Member News

Kennametal accomplished this recently with the introduction of its KBH10, a new breed of polycrystalline cubic boron nitride (PcBN) hard turning insert designed specifically for the challenges of today’s demanding market place. Helmut Gremer, Senior Engineer for global machining technology, says the new insert complements Kennametal’s existing PcBN grades KBH20 and KB5630 by providing the extreme wear resistance needed to successfully turn hardened metals up to 65Rc, especially where very fine surface finishes are required. “We’ve seen that many manufacturers are decreasing the allowable tolerances on bearing journals, rings and pistons, gear hubs, and so on,” says Gremer. “For example, dimensional tolerances of 4μm or less are increasingly common, as are surface requirements better than Ra < 0.4μm. This new grade closes the gap for these and other…

More than 20 AMTIL members and associates attended the get-together at the 2KW Bar and Restaurant, with AMTIL CEO Shane Infanti and Business Development Manager Derek Gancar on hand to keep the drinks and refreshments flowing. Also in attendance were representatives from AMTIL’s Entrepreneurs’ Programme team, as well as the Association’s Corporate Partners, AGL and William Buck Chartered Accountants & Advisors. The Adelaide gathering was the first in a series of upcoming holiday celebrations that AMTIL will be holding across Australia over the coming weeks to see out 2018 and celebrate Christmas and the coming New Year. Tickets are still available for all of the events, but places are filling up fast, so don’t delay in booking. Details of AMTIL’s Christmas events are as follows: Perth AMTIL 2018 WA Christmas Dinner Function Friday 30 November, 7.30pm – 10.30pm Bathers Beach House, 47 Mews Road, Freemantle Melbourne AMTIL 2018 VIC Christmas Dinner Function Wednesday 5 December, 7.00pm – 11.00pm Carlton Brewhouse, Cnr Thompson & Nelson Streets, Abbotsford Sydney AMTIL 2018 NSW Christmas…

Oji Fibre Solutions is part of the pulp and paper division of Oji Holdings Corporation – the fifth-largest pulp and paper company in the world. From fresh fruit and produce, meat, poultry, seafood and beverages to reseller and industrial manufacturing – the wide range of industries in Australia and New Zealand that Oji has been supplying innovative corrugated cardboard packaging solutions is immense. As part of the company’s expansion to its packaging business in Australasia, Oji recently invested into the development of a new 5.8-hectare greenfield site in Yatala. Complementing the company’s existing manufacturing plants in Melbourne and Sydney, the Yatala site houses a newly constructed 2.4-hectare green-star rated manufacturing facility. From here Oji manufactures and supplies innovative corrugated cardboard packaging solutions to its customers throughout Queensland, northern New South Wales and the Northern Territory. As part of Oji’s commitment to delivering innovative and environmentally sustainable products, the new facility operates to a green-star rating system. From…

Established in 2000, Larsen Engineering is a diversified manufacturer of complex sheet metal componentry, primarily servicing customers in and around Albury & Wodonga, on the border between Victoria and New South Wales. With approximately 50 staff, the company operates from three manufacturing plants totalling around 5,000sqm, located in Baranduda in south-east Wodonga, and in Lavington in north Albury. Larsen provides specialised engineering solutions to a highly diverse client base, with infrastructure, agriculture and defence representing key markets. Still very much a family company, General Manager Ben Larsen is the third generation of Larsens leading manufacturing in the region, with his father Tim overseeing operations as Director. “We are a supply chain manufacturer supporting local industries,” says Ben. “We don’t necessarily focus on our own proprietary products, but we supply to all walks of life between Canberra and Wangaratta, with some other work in Melbourne and Sydney every now and again. Our main…

“Our clients approach us to bring their ideas to life, and to solve problems in ways they hadn’t considered possible,” Samwell explains. “Prototyping is essential to our business, as it proves to clients that our designs are viable. However, when producing these prototypes with traditional methods, we were not only constrained by time and cost, but also increasingly felt the prototypes often lacked the realism our clients demanded.” Bluefrog needed the freedom to escape traditional design constraints at every stage of product development. It needed to produce fully functional, advanced prototypes with industry-recognised, engineering-grade materials. In a quest to find a solution, the team turned to additive manufacturing. Bluefrog’s versatility is best exemplified by its ability to solve seemingly insurmountable challenges. The team was recently approached by a young man suffering from paraesthesia, a condition that causes inexplicable burning, tingling or prickling across the skin. The only way to ease his pain was to ensure that his clothes touched…

Machining specialist Walter decided to tackle the topic area of digitalisation some years ago and, under the Walter Nexxt product line, is offering digital products and Industry 4.0 solutions that are tailored for use in medium-sized companies. It does not have to be, and above all cannot be, the one and only Industry 4.0 solution. Instead, Walter is dealing with a wide range of different levels of the planning and production process. For example, the Comara iCut software for optimising cutting data and the Comara appCom platform for monitoring production processes. Adaptive feed control: Cutting data optimisation via live data Automation, digitalisation and networked processes have been everyday aspects in many areas of industrial production for a long time now. New opportunities for further optimising processes have been created by…

Tool builders must also adapt to developments in the aerospace, aviation and medical industries that have necessitated machining high-temperature or exotic materials with maximum efficiency. In particular, the application of coolant with high (or ultra-high) pressure, directly to the working area to increase efficiency and chip flow, requires a suitable tooling solution. Vertical pick-up turning machines have wide applications for manufacturing of automotive, hydraulic and general industry parts, and their value in maximising efficiency should not be underestimated. Tools for multi-spindle machining centres Multi-spindle machining centres save space at manufacturing facilities and reduce tool inventory by using combined tools for sequential operations, and decrease set-up time by assembly and adjustment of the same tool for each spindle. The principal aim for using multi-spindle machines without Z-axis compensation is to facilitate the axial adjustment needed to achieve overlength precision. This ensures…

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…

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…