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Manufacturers must often respond fast regarding the repair and turnaround of faulty equipment, minimising production disruption and downtime. Using 3D printing, parts can be produced rapidly in common materials such as steel, titanium, aluminium, or more exotic materials. Moreover, new materials designed specifically for AM offer improved performance. Given the large inventories found within typical manufacturing operations, a major question is: which parts are technically and commercially viable for AM? A recent audit for a US operation included a total inventory of 4,500 individual parts. Of these, some 450 were identified as technically feasible for printing, and 200 offered significant commercial benefits to the company compared with historic sourcing. Given the speed of production possible using AM in prototyping and serial production, manufacturers may consider investing in their own in-house 3D printing operation. The advantages include a ‘zero-mile’ parts supply chain, avoidance of high inventory levels, better process control, and risk mitigation against costly downtime. The alternative option is to source from a supplier offering printing services, with their specific lead…

Supported by the Australian Space Agency, CSIRO’s ‘Innovate to Grow: Space’ program will support 20-25 small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) with mentoring from some of Australia’s leading space experts, including from CSIRO and the Space Agency, access to world-class research facilities and infrastructure, and support to navigate grant application processes. Innovate to Grow is a free ten-week training program designed to boost the innovation and take-up of research and development (R&D) by Australian small businesses in industries with high innovation potential, like space, agrifood, plastic waste, net zero, and cybersecurity. CSIRO Space Research Program Director Dr Kimberley Clayfield said collaboration was key to growing Australia’s space industry. “CSIRO works with leading global companies, international space agencies and small-to-medium businesses on a variety of space-related activities,” Dr Clayfield said. “SMEs have a lot to contribute and when combined with our strong capabilities in Earth observation, robotics, advanced manufacturing and communications, the sky is no limit to what we…

Celebration dinners are being held throughout December in Victoria, New South Wales (NSW) and Queensland. With a three-course meal and drinks, the events are an opportunity to bring your partner and colleagues and share in some Christmas cheer against the best backdrops in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. Events will be held at: Melbourne: Thursday 2 December Aerial, 17 Dukes Walk, South Wharf, VIC 3006 7.00pm – 11.00pm AEDT Sydney: Wednesday 8 December Kingsleys Woolloomooloo, 10/6 Cowper Wharf Roadway, Woolloomooloo, NSW 2011 7.00pm – 10.30pm AEDT Brisbane: Thursday 9 December Massimo Restaurant, Boardwalk level, Riverside Centre, 23 Eagle Street, Brisbane, QLD 4000 7.00pm – 10.30pm AEDT All attendees at AMTIL events must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. On arrival, please follow the directions of venue staff, check in using the COVID-19 app and present your vaccination status. Appropriate measures are being implemented at all AMTIL events to ensure they are conducted safely. Moreover, AMTIL may be forced…

Tool presetters provide three key features in the one machine: measuring, presetting, and inspecting tools. They save on set-up time, improve accuracy and produce better quality parts, while minimising scrap. A state-of-the-art image processing system measures the cutting edges of tools in seconds, then saves and documents the measurement results. As a result, the time-consuming process of making fine adjustments are a thing of the past. Adjustable boring bars can be easily set with micron precision in less than a minute, which in turn eradicates frustrating “trial and error” cutting. Tool run-out can also be checked and cutting inserts inspected using the on-board inspection camera. “Presetting and measuring allows for shorter fitting times and greater productivity – while your machine works you can get the next tool ready,” explains Paul Fowler, Managing Director of Dimac Tooling. “Thanks to correctly preset tools, the very first part will be of the highest quality. You can also be confident the tool will…

Various parts for the M113 Armoured Personnel Carrier were replaced with metal parts manufactured on site during Exercise Koolendong, an annual bilateral military exercise between the Australian Army and the Marine Rotational Force – Darwin. Parts were identified, 3D printed, certified and then subsequently installed on vehicles The Australian Army is rapidly developing its metal manufacturing capability with SPEE3D’s award-winning metal 3D printing technology. The company’s WarpSPEE3D Tactical Printer uses patented cold-spray technology that enables significantly faster and more cost-effective metal part production than any other process. It can print large metal parts up to 40kg at a record rate of 100g per minute. SPEE3D has been working closely with the Australian Army and Royal Australian Navy to bring this capability to the Australian Defence Force with world-first field trials designed to test the feasibility of deploying metal 3D printing as a capability, both in barracks and in the field. A number of field trials in 2020 resulted in more than 50 case studies of printable parts and…

Laserline laser systems is well known worldwide, with many installations in a range of industries including on the production line of various Audi models for welding tailgates, doors and roof joints. The systems are favoured due to the high-quality finished product and their use in conjunction with a robot for automated process controls. Welding of aluminium often requires a filler material but can be used on visible surfaces without further processing – a result that has been tested and used by Audi in Germany. In Australia Laserline lasers are used extensively for cladding, repair and refurbishment of worn or damaged parts. A 3D process is also possible to print new parts or add functionality. Recently Laserline has focused on developing a system suitable for welding copper, a key component in many modern technological devices. Copper is one of the most important raw materials for electrical power and signal transmission, and with the growing use of small devices, the demand for good quality welding that provides suitable…

After graduating as a materials engineer in the early 2000s and spending a decade working with newer production technologies such as 3D printing in the manufacturing industry, David Forrestal sought a career change and headed back to university for a PhD in tissue engineering. He graduated with a doctorate in 2019, developing new systems and methods for seeding living cells in 3D-printed bioresorbable polymer scaffolds – culturing cells and keeping them alive so a patient’s body can use them to restore tissue. Nowadays, Forrestal is an Advanced Biomedical Engineer at Herston Biofabrication Institute, a multidisciplinary institute at Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital (RBWH) which officially opened in February. It focuses on 3D scanning, 3D modelling and 3D printing of medical devices, bone, cartilage and human tissue. It has programs based around orthopaedics; burns, skin & wounds; vascular & endovascular surgery; urology; cancer care; craniofacial; and anaesthesia & intensive care. “We’re an institute, but we’re directly in…

The Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) is tasked with enforcing compliance with the FW Act, including ensuring employees receive their lawful entitlements. The FWO can investigate employers if a complaint has been made regarding a failure to comply with workplace laws, including wage underpayments. If a breach has been identified, the FWO has a range of compliance powers, including issuing a compliance notice requiring that the breach is rectified within a certain period of time, entering into an Enforceable Undertaking and/or issuing prosecution proceedings against the employer and persons knowingly involved in the alleged breach, including directors. Sapphire Freighters: a case study The consequences of not paying the correct wages to employees and failing to rectify the issue were demonstrated recently in a Federal Circuit Court case against Sapphire Freighters Pty Ltd, a long-haul trucking business based in Melbourne. The FWO successfully secured a…

SPARTAN is Hypersonix’ fifth-generation scramjet. It is a fixed-geometry self-igniting hydrogen-powered scramjet capable of accelerating from Mach 5 to Mach 12. SPARTAN’s fixed geometry means it has no moving parts, so the design lends itself to 3D printing (3DP). This reduces both the cost and time to produce the scramjet, while potentially adding to reliability and performance. Additive manufacturing allows the creation of parts that have a complex design, and is perfect for light-weighting, which is essential for the space industry. SPARTAN uses green hydrogen for fuel, so creates no CO2 emissions. The hydrogen fuel also allows Hypersonix to utilise regenerative cooling on the combustor, in turn allowing the use of readily available high-temperature alloys in place of more expensive and complex high-temperature composites. David Waterhouse, Managing Director and co-founder of Hypersonix said: “The use of additive engineering to manufacture a scramjet engine will fundamentally disrupt the cost structure of scramjets and an important step in providing more affordable access to hypersonic flight. We are very proud of Australia’s world…

The MMFI is an interdisciplinary research hub delivering tangible solutions to emerging global problems by studying, building, and transforming the future of materials innovation and advanced manufacturing. Through the MMFI, Australian manufacturers have access to state-of-the-art advanced manufacturing research and problem-solving skills coupled with the technology to address the barriers and opportunities in material sciences and advanced manufacturing, with diverse applications in printed electronics, transport, energy, information technology, and health. Professor Sean Li, the Institute’s director, said: “MMFI has the research expertise and infrastructure to support local industry. It also has access to other skills within UNSW such as science, chemistry, electrical engineering, and medical science, providing an even broader skillset that can be tapped. Not only can MMFI come up with a theory, we can use the in-house resources to test it, make changes, and in a short timeframe, produce a practical, real-world solution.” Matthew Hunter, Innovation Product Marketing Manager at Konica…

Presented at this year’s Cooperative Research Australia (CRA) Collaborate | Innovate 2021 conference, the award recognises outstanding examples of research collaboration that address industry-specific problems for the benefit of Australian industry and the economy. With funding from IMCRC, in 2017, Brisbane-based design and manufacturing company Urban Art Projects (UAP) embarked on an $8m design robotics research project in partnership with Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and RMIT University (RMIT). By investing in robotic vision systems and developing smart user-interfaces, UAP streamlined its ability to manufacture bespoke artwork and architecture pieces here in Australia. As part of the project, UAP also opened its factory doors to local manufacturing SMEs to share research outcomes and education on how robots and other emerging technologies can assist in manufacturing high-value products. This ‘open innovation’ approach led to the formation of the Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing (ARM) Hub in Brisbane. QUT Associate Professor Jared Donovan, who accepted the award on behalf of the Design Robotics team, thanked all participants for their…

TCL Hofmann joined the Stratasys channel network since 2019 and has supplied leading-edge 3D printing technologies to manufacturing companies and organisations to help them upscale their businesses and optimise results. With strong teams in Melbourne and Sydney, and sister company TCL Hunt in New Zealand’s major cities, TCL Hofmann’s success has developed from the broad supply of quality products to a range of industries through to the highest levels of service and advisory, pre- and post-sale support, and servicing. COVID-19 has had an unprecedented impact on the manufacturing industry, testing the resilience and flexibility of manufacturers across the globe as they deal with high levels of uncertainty in production scheduling, raw material sourcing and workforce dependency. TCL Hofmann has demonstrated its ability in delivering a strong customer service experience, and its appointment as a Stratasys Platinum Partner comes at a time when more and more Australian enterprises are embracing 3D printing. Organisations such as Cobalt Design, the Walkinshaw Andretti United (WAU) motor-racing team and Bendigo Tech…