July 4, 2019
As well as providing an array of personal protective gear and onsite materials, Bunzl also offers a selection of technical services that extends the business’s safety offering to deliver a complete, whole-of-site safety solution. It offers a range of options for businesses to confirm the safety of their sites, including equipment testing and servicing, site safety assessments and hands-on education courses to ensure that all staff are proficient in on-site safety. Bunzl Safety was acquired from Jeminex and had three separate companies which provided workwear, safety equipment, lifting and rigging products. All these three businesses were independent users of Pronto Xi business management solutions – leaving Bunzl Safety with the arduous task of running three distinct systems. This, combined with differing business rules and processes across the three divisions, created inefficiency,…
July 1, 2019
The mild contraction in the Australian PMI in June (down 3.3 points to 49.4) brings to an end 33 consecutive months of stable or positive results (50 points or higher, with the distance from 50 indicating the strength of the decrease) since August 2016. Of the seven activity indexes in the Australian PMI, only production (up 0.7 points to 51.9) and exports (up 2.8 points to 53.1) remained in expansion in June. The employment (down 5.5 points to 50.1), new orders (down 2.5 points to 49.8) and sales (down 0.8 points to 50.8) indices were broadly stable, while supplier deliveries (down 6.5 points to 47.1) and finished stocks (down 6.8 points to 44.0) contracted – possibly due to end-of-financial-year stock clearances. “Australia’s manufacturers reported the weakest conditions in almost three years in June,” said Ai Group Chief Executive Innes Willox. “While the pace of growth has eased over the past year, the combination of the housing construction downturn, a slowing in…
June 27, 2019
Opportunity is dead. After being expected to survive for around 90 days, the Opportunity rover transmitted its last signal an incredible 14 years after it touched down on the Martian surface (a few weeks after its partner and identical twin, Spirit). Last contact with the iconic, 180kg vehicle was on 10 June 2018, before a global-level dust storm cut off its energy source (solar power) and telecommunications. On 13 February, John Callas, Manager of the Mars Exploration Rover (MER) project at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) said in a press release that after over 1000 attempts to re-establish contact, it wasn’t feasible to continue. Opportunity now rests in state, having given us more scientific insight and inspirational images than we could hope for – not to mention the record for driving the farthest distance in a single day on another planet. Now, the quest for signs of life in the Solar System continues, and because Mars is only in our backyard in astronomical terms, we…
June 27, 2019
Founded in 2015, Orbex develops small satellite launch vehicles. The spaceflight company introduced Prime, its revolutionary, environmentally-friendly rocket at the grand opening of its new headquarters in Forres, Scotland. The novel Orbex launcher not only uses 100% renewable fuel to cut carbon emissions by 90%, and a novel zero-shock staging and payload separation resulting in zero orbital debris, but was also design-optimised for selective laser melting (SLM), helping to create a structure 30% lighter and 20% more efficient than any other launch vehicle in its category. Orbex aerospace engineers partnered closely with the applications engineering team at SLM Solutions’s headquarters in Lübeck, Germany, to ensure success transferring the design into SLM production – a feat that required the partnership of the equipment provider due to the complexity and size of the component. Applications specialist Lukas Pankiewicz headed the consulting team inside SLM Solutions to develop a unique set of parameters optimised for this particular geometry. Working closely with the design team at Orbex, Pankiewicz consulted on the various design features and…
June 27, 2019
Applications are now open until 14 July. BBM Innovation Scholars receive an $8,000 grant to go overseas for international industry experience in global innovation hotspots. “The 2019 focus is on sustainability and innovation,” says Melanie Stray, CEO of BBM Youth Support. “And we can’t wait to see the ideas and vision that our young industry talent will put forward.” This year, a total of 33 scholarships are on offer, and they are available for the most inspiring ideas from young people in vocational roles, including metal manufacturing, especially additive technology. Applicants must be between 17 and 23 years of age and at least in their last year of their Certificate III or higher in their chosen field. BBM’s Global Industry Scholarships exist to develop Australia’s talent base in agriculture, trades and performing arts through global experience, networking and opportunities. Past BBM Horticultural Scholars have visited industry trailblazers in Europe, the UK and Asia. They drew inspiration from new processes, materials and technology and have gone…
June 20, 2019
Based in Wingfield, in Adelaide’s northern suburbs, Castech installed 368 solar panels rated at 270 watts on its factory roof-top last June and it has been progressively reducing its power bill by around $3,000 a month ever since. This could save the business up to $36,000 annually in energy costs. The panels are also providing a renewable energy feed of 14,000kWh to Castech’s foundry and Castech 3D, its additive manufacturing spin-off business. Recent increases in SA’s electricity pricing has had a large impact upon the state’s commercial businesses and Castech was faced with a 64% increase in supply charges, prior to installing the solar panels. To counteract these rising power costs, Castech’s Quality Manager Brad Walsh says that the panels were installed to cut the massive power bills that the foundry generates and to provide the plant with emission-free energy. “The panels will never provide the amount of power that we need to run the foundry’s induction furnaces from 7.30am to…
June 20, 2019
The digitalisation of manufacturing, a clear trend today, is one of the distinct technological breakthroughs stimulated by the “Fourth Industrial Revolution” and the implementation of Industry 4.0 standards. The wind of change has already transformed even a relatively conservative industrial sector: metalworking. As machining remains an essential method in metalworking technology, cutting tool manufacturing, which provides tools for this method, has faced the necessity to meet new requirements. Consequently, the information that specifies the tools should be unified and digitised in the same manner. Information interoperability is the key to ensuring a relevant data exchange between different components of tomorrow’s smart manufacturing processes. The ISO 13399 standard specifies data representation for cutting tools and tool holders, in a manner that will ensure platform independence universally. The main target is to create a computer representation of the tools and the holders that is unified and understandable for various elements of metalworking technology,…
June 20, 2019
Our latest campaign had a similar contact threshold as last year, but also saw an unprecedented influx of paid members over the period of the census. At the start of the census AMTIL had a membership of 221, which rose to 282 by the end – a 27.6% increase. Of those 282 members, the total membership comprised 140 manufacturing technology suppliers (MTSs), 120 manufacturing technology users (MTUs), and 22 Industry Supporters (ISs). The rise in membership appeared to have an impact on the number of call backs. A total of 531 calls were made, but only 34.4% of these resulted in contact being made, significantly down on the 46% of last census. By the end of the census, 183 members had been successfully contacted – a disappointing figure at 65% of the membership. Nonetheless, the number of contacts was similar enough to the last census for comparisons to be made. The total turnover of the…
June 13, 2019
Most durable and engineering grade plastics can be printed reliably at moderate sizes, but when scaled, many of these materials become much harder to print without advanced printing systems or technologies. Compromises must be made between print time and resolution, and consideration should be given to the desired printing material. It can be easy Full-size 3D printing with some materials can be fairly straightforward. Polylactide (PLA) can be printed reliably at room temperature and has therefore maintained its reputation as the most popular 3D printing filament. When printing large parts, draughts can certainly cause shrinkage or warping, so a printer with enclosed sides is ideal and a heated bed or printing surface is recommended to maximise bed adhesion. The main consideration when printing PLA at larger scales is minimising print time with larger layer heights/nozzles and ensuring…
June 13, 2019
Headquartered in Bayswater, Victoria, ANCA was struggling to recruit young engineers and trades people to join its team. As a privately-owned global exporter of advanced manufacturing technology, with more than 1,000 people around the world, a turnover of $250m and a dominant position in its sector, searching for skilled people was becoming a major business issue. In response ANCA decided to develop its own talent. In January 2011 the company established an apprenticeship program that has been successfully training highly skilled technicians ever since. Set up by ANCA co-founder Pat McCluskey, the program has been designed to offer participants a range of technical training paths in CNC machining, machine building, machine commissioning, fault finding and analytical skills, and customer service. ANCA currently has 15 apprentices and recently celebrated the graduation of four of these from the program. Commissioning Technician Daniel Shepley graduated from the ANCA Apprentice 2019 program in March and took out the Apprentice of the Year award by the company at the celebration evening. Of participating in the program, Daniel…
June 13, 2019
LAD is an additive material technology which rebuilds damaged metal surfaces. A high-power laser beam creates a melt pool in the surface. Metal particles are injected into the melt pool, and fuse with the surface as it cools and solidifies. Overlapping passes build a 3D deposition structure, which can then be machined to the required shape. LAD is applicable to the repair of high-strength metal components and structures. As part of the LAD technology validation in a real component repair situation, RUAG successfully repaired the high-strength steel arrester hook from an RAAF F/A-18 Hornet. The hook had been previously identified as worn ‘beyond safe limits’, due to operational activities. LAD technology restored the hook and ensured it met operational and design requirements. At the same time, the full repair significantly improved the component’s return-to-service time, compared with the typical replacement options.…
June 6, 2019
In the wash-up of our Austech exhibition there are many people to thank. First and foremost - the 165 exhibitors who put on a fantastic showcase and the 12,991 attendees - from 29 different countries - who came to visit Austech and National Manufacturing Week. In addition to the visitors we also had 3,030 exhibitor personnel and over 200 students attend the show. I would also like to thank our contractors who largely go unnoticed in the overall scheme of putting on such a large event but are an integral part of making it happen. So at the risk of embarrassing some companies and individuals, I write this article to thank them and give our readers some insight into the mechanics of running our show. Thank you to Michael Begg and his team at Harry the Hirer. The four-to-six months…
June 6, 2019
Measuring over 1.8m in diameter, the UAV was manufactured at Titomic’s R&D bureau in Melbourne, where it operates the world’s largest, fastest metal 3D printer. Measuring 9m x 3m x 1.5m, the TKF 9000 incorporates Titomic’s patented 3D printing technology, Titomic Kinetic Fusion (TKF). Given its superior strength-to-weight ratio, titanium provides the UAV with a strong, lightweight, ruggedised design and ballistics protection, which will provide durability for reliable in-field use by military and law enforcement and is well-suited for deployment in live combat situations. As titanium’s use is often prohibitively expensive and difficult to fabricate using traditional methods, the prototype demonstrates Titomic’s ability to utilise high-performance materials such as titanium, in applications that previously did not overcome a manufacture cost-benefit analysis, forcing manufacturers to use lower-performance materials in design, such as heavier metals or fragile plastics. The technology is widely applicable to the defence industry and can also create parts such as armaments, traditionally created through metal casting, resulting in reduced production time and increased output. Titomic Managing Director Jeff Lang stated: “We’re excited to be working with the global…
