March 2, 2018
As a world leader in laser cladding technology, RUAG Australia was successful in 2016 in winning a highly competitive Capability Technology Demonstrator (CTD) grant from the Commonwealth Government to develop a new laser repair technology using Direct Energy Deposition where powdered metal is applied under controlled conditions. With a track record of research and development in additive repair technologies RUAG’s research and innovation team have already successfully developed an alternative technology for the rapid repair of corroded, worn and damaged components using a cold spray technique, known as Supersonic Particle Deposition. The process is currently being used to restore structural integrity of corroded panels on aircraft. The recent CTD grant focuses on laser deposition of hard steels used in aircraft structures, such as SS4340 and 300M, to develop a rapid repair technology for the recovery of corroded or worn structural parts. Corrosion is recognised as a significant contributor to the lifecycle…
February 23, 2018
Star Cutter Company specialises in carbide and preform manufacturing, cutting tools and CNC machines for tool/cutter grinding and hob sharpening. Founded in Detroit in 1927, the company today operates six manufacturing facilities at strategic locations throughout Michigan. Since 1998, Star Cutter has partnered with NUM in development of application-specific CNC hardware and software. During the course of this collaboration, the two companies have advanced cutting tool machine technology significantly – Star Cutter currently manufactures seven highly specialised lines of machine tools, six of which are based on NUM’s CNC systems. Star Cutter originally used Fanuc controllers for its machines. However, with a goal to bring its customers even more capability and ease in realising complex tool forms, as well as to gain more flexibility and speed in integration of third-party motors and simplify the development of control…
February 16, 2018
One such company that exemplifies this is Hizeaero, a South Korea-based aerospace structure manufacturer, which utilises the Faro Edge ScanArm HD to conduct its safety inspections across its projects. Established in 1999, Hizeaero first started supplying aircraft wings to various domestic and international aircraft manufacturers. The company’s operations later expanded to include the entire aircraft manufacturing process, ranging from aircraft assembly to refurbishment maintenance, and the production of aircraft components – such as sheet metal machining and surface treatment. In 2017, Hizeaero set up its third factory, occupying a total area of 11,000 square metres in Busan. Some of the aerospace industry’s biggest names are Hizeaero’s customers. They include Boeing, AVIC International, COMAC, ShinMaywa, ACM, ST Aerospace, Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), Korean Air and Asiana Airlines. A new challenge In 2016, Hizeaero signed a supply contract…
February 8, 2018
One such opportunity became apparent as Productivity Improvers, a Lean consultancy and training businesses, were coming to terms with the loss of the Simulated Work Environment (SWE), a unique training facility that was owned and housed at Caterpillar’s facilities. The SWE had traditionally been used by Caterpillar to teach the Lean manufacturing principals that underpinned its productivity across the world. Productivity Improvers had only recently developed a three-day, nationally accredited training course in Competitive Systems and Practices (Lean) that utilised the SWE. The course had seen attracted demand from industry, and delivered amazing results. “We had to find a practical way to keep the SWE here in the North-West,” says Productivity Improvers Director Clynton Jaffray. “The potential for it to positively contribute to improving the culture and productivity of business in our State was obvious.” One of the biggest advocates for the SWE was Lee…
February 1, 2018
The Thai Government understands that manufacturing will be a key driver of the country’s long-term economic growth and has been encouraging companies to establish facilities in their territories through tax and other incentives. As a result, the country today has flourishing automotive and aerospace sectors that require suppliers. SK Precision has around 50 people working two shifts servicing their traditional market of cutting carbide tools and PCD tools. “We have been operating for over 20 years and know the local Thai market intimately,” says Tibordee Srikul, President of SK Precision. “We saw an opportunity in the tap grinding segment as until now companies could only source taps from overseas suppliers and that means longer lead times of up to three months and higher cost. Our customers want just-in-time products so they can reduce stock and inventory costs. Having a local supplier who can deliver taps in a short period of time helps them achieve a more efficient supply chain. “Taps are…
January 26, 2018
Throughout its long history, turning in the conventional direction – namely starting at the end of the workpiece and working longitudinally towards the chuck – has prevailed. Although this technique has proved successful, as the process has matured, ongoing advances in productivity and profitability have been increasingly difficult to achieve. Many are bound by the limitations of traditional turning. For instance, while experienced operators are aware that factors such as small entry angles permit increased feeds, they are restricted to around 90 degrees in conventional turning in order to reach the shoulder and avoid the long, curved chips that small entering angles characteristically provide. In recent years, the advent of…
January 26, 2018
Based in the town of Arch, DPRM regards itself as a watch manufacturer that is mainly focused on the bar turning of micro parts that constitute the working features of a watch. The company also performs all peripheral activities in the fields of production, quality control and even assembly. Established in 1947 under the name ‘ASKA’, DPRM has been built upon a unique knowledge base that its employees have gained during the course of time. Using bar turning and gear cutting technologies, the company can develop and produce all kinds of components that meet the requirements of the high-end watch market. Today, DPRM is a part of the Dubois Dépraz Corporation, a famous manufacturer of exceptional watch components. To manufacture components that set the benchmark in the watchmaking industry, DPRM utilises 44 machine tools. Besides specialised machines for blanking, burnishing, decoration, thermal and surface treatment, the Swiss company employs seven EvoDeco machines, four…
January 19, 2018
In high and low-wage countries, interest in the many benefits of industrial robots has never been higher. Released last year, the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) Industrial Robots report showed unit sales figures in 2015 up 15% on the year before, reaching an all-time high of 253,748. Since 2010, technical improvements in robots and automation have turbocharged investment, according to the report. Furthermore, double digit percentage growth is predicted to continue every year up to 2019 . However, within CNC machining, robotics applications have been dominated by machine tending. Overall, the benefits enjoyed by industrial users of robots – such as accuracy, productivity and capacity utilisation – have been under-realised by machine tool users. According to 2012 IFR research, only 1.5% of machine tools were being automated in conjunction with robots . Nonetheless, this trend is starting to shift, with robots becoming increasingly affordable and easy to program – making the technology more accessible to the CNC grinding market. Global influences are also having an impact, such as the South…
January 18, 2018
Many of us have experienced that nervous feeling you get when you’re following a trailer that has begun to sway and it would appear that at any moment it could fishtail out of control. Worse still is the feeling of a loss of control while negotiating the twists and gradient of the road with a trailer in tow. Both circumstances can be stressful, and for both driver and surrounding traffic, potentially very hazardous. Trailers can easily become unstable and cause accidents when braking, swerving, overtaking, driving in high winds or on difficult roads. In 2016, loss of control accounted for 30% of caravan accident claims, with oversteering and fishtailing among the main causes. The need for a solution to this problem was identified by Bosch’s Australian Vehicle Safety Systems engineering team. This prompted an innovation idea and subsequent R&D project in 2014. The parent company acknowledged the local engineering capability and market opportunity, which led to the establishment of a Bosch global Centre of Competence for…
December 8, 2017
A staggering 51 million used tyres are discarded annually in Australia, causing environmental and health problems like the sea of stockpiled tyres in Stawell in western Victoria. Only 5% of used tyres are recycled locally in Australia, but researchers from the University of Melbourne have teamed up with Tyre Stewardship Australia and Merlin Site Services to come up with an innovative way to reuse the rubber. Project technical lead, Dr Mahdi Disfani from the Melbourne School of Engineering, has spent the last 18 months working on a pilot project with his colleauges Associate Professor Lu Aye, Dr Guillermo Narsilio and Dr Alireza Mohammadinia, that increases the number of uses for permeable pavements made from recycled tyres. “While there are a number of recycling solutions for tyres, like using them in children’s playgrounds, in landscaping or in asphalt layers, but the applications for high volume are limited,” says Dr Disfani. “Roads and pavements are everywhere. With the right product, we could have a serious…
November 24, 2017
Held at Leonda by the Yarra in Hawthorn, the one-day conference was focused on the ways in which emerging digital technologies are revolutionising manufacturing the world over, and explored the opportunities this created for the industry here in Australia. With a line-up of speakers that encompassed manufacturing companies, technology suppliers, research bodies and industry groups, the Conference offered a comprehensive, in-depth perspective of what the future holds. The event also featured 10 exhibitor stands from companies such as SICK, Lightwave Technologies and evok3D, the Innovative Manufacturing CRC (IMCRC), and the Conference’s sponsor - William Buck. Following a welcoming address from AMTIL Board Member Brigitte Stavar, the first presentation came from keynote speaker Brad Howarth. Drawing on two decades as a journalist covering technology’s impact on organisations, society and individuals, Howarth’s presentation offered a wide-ranging view on the impact digital innovations are having on the world of business and wider society. “Wealth is generally generated by those who drive change,” said Howarth. “So at some stage…
November 10, 2017
The breakthrough was announced by CSIRO’s Chief Executive Dr Larry Marshall in an address to the National Press Club in Canberra on 8 October. “Cracking the carbon code will allow industry to manufacture this incredibly strong and lightweight material for the first time from scratch, using Australia’s own top secret recipe,” Dr Marshall said. “Together with Deakin University, we’ve created the seed to grow our manufacturing industry in Australia – generating jobs of the future built on home-grown innovation.” Carbon fibre is only made by a handful of manufacturers around the world, each of whom hold their own secret, patented recipes. “From wind turbines to aerospace, even the latest Mustang wheels, a carbon fibre industry signals the kind of reinvention needed across Australian industry, shifting our focus from raw exports to high value products to retain our global competitive advantage,” Dr Marshall said. “This is another chapter in the innovation history of Geelong, where Australia’s first carbon fibre…
November 10, 2017
The town of Tuttlingen in particular continues to enjoy respect as a global centre for medical instruments, making a name for itself in the production of medical devices as early as the 19th century. Several hundred companies work in Europe’s largest medical instrument cluster on innovative products for the medical industry. One category of such instruments deals with traumatology – specifically, products for the treatment of bone fractures such as bone nails and screws. When fractures occur in hip joints and in the upper and lower extremities, bone screws may be used to compress the fragments and lock implanted intramedullary nails. These nails usually have two transverse bores, via which the nail is secured against dislocation with two screws. Why do bone screws require deep drilling? When a bone fracture has to be fixed with plates, nails, or screws, a so-called guide wire is positioned in the bone at the point in question. This wire is used to push the bone screw with…
