Product News

Australian clean energy company MGA Thermal has reached a milestone with customer interest for 20GWh of energy storage, the equivalent of powering 1.3m homes, from customers for its breakthrough technology. The company also unveiled the first stage of its new commercial manufacturing facility in Newcastle, Australia to meet that demand amid the growing and urgent need for new energy storage to replace aging or increasingly expensive thermal and other conventional power stations. As national grids make the transition to renewable energy, BloombergNEF predicts an average of 245GWh of new long-term energy storage — including batteries, hydrogen and other storage technologies — is required every year globally to meet 2030 net-zero targets. MGA Thermal’s unique blocks, which store renewable power as thermal energy for later use, will contribute to that growing need, with the current customer pipeline of 20GWh enough to meet 8% of annual estimates. MGA Thermal is gearing up for commercial scale, with the first stage of its manufacturing facility and research & development lab in Newcastle, Australia. The new equipment…

Veolia Water Technologies, a subsidiary of the Veolia group and leading specialist in water treatment, announces the Asia Pacific launch of the Barrel, an integrated plug-and-play reverse osmosis (RO) technology. With increasing demand and rising concerns over scarcity of fresh water in the Asia-Pacific region, the Barrel meets the challenges and expectations of the desalination market while producing fresh water complying with all water quality standards. It is also suitable for wastewater reuse and low-pressure RO applications. The Barrel was selected as a key technology for the first experiment in Europe in wastewater treatment for the supply of drinking water through the Jourdain programme, in France’s Vendee region. The technology has also been in use at the Oman Sur desalination plant since 2019. The Barrel is a multi RO element vessel that is designed to be a plug-and-play system. The carbon steel pressure vessel is manufactured and tested off-site, and is delivered as a single unit, so installation on-site can be fast-tracked and project schedules shortened. In addition, the modular design of the Barrel makes it highly scalable,…

Kaeser Compressors has been on hand for over two decades now, ensuring their team of highly trained refinishing, repair and painting experts have access to a reliable and efficient supply of quality compressed air on demand. When it comes to repairing prestige vehicles, Charlie Battisti & Co. has over 30 years of experience under its belt. Melbourne’s finest smash repairers, Charlie Battisti is one of only a handful of body shops Australia-wide, that is a Porsche Certified Collision Centre, an Accredited BMW Body Shop and Mercedes Benz dealer recommended. Accident repairs, detailing and windscreen replacement are just a few of the services Charlie Battisti offers to its customers. However, regardless of the job at hand the focus is always the same - to ensure that the customer is 100% satisfied with all repairs undertaken and to maintain the vehicle's original build quality, strength and integrity. To meet these goals Charlie Battisti invested some years ago in a state-of-the-art and purpose-built vehicle…

The evolution of this proudly Australian machine building powerhouse was further accelerated by the acquisition of two companies in just two years. “We’re growing our end-to-end production line offering,” explains Mark Emmett, owner and CEO of HMPS Group and Propac Industrial. The acquisition of two reputable companies - Vertical Form Fill Seal machine producers, Propac Industrial and manufacturer of stretch wrapping machines, equipment and systems, Integrated Machinery, have helped expand HMPS’ offering. The evolution of the company is underpinned by its passion for problem solving and adapting to meet customers’ ever-changing needs. “As our customers grow so do their requirements. We are here to meet these requirements - all along the packaging line,” says Emmett. To further entrench its service capabilities, HMPS has also expanded its footprint through these acquisitions, as Emmett explains: “In addition to our Adelaide head office, we now also have manufacturing and service capabilities in Melbourne and Sydney with a technical office in Brisbane.” Growth in a Time of Uncertainty HMPS saw the COVID-19 pandemic as a time for opportunity, and their bold…

Okuma Australia has been expanding its service and technical support for its current and ever-growing list of Queensland customers in line with the Okuma business Monozukuri philosophy – ‘the art of making things better’. With modern new Queensland premises in Hamilton and a growing team of four engineers and technical support personnel, each with a passion for Australian manufacturing, Okuma Australia is well placed and committed to advance its strong market position in Queensland. Northern Regional Manager for NSW & Queensland, Sydney based Steve Norbis, has more than 30 years in the industry. Steve leads a team of eleven in New South Wales and Queensland and his passion for the industry filters down through the entire team. “We currently have a broad range of advanced technology machine orders in hand and a growing level of enquiries in the pipeline,” said Steve Norbis. “The new team appointments and expanding branch structure will ensure that Okuma’s solid presence in the Queensland market is maintained and supported thus enabling our Queensland team to maintain the level of service our customers currently enjoy and have…

VALO, which is targeting domestic and international markets in premium stadium lighting, will use Kent Town to ramp up production, bringing its manufacturing back onshore and centralising operations in its new, carbon-neutral facility. Founder and CEO Aaron Hickmann said VALO had grown its local staff from four to 15 over the past 12 months and was rapidly growing. The company has invested heavily in research and development, plant and equipment – including surface mount technology and an assembly line, VALO is ready to manufacture its most advanced lighting systems in Adelaide. “Having production move back onshore will allow us to increase employment in South Australia and provide economic benefits for the state in an emerging advanced manufacturing industry,” Hickmann said. “VALO is future focused and we’re constantly researching and developing smart lighting products which will improve sustainability, reduce carbon footprints and provide significant benefits to wide-ranging communities,” he added. “We’re accelerating the use of disruptive technologies, not just in premium sport stadium lighting, but also in street lighting, and producing cutting-edge,…

In the midst of a pandemic in 2020, the pursuit of continuous improvement and growth didn’t stop for the Aerostructures team at RUAG Australia, with decisive action taken to upgrade manufacturing machinery at its hydraulic centre of excellence in Bayswater, Victoria. RUAG Australia are dedicated to maintaining the quality of all equipment and machinery to continue providing high quality service to customers. The fully integrated automated shot-peen system is one of the largest of its kind used in Australia for Defence and Aerospace applications. The system uses blast media whereby small steel beads impact the target surface to create a compressive stress layer on the surface, leading to improved durability and structural integrity, so the substrate is better able to withstand failure. The typical components to be manufactured using the shot peen machine include air frame components, hydraulic landing gear actuators, undercarriage components and structural components for military aircraft. The RUAG Australia engineering team approached international experts in surface finishing and blasting technology, Rösler International (Rösler) to upgrade their shot peen machine. Rösler worked closely with…

Plasma beamlines, profile cutting machines, robotic welding systems, Eagle Lasers: at Kraftech they do it all. Their automation technology experts have the experience and expertise to tackle even the most challenging automation applications. They can tailor their equipment specifically to customer’s requests yet keeping it standardised for versatility. Kraftech want to create the most effective solutions so that their customers can maximise their productivity. Kraftech offers full support and training for all systems to make sure that customers are not only up and running fast but utilising the equipment to its potential. All Kraftech’s equipment is backed by in-house servicing and supply of cutting consumables and spare parts. The X-calibre robotic plasma coping robot provides you with a single machine that can process all your structural steel profiles. It can process up to 1200 I-beams, 200×200 angle, 380PFC, 400 SHS, with a piercing capacity up to 60mm. The robot cutting path is generated by a specialised offline programming and nesting software that accepts 3D models in DSTV-NC or Step formats to minimise…

Compared to traditional thermal welding processes, laser-based techniques require less heat input due to the beams’ high energy. All welding methods involve melt-pool formation and subsequent rapid solidification, which can alter the properties of the welded metal. The high energy of laser welding, however, not only melts the material but also evaporates it, creating a vapour capillary in the material called a ‘keyhole’. This gives laser welding the advantage of a very high aspect ratio, defined as a high ratio of penetration depth to weld seam width. Compared to thermal welding methods, which generally provide wider and shallower weld seams, laser welding’s high aspect ratio translates into potentially lower part distortion. To meet the demands of modern manufacturing CIVAN has developed a High Power Single Mode Laser with dynamic beam. This innovative product enables different beam shapes, beam steering, and fast movement of the focal point, all electro-optically controlled with no mechanical movement. For example, CIVAN’s unique beam shaping allows uniform penetration in aluminium welding with…

The message is clear: to be successful in a turbulent market, manufacturers must digitalise. However, collecting data alone isn’t enough. To gain true value from digitalisation, manufacturers must analyse the data collected. They can do this by calculating KPIs, which are measurable metrics that help businesses focus on what’s important. KPIs can track and analyse equipment performance to identify inefficiencies and improve future process runs.   Overall equipment effectiveness Arguably the most fundamental KPI to calculate, and therefore the best place to begin, is overall equipment effectiveness (OEE), which measures an asset’s level of productivity. Some KPIs can be a single measurement, but OEE is actually a combination of multiple measurements. It’s essentially three KPIs in one: availability (A), performance (P) and quality (Q). A × P × Q =…

Operations include the removal of surface layers of oxides, rolled contaminants and cracks caused by hot forging or rolling. This is mostly done in carbon steel, alloy steel for heat treating, tool steel, stainless steel and heat-resistant alloys. The advantages of peeling in comparison with turning are higher productivity, less consumption of inserts, excellent roughness quality and high dimensional accuracy. Bar peeling inserts are generally mounted in two ways, either using a screw through the centre hole of the indexable insert or via a top clamp mechanism. Using a screw through the insert distributes the forces in axial and radial directions at the same time, leaving more room for chip evacuation. Clamping from the top significantly reduces the time to flip the insert and is more user-friendly. This is because it only takes a few turns of the clamping screw to loosen it, allowing for faster indexing of the cutting edge. Dormer Pramet provides a range of cutting tools specifically for bar peeling applications. Its inserts, within the Pramet brand,…

Toolholders were designed for mounting cutting tools reliably. They also facilitate the torque transmission from a machine spindle to a rotating tool. It has been a long time since we have heard of any significant changes in toolholding, which may suggest we are behind in innovation. Indeed, well-established tool clamping principles, the need for wide interchangeability and unification, and normalised designs of machine tool adaptations have resulted in well-defined standards, which specify detailed toolholder parameters. However, this doesn’t mean that new innovations and development is over. Time puts new demands on machining, which has transformed to new requirements for machine tools, and, consequently, to cutting tools and toolholders – both elements of a chain that enables recognition of machine tool capabilities possible when a machining part of a surface. The toolholder relates to the most “conservative” link of the chain and has undergone fewer revolutionary changes for the noted reasons. Nevertheless, the spirit of the time and modern trends in metal cutting has…

The OptiMAX is OMAX’s most advanced waterjet ever. The culmination of three decades of OMAX engineering expertise and real-world operator experience, it is designed for manufacturers in need of a versatile, easy-to-use cutting system. It offers OMAX’s intuitive software for optimised cutting capability and power, along with improved automation to maximise uptime. Companies can complete a greater range of work, more efficiently, and deliver finished products faster. New and improved features include: IntelliMAX premium software, designed for incredible ease of use and operation quickly following installation. Incorporating decades of proprietary waterjet cutting models, no other system can consistently produce parts as rapidly or capably. IntelliVISOR console with key metrics to optimise operations and complete system monitoring to avoid unplanned downtime. EnduroMAX pump that automatically sets the correct pressure and minimises fluctuations to improve component life, while offering the most efficient waterjet pump technology in the market. IntelliTRAX drive system with advanced motion control for further increased system robustness and reliability. Requires virtually no maintenance compared to more conventional ball screw…