Member News

Damien Berry, R&D Manager, says that while Norris fell behind its competitors for a short period of time, it’s now overtaken them from a technology point of view: “We’ve overtaken in technology; we’re techier than everyone else in our industry. For a while, we lacked development and innovation, but moving forward, we’ve spent time developing the business and we’re using 21st-century technology to produce products people want. For example, our newest range focuses on power management – our AP500 is 50% more efficient on power than its predecessor, which is what everyone’s interested in.” Norris’ process is to make sure that it fully understands customer needs and issues, such as difficult water conditions or power restrictions. “While our products aren’t tailor-made, we try to understand difficult customer needs and incorporate solutions, rather than produce a one-size-fits-all bulk product range like our overseas competitors,” Berry explains. “We can’t compete with price, but our…

The seminar was part of a special three-day course on Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM), run by RMIT in partnership with Wohlers’s consultancy Wohlers Associates. The course addressed issues including DfAM guidelines and best practices, explored AM’s capacity to consolidate many parts into one, and focused on methods to reduce material and weight. Targeted at designers, engineers, and managers, the course offered participants hands-on experience in designing real parts and building them on industrial AM equipment. “Design for Additive Manufacturing is design for manufacturability as applied to AM,” explained Professor Milan Brandt, Technical Director of RMIT’s Advanced Manufacturing Precinct. “It is a design methodology that captures the benefits of additive manufacturing technology when considering product characteristics such as its  manufacturability, reliability, and cost. “The RMIT course addressed this through a number of sessions, which included examining the complete AM process chain, from CAD part creation, to part production, and specific issues and guidelines around designing for metal AM,…

The Bystronic Automation Day was an opportunity for the company to catch up with its existing customers as well as to connect with potential new clients, while presenting some of the highlights from its product range. Already world-renowned as a leader in the fields of sheet metal cutting and fabrication systems, the event was also an opportunity for Bystronic to showcase its latest innovations in automation technology. Automation represents a key area of focus for Bystronic worldwide, and 2018 saw the Swiss-headquartered company taking a number of significant strides in this area. In March it completed the takeover of TTM Laser, Italian specialists in laser-based tube and profile processing, enhancing Bystronic’s existing technology offerings along the cutting, bending, and automation process chain. This was followed in June with the acquisition of a majority interest in Antil, a highly innovative company specialising in automation solutions for sheet metal processing, headquartered in Milan, Italy. Both TTM and ANTIL had their own dedicated exhibits at the Bystronic…

Margaret Rouse – a writer and manager at whatis.com’s TechTarget – has described haptics as “the science of applying touch (tactile) sensation and control to interaction with computer applications”. Every time we open an app on our phones or type information into a search engine on a tablet computer, we’re using touch sensations to utilise a range of applications. Haptic technology isn’t necessarily new. Early use of haptic technology actually dates back to the early 1990s when companies like Nintendo incorporated touch into the Nintendo 64 Rumble Pack console, and automobile and medical equipment manufacturers began to develop haptic-based applications in new hardware (think of the way a nurse sets up an automatic intravenous push for a patient). There are a number of features that make touchscreen technology so handy. It gives designers scope to make their applications more user-friendly, which in the end means it’s easier and faster for us to use them in our everyday…

Consider a child playing with Lego. Watch how adaptable he or she is to multiple tasks and how adjustments are made effortlessly on the fly. We’re using that innate human talent as inspiration today in a program that trains robots to build with bricks, and while such a capability seems flippant, imagine the power in a robot that can perform any number of movements and actions and teach itself how to remember and build on them, just like a kid playing with Lego. As consumers demand further customisation and speed, the factories of tomorrow won’t have single-purpose ‘dumb’ machines that do one repetitive action. They’re going to be as responsive and constantly evolving as we are. Here are three of the most impactful changes they’ll impose on manufacturing in the coming years. Generative design In Marvel’s Iron Man, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) designs the streamlined Iron Man suit digitally and then tells his artificial intelligence (AI)-equipped helper Jarvis (Paul Bettany) to fabricate it while he…

From a one-person operation with floor space of 75sqm, the company has grown to now employ 26 highly skilled tradespeople and support staff in a purpose-built factory of more than 900sqm. Jorge, his wife Amanda and their family have invested in the latest machine technology to ensure Campagno stays at the cutting edge of engineering and maintain an ethos of fast, efficient service and prompt on-time delivery. The company specialises in product categories that include packaging, medical, truck, defence and general engineering. Prototyping is another area; the company’s extensive experience has often enabled it to suggest better, more efficient ways to manufacture new parts. Jorge was keen to acquire a barfeeder to complement a new CNC machine to assist in producing parts more efficiently. The increased productivity the barfeeder would bring was the key reason for the purchase. “We looked at a number of different brands but it was the sheer quality and rugged construction of the servo-driven Hydrafeed that won us over,” says…

A ground-up redesign has seen one of the world’s most recognisable portable measuring arms modernised to meet the needs of today’s metrology users, with a key focus on improved usability and versatility without compromising on speed and accuracy. A standout feature of the new Absolute Arm is its modular wrist design. This allows both the RS5 Laser Scanner and the pistol grip to be completely removed, facilitating easy probing in tight spaces. When reattached for laser scanning applications, a variety of grip sizes are available to ensure a perfect fit for every user. The new wrist also now features a display screen that allows for measurement result oversight, profile switching and calibration right at the point of measurement, reducing time spent switching attention between the arm and its control computer. “Over the last eight years we’ve received a lot of positive and constructive customer feedback, and hopefully people will see how this has informed our design,” says Anthony Vianna, Product Manager for the Absolute Arm range. “Many customers told us they needed…

From its beginnings 30 years ago as a relatively small family company based in Booleroo Centre, South Australia, Kelly Engineering has grown into a global concern. The agricultural equipment it produces – chiefly tillage systems for soil preparation and weed control, designed to be towed behind tractors – is now manufactured in Australia, Germany and the US. Roger Dunlop, Engineering Manager at Kelly Engineering, estimates that today some 50% to 60% of the company’s customer base is in the US and Canada. The remainder is spread across Australia, Europe and emerging markets such as Southern Africa. Central Innovation has been assisting Kelly Engineering with its design process solutions for the past seven years, and the relationship has been a fruitful one. The latest step of this ongoing journey is the company’s implementation of Central Innovation’s DataSuite data transformation solution, which facilitates the seamless transfer of data across multiple platforms by providing a common language between…

This is the lowest result since October 2017 but still extends the index's period of uninterrupted growth to 26 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). Five of the seven activity indexes expanded in November, while employment was broadly stable (down 3.2 points to 49.4). The new orders index fell into contraction (down 10.1 points to 48.7) for the first time since September 2016, suggesting tougher conditions may be ahead for manufacturers in some sectors. “The recovery in the Australian manufacturing sector slowed in November, with the Australian PMI falling to its lowest level in a little over a year,” said Ai Group Chief Executive Innes Willox. “Despite this slowing, manufacturing extended its run of uninterrupted growth to 26 months. Food & beverages manufacturers reported higher production in the lead up to Christmas and respondents in other sectors reported high levels of activity related to infrastructure and…

At Madame Tussauds, the famous waxwork museum in London, there is a careful procedure when making a celebrity figure; it involves around 15 artists working on each model for three to four months. The detailed process requires 250 precise measurements before the figure is made; this means that the end result is a lifelike, near-exact replica. Additive manufacturing or 3D printing is used in a variety of industrial applications for prototyping and manufacturing. The technology uses a range of materials including polymers, ceramics, resins, stainless steel, cobalt chrome and titanium. The additive manufacturing process produces 3D objects from a computer-aided design (CAD) file. Objects are built in layers, adding material until the manufactured part is complete. This method offers great design flexibility, which means that highly accurate, bespoke and customised devices can be produced at low cost compared to traditional manufacturing. The medical applications of additive…

Gladstone is the fifth-largest multi-commodity port in Australia, and the world’s fourth-largest coal-exporting terminal, handling 50m tonnes annually. Major exports include cement products, sodium cyanide, ammonium nitrate, alumina, and aluminium from the nearby Boyne Island smelter. Servicing the industries that export these products – and many others around the country – is Jenmick Gear Cutting & Engineering, a family-owned and operated business. Established in 1999 by Clifton and Sandra Dimitrov, it is first and foremost a well-equipped machining workshop with the capacity to carry out very precise and complex tasks on its CNC equipment. From its early days, Jenmick has built an Australia-wide reputation for the quality of its gears, and this dedication to excellence is reflected in its choice of new machinery for its Bassett Street workshops. The latest machines to be installed are a Joemars AWT3S wire cut machine and a…

To mark the occasion, the company’s entire staff from across Australia was brought together at Alfex CNC’s headquarters in Broadmeadows, north Melbourne, for a company-wide meeting. It was the first time that the whole national team had gathered together in several years. “Having everyone in the same room, created great excitement and pride in what we have achieved together as a team,” said Maryanne Buhagiar, Operations Manager. The following evening, the real celebration began, as the Alfex team, partners and guests were treated to a luxurious event with a grand view of the Melbourne city skyline to mark the special occasion. Esteemed guests included Alfex CNC’s original founders Tony and Linda Boult; suppliers and partners; as well as representatives of AMTIL. “We wanted to share this momentous occasion with everyone who has provided services and guidance to Alfex CNC over the years and helped us on our journey,” said George Buhagiar, Company Director. Tony and Linda Boult established Alfex in 1978, and since then have watched the company grow from strength to strength. As Tony recounted…

Manufacturers need to work with supply chain partners that are ethical, reliable, and stable. Choosing the right partners requires significant due diligence. In an age where consumers vote with their feet and increasingly prefer to purchase from companies that demonstrate concern for environmental and ethical practices, manufacturers can’t afford to find out that their supply chain partners don’t measure up to their high standards. More than half of consumers have declared themselves willing to pay a premium for products from companies promoting social responsibility. A company that promotes this virtue and is then found out to purchase materials from supply chain partners that employ slave labour or child labour, for example, could experience significant reputational damage. By contrast, a company that can prove beyond doubt that each member of its supply chain is ethical and trustworthy, can use this fact…