communication, improving collaboration. With more complete information and real-time analysis, manufacturers can deliver better services and products. Regular maintenance schedules are ever-present in manufacturing, but they can be thrown into disarray when machinery breaks down or requires urgent maintenance or repairs. Not only does this disrupt operations, but it creates unexpected costs for the business: purchasing new machinery, express shipping replacement parts.…

The company that would eventually become Forme Technologies started life in the early 1990s, when Charles Land established CL Plastics in Melbourne’s south-east suburbs. For its first decade in business the company achieved a solid degree of success as a contract manufacturer of plastic components. In the mid-2000s it was acquired by the Anderson family investor group, with Mirko Tappero appointed as General Manager shortly after that. Since then the business has undergone a significant modernisation process, as well as a name change. “The company started out as a nicely run ‘Mom-and-Pop’ sort of organisation, and I think we’ve turned it into a fairly sizable player in the industry,” says Tappero. “We’ve spent a lot of money on automation, mechanisation, streamlining processes and just getting smarter about how we do things. Our biggest investment over the last five or six years has been very modern machinery, coupled with a lot of automation. That’s probably…

While unveiling a new fleet of Chinese-built Waratah 2 trains last week, NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance said “there’s a reason” why the trains weren’t built locally. Constance said that locally manufactured trains were likely to cost 25% more due to higher labour, energy and material costs. His comments came just a week after NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian reportedly said Australia and NSW are “not good at building trains”. The comments drew widespread criticism from the opposition, unions and industry bodies. Geoff Crittenden, Chief Executive Officer of Weld Australia, said: “It is precisely this attitude – that sees state governments send what could be local jobs offshore – that will prevent Australia from recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.” Weld Australia has called on all state governments to support local welders and fabricators in their rail procurement processes, arguing that this would create thousands of jobs, a solid local supply chain, and an industry equipped to export world-class trains all over the world. According to Crittenden, there is a real opportunity for…

The award was in recognition of Boeing Australia’s achievements in the recycling of more than 76 tons of aerospace-grade carbon fibre. The recycling endeavour, achieve in partnership with UK-based ELG Carbon Fibre, saw scrap materials from Boeing manufacturing sites collected and sent to ELG to be treated to remove binding agents. The result of this process is clean material that can then be sold to third parties to make products such as electronic accessories and automotive equipment. “As Australia’s largest aerospace manufacturer, we have a responsibility to our employees and our community to continuously identify ways to minimise environmental impact while we produce state-of-the-art product parts for our commercial programs,” said Jose Garza, Managing Director of Boeing Aerostructures Australia. “The Australian manufacturing environment has experienced some extraordinary challenges and now, more than ever, we need to look to sustainable practices to guide our future.” The Sustainability Leadership Award recognises what Boeing has done to embrace global processes to achieve several environmental goals by 2025, including reducing greenhouse gas…

Undoubtedly there are many benefits associated with the use of additive manufacturing (AM) as a production technology. Across industries, manufacturers exploit the fact that with AM they 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 over the last 10-20 years, as AM has emerged as atruly disruptive technology for not just prototyping but also production. They are invariably seen as being enabled by the additive hardware that builds the parts. In reality, this is a partial picture, particularly for serial production applications of AM. The hardware systems are just one part – albeit a vital one – of an extensive ecosystem of technologies that enable AM, both pre- and post-build. Of unique importance today is the role of…

For maximum flexibility and efficiency of production, Swiss gearbox manufacturer Rollstar AG recently invested in a large six-jaw pendulum compensation chuck with a jaw quick-change system and jaw quick adjustment. The convenient solution minimises set-up times and delivers perfect results right from the start – faster and more economically than conventional clamping solutions. The SCHUNK ROTA NCR 1250 six-jaw pendulum compensation chuck, which Rollstar uses to manufacture gears on a Pittler PV 1600 turn machining centre, is a large-dimensioned chuck with clever features. Christian Märki, Purchasing Manager at Rollstar considers whether it was a worthwhile investment. “Definitely,” he says. “Due to the machine design, including the clamping devices, we were able to reduce set-up times by half while decreasing the reject rate by 75%.” In particular the investment pays off when it comes to thin-walled components and high-quality materials. The company’s aim was to achieve the necessary quality levels, reduce throughput times and lower the overall costs of producing deformation-sensitive parts in two operations while ensuring process reliability. Due to the SCHUNK ROTA NCR,…