Member News

SS Engineering Services Pty Ltd first opened its doors in 2009. It is located in Kensington, Bundaberg and has steadily developed over the years. The treasured family business has just commissioned its third Okuma machine a GENOS M660 Vertical Machining centre with OSP300MA Control. Okuma was the machine of choice with reliability and accuracy the principle factors. Owner, Scott Svensson had worked on Okuma machines during his apprenticeship and knew how reliable and accurate they were and this has become more important given the clients the company has established over the past thirteen years. Providing clients with engineering services including CNC Turning and CNC Milling, fabrication, product development, prototype design and reverse engineering plus general engineering services, the company today services a diverse range of clients. These include mining, agriculture, aviation, horticulture, earthmoving, automotive, medical, also the renewable energy sector plus general engineering. Svensson and his team also take full advantage of the 12 months’ unlimited training offered by Okuma and the Queensland Okuma team provide fast and reliable service from their Brisbane base. “My engineers know the Okuma machines well…

Centor Global Services is a Brisbane-based private company with a global reach. They manufacture high-end doors, screening systems and door hardware for the housing market world-wide. They manufacture their products at factories around the world, but when it comes to the technical components, they create them quickly on the Markforged 3D printers at a press of a button. Set among industrial roads, railways and overpasses, Centor’s office is an oasis in a lot of respects. Maybe it was quieter 70years ago when the Centor office opened, but there is a respectable calm about the place when AMT visited just after the Sydney AMW show in June. Dave Chappell, Group Manager, Product and Engineering for Centor Global Services showed us through the facilities. Centor's in-house Product Design Centre is responsible for the design and testing of products available around the world. Centor was the first to come up with designs to make folding doors weather-proof and strong enough for external openings. “That was the mid-90s,” explains Chappell. “Ten years ago we set up distribution in…

First came the use of energy sources—water then steam—to power manufacturing processes, which required a consolidation around these energy sources. Then came the great efficiency gains from the streamlining of manufacturing processes—the assembly line—followed by automation and control, thanks to the development and deployment of digital technologies. The latest revolution, industry 4.0, takes that one step further by turning the flow of digital information into a two-way street: data is used to control the manufacturing process, and is collected and analysed to improve efficiency and detect problems.   The challenge to anticipate malfunctions There is one common denominator to all four phases. The operators of manufacturing systems and processes strive to anticipate and if possible, prevent any malfunction of production machinery that will compromise product quality or interrupt production. It’s not good to discover a machine has been producing malformed widgets after it has created a few hundred. In industry 1.0 and 2.0, the ability to do this was limited and…

Directed Energy Deposition (DED) is making a difference to the life and usability of parts. DED focuses thermal energy to fuse materials by melting them as they are being deposited. Materials such as Stainless steels, Titanium alloys, Nickel alloys and Stellites can all be applied using this process. But the real advantages of DED processes is in the variety of industrial applications including extending the life of parts by providing wear-resistant coatings, repairing broken or damaged parts, multi-material applications, creating additional structures on pre-existing parts, and building new parts from precise complex geometry. The system that fulfills this task is BeAM Machines, first developed in France with recent operations commencing in Cincinatti USA with AddUp which offers a complimentary technology of Laser Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF) systems. BeAM provide two models, the Modulo 400 and Magic 800. These 5 axis machines have been designed and manufactured for industrial purposes and are sympathetic to customer requests. They are modular, upgradable and offer high performance.  Modulo 400 for example, has a 640 x 400 x 400 mm build volume, a process module with 5-axis kinematics,…

The scientific community has clearly stated the need to reach net-zero global CO2 emissions by mid-century to limit global warming to 1.5°C and to reduce the destructive impacts of climate change on human society and nature. As a major aluminium supplier, Capral’s buying strategies and corporate activities will demonstrate the goal for Capral to work towards sustainability best practice underpinned by a commitment to the United Nations SDGs. Capral recognises that in the world in which we all live, the company must act wisely to protect the environment and the broader society while working in the interests of stakeholders and customers. “We have an absolute commitment to our staff, customers, stakeholders and the communities within which our facilities operate to ensure we are eliminating sources of emissions within the value chain of our business,” says Michael O’Keefe, General Manager – Marketing & Technology, who oversees Capral’s National Sustainability Committee and roadmap. Organisations around the world are recognising that this is…

Woolworths Group is committed to removing plastic from packaging wherever it can, already removing more than 5,800-tonnes of virgin (newly made) single-use plastic and packaging from its own brand range in FY22. Where there is currently no viable alternative to plastic for food safety or quality, Woolworths Group is working to use recycled plastic to reduce the environmental impact. The partnership being developed between Woolworths Group and Pact is expected to represent a multimillion-dollar investment in local recycling and manufacturing capacity. Projections that the partnership could see 18,000-tonnes of newly made plastic replaced with locally-produced recycled plastic each year would relate to an estimated decrease in carbon emissions of almost 25,000-tonnes (equivalent to planting more than 37,000 trees) and a saving of almost 500 Olympic swimming pools-worth of water annually. The intent of the proposed partnership is to establish Pact as Woolworths Group’s key strategic partner by volume in its efforts to deliver more sustainable packaging across its own brand range and…

Crushers, conveyors, belt sweepers, and vibratory equipment are areas where air springs are used in challenging applications where reliability and resistance to grime are critical. The same highly robust air springs go into the suspensions of big trucks working on the same mining, quarrying, materials handling, ports, and energy sites. A company that has spent more than 40 years building up its national network to supply air springs used to process and transport goods is now helping the industry avoid the need to expensively import urgently needed components as they wear out and need replacement. Air Springs Supply P/L supplies global quality brands of air spring actuators, isolators, and air suspension components including Firestone Airride™ airbags used as OEM equipment by major truck manufacturers, as well as original and crossover replacement actuators and isolators for conveying and processing equipment. The company - which is Australia’s leading supplier of air springs for heavy transport and industrial use – has worked hand-in-hand with the industry over the past two years to help ensure supply in…

Celebrating its 20th year, the Victorian Manufacturing Hall of Fame Awards was staged spectacularly at the Crown Palladium down by the Yarra to showcase the achievements of manufacturers across Victoria. The awards recognised the excellence of individuals and companies that have embraced new technologies, are export-focused, and drive business innovation. AMTIL would especially like to congratulate the Members who won major awards on the night. Paul Hughes from Integra Systems accepted their Induction into the Hall of Fame (above); Pat McCluskey and Patrick Boland from ANCA, entered the Honor Roll for their Services to Industry. And then Barry Finnin from Amaero Additive Manufacturing won the Award for Small Manufacturing Business of the Year. The Hon Ben Carroll MP, The Victorian Minister for Industry, Support and Recovery in introducing the awards with ABC’s Virginia Trioli as a very engaging MC, said that “this year’s winners and finalists showcase the strength of our manufacturing industry and are paving the way for a bright future ahead.” “These advancements are cementing Victoria’s status as the epicentre of Australian advanced manufacturing and a destination of choice for leading companies,” he…

The University of Adelaide’s industry partner PhosEnergy has received a grant under the Federal Government’s Cooperative Research Centres Projects (CRC-P) Grants scheme to work with the University on the development of next-generation nuclear batteries. The University's Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), Professor Anton Middelberg said: “This latest funding will help University of Adelaide experts to work with our industry partner PhosEnergy on research that will directly improve the capability of the defence and space sectors. “This funding will help our defence forces have access to cutting-edge technology that will help to ensure the safety of our nation and that of our trusted allies. “A long-life, reliable, maintenance and fuel-free power system for low-Earth orbit, lunar and deep-space applications is critical for enabling the next phases of space exploration.” “The burgeoning space industry and increasingly sophisticated remote defence sites where power-hungry technology is located are creating enormous demand for long-life, fuel-free power sources,” said Bryn Jones the Managing Director of PhosEnergy. A grant of $2,427,689 will be used to further develop PhosEnergy’s long-life, reliable, maintenance and fuel-free nuclear battery technology for space and defence industries…

Lockdown has been tough for everyone, but the people at Integra Systems recognise they have been luckier than many due to the continuity of their work. For those in the local community who haven’t been so lucky and may have lost their income and/or sense of purpose, Integra found a way to help them through these difficult times: an at-home program for assembling toolholder kits. The program idea came from their Director of Innovation, Russell Hughes, who adapted it from a traditional German cottage industry model used by the cuckoo clock trade. In the Black Forest region of Germany, the villagers would get snowed in during the winter, so, to combat this issue, families focused on specific parts of cuckoo clock production, such as woodcarving, so they could generate an income during their isolation across the colder months. The Integra at-home program works in a similar way to these cuckoo clock creators in Germany. “We create kits at our facility in Melbourne’s North and then send these kits out to members of the community,” explains Hughes. “These are families, students without work, single people,…

Austal Limited has announced the Department of Defence will order an additional two Evolved Cape-class Patrol Boats (ECCPB’s) for the Royal Australian Navy, for $124m. The two new vessels are in addition to the six Evolved Cape-class Patrol Boats that are currently being delivered by Austal Australia for the Royal Australian Navy. Austal Limited Chief Executive Officer Paddy Gregg said, “We are incredibly proud to be supporting the Royal Australian Navy by providing and enhancing fleet capability; working in collaboration with the Department of Defence and Industry partners. “This announcement for additional Evolved Cape-class Patrol Boats further strengthens and supports Australian sovereign shipbuilding capability and provides Austal, and our outstanding supply chain partners, with a level of continuity that will provide stability and security for the National Naval Shipbuilding Enterprise. Austal will also continue to invest and develop our facilities in Henderson to ensure we have the capability and capacity for the future programme of work,” Gregg said. Austal delivered the first of the Evolved Cape-class Patrol Boats, the ADV Cape Otway last month. Eight Evolved Cape Patrol Boats…

Cue specialist parts manufacturer, Geographe, invited to assist with the rescue of the stranded live export ship at sea, characteristically rising to the custom manufacturing challenge to help save the day. The engineering team worked around the clock to complete the urgent work and the job was completed within five days without the need for costly unloading and reloading of the ship. This professionalism, prompt response, quality of the finished product, and exceptional service are well recognised and widely regarded by Geographe’s diverse client base including in Mining, Oil & Gas, Naval, and Transport. During the 50 years since Geographe began manufacturing replacements and repairing parts in a modest backyard workshop in Busselton, WA, the company has grown to the large-scale operation it is today with multiple offices, workshops, and distribution partners across Australia. The highly skilled Geographe engineering team always strives to innovate, designing, manufacturing, and repairing parts for heavy machinery and plant equipment,…

Markforged, the creator of the integrated metal and carbon-fibre additive manufacturing platform, The Digital Forge, has announced a definitive agreement with Höganäs AB to acquire Digital Metal, the creator of a leading binder jetting solution extending Markforged’s capabilities into high-throughput production of metal additive parts. The addition of Digital Metal furthers Markforged’s strategy to solve manufacturing challenges for industrial customers at the point of need. With this new offering, manufacturers have the opportunity to produce high volumes of functional metal parts with minimal setup required. Traditional production often requires months to move from design to manufacturing, introduces third-party supplier risk, and provides poor unit economics during ramp-up and in lower volumes. Markforged sees powder binder jetting as a highly scalable additive manufacturing technology for production-grade parts using a variety of metal materials. Digital Metal’s solution is designed to provide high-precision, best-in-class part quality, and reliability. Powder binder jetting complements the existing Digital Forge offering and will expand Markforged’s addressable market by solving new customer problems. “With the Digital Metal acquisition, Markforged is advancing our vision for distributed manufacturing by enabling the reliable,…