March 4, 2016
“Within 20 years, there will be a seismic shift in how we manufacture for the aerospace and defence industry,” states Brian Neff, a major investor in Sintavia, an advanced manufacturing company using SLM Solutions 280HL dual laser system for the production of parts for aerospace and defence. A recent study funded by the US Department of Energy’s Advanced Manufacturing Office demonstrated that aircraft weight can be reduced by 7% by replacing conventional means of manufacturing with additive manufacturing — an astonishing number for an industry where the majority of weight efficiency improvements are one or two percentage points. However, this is not the only industry that can benefit from smart uses of 3D printing techniques in additive manufacturing, finding more opportunities presents an exciting challenge for Australian manufacturers. Beyond the hype 3D printing has become a household concept - the public’s fascination in the subject boosted…
February 26, 2016
Manufacturing is becoming one of the most sophisticated sectors in the world. With advances like robotics, cloud services, increased mobility, more connected devices and 3D printing, technological change presents a formidable challenge – even if the change is for the better. Thanks to such modernised manufacturing processes and continual digitisation, today’s manufacturing company is exploding with critical data. Not only is the volume of data growing, it’s also becoming more dynamic and instant. IT departments have data from traditional sources (structured data) and new streams of digital data (unstructured data) to manage. Your organisation is also presented with the challenge of mining and analysing this data to help the company gain insight and drive action. Struggling with these big data challenges alongside the Chief Information Officer (CIO) and IT team is, perhaps surprisingly, the CFO. It is common to retool a machine for greater…
February 26, 2016
One aspect of saving money is being aware just where savings can be made. However when you’re busy running your own business it can be difficult to find the time to discover just where you can make these savings! This is where we at Make It Cheaper will help you and your business. By simply sending us a copy of your energy bill we can assess your current rates, efficiency, network tariff and power factor. We can negotiate the best rate for your next contract and assess your efficiency all at the same time. We’ve partnered with AMTIL because, just like AMTIL, we want to help you save money on your energy bills so that the dollars saved can be put towards something more worthwhile for the business. One way that we at Make It Cheaper can help reduce your businesses energy outgoings is by analysing the power factor of your business to ensure that your business is using energy in the most efficient way. By…
February 19, 2016
Since its inception in 2003, Triple Eight has grown to become one of the largest and most successful motor racing teams in Australia. The team has dominated the country’s premier motorsport, the V8 Supercars Championship – an international touring car racing championship that draws crowds of over 150,000 spectators and several million TV viewers – winning the title six times. Triple Eight also won the Bathurst 1000, Australia’s version of Le Mans, five times. Apart from a renowned team of drivers, Triple Eight has more than 30 race technologists, engineers and technicians working behind the scenes to produce next-generation vehicles that help the team cement its position. In late 2013, to keep the team’s momentum going, Triple Eight introduced a series of new-specification touring cars with the debut of the Red Bull Racing Holden VF Commodore. This introduction was made possible, in part, as a result of the company’s use of 3D printing. Speeding up concept modelling The V8 Supercars Championships have strict rules and regulations on what…
February 19, 2016
Key to this year’s program are co-located events, high-profile industry figures presenting case studies and new ideas, as well as exhibitors from around the world with innovative products and services. To enhance the value of attending for industry professionals, NMW 2016 will be co-located with headline events showcasing new possibilities for manufacturers, including the Safety First Conference & Expo. Safety First is a one-stop safety event that provides a rare opportunity to see safety solutions and talk with leading safety thinkers. NMW will also co-locate with Inside 3D Printing Conference & Expo, the Australian edition of the world-leading event that will bring new strategies, stories of success and more to help local companies make the most of game-changing 3D printing technologies. Inside 3D Printing will showcase next-generation 3D printers and companies that can help businesses open up new worlds of possibility. The showcase will include Konica Minolta Business Solutions’, with 3D technologies that help companies create working prototypes, parts and custom-made products in a fraction of the time currently required, with industry leading…
February 12, 2016
The ‘I’ word is being bandied about a lot these days. In my role as an IT specialist I like to consider how IT systems can affect a company’s ability to innovate in a positive way. Specifically, can operational software such as an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system help a company to innovate? Often the definition of innovation seems to change depending on what is being discussed or even who is discussing it, so for the purposes of this article I will use Roger LaSalle’s definition: Innovation is change that adds value. So how can software help to make change that adds value? Many companies are using software systems that are fragmented and the processes have evolved to closely parallel the processes of the business, or indeed in some cases create them. These systems work well for day-to-day operational management but typically lack flexibility to change if needed and, due to the disparate nature of the systems, have a moderate overhead to access timely information…
February 12, 2016
Work-life balance and stress management are becoming (if not already) a major factor for employers as well as employees as we seek to achieve a sense of balance between work and our personal life. Having just become a grandfather for the first time (yes, little Isabella Rose Infanti was born in October last year) and having also enjoyed a longer than usual break over the Christmas period my personal life has undergone a few changes. One thing I have noticed though is that I am stress-free and looking forward to my 2016 work life with a much different attitude to before I went on leave in December. Whilst a good break and good family news will do that for most people, the challenge now is: how do I maintain a good work-life balance through the course of the year so these positive feelings and energy are translated to better work productivity, focus and higher levels of job satisfaction and effectiveness? I think the key factor here is to always have little things…
February 5, 2016
Premier Daniel Andrews’ Government is urging Victorian businesses to nominate for the Awards. With the theme ‘Towards Future Industries’, the Awards include Young Manufacturer of the Year, Manufacturer of the Year, Company Induction, Honour Roll, as well as six Hall of Fame Awards for outstanding manufacturers in sectors the Victorian Government has identified for high growth potential. These include: medical technology and pharmaceuticals; new energy technology; food and fibre processing; transport, defence and construction technologies; professional services and international education. The nominations will be judged across a range of criteria that demonstrate best practice manufacturing, including innovation, adoption of advanced manufacturing technology, business and environmental sustainability, and skills development. The Hall of Fame Awards were established in 2001 to recognise individuals and companies who embrace new technologies and manufacturing techniques, are export focused and excel in business innovation. “I strongly encourage Victorian businesses to nominate for the 2016 Victorian Manufacturing Hall of Fame Awards and showcase their talents,” said Minister for Industry Lily D’Ambrosio. “The Andrews…
February 5, 2016
After working for three years as an industrial programmer, Gene Haas founded Proturn Engineering in 1978. It was a small contract machine shop in Sun Valley, California, where Haas worked side-by-side with two employees, machining parts for the electronics and aerospace industries. During this time Haas developed a fully-programmable 5C collet indexer to boost productivity in his own shop. The Haas 5C was the industry’s first device to automatically reposition parts accurately for machining by simply pressing a button, as opposed to having to reposition the material by hand – a cumbersome and time-consuming process. The machine-tool industry received the economical and reliable Haas 5C Indexer with enthusiasm and, in 1983 Haas Automation Inc. was born. The company started with three employees in a 465sqm facility. During the next four years, Haas expanded his product line to include a wide selection of fully-programmable rotary tables,…
January 29, 2016
Plenty of people out there will say you won’t need a consultant at all to implement Lean, but the reality is there are a lot of consultants meeting a real need in helping businesses to get started. Implementing Lean manufacturing has its challenges and most companies engage or employ experienced experts or Lean consultants such as TXM to get their Lean transformation underway. However, there are many Lean tools and principles that you can do yourself, without the need for a Lean consultant or hiring an internal expert. You can even try the following five tips at home – they are that safe! Kamishibai – Red-Green Tee Card Boards. One of our favourite and simplest Lean tools is the Red-Green Tee Card board, or Kamishibai. These are a really effective tool to make sure that everyone can see whether everyday tasks in your factory or office are getting done. A red-green task…
January 22, 2016
One such company is Iscar. Rather than being an expensive policy to pursue, Iscar finds that the use of greener strategies such as recycling and the pursuit of reduced energy consumption, increases profitability. In addition, the kudos gained by adopting more sustainable methods raises potential customers’ perceptions and often leads to improved levels of business. To help support the global manufacturing industry’s search for greener means of production, suppliers such as machine tool companies and tooling manufacturers have introduced a wide range of impressive innovations. Led by Germany’s mechanical engineering association, schemes such as the Blue Competence Machine Tools initiative focus on sustainability. Under the Blue Competence initiative, machine tool companies agree to meet pre-determined ecological, economic and social values and principles, while implementing sustainable production solutions in their production plants, products and business services, with the aim of achieving greener manufacturing. Increasingly, Iscar and other major machine tool manufacturers are introducing advanced energy-saving features to…
January 22, 2016
The Entrepreneurs’ Programme is the Australian Government’s flagship initiative for business competitiveness and productivity at the firm level. The $7.8m has been offered to assist the 17 Australian companies launch their innovative products, processes or services into the global marketplace and help advance Australian industries. Some of the products, processes or services include: A device to optimise carbon use and maximise gold recovery for the gold mining industry A software and training platform for the agribusiness sector to help improve farm profitability, business management and sustainability A real-time, cloud-based data management system for intelligent buildings and smart cities Laser-based 3D printing for lighter, more easily produced metal components for aerospace and defence applications Advanced manufacturing for reliable, cheaper and highly efficient silicon solar cells A world-first clinical diagnostics device to help assess the health of the human gut. The Entrepreneurs’ Programme commercialisation grants help Australian entrepreneurs, inventors and businesses address the challenges associated with commercialising novel intellectual property. It aims to: Accelerate the commercialisation of novel intellectual property in…
January 22, 2016
ANCA Machine Tools celebrated its 40th anniversary of operations at the end of 2014. Founded by Pat Boland and Pat McCluskey 40 years ago in Melbourne, ANCA has grown into a truly global organisation with manufacturing sites and branch offices all around the world. Today, ANCA is a market leader in quality CNC grinding machines. ANCA’s success is a result of its continuous development of cutting-edge technology and a focus on innovation. Continuing in that tradition, ANCA has recently launched a number of new machines and products aiming at strengthening the value proposition the company can offer to its customers. One particularly significant addition to the ANCA range has been the FX Linear and MX Linear machines. Both machines are powered by LinX linear motor (international patent pending) developed by ANCA Motion, a sister company of ANCA. Prior to the introduction of the FX Linear and MX Linear machines, ANCA had been a silent observer on linear motor technology for many years. “ANCA was aware of the benefits that can be brought…
