Member News

Manufacturing is a process of evolution, it continues to progress and re-invent itself, in Australia the movement towards Advanced Manufacturing has become the norm, which is reflective of the use of innovative technology to improve products or processes. While physical assets, tools, machinery and instruments will continue to be a key to success of manufacturing enterprises, the inescapable truth for any business is that the drivers of wealth creation are to be found in its intangible assets. An analysis of the enterprise value of businesses less their tangible asset value, across a vast array of industries (except for investment and banking entities) reveals that 80% of the real value of a business is held with intangible assets such as acquired goodwill, brand names, trademarks, customer lists and the like, as opposed to tangible assets. The shift in value paradigm from tangible assets to intangible assets began in the early 20th century with the growth and dominance of stock exchanges around…

AMTIL’s new premises is located across two levels and 300 sqm in a newly-built complex in Bayswater, right in the heart of one of Melbourne’s key manufacturing heartlands. The office has been fitted out with a bright, modern design, with an emphasis on promoting staff interaction and collaboration. The office area includes height-adjustable desks and large screen monitors for all members of the team, to support productivity and staff wellbeing. AMTIL had been based at its old premises in nearby Wantirna for more than a decade, and it had served the organisation well over the years. However, it had become clear that the old offices would not be suitable for AMTIL as it moves forward with its current strategy, and that a new base would be required to accommodate future growth. An extensive search was undertaken of potential locations around Melbourne, till the site in Bayswater was identified as meeting all the necessary criteria. The purchase was completed earlier this year, after which work got underway on the time-consuming process of preparing the site,…

“It allows me to be really creative,” explains Tanti. “The more I use it, the more uses I find for the Demmeler table. For me, it’s the product that keeps on giving. As well as holding and fixing, I also use the matrix of the table to help with design. It enables me to 3D print tools and then copy them into the matrix of the table. I’ve also used it as a makeshift milling machine by clamping a magnetic welder to it.” Tanti first discovered Leussink’s Demmeler table system several years ago when he was setting up a workshop for his then-employer Lindsay Fox. When he parted ways with Fox in 2018 after 30 years, he contacted engineering company Leussink to assist with the set-up of his own workshop in the Sydney suburb of Artarmon. Brian Tanti’s Workshop, as his business is now known, was looking for a versatile fixturing table system to hold and fix parts in place, and called on Leussink to assist. Brian…

With the ever-present march of time and technology, and the veritable abundance of machinery and technology out there to choose from for businesses to stay ahead of the game, the difficult part these days is deciphering what is truly worth investing in and what is simply the same old tech with a new paint job. It’s so important for anyone in business to understand the difference between something that is just new, and something that is a genuine improvement on the way things have been, and the way things are currently being done. Something that provides that edge to ensure that your business is not falling behind, because in today’s day and age, falling behind could very well mean being left behind. New advancements in the development of hybrid machine tools, incorporating both servo and hydraulic-driven systems, have resulted in a wave of incredibly intelligent machinery…

There are some demanding applications in the food & beverage industry that require extremely dry compressed air. Generally speaking, the drier the air needs to be, the lower the pressure dew point required, and the lower the pressure dew point, the higher the level of complexity, space requirement and cost involved. However, for those applications needing to attain extremely dry compressed air to a negative pressure dewpoint of around -30 deg C, Kaeser Compressors presents an integrated and intelligent solution that is energy-efficient and space-saving. Where extremely dry and clean compressed air is required, Kaeser’s dry-running rotary screw compressors, featuring an i.HOC (integrated Heat Of Compression) dryer, may be just the solution. Here, the dryer is integrated within the dry-running compressor. In this dryer design the desiccant is contained in a…

Originally established in the 1930s, Sheetmetals Ltd (SML) was acquired in 1983 by Kerry Dines, Director and Owner of Dines Group of Companies. SML is a fabrication business focused on architectural design, facades, structural steel products, balustrades, handrails and all other building components such as cabinets and including retail and office fit-outs. SML currently employs over 21 people and works with all kinds of sheet metal such as stainless steel, mild steel, aluminium, brass, bronze across multiple industries. Claden Williams, General Manager at SML, discussed the compay’ recent purchase of a TRUMPF turret punch. “We’ll be using the TruPunch for improved customer lead times and to ensure a quality end product,” says Williams. “We originally wanted to buy a smaller punch; however, with the growth projection of the company we wanted a machine that could grow with us, and would not need to be replaced too quickly.” Williams joined the company over seven years ago, starting off in project management and then progressing to the…

Formed in March 2017 by Mitchell Upton, the company has made remarkable growth and now employs 25 people in a smart precision-quality engineering shop, offering the full suite of services of a modern front-line engineering and fabrication company. Upton Engineering places a strong emphasis on embracing new technologies and processes towards Industry 4.0 manufacturing, specialising in high-tolerance precision components to set them apart. The company is continually investing in the latest precision equipment. “My parents were in the precision engineering business for many years and had retired when I commenced the business, so their expertise and assistance has been an enormous help to me, particularly in the early stages, and this is on-going,” says Mitchell. “Having operated on Okuma machines during my apprenticeship and early career, I purchased second-hand machines when starting out on my own, but I have just added to these with the purchase of my very first new Okuma machine, a GENOS L3000-eMYx1000 CNC lathe with OSP-P300LA-e,” advised…

Brigitte 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 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 have postponed it twice due to COVID. As President, Brigitte has worked with our team to manoeuvre through these minefields and get us back in a position…

Over the years Lang Technik has been responsible for numerous workholding innovations that reduce costly changeover time, reduce operator workload and maximise productivity. The New Lang Haubex Automation System carries on that lonstanding tradition. The Haubex transforms a tool magazine into a flexible and cost-effective automation solution for small batch production that can be adapted to almost any CNC machining centre. The heart of Haubex is a workholding hood, which serves as a carrier system for the latest development of Lang Technik’s renowned Makro-Grip five-axis vice. The clamped workpiece is exchanged from the tool magazine like an ordinary tool. By automatically changing the clamping device from the tool magazine, Haubex uses the existing capacities of the milling machine and manages the whole process completely, without an in-feed unit or robot. “The new Haubex system offers all CNC mill centre owners a simple,…

A market leader in the manufacture of agriculture and earthmoving machinery, Gessner Industries was founded in 1975 and is now owned by brothers Jim and Michael O’Connor. With more than 45 years of proven service to the agriculture, construction and mining industries in Australia, the company has built up an enviable name for both quality and reliability. Today the company occupies a modern manufacturing facility and boasts a full-time specialist engineering and design department capable of customising equipment to meet the needs of its customers. After establishing a need for additional machining capacity, the Okuma machining centre was selected following a careful analysis of the specifications required for business both now and into the future. This included the importance of four-axis capability, a full review of the service level available, plus strong positive feedback from other Okuma machine users. A critical factor in the selection process was the service provided by Okuma for customers in Far North Queensland and the exceptional level of technical expertise that was available for…

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…