Member News

Under the theme ‘Manufacturing’s Future in a Digital Age’, some of the speakers who will be presenting at the Conference include: Brad Howarth. Keynote: ‘Navigating to a Digital Future’ Brad is a respected authority on technology, marketing and digital media. As a journalist, Brad spent the last two decades researching and writing about technology’s impact on organisations, society and individuals. While he continues to study change as a freelance journalist, as a speaker and facilitator he works with organisations to help them understand and plan for changes yet to come. In 2012 Brad was selected to participate in the Prime Minister’s Digital Economy Forum alongside leaders from Australian industry and academia. Brad’s books ‘Innovation and Emerging Markets’ and ‘A Faster Future’ (co-authored with Janelle Ledwidge), respectively examined the impact of high-speed communications technology on business, society and individuals, and the path to commercialisation for Australian technology innovation. His latest, ‘Managing for Change’ (with Peter Fritz AM) sets out a practical guide…

Tuff Manufacturing After 40 years in engineering, Charlie Quagliata of Tuff Manufacturing established a new business in North Queensland and at the same time initiated a relationship with leading CNC machine supplier Okuma Australia for the first time. Tuff Manufacturing produces high-quality hydraulic cylinders for a range of applications including components for concrete trucks and agitators, and with a strong emphasis in the supply of components to original equipment manufacturers including steel and nylon rollers and chute cylinders. “Operating a precision manufacturing operation approximately one hour’s drive south of Townsville meant that quality, reliability and back-up service on the machine was essential and Okuma had what I wanted in a large machine,” said Charlie. “Whilst I have an experienced team of skilled engineers, the high-level training aspect was also what we were looking for and the Okuma technicians didn’t leave until we were happy and they have bent over…

Ms Penelope Heller, who was diagnosed with chondrosarcoma (a rare bone cancer) in 2014, had to have her cancer affected sternum removed. Her surgeon fashioned a replacement sternum and ribcage using off-the-shelf solutions and while the procedure effectively removed the cancer, ongoing pain and problems breathing made post-op life unpleasant. On 2 August, the 20-year-old American underwent further surgery to replace her implant with a customised sternum and partial ribcage made from 3D printed titanium and combined with Anatomics’ ‘PoreStar’ technology, a unique porous polyethylene material providing “bone-like” architecture to facilitate tissue integration. It is the first time this technology has been used in the United States and only the second time in the world that a 3D-printed composite sternum and ribcage has been implanted. 3D printing has significant advantages over traditional manufacturing methods, particularly for biomedical applications. 3D printing allows for advanced personalisation of implants so they uniquely fit their recipients, as well as rapid manufacture, which could mean the…

DMG MORI has integrated the additive laser deposition process in a fully-fledged five-axis milling machine. This intelligent hybrid solution combines the flexibility of additive component manufacturing with the precision of machining, thus enabling the additive manufacture of complete components in finished-part quality. This procedure uses a deposition process by means of a metal powder nozzle, which enables complete machining without the need of a process chamber and is up to ten times faster than generation in a powder bed. It also makes it possible to produce overhanging contours without a supporting geometry. The combination of laser deposition welding and machining on one machine opens up completely new possibilities in terms of applications and geometries. In particular large components can be produced cost-effectively with this hybrid solution. In addition the flexible changeover from laser processing to milling makes it possible to machine component segments directly that would otherwise be impossible to reach on the finished part. The market for additive processes has grown at a…

Trends in product design can also incite vibration. To enhance product strength and reduce assembly costs, manufacturers increasingly machine parts from monolithic workpieces. Producing internal features of the parts requires tools to reach into deep cavities, and the extended tool length exaggerates vibration. Attempting to minimise vibration by reducing cutting parameters decreases productivity and increases manufacturing cost. Prime among the various approaches to vibration control are passive/dynamic systems that utilise tuned-mass damper concepts to absorb vibration before it progresses and disrupts the machining process. Vibration – A common issue All sectors of industry recognise excessive vibration as a destructive condition. Repetitive operating and/or external forces generate sympathetic motion that can resonate within a machine, building, or bridge and grow to a dangerous magnitude. Manufacturers and builders often apply tuned mass damper concepts to overcome vibration. A tuned mass damper is a component that is suspended within…

Located in Melbourne’s south-east suburbs, Bystronic’s new Demo Centre marks a major expansion of the company’s presence in the country. The open-house event began with an official opening ceremony, during which the ribbon was cut to open the facility, and in accordance with company tradition, the Australian team was presented with a large Swiss cowbell to mark the occasion. “Over the years Bystronic’s presence in Australasia has been with another channel,” said Robert Bécsy, Managing Director of Bystronic Australia. “But this year we have finally taken the step of going forward on our own, deepening our footprint and strengthening our presence to serve our customers better.” Visitors to the event enjoyed an opportunity to take a guided tour of the Demo Centre. The large showroom area featured displays of the latest technology from Bystronic, including the ByStar Fiber laser cutting system, as well as the Xact Smart and the Xpert 40 machines from its bending range. There were also a series of symposia throughout the event in the Centre’s…

William Buck is a leading firm of chartered accountants and advisors with offices across Australia and New Zealand. Established in 1895, it has more than 70 directors and 500 professional staff, and is wholly owned and operated in Australia and New Zealand. As a longstanding service partner to AMTIL, William Buck offers AMTIL members the opportunity to benefit from a broad range of accounting and business services including specialist tax advice, audit, wealth creation and superannuation. The AMTIL National Conference will explore the theme ‘Manufacturing’s Future in a Digital Age’. The one-day event will focus on the latest trends in digitalisation and the ways in which emerging technologies will impact our industry in both the short and the longer term. The Conference will present a unique opportunity to learn about the trends and developments that will shape and define Australian manufacturing in the coming years, as well as to network and celebrate our industry. Anyone with an interest in manufacturing and its future is invited to attend…

Mrs Pilz visited Australia in late August and affirmed that Pilz’s Australian business has the potential to be a local powerhouse of engineering. Pilz Australia is headquartered in Melbourne, with offices in Sydney, Brisbane and Auckland, providing sales and logistics, along with turnkey engineering projects to the local market. Pilz Australia forms part of the Asia Pacific region for Pilz, where it has high expectations for growth, in line with business doubling in five years to nearly $100m, accounting for 20% of company revenue. Australia was part of the company’s first foray outside Europe in 1998, when it launched subsidiaries in Australia, Brazil and Japan – with Australia seen as a forerunner into the Asia Pacific market. Australia has a safety culture that matches Europe’s – in particular Germany – which leads the world in safety products and services. Pilz came to world-wide acclaim as the pioneer of the Emergency Stop – that red button you see on machinery…

Twelve months down the track, AMT Magazine spoke to Paul Minty, Manufacturing Integration Manager at Integra Systems, about the company’s motivations for acquiring the new machine – a Salvagnini L5 fibre laser cutter installed by Machinery Forum – and how it has impacted operations.   AMT: What was the motivation for purchasing a fibre laser cutter? Paul Minty: Our business was getting more and more focused on industrial designed products so we had a greater need to create interesting shapes with our metal cutting that went beyond our standard library of turret punches. This meant we were sending out more and more projects to surrounding laser cutters. While they were doing a good job, no one was using a fibre laser, so they weren’t quick enough for our prototyping cycle, which we could do within an hour if we were cutting out of the metal with our punching technology. We had really become addicted to that speed and agility.…

A successful local defence industry depends upon strong partnerships between businesses large and small. As the proposed prime system integrator for Army’s future Short Range Ground Based Air Defence capability under LAND 19 Ph 7B, Raytheon is dedicated to the identification of opportunities for Australian industry to participate in the project and enhance local industry capabilities. As part of this process, Raytheon has implemented an Australian Industry Capability (AIC) development plan to identify Australian suppliers who are able to support activities in areas such as component manufacture, assembly and test, systems integration and in-country sustainment for LAND 19 Ph 7B. To facilitate its engagement with Australian industry partners, Raytheon has implemented a supplier portal, as a secure online tool to allow Australian industry to register its interest and provide Raytheon with information about their capabilities. Registering an expression of interest via the supplier portal is the first step to identifying opportunities for industry participation in the LAND 19 Ph 7B project. Following the registration period…

The Conference will focus on the latest trends in digitalisation and the ways in which emerging technologies will impact our industry in both the short and the longer term. The Conference will present a unique opportunity to learn about the trends and developments that will shape and define Australian manufacturing in the coming years, as well as to network and celebrate our industry. Anyone with an interest in manufacturing and its future is invited to attend the Conference, which will be held at Leonda by the Yarra, in Hawthorn, Victoria. “Things like Industry 4.0, the Internet of Things, robotics & automation and big data are all over the headlines at the moment, yet there’s still also a lot of uncertainty about what all these developments are going to mean for manufacturers in practical terms,” says AMTIL’s CEO Shane Infanti. “The Conference follows on from the Digitalisation Pavilion that we ran…

This privately owned business, based on the Gold Coast has its heritage in the glamorous world of designing and manufacturing efficient underwater lighting for luxury motor yachts and cruisers. Whilst a desirable product, underwater lighting became very much a luxury rather than a necessity for owners of motor yachts in 2007-08 as the global financial crisis (GFC) hit, and the market contracted globally at a remarkable pace. Dusting themselves off very quickly, Aqualuma’s owners recognised an opportunity in the less volatile market of commercial lighting to build on their expertise and relationships with LED chip and optics manufacturers. Commercial highbay lighting products in the market at that time were of questionable quality - inefficient and environmentally unfriendly. The Aqualuma team spent a considerable time in the R&D lab, designing and testing to develop a world-leading LED highbay light. The result was a new LED high-bay luminaire that achieved high levels of energy efficiency while also proving environmentally friendly in that they were both recyclable and upgradable as technology improved. A warranty of seven years helped to…

The production of critical structural parts from titanium ensures their required performance and reliability while significantly reducing components’ mass. Although relevant to all users of titanium, the enhanced strength and reductions in weight that the material delivers are of particular importance to the aerospace industry, as these advantages improve the aircraft’s performance and increase fuel economy. The negative trade-offs produced by the use of titanium are the many problems uncounted for when machining this difficult-to-cut material. When used in metalworking industries, the word “titanium” normally relates not only to pure titanium but also to titanium alloys. In accordance with metallurgical properties, which depend on the present elements, there are several groups of titanium: commercially pure titanium (unalloyed), α-, β-, α-β- and other alloys. It is sometimes stated that titanium machinability is similar to that of austenitic stainless steel. This proposition is more or less true if it relates to commercially pure titanium, though it is totally wrong with respect to treated α-β- and…