Product News

A team at the University’s Advanced Manufacturing Precinct (AMP) have so far made 950 prototype face shields to help protect clinicians from airborne droplets that can carry the virus. Those on the coronavirus frontline have spoken out in recent weeks about the dire shortage of protective gear in Australia, with major hospitals in Victoria and Tasmania contacting the AMP for advice on manufacturing solutions. Within days of receiving requests, facility technical staff had improved on an open-source face shield design and delivered the first batches to hospitals for testing. AMP Director Professor Milan Brandt said they were now printing larger batches on the facility’s bank of 3D printers, while also seeking industry partners to look at mass manufacture. “We immediately understood the vital role of protective equipment in helping Australian healthcare workers get through this challenging time and have pulled out all the stops for an urgent response on this,” said Brandt. “This includes refocusing existing partnerships and projects to meet this need.” RMIT’s partnership with the BioFab3D lab at…

The COVID-19 Response Portal was launched on 23 March to help businesses keep the supply chain wheels turning during the coronavirus pandemic. As well as more than 600 expressions of interest submitted, the site has recorded over 12,900 page views, with more than 600 new suppliers registered on ICN Gateway. COVID-19 has had enormous impacts on not only the health and safety of Australians, but the businesses and supply chains that keep our country running. From the very beginning of the COVID-19 threat, ICN has been monitoring the situation closely and preparing response actions for its subscribers. Through the COVID-19 Response Portal, ICN is assisting governments to identify businesses with transferable technologies to extend their capability, retool and scale up to manufacture personal protective equipment (PPE) and other priority health equipment. “We are working hard to help small businesses become a part of the solution” said Warren Jansen, Executive Director at ICN. ICN provides a vital link between Australian and New Zealand companies and the projects that ensure their…

Basic Trailers is a shining example of a young, vibrant and innovative SA manufacturer meeting growing demand for locally designed and built products. Its trailers – designed, manufactured and distributed in Adelaide – have proven exceptionally popular with people across the state, in part as a backlash by customers against cheaper but inferior imported trailers that recently flooded the market. Since opening its doors in 2018, Basic Trailers has expanded rapidly, to the extent that it has now had to move into larger premises in Pooraka to fulfil demand for its innovative trailers, all of which are built from Australian steel. Furthermore, in addition to its existing workforce of six full-time employees, the company plans to hire at least four more workers at its new workshop facility. Sam Francis, General Manager…

The Federal Government has announced plans to pass legislation to introduce the JobKeeper payment, intended to provide wage subsidies to businesses significantly affected by COVID-19. Businesses can register their interest at: ato.gov.au/Job-keeper-payment The Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre (AMGC) has received more than 1,000 responses via its COVID-19 Manufacturer Response Register. Established only last week, the Register allows manufacturers to register their interest in helping Australia meet the national challenge of fighting COVID-19. Find out more about the COVID-19 Manufacturer Response Register at: amgc.org.au/covid-19-manufacturer-response The Federal Government has announced a range of measures to assist businesses affected by the crisis, including assistance for small businesses regarding cash flow, and measures to support investment. Information on the measures can be found at: australia.gov.au/#information_for_businesses_and_employees The Federal Government has released an official “Coronavirus Australia” app, which can be download from in the Apple App Store or Google Play. Further news, updates and advice from government agencies across Australia can also be…

Queensland State Minister for State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning Cameron Dick said the Brisbane-based race car company had been working around the clock for the past two weeks to develop the prototype. “This is what Queensland manufacturing is all about,” said Dick. “Hard work, ingenuity and solving problems. It’s so impressive that, within just a few weeks, this company has transitioned their capability, intellect and resources to a product that could ultimately save lives. “It’s also fantastic to hear that Triple Eight has focused on using readily available, local materials. Triple Eight suspended its usual operation following the cancellation of the Australian Grand Prix, and the positive, forward-looking approach of this company has been heartening to see.” Roland Dane, Team Principle of Triple Eight Race Engineering said the prototype was the result of a dedicated engineering team and input from medical professionals, local intensive care unit experts, as well as the Queensland Department of State Development. “We were able to utilise in-house 3D printing services provided by our team partner HP…

The Federal Government and South Australian Government have reached agreement with Detmold Group to produce 145 million masks – 100 million for the National Medical Stockpile and 45 million for South Australia. Over the coming months the company will employ up to an extra 160 staff and will invest more than $1m in local supplies that will support other Australian businesses. Minister for Industry, Science and Technology Karen Andrews said Detmold is the latest in a line of Aussie companies rising up to the challenge of COVID-19. “This is a fantastic example of how our strong manufacturing base in Australia puts us in a position to be able to make more of the medical supplies we need during the outbreak of this virus,” said Andrews. “We have a sufficient supply of masks at the moment but this work will ensure we sustain that supply over the months ahead. “This new production line won’t be up and running overnight, that’s why we’re attacking this challenge from…

According to RAM3D, the world has, at long last, woken up to the benefits of additive manufacturing. For more than 10 years the company has been leading the way in metal 3D printing in the Southern Hemisphere, and prints parts for a range of industries worldwide. The sectors it serves include aerospace, defence, marine, food manufacturing, industrial and speciality. Many of the industries that it engages with have Non-Disclosure Agreements in place, meaning RAM3D can’t usually talk about its clients or the parts that it prints for them. However it has been allowed to discuss its working relationship with Oceania Defence. An early adopter of additive manufacturing technology, Oceania Defence has been able to secure patents on firearms suppressors made using metal 3D printing. The company supplies suppressors for defence and law enforcement clients all over the world. Health & safety regulations around the world are driving the demand for suppressors as regulators and firearm users look to reduce significant hearing risks to themselves and others. Oceania Defence has been working in collaboration with…

The fully reconfigurable Australian Research Experimental Submarine (ARES) will be used for hydrodynamic and crew efficiency testing of future submarine designs. The project is a collaboration between the University of Adelaide, University of South Australia, Flinders University, TAFE SA and the University of Tasmania’s Australian Maritime College with Defence support from DST Group. The four industry partners for the project are SAAB, ASC, Dassault Systemes and MOOG Australia. ARES received $150,000 in Defence Innovation Partnership funding from the South Australian Government in December to boost a $350,000 in-kind contribution from participants to fund the project’s first year. An estimated $3m will be needed to complete the three-year project. Project lead and University of Adelaide Director of the Shipbuilding Hub for Integrated Engineering and Local Design (SHIELD) Eric Fusil said the project would deliver Australia’s first reconfigurable research submarine. He said the autonomous submarine would be used to test hydrodynamics – how a submarine behaves underwater – to aid in the design and safe operation of new submarines globally. “Because you can’t see on board a submarine and you don’t…

Headquartered in Melbourne, Fenner Dunlop manufactures and supplies a complete conveyor system from head-to-tail: belt, electrics and terminal equipment. With more than 30 sites in Australia, the company delivers engineered conveyor solutions to evolve the way mining companies approach their conveyor belt life cycles, saving costs, and increasing productivity. “As a company, everything we do is supported by information systems,” said Sammy Jammal, National IT Manager at Fenner Dunlop Australia. “Manufacturing, technical support, installation, maintenance, diagnostics services, you name it. “If the system is down for even 10 minutes, the whole operation would come to a halt. This not only has financial implications but is detrimental to our brand reputation and diminishes our customers’ confidence. As an IT team, we want to leverage technology that can help optimise our processes, allowing us to focus on enabling our users and thereby benefiting our customers.” Jammal oversees an IT team of six, which supports more than 900 employees nationwide, including the core applications – spanning finance, payroll,…

Called HARP (high-area rapid printing), the new technology enables a record-breaking throughput that can manufacture products on demand. Over the last 30 years, most efforts in 3D printing have been aimed at pushing the limits of legacy technologies. Often, the pursuit of larger parts has come at the cost of speed, throughput and resolution. With HARP technology, this compromise is unnecessary, enabling it to compete with both the resolution and throughput of traditional manufacturing techniques. The prototype HARP technology is 13 feet tall with a 2.5 square-foot print bed and can print about half a yard in an hour — a record throughput for the 3D printing field. This means it can print single, large parts or many different small parts at once. Professor Chad A Mirkin, who led the product’s development along with researchers David Walker and James Hedrick, predicts that HARP will be available commercially in the next 18 months. “3D printing is conceptually powerful…

Bonfiglioli’s high-quality, rugged drives are engineered and assembled at their headquarters in Glendenning, New South Wales, and are delivered to major projects such as the Melbourne Metro Tunnel, Westgate Tunnel, NorthConnex, Westconnex and Sydney Metro 2, where they power Eilbeck’s cranes and lifting equipment. “Eilbeck’s market-leading status in Australia is due to our consistently high-quality and robust products, ongoing reliability and outstanding backup service,” says Charlie Eilbeck, Head of Eilbeck Heavy Machining Centre. “Having a supplier like Bonfiglioli that shares these qualities is an asset in ensuring safe, efficient and reliable operations.” Eilbeck says the company has a strong focus on short delivery times, reliable service and a tradition of never turning down a problem for being too complex. Consequently it’s rewarding to work with a company like Bonfiglioli with similar values and a focus on innovation and problem solving. “In our business, our cranes are hauling 24/7, so safety and reliability are imperative,” says Charlie. “Clients rely on us for smooth running operations. In addition to hauling products, many of…

Family-owned and established in 1995, Sharpe Engineering operates from four facilities located in Queensland – in Roma, Chinchilla, Virginia and Zillmere. Sharpe Engineering boasts upwards of 50 pieces of plant, including CNC machines, milling machines, drilling machines and manual lathes, as well as Australia’s largest threading capacity. All of Sharpe Engineering’s equipment is procured from world-class suppliers, and the company’s state-of-the-art machine inventory guarantees the precision and the accuracy of its products. Sharpe Engineering’s equipment is a key part in allowing the business to produce quality, cost-effective products. It owns two Mazak 21-inch hollow-spindle Power Master Chuckers, and a 7-inch hollow spindle Power Master Universal. Sharpe relies on its world-class equipment line-up to remain at the sharp end of manufacturing for the oil and gas drilling industry. The latest addition, recently purchased by Sharpe, is a Mazak Slant Turn 550 turning centre, supplied by John Hart, which is used in the manufacture of drilling tools and thread repairs on drill…

Insufficient grip that causes slipping parts, pushback in chuck jaws and collets wearing out prematurely are issues well known to CNC turning machine tool operators. The resultant production downtime, operator idle time, and expense of new or re-worked jaws is a significant problem. Dimac has recently launched a new service designed to eliminate such issues, using a new form of carbide application equipment called Rocklinizer from the USA. The application process improves clamping force by as much as 50% - thereby providing significant extra grip on workholding equipment such as jaws and collets, while wear is accordingly reduced. The new service uses the proven spark deposition process called Rocklinizing to easily and quickly boost the grip coefficient of workholding jaws and collets. The unit electronically applies a hard and wear-resistant surface of Tungsten Carbide, Titanium Carbide or Rockhard electrode material to workholding tools. Material is impregnated both underneath and on top of the workpiece surface. Unlike welding or metal spraying, no appreciable heat is…