Member News

With $100,000 in funding through the Innovative Manufacturing Cooperative Research Centre’s (IMCRC) activate program, Australian road safety manufacturing company Impact Absorbing Systems (IAS) is collaborating with University of South Australia (UniSA) STEM to re-engineer and significantly reduce the risk of collision-related injury to vehicle occupants and pedestrians using an energy-absorbing traffic light (EATL) design. IAS is contributing $100,000 to the project, which is worth $640,000 in total research effort. The innovative energy transfer mechanism, which is currently used commercially in IAS’s Australian-made energy-absorbing bollards (EAB), will also minimise damage to traffic lights themselves, lowering replacement costs for the Department of Infrastructure and Transportation and local councils. Over the next 12 months, IAS and UniSA STEM will optimise the existing EAB design to better suit the shape, length, size and location of common traffic lights. Operating out of UniSA’s Testlab and engineering design facilities, the team will use advanced manufacturing techniques, materials testing and computational modelling to build and test various EATL designs, delivering a world-first product that complies with road safety standards.…

Applications such as packaging, labelling, sorting, and pick and place require robust and efficient actuation methods. Significant compromises are made by machine makers on linear actuation mechanisms used under harsh conditions. This is where the LinX M-Series Linear Motor from ANCA Motion stands out as a lucrative solution offering better outcomes. LinX with its fully potted body and cylindrical design achieves higher IP ratings than conventional flatbed linear motors and rotary motors, and enables system integrators and original equipment manufacturers to target applications that were previously not on their radar. The ability to achieve high speed and acceleration, the flexibility offered by its modular structure, and its higher IP rating make LinX an ideal choice for material handling applications within factory automation such as warehousing. Thanks to its cylindrical design and direct drive nature, LinX motors do not wear on railings, significantly improving machine lifetime and drastically reducing maintenance costs. Larger spacing between the magnets and the machine base ensures that safety of operators is never compromised. The LinX range is designed…

Operating for more than 15 years, Brendale-based Elexon Electronics has continually evolved in response to both changing customer needs and developments within the mining, medical and defence industries, while also being a passionate contributor to the Moreton Bay regional community. It received its award in a ceremony delivered by Moreton Bay Region Industry and Tourism (MBRIT) in partnership with Moreton Bay Regional Council. “Being recognised in the sector of Advanced Manufacturing is quite an achievement especially during this challenging year,” said Frank Faller, CEO of Elexon Electronics. “It recognises our outstanding performance and is our testament to our continuous development. It also marks an important return of customer confidence, shifting from a dependence on overseas suppliers to homegrown manufacturing talent and capability once again.” The event featured 58 finalists across 12 categories, after a record number of businesses from a diverse range of sectors were nominated. The winners were decided via a judging process involving 40 expert judges, who evaluated nominations based…

Bombardier Transportation is a global mobility solutions provider. Its lead engineering site for Central and Eastern Europe and Israel is located in Hennigsdorf, Germany. This location is responsible for pre and small-series production of mainline and metro projects, as well as design validation to enable the large-scale manufacture of passenger vehicles at other Bombardier Transportation sites around the world. Maintaining, servicing and manufacturing these vehicles while upholding Bombardier’s standard of excellence requires fast, effective and cost-efficient processes across many teams. A key factor in achieving these objectives is the versatility to work efficiently across different projects.With specific goals to support digital inventory and produce large certified interior train components, Bombardier Transportation’s Hennigsdorf site invested in industrial-grade 3D printing. “Our customers choose Bombardier Transportation because we deliver innovative design concepts,” André Bialoscek, Head of the Vehicle Physical Integration department at Bombardier Transportation, explains. “Each of these customers has different yet demanding manufacturing requirements, so it’s vital we deploy the most advanced technologies available to ensure we effectively fulfill their needs. That is why we decided to invest in…

Owned and operated by AMTIL, AMW is Australia’s premier manufacturing solutions event. Under the theme ‘Where technology meets innovation’, AMW 2022 will take place at the International Convention Centre Sydney (ICC Sydney) in Darling Harbour from 7-10 June 2022. “We’re getting very excited about the way the work on AMW has been going,” says Kim Banks, Head of Events at AMTIL. “The response from industry has been incredibly positive, with the exhibition space already fully booked apart from a handful of stands. This is a really big, important new venture for AMTIL, so we’re really thrilled with the enthusiasm for it that we’ve seen out there.” AMW will occupy more than 9,000 square metres of exhibition space at the ICC Sydney, with more than 140 organisations taking stands to showcase the latest manufacturing technologies, processes and support services. Six dedicated zones will cover a range of specialised aspects of the modern manufacturing landscape: w Additive Manufacturing. Australian Manufacturers Pavillion. Machine Tools & Ancillary Equipment. Manufacturing Solutions. Robotics & Automation. Weld Solutions. While AMW is a brand…

The Export Market Development Grant (EMDG ) provides funding to assist over 4,000 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) per year cover export-related costs such as producing promotional material, travelling overseas, and providing free samples. What’s changed? Traditionally, the EMDG program operated under a reimbursement model, where eligible applicants were able to claim eligible expenses incurred during a particular financial year once that financial year had ended. Whilst the program still operates this way for any eligible export marketing expenses incurred up to 30 June 2021, significant changes came into effect on 1 July 2021 that changed the EMDG program from a reimbursement scheme (where an application is made in retrospect) to a traditional grant program. Importantly, applicants can now apply for the grant (for eligible export-related expenditure for each year over the next 2 or 3 years) and receive confirmation of funding before those expenses are incurred. These changes are designed to: Be more responsive to the needs of…

The idea behind +addeva came about several years ago. Whilst running prototyping and manufacturing facilities, Leon Gairns, now director at +addeva, was regularly approached to quote and supply custom signage, vehicle badges and to remedy parts ordered offshore. Often, these projects were well suited to local additive manufacturing but lacked the appropriate CAD files and design input. In the early stages, the team at +addeva approached several software developers that could offer part of the solution but ultimately did not proceed, instead deciding to provide an end-to-end solution themselves. The Build It Better (BIB) voucher programme, provided through AMTIL’s Additive Manufacturing Hub, offered a pathway to design, optimise and validate the part geometry intellectual property (IP) in parallel with developing the online platform. The intent was to maximise the adoption of localised additive manufacturing. The challenge To allow the geometry and process validation of a customisable signage system with design freedom. To remove the burden of CAD expertise,…

If one was to nominate an Australian company that epitomises success in manufacturing, Eilbeck would have to be a lead contender. With close to 115 years of experience in the manufacturing sector, the family-owned company is currently managed by its owner/director Tom Eilbeck. Today the company’s staff numbers have increased to around 300. Initially starting as a foundry on the Swan River in West Australia, the company evolved into a machine shop and eventually into designing and building overhead cranes. Today Eilbeck Cranes has around 65% of the local overhead crane market, supplying to a diverse range of industries including civil and industrial developers. In the bespoke crane market, the company’s market share has increased to around 75%. The company is now into its fourth generation of the Eilbeck family and has grown through sheer hard work, an ability to capitalise on market opportunities, and an overarching commitment to producing the highest quality equipment. This high level of quality has been reflected…

The Austrian educator and management consultant Peter Drucker once wrote: “Time is the scarcest resource and unless it is managed nothing else can be managed.” There are two types of machine tool manufacturers: those who offer machines that cut faster; and those who say cutting faster is unimportant. When looking to buy new equipment, the ability to process parts faster IS an important consideration because it affects the bottom line. It seems obvious that when a machine can process parts 30% faster, it will reduce the cost of labour, consumables, and utilities. On the other hand, when a machine tool is not fully utilised, there can be a tendency to dismiss faster cutting as irrelevant: when in fact it is relevant. If a machine tool cuts 30% faster than the competitor, and the cost of operation is $38.00 per hour for consumables, then over the course of 1,000 hours machining time, faster cutting will save $11,400.00 in consumables alone! Faster cutting is one consideration when buying a…

Matthew Ellis is a true inspiration to the Australian manufacturing industry. He established Frontline Manufacturing in 1996 when he was just 26 years old . In 2010 he lost it all when the Queensland floods destroyed his business and the insurance did not cover the loss. However, he successfully rebuilt the company and subsequently sold it to a larger company that shares his belief in Australian manufacturing. This financial support has seen Frontline grow into a 40-staff operation. With investment in new machines such as the recently acquired Deratech Ultima 1500/6100 press brake, the company’s future looks ever brighter. Ellis spoke to us about the company and the new machine. AMT: Tell us about Frontline Engineering? Matthew Ellis: I started Frontline in Queensland in 1996 with the aim of manufacturing pressed components. We started making componentry for the Australian manufacturing industry, and over…

For manufacturers, stepping away from the established way of doing things – whether it’s a production process, method of communication, or a trusted machine or tool – invites risk. No wonder it so tempting to fall back on the old adage of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. Could a new tool or digitalised process create more disruptions than it’s worth? Yet, there is more onus than ever on manufacturers to change with the times – whether they are dealing with mass or batch production scenarios. Research by Pinsent Masons, the German law firm, has identified three main drivers for change. First, its survey of 100 German manufacturers and German students found that disruptive Industry 4.0 technologies, like artificial intelligence (AI) and intelligent…

AMT: Firstly, what is the ARM Hub and why was it established? Cori Stewart: The ARM Hub is now a year and a half old, and it was established around a couple of drivers. Firstly, to see Australia drive the commercial value of robotics and come out big in the way robotics are applied to industry. One of our founding partners, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), is the nation’s leading robotics centre, and they got behind it. Along with its national partner network, QUT has been conducting amazing fundamental research in robotics. That technology is now coming down and being used on the factory floor – things like computer vision, AI, machine learning ... all the things that make robots smart and integrate into wider manufacturing capability. So, ARM Hub came about to offer this agile translation capability, and also knowhow, for new technology. The other part was as the country drives towards a manufacturing future – and this was happening before COVID – we had major manufacturing strategies in…