February 13, 2023
CST Wastewater Solutions Managing Director Mr Michael Bambridge says the move to fully manufacture rotary drum screen and screw screen/compactors in Australia is enhancing quality, environmental outcomes and certainty of supply to its customers. He said the supply chaos created by COVID and international tensions just made the decision to produce locally even easier because there are so many reasons in favour of it. “It means we can build into our product the quality of Australian engineering and metalworking, which is respected worldwide. It means we can quickly build in features that adapt product to local conditions, which can vary strongly across Australasia and SE Asia. “Local production means we can place supply and service closer to the customers on whom entire populations depend for reliable service and environmental outcomes, including food and beverage production and municipal services. It builds jobs, skills and capabilities in this region,” said Bambridge. The company has made its mark in Australasia and SE Asia for more than 25 years with dozens of highly robust and cost-efficient screening and compacting…
February 9, 2023
Registrations are now open for Australian Manufacturing Week (AMW2023), held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) from 9-12 May 2023. Run by the Australian Manufacturing Technology Institute Limited (AMTIL), AMW2023 will occupy more than 10,000 square metres of exhibition space at the MCEC, with more than 270 organisations taking stands to showcase the latest manufacturing technologies, processes, and support services. Don’t miss out! Register online now at australianmanufacturingweek.com.au There are seven Zones on the vast floorspace of Australian Manufacturing Week, which takes up almost of the MCEC. Each zone focuses in on particular aspects of manufacturing in Australia. These include: Austech Machine Tools, sponsored by ISCAR; Additive Manufacturing Zone; Australian Manufacturers Zone, sponsored by Sutton Tools; Manufacturing Solutions Zone, sponsored by Adobe; Robotics & Automation Zone; Weld and Air Solutions Zone, sponsored by AtlasCopco; and the Plastic Technology Zone. ROBOTICS & AUTOMATION The Robotics & Automation Zone will feature the latest state-of-the-art equipment and processes for the optimisation of manufacturing operations. Robots are practical technologies, with artificially intelligent software brains, created and designed…
February 7, 2023
Hydrogen production should be carefully regulated and consumers informed about emissions credentials if Australia is to achieve a sustainable energy economy and net zero emissions by 2050, QUT experts warn. Published in Sustainable Energy & Fuels, a QUT analysis shows the differences between hydrogen production based on a generic primary fuel source – coal, natural gas, or renewables – and the resulting carbon dioxide (CO2) that needs to be abated for net zero emissions. Associate Professor Jonathan Love from the QUT Centre for Clean Energy Technology and Practices said the analysis highlighted considerations for future studies, policy deliberation, and consumer regulatory frameworks for clean electricity and transport. “We need to consider the end-to-end process to produce and use hydrogen if we are to say it’s sustainable and is part of the clean energy transition,” Professor Love said. “Different fuel cells produce very different outcomes when considering the best use of fuel for sustainability outcomes. “There is no current policy that links consumer fuel cell technology choices with the primary energy source or emissions, so hydrogen producers could end up making sustainability outcomes worse. This highlights…
February 7, 2023
Over 300 companies in Australia have Genox recycling equipment installed, making it one of Australia’s leading manufacturers of recycling machinery. The company is perhaps best known for its focus on providing the latest recycling technology at an extremely competitive price point, empowering large and small companies alike to achieve their environmental KPIs and actively contribute to the true circular economy. Genox’s range includes stand-alone shredder and granulator units, automatic metal and tyre recycling systems, through to complete washing plants for size reduction, washing and separating of contaminated plastics and other materials. The company’s latest innovation is the SPS Series Pelletising System: a 3 in 1 integrated system that includes plastic waste size reduction and filtering, pre-heating and underwater pelletising. The innovative design allows for an extensive range of soft plastics and rigid flakes plastics to be processed. This includes LDPE packaging film, agricultural film HDPE, milk bottle flake, PP bottles and plastic flake recovered from e-waste. The SPS system is especially efficient and stable for low-bulk density materials. The variable speed cutter compactor (with air-flush) cuts the plastics into flakes. Heat created by…
February 7, 2023
Capable of achieving runout of less than two microns, the four-axes CPX Linear grinder is the solution for grinding tool blanks. The CPX Linear has a large working envelope and powerful grinding spindles to achieve the highest precision and productivity for blank preparation in the market. High material removal rates form as the primary function of the machine without compromising on dimensional accuracy and surface finish of <0.2Ra. The grinder utilises the peel and pinch-peel grinding methods. The peel method of grinding is associated with the roughing wheel and the capability of high material removal rates (MRR). This is all made possible with the advancement in grinding wheel technology with its grain structure, bonding, and construction. From a process perspective, these advancements give higher aggressiveness numbers, whereas grinding aggressiveness refers to the depth at that the grit can penetrate the material. High material removal rates in grinding cannot be achieved just with high-performance grinding wheels. It requires the machine, grinding spindle, stiffness of different machine elements and the grinding coolant system to be carefully designed to extract…
February 7, 2023
EV pioneer Savic Motorcycles has achieved two major manufacturing milestones on the road to commercial production, with the successful completion of their customised Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) with Bosch Australia, and the first all-weather road tests on urban and semi-rural roads. Within Australia, it is a legal requirement for all road vehicles to be fitted with ABS units, and Savic chose to partner with the industry-leading team at Bosch Australia to develop the ABS for its high-performance C-Series motorcycles – which are due to arrive on Australian roads later this year. “Bosch will be providing a motorcycle-specific ABS module for us, which will be used in every 11+ kW electric motorcycle that Savic Motorcycles will produce, starting with the C-Series,” said Dennis Savic, CEO and founder of Savic Motorcycles. “Partnering with Bosch enabled us to develop an innovative program using their existing ABS9.1MP system and a current C-Series prototype to produce specific software tailored to our requirements.” Development of the ABS program involved handing a 2022 C-Series prototype over to Bosch, which was fitted with the ABS module, an extensive range of…
February 7, 2023
TRUMPF has showcased a range of solutions to make sheet-metal fabrication more sustainable at this year’s European trade fairs, 33BIMU and EuroBLECH. The high-tech company aims to leverage its position as a solution provider to help customers make their factories more competitive and eco-friendlier. “Our customers have seen huge increases in the cost of production due to higher energy prices. Our technologies reduce the use of energy-intensive materials and are less power-hungry overall. By offering more sustainable and lower-carbon methods of sheet metal fabrication, we can help companies fight more effectively against climate change and slash the cost of materials and manufacturing,” says Stephan Mayer, CEO of Machine Tools at TRUMPF. The solutions TRUMPF presented at EuroBLECH include its new ‘Eco Cooler’ system that controls the temperature of laser-cutting machines using pure water instead of chemical refrigerants. This novel cooling solution uses 80% less energy than conventional systems and is 100% non-polluting. Digitalisation and automation still driving the future of the industry TRUMPF continued to expand its market-leading position as a premier supplier and user of digitally connected sheet-metal fabrication solutions. “Digitalization and automation…
February 1, 2023
Brigitte Stavar has been instrumental in guiding us through the past two years of her tenure. When she was first appointed to the role in December 2019, for those who can remember back then, we were in the middle of firestorms all around the country putting pressure on us as a nation to survive. Then we had the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact that had across all states, with lockdown after lockdown, the uncertainty of what the next Government regulation was and the impact these decisions would have. It has been difficult times trying to run a “services” business with member benefits almost non-existent during this time. We launched a new show, Australian Manufacturing Week, that replaced National Manufacturing Week and Austech as our premier Manufacturing show in the country, and subsequently had postponed it twice due to COVID. As President, Brigitte has worked with our team to manoeuvre through these minefields and get us back in…
February 1, 2023
The future of Motorsport will be fast, high-powered, and using cutting-edge tech. But what we didn’t see coming was that the future of Motorsport would be electric, airborne, even faster, and using locally-built, remotely piloted vehicles, smacking it out for pole position on a huge 3D virtual track. In mid-October, a landmark moment occurred in the story of motorsport and the beginnings of the flying car mobility revolution, way out on the salt flats of South Australia. The Alauda Aeronautics company is also getting set to build the world’s first flying electric car factory in the upcoming Australian Space Park in Adelaide. They are joining other local aerospace industry manufacturing companies, including Fleet Space, at this South Australian industrial park. Industry leaders such as Airbus and a host of other industry providers are also in line. They are also embarking on one of the most original racing concepts ever, having now completed over 250 test flights with their Airspeeder vehicle with a carbon-fibre chassis. Built…
January 31, 2023
Australian advanced manufacturer ANCA is pleased to announce it has received the first round of funding under its Modern Manufacturing Initiative (MMI) grant from the Australian Government. ANCA will establish a precision manufacturing cell at its Bayswater headquarters, using the grant delivered through the Modern Manufacturing Initiative. The company supplies advanced tool-making machines and technology to aerospace, medical, automotive, and electronic industries, exporting to more than 45 countries. Assistant Minister for Manufacturing Tim Ayres said he was pleased to announce the grant, delivering this advanced manufacturing capability at a time when building sovereign capability has never been more important. “Over the last decade, Australian exports have slipped down the global value chain as our exports have become less complex,” Assistant Minister Ayres said. “This grant will enable ANCA to build a new designated precision manufacturing cell and continue enhancing Australia’s sovereign manufacturing capabilities. It will also create an estimated 157 highly skilled jobs during the project and about 330 jobs after five years.” This grant is under the MMI,…
January 27, 2023
On any given day in Christchurch, New Zealand, you’ll find old car radiators, tangled electrical wires, taps, and other trinkets, slowly bubbling away inside a furnace at temperatures around 1500 degrees Celsius. Once these items are reduced to a molten form, they are converted into forty types of specialised bronze and brass alloys, which can then be transformed by on-site machining processes into precision components such as valves, engine parts, gears, and even bushes and other critical components within wind turbines. Such is a day in the life of AW Fraser. Since the 1930’s, AW Fraser has been offering an end-to-end solution for high-grade metal components. Since then, the company has become a global leader in supplying bronze and brass components to over 35 countries globally. Metal comes to AW Fraser and is sent to the scrap bay, where it is sorted, graded, and turned into a form the foundry can use, referred to as a charge. Each charge is issued per alloy of what AW Fraser is trying to make. Products are cast into horizontal castings, vertical castings,…
January 25, 2023
This huge event is being held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) from 9-12 May 2023. Run by the Australian Manufacturing Technology Institute Limited (AMTIL), AMW2023 will occupy more than 10,000 square metres of exhibition space at the MCEC, with more than 270 organisations taking stands to showcase the latest manufacturing technologies, processes, and support services. Don’t miss out! Register online now at australianmanufacturingweek.com.au There will be seven Zones on the show floor of Australian Manufacturing Week, each showcasing its own areas of expertise. These include: Austech Machine Tools, sponsored by ISCAR; Additive Manufacturing Zone; Australian Manufacturers Zone, sponsored by Sutton Tools; Manufacturing Solutions Zone, sponsored by Adobe; Robotics & Automation Zone; Weld and Air Solutions Zone, sponsored by AtlasCopco; Plastic Technology Zone. MANUFACTURING SOLUTIONS ZONE The Manufacturing Solutions Zone offers optimised solutions to the most common challenges experienced by manufacturers. From materials handling and warehousing to integrated manufacturing and safety solutions. The manufacturing industry would not be able to function effectively without a diverse array of ancillary technologies and support services. The Manufacturing Solutions incorporates everything from equipment for…
January 20, 2023
In the early years, it was only a few adopters who were willing to consider all electrics. The time it took a customer to move from a hydraulic machine to an all-electric was very long. That time has now passed and sales of all electrics continue to grow at an ever-accelerating rate. Shorter cycle times. In contrast to its hydraulic counterpart, an all-electric injection moulding machine can perform several tasks simultaneously in parallel operation. Highly dynamic Sumitomo-designed drive motors ensure fast, ultra-precise movements. Sumitomo’s switching times are in the low millisecond range due to the advanced drive technology such as frequency converters, control modules and drive motors. If there is cycle time to be saved in an injection moulding process, an all-electric injection moulding machine will find it. Time = money! Maximum performance of the direct drives improves product quality. Highly dynamic movements not only help to shorten the cycle time but…