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In machining aerospace components, the main challenges relate to component materials. Titanium, high-temperature superalloys (HTSA), and creep-resisting steel are difficult to cut and machining is a real bottleneck in the whole aircraft supply chain. Poor machinability of these materials results in low cutting speeds, which significantly reduces productivity and shortens tool life. Both these factors are directly connected with cutting tools. In fact, when dealing with hard-to-machine typical aerospace materials, cutting tool functionality defines the existing level of productivity. The truth is, cutting tools in their development lag machine tools, and this development gap limits the capabilities of leading-edge machines in the manufacturing of aerospace components. Modern aircraft, especially unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), feature a considerably increased share of composite materials. Effective machining composites demand specific cutting tools, which is the focus of a technological leap in the aerospace industry. Aircraft-grade aluminium continues to be a widely used material for fuselage elements. It may seem that machining aluminium is simple. However, selecting the right cutting tool is a necessary key to…

The establishment of the new centre completes the consolidation of all Bosch’s businesses in Victoria at its Clayton campus, boosting strategic collaboration and innovation. Gavin Smith, President of Bosch Oceania, said: “Manufacturing automation is now the fastest growing part of our business. We are leveraging our more than 50 years of manufacturing experience and factory automation know-how and drawing on the global expertise within the Bosch group, to help Australian manufacturers become fit for the future.” BAMS has become one of the country’s leading factory automation companies, working with a diverse array of blue-chip, mid-tier and start-up manufacturers to automate their manufacturing. Most recently, BAMS was engaged by digital diagnostics company Ellume to automate the high-volume production of its rapid COVID-19 tests. BAMS is highly regarded in the biotech sector, currently working with CSL to create a high-tech automatic materials handling line for their manufacturing facility in Broadmeadows. BAMS was also part of the industry consortium led by Grey Innovation that built ventilators in the…

Built by Bosch Australia’s Manufacturing Solutions Division (BAMS) team, working closely with Ellume’s engineering team, the two lines were tested at Bosch’s plant in Melbourne, before installation at Ellume’s facility. A further 16 lines will be built at Bosch and bound for Ellume’s new US production plant in Maryland, scheduled to open later this year. The Washington Post reported on 1 February this year that the US Government had awarded a US$231.8m contract to Ellume to supply 8.5m of its Rapid at Home COVID-19 Tests. These products have been produced in Australia to date, and when the Maryland site is running, it will have the capacity to produce over 15m tests per month. Ellume’s founder and CEO, Dr Sean Parsons, told the Post that he believes that scaling up production will allow Ellume to reduce the test’s price (currently at US$30 a test). By manufacturing the tests in the US, Ellume will no longer have to ship them from Australia. To date more than one million tests…

The Liverpool Plains area of north-west NSW is highly productive agricultural land. There are crops such as wheat, corn, sorghum and cotton crops, sheep graze the hills surrounding Spring Ridge, and the Caroona and Killara cattle feedlots are significant contributors to the local economy. Machinery plays a vital role. Critical tasks must be performed in narrow timeframes and no farmer can afford to have an unproductive machine creating costly downtime. Andrew Holland runs Spring Ridge Engineering with his father Chris, who started the business around 40 years ago, originally manufacturing planting machines. “In recent years growers have adopted new machines with advanced technology,” says Andrew. “The transition to automation has meant Spring Ridge Engineering has moved from manufacturing machines to supplying parts and accessories, fabrication of specialised components, and engineering services to produce replacement parts and make repairs. Harvest time is extremely busy and no one can wait longer than necessary to get a machine back in operation.” The need for specialised fabricated parts has kept Spring Ridge Engineering busy. It needed…

For some of the companies which have booked space at AMW, it may be their first time ever exhibiting at a trade show. Others may be returning after not exhibiting for a long time, and may be a bit “rusty”. And others still may be seasoned exhibitors who take stands at several trade shows a year. But for every business or organisation that takes part in an industry exhibition, that handful of days on the stand itself are only a part of the process. It could be a missed opportunity if you haven’t put in the work of preparing in advance. As the old quote goes, “The person who fails to plan, plans to fail.” So what steps can you take ahead of a show like AMW? Here are some handy tips. Consider what you want to achieve There are many reasons to exhibit in a show like AMW, and it’s important to establish exactly what outcomes you’re hoping to…

Like many companies involved in supplying recreational equipment, AL-KO is benefitting from travel restrictions that are seeing Australians holidaying and staying in their own backyards. Sales of RVs and associated products have skyrocketed this year and AL-KO is riding that resurgence and the resultant interest in getting out on the road and exploring new destinations. The company is best known for its high-quality running gear range, which includes axles, brakes, and suspension products. AL-KO also offers a wide range of accessories, as well as supplying suspension and carriage components to various motorhome and caravan chassis manufacturers. Look under any of the leading RV, caravan and off-road camper trailer brands and chances are that AL-KO parts will be fitted. In addition to the RV market, it produces specialised axles for trailers for a diverse range of agricultural machinery such as transporting combine harvester headers and suspension and running gear for lighting and access towers. The company has a long and…

The Laser Genius+ (LG+) benefits from the 30 years of expert knowledge Prima Power has gained from the supply of over 10,000 laser systems to customers worldwide. The machine developments reduce installation time, increases serviceability, and make the overall user experience the best it can be, pushing the boundaries for the manufacturing industry. Built with ease of use and ease of service in mind, the LG+ has a single structure that holds the laser source, chillers, cutting table, and electrical cabinet. Prima Power is one of the only worldwide manufacturers to develop its own electrical components, cutting head, and laser sources. It does all of this from their facilities in Italy and the USA. It is also the only system manufacturer to make its own solid-state diode fiber lasers, with power from 3kW up to 15kW. The Prima Electro subsidiary develops CNC and electrical components, along with the software to drive the machines. wThe LG+ has any customer requirement covered, with various modular automation systems and…

Every manufactured product you can think of, from the coffee you have first thing in the morning and the cornflakes you eat for breakfast, to the computer you use at work, the train home in the evening and the car waiting at the station, and even to the couch you sit on to watch your television with a glass of wine – they are all made by machines that were made by machine tools. Think about that ... just the coffee beans alone require a coffee bean harvester, washing and screening equipment, dry processing, roasting, hulling, polishing, sorting and grading processes. Each one of these processes requires equipment that has significant machining and fabrication work to produce it. And that’s just the coffee beans. So if you have your coffee with milk and sugar, multiply all those processes by three and then include the machine that you have sitting in your kitchen that now allows you to push a button and the coffee is produced. Whilst we may take making a…

While Beihang University’s research highlights “the strong relationship among maintenance strategy, production planning and quality”, Sandvik Coromant is seeing a growing trend where machine tool manufacturers are incorporating process monitoring systems within modern CNC machines. The recent Digital Factories 2020 report by Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC) recommends that “Companies must make smarter decisions using predictive analytics and machine learning”, while 98% of manufacturers surveyed in the report said they expect to increase their efficiency through use of predictive maintenance. Meanwhile, the global production monitoring market is expected to grow from $4.0bn in 2018 to $6.4bn by 2023, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.8%, according to Markets and Markets. In line with these trends, predictability has also become increasingly important in the modern turning of steel components.…

Zip Industries has been manufacturing and marketing Australian designed and made instant water systems since 1947. The company introduced the world’s first boiling water tap in 1970, followed in 1975 by the first on-wall instant boiling water heater. Today, Zip employs 160 people at its factory in Condell Park, in Sydney’s south-west suburbs,where it produces a wide range of hot and chilled, still and sparkling water-dispensing products that are exported to the world’s fastest growing commercial and consumer markets. The company’s flagship product, the Zip Hydrotap is also manufactured at this facility. The Hydrotap is an innovative multi-function touch tap that has revolutionised instant water dispensing and has recently made a successful debut in the huge US market. Michael Conyers, Director of Operations, Asia-Pacific at Zip, explains: “The Hydrotap is an appliance with heating and chilling functions and comprises many diverse parts. While our core competencies include sheet metal fabrication, manufacture of this product includes sub-assembly and final assembly of mechanical and electronic…

According to reports by Accurize Research, the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in the tubular linear motor segment worldwide is expected to reach 6.4% by 2026. Growth is particularly strong across the packaging, construction and manufacturing industries. Tubular linear motors are gaining traction in industrial applications, especially in the packaging and medical sectors, since these motors are an ideal replacement for pneumatics as they have a similar form factor but much better efficiency and reliability. Some of the biggest tubular linear motor manufacturers are expanding their product portfolio to offer flexibility in machinery used for sealing and discharge end-use cases. ANCA Motion’s LinX range of tubular linear motors offers improved performance at a competitive cost compared with conventional flat linear motors and rotary motors. Attributes that make LinX an ideal solution are its high speed and acceleration capabilities, modular design, reduced maintenance, standalone thermal stability, and ability to achieve higher IP protection. ANCA Motion primarily focuses on the food & beverage and packaging industries with its range of interfacing products…

All six manufacturing sectors in the Australian PMI expanded in July (readings above 50 points indicate expansion in activity, with higher results indicating a faster rate of expansion), with machinery & equipment (up 0.2 points to 65.0), metal products (up 2.2 points to 62.3) and chemicals (up 1.0 point to 66.1) all reaching record highs. All seven activity indices in the Australian PMI expanded in July, although three moderated slightly from the previous month (see table below). New orders remained in expansionary territory but fell from a record high in June (down 8.1 points to 62.5), while production expanded in most states and territories (up 1.1 points to 61.8) but was lower in NSW due to lockdowns. Some exporters noted difficulty finding empty shipping containers, with the exports index dropping 6.6 points to 53.6. Ai Group Chief Executive Innes Willox said: “While COVID-19 outbreaks and associated restrictions in some states undoubtedly dampened the upswing in activity and shook confidence,…

AMT: Tell us about the origins of Perrott Engineering. John Perrott: Perrott Engineering was formed by my wife and I back in 1974 as a one-man welding and machining business in Atherton. As the company grew, there was a need for us to be nearer to our larger clients so we established a branch in Cairns in 2001, later closing the original business and transferring the operation entirely to Cairns. Today the company employs more than 36 personnel covering a range of skills, and has grown into a specialist hydraulic and lubrication service business and a precision component manufacturing business servicing a broad range of industries across Australia, Papua New Guinea and southern Asia. AMT: What are the current principal areas of business that Perrott Engineering is established in? JP: Marine and mining are…