March 14, 2019
The launch of the Export Hub was announced at an event on 13 March at the headquarters of Volgren in Dandenong, south-east Melbourne. The event was attended by Minister for Industry, Science and Technology Karen Andrews, Dr Jens Goennemann, Managing Director of the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre (AMGC – a partner organisation in the Export Hub), and Paul Fowler, President of AMTIL. AMTIL will receive $1.5m from the Federal Government’s Small and Medium Enterprise Export Hubs Initiative to run the Export Hub. Export hubs are business networks that help SMEs harness opportunities in international markets, particularly where the Federal Government has signed free-trade agreements – including China, Japan, South Korea and Indonesia. Minister Andrews said the funding will boost the economy by helping more businesses to gain access to new and bigger markets, to increase sales, and create more Australian jobs. “The funding for this Hub is integral to helping Australian businesses grow and will ultimately…
March 7, 2019
The UNLIMIT3D conference will run alongside Austech, Australia’s premier advanced manufacturing and machine tool exhibition, to be held at the MCEC from 14-17 May. Co-located with National Manufacturing Week (NMW), Austech will also feature a special dedicated exhibition area, the Additive Manufacturing Pavilion, which will showcase the latest innovations in additive manufacturing and 3D printing. The UNLIMIT3D conference will focus on the industrialisation of additive manufacturing, featuring expert speakers who have implemented this technology in real-world production processes. Their experiences and insights, the challenges they have faced, and the benefits of applying additive manufacturing will be fully explored. Delegates will hear first-hand the trials and tribulations of innovating in this space from companies that can offer practical examples. AMTIL has assembled a diverse line-up of speakers for UNLIMIT3D. Giving the keynote opening address will be Rob Gorham, Executive Director of America Makes, the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute at the US’s National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining. Having previously served as Senior Manager of…
March 7, 2019
High surface area density, combined with optimised fluid pathways and 3D surface features, results in a high thermal exchange, low-weight, low pressure-drop heat exchanger. The performance advantages were achieved within a rapid development timeline that was underpinned by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling and Design for AM expertise. With no tooling implications to consider, multiple variants can be manufactured simultaneously. Heat transfer is a ubiquitous challenge that is at the heart of the First Law of Thermodynamics. A heat exchanger, simply speaking, is a device that effectively transfers heat between two or more fluids, typically liquid-liquid, liquid-gas, gas-gas or multiple fluids. You can find them in products like air conditioners and car engines. One practical benefit of such devices is energy recovery. There are numerous others — it is a complex technology with broad applications. Heat exchanger designs and manufacturing methods have evolved with the prevailing technologies available and, consequently, have been limited by those technologies. Conflux’s Founder and CEO, Michael Fuller,…
March 7, 2019
The high-feed milling method is based primarily on two principles: the geometry of a milling cutter; and the high-speed feed drive of a machine tool. A typical fast-feed milling tool features a small cutting edge angle, normally 9-17 degrees. This design characteristic results in three important outcomes. The first is the possibility of considerably increasing feed per tooth due to a chip thinning effect. For example, in the face milling of low-alloy steel, 0.2mm per tooth is a near-maximum value feed, but high-feed milling the same material with a 2mm per tooth feed is normal. The second is a shallow depth of cut that ensures this geometry for the tool. Milling with reduced depth of cut diminishes cutting force…
March 1, 2019
The Australian PMI has been stable or positive (readings above 50 points indicate expansion in activity, with the distance from 50 indicating the strength of the increase) since August 2016 (30 consecutive months), but its trend has suggested slowing growth rates since its recent peak in March 2018. Six of the seven activity indexes expanded in February, with only finished stocks indicating contraction (down 3.2 points to 44.5). New orders (down 0.3 points to 52.0) and deliveries from suppliers (down 2.7 points to 52.9) stayed positive but moderated, while production (up 3.9 points to 57.9) and employment (up 6.6 points to 57.7) strengthened markedly. “Australia’s manufacturing sector strengthened in February after faltering in the closing months of 2018 and clawing back some lost ground in January,” said Ai Group Chief Executive Innes Willox. “Production, sales, exports and employment all gained ground. While positive, manufacturing performance is not back at the levels we saw in the first half of 2018 and…
February 28, 2019
Primarily servicing the construction industry, 3Metals specialises in commercial buildings and domestic buildings, along with manufacturing and mining. The company offers a range of laser cutting, CNC pressing, robotic welding and fabrication services. Director Michael Fletcher explains that 3Metals places prime importance on keeping abreast of new technology, because advanced machinery enables the company to remain efficient, providing the best customer experience possible in terms of turnaround time, product and service. While price is always a big driver in customer decision making, the team at 3Metals don’t believe in being the cheapest. “We believe in giving the right service at the right price,” says Fletcher. “Our service encompasses a decent turnaround time and our products are manufactured to excellent quality. We don’t sacrifice quality for price, nor do we use cheap materials.” 3Metals prides itself on supporting Aussies, using local supplies and raw materials. As Fletcher says: “It’s important to us that we support the Aussie economy and source all materials locally, as we…
February 27, 2019
Australian flight training businesses have always faced challenges in offering adequate simulated training to cadets because of the limited facilities available and a lack of economic resources. Most flight schools can only provide outdoor practices, with minimal indoor simulation training because the cost of the average flight simulation system exceeds most budgets. SynFlyt, a Sydney-based specialist flight simulation company, was formed in 2011 to improve this situation by developing and building its own range of three-degrees-of-freedom (3DOF), full-motion aircraft simulators. SynFlyt’s products are designed to simulate light aircraft, gliders, single-engine jets, touring aircrafts and chase planes. However, finding a way to reduce production costs was no easy task, because everything on the simulators had to be customised. Costs could easily exceed $100,000 for one customised simulator. To tackle this problem, SynFlyt employed a uPrint 3D Printer to produce parts and components for its newly developed simulators. “In the initial phase of selecting a 3D printing solution, Stratasys emerged as an early leader through its outstanding level of service,” says Ross Maclennan, Managing Director and Engineering…
February 21, 2019
AMT: Tell us firstly about Wohlers Associates and what the company does. Terry Wohlers: Wohlers Associates turned 32 years of age last November. Most of the three decades-plus have been focused on additive manufacturing and 3D printing – terms that are used interchangeably. In the last couple of decades, our focus has been almost 100% on additive, as well as complementary technologies, such as design tools, 3D scanning, and post-processing – things linked in some way to additive manufacturing. The core business is consulting. We work with client companies of all types and sizes. Among them are RØDE Microphones of Sydney, America Makes, Airbus, Honeywell, and many other organisations in 26 countries. An important part of our business is the Wohlers Report, an annual review of the state of the additive manufacturing industry. We’ve been publishing it for 23 years and we’ll be starting our next edition early next year. As many as 80 people in 32 countries help with the report,…
February 21, 2019
Featuring all of the key machine tool dealers, all under the one roof, Austech 2019 will showcase a vast array of the very latest in state-of-the-art manufacturing technology. With more than 5,800 square metres of exhibition space already booked, visitors to the show will have their work cut out for them just getting round to see everything they need to in the time available. But help is at hand. For this year’s event, Austech’s organisers have partnered up with Map Your Show, specialists in event management software, to create a set of online tools that lets you plan your visit in advance. The tools are accessible right now, so you can start mapping out your movements at Austech right now. To get started, just visit the Austech page on the AMTIL website (www.amtil.com.au/austech). By clicking on the button marked ‘Exhibitor Directory’, users can explore details about all of the…
February 21, 2019
LANG Technik was founded by Josef Lang in 1982 in the German town of Neuhazen, initially operating as a sub-contractor for the mould-making industry and a manufacturer of general mechanical components. After Josef passed away, his son Guenter Lang stepped in as CEO in 1985. Taking the reins at the age of just 23, it was Guenter who would come to set Lang’s long-term direction, overseeing the company’s transition from contract manufacturing to developing its own products, beginning with the Vario-Tec pin-jaw clamping system in 1997. And Guenter remains very much at the heart of the company’s operations today. “My boss is a typical German inventor,” says Tobias Farr. “He always has some idea of how to optimise processes and manufacturing cycles, and he came up with more and more ideas.” Guenter also took a keen interest in the people side of the business. When Farr joined LANG as a driver in 2003, he was planning to join…
February 14, 2019
On 10 December, two F-35A Joint Strike Fighters (JSF) landed at RAAF Base Williamtown in New South Wales (NSW), the first deliveries in what will eventually see at least 72 F-35 aircraft based in Australia. Built by Lockheed Martin in the US, with support from subcontractors from all over the world, the JSF is the largest acquisition in the history of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), and the arrival of the first two planes represented a landmark not just for defence and aerospace in this country, but also for Australian manufacturing. “Australian industry is manufacturing parts that will be fitted to every F-35 in production globally, and more than 50 Australian companies have directly shared in $1.2bn in production contracts to date,” said Steven Ciobo, the Federal Minister for Defence Industry. “Up to 1,500 contractors have worked on the construction of the facilities to accommodate the F-35A at RAAF Base Williamtown, representing approximately $1bn of investment in the Hunter region alone.” In the same week that the two…
February 14, 2019
Manufacturing processes have evolved from craft-made single-item methods to mass production lines and output of increasingly greater numbers of identical parts: a high-volume/low product mix (HVLM) scenario. Most recently, digital technology in programming, machine tool controls and workpiece handling systems are facilitating a manufacturing environment known as Industry 4.0 that enables cost-efficient manufacture of highly diverse parts in small batches: high-mix/low-volume (HMLV) production.In the era of Industry 4.0 it is fashionable to highlight the newest production techniques and digitalisation technologies. However, maximum productivity and cost-efficiency still are based on a foundation of operational excellence. In the present economic environment, manufacturers generally consider speed to be a key indicator of operational excellence. A drawing comes into a facility and eventually a completed workpiece leaves the plant; manufacturers want the time between the two events to be as short…
February 7, 2019
Austech is Australia’s premier advanced manufacturing and machine tool exhibition, showcasing the very latest in state-of-the-art manufacturing technology. The opening of registrations marks a significant milestone in the build-up to this year’s exhibition, which is set to be the biggest in the event’s history. Preparations for Austech 2019 have been marked by unprecedented levels of early interest. Floor space for the exhibition has been booked significantly faster than it was for Austech 2017, which went on to become one of the most successful shows to date. For this year’s event more than 5,600 square metres of space have already been sold. To accommodate such strong demand, AMTIL took the decision late last year to expand its booking with the MCEC, making this year’s Austech the largest in terms of floor space to date. However, despite the addition of further bays within the exhibition hall, demand has remained very strong, with most of the exhibition area now fully booked. Notably, early floor space sales have been dominated by a comparatively small number of…
