Industry News

April marked a 19th consecutive month of expanding or stable conditions for the Australian PMI – the longest run of continuous expansion since 2005. Readings above 50 indicate expansion in activity, with the distance from 50 indicating the strength of the increase . Six of the eight manufacturing sub-sectors expanded in April (according to trend data), with four sub-sectors reaching record highs in trend terms: machinery & equipment (up 1.0 point to 61.2); petroleum, coal & chemicals (up 0.4 points to 67.6); metal products (up 1.6 points to 63.8); and textiles, clothing & furniture (up 5.6 points to 57.1). Ai Group Chief Executive Innes Willox said: “The manufacturing sector extended its broad-based expansionary run in April. Growth was led by the machinery & equipment; metal products; coal, petroleum, chemical & rubber products; and non-metallic mineral product sub-sectors, all of which are enjoying strong demand from high levels of building and construction activity. The largest manufacturing sub-sector – food & beverages –…

The Australian Manufacturing Technology Institute Limited (AMTIL) is the peak national body for the precision engineering and advanced manufacturing sector in Australia. Having a stand enables it to show its support for AMTIL members visiting or exhibiting at NMW, while also providing the opportunity to engage with Australian manufacturing businesses more generally and discuss the ways it can help them. For AMTIL members, ‘Happy Hour’ drinks will be held on the Wednesday and Thursday of the show (9 and 10 May) , from 4.00pm at the AMTIL stand. Any members at the show are invited to drop by the AMTIL stand for refreshments and a chat. AMTIL has a long-standing relationship with NMW, having co-located its own Austech exhibition with NMW for many years, and continuing to do so every second year in Melbourne. AMTIL’s participation in this…

Intensified networking and miniaturisation Digitalisation is changing the connection technology environment, as an increasing number of products and even individual components can and need to communicate. This means an increasing volume of data must be transmitted at increasingly fast speeds – something familiar in offices for years is now moving into the factories. Continuous increases in the performance of microchips are not only driving digitalisation but also – in conjunction with efforts to improve resource efficiency – are resulting in a move towards increasingly smaller and more compact products and devices. A smartphone now has the processing power of a 1990s supercomputer but at a fraction of the size, energy consumption and price. This is having a big impact on industrial connection technology. Robots and other machines are becoming more compact and demanding an increasing number of data connections. Special cable designs and technical tricks – such as insulation, for example – help to save…

The self-modifying coating, a thousand times thinner than a human hair, works by automatically letting in more heat when it’s cold and blocking the sun’s rays when it’s hot. Smart windows have the ability to naturally regulate temperatures inside a building, leading to major environmental benefits and significant financial savings. The self-regulating coating is created using a material called vanadium dioxide. The coating is 50-150 nanometres in thickness. At 67 degrees Celsius, vanadium dioxide transforms from being an insulator into a metal, allowing the coating to turn into a versatile optoelectronic material controlled by, and sensitive to light. The coating stays transparent and clear to the human eye but goes opaque to infra-red solar radiation, which humans cannot see and is what causes sun-induced heating. Until now, it has been impossible to use vanadium dioxide on surfaces of various sizes because the placement of the coating requires the creation of specialised layers, or platforms. The RMIT researchers have developed a way to create and deposit the ultra-thin coating without the need for…

Adding rotating tools to turning centres means you can combine several set-ups in a single machine for a more streamlined and productive machining process. To accomplish this, turn-mill machines were introduced in the 1990s. The initial idea was to enable driving a milling cutter, drill or threading tap on one or more tool positions in the turret to eliminate limitations of polar interpolation and other related programming difficulties. To improve reach, an extra set of ways was added to move the rotating tool across the spindle face. This was accomplished by mounting the tools on revolver sides or on its face, by installing the Y-axis ways on a slanted bed or by using an independent milling head. Both machine tool makers and manufacturers soon recognised the benefits of integrating both milling and turning operations. Today, the Y-axis option has become a…

The Flinders team has partnered with Swinburne University of Technology, advanced materials company First Graphene and Melbourne-based manufacturer Kremford. The collaboration is developing a GO-powered battery, a super-capacity energy storage alternative to emerging lithium-ion battery (LIB) technology. Graphene is the lightest, strongest, most electrically conductive material available and has been predicted to generate revolutionary new products in many industry sectors. But so far unreliable quality and poor manufacturing processes has prevented an industrial graphene market. In 2015, Flinders scientists were awarded an Ig Nobel Award for creating the Vortex Fluidic Device (VFD) and using it to unboil an egg. The device has also been used to accurately slice carbon nanotubes to an average length of 170 nanometres using only water, a solvent and a laser, and to process graphene to a high quality for commercial use. VFD creator and professor of clean technology at Flinders Professor Colin Raston said the production of GO from graphite ore with minimal waste was an important part of the collaborative project.…

Potential applications for the proton battery include household storage of electricity from solar photovoltaic panels, as done currently by the Tesla ‘Power wall’, which uses lithium ion batteries. With some modifications and scaling up, proton battery technology may also be used for medium-scale storage on electricity grids – like the giant lithium battery in South Australia – as well as powering electric vehicles. The working prototype proton battery uses a carbon electrode as a hydrogen store, coupled with a reversible fuel cell to produce electricity. It’s the carbon electrode plus protons from water that give the proton battery its environmental, energy and potential economic edge, says lead researcher Professor John Andrews. “Our latest advance is a crucial step towards cheap, sustainable proton batteries that can help meet our future energy needs without further damaging our already fragile environment,” says Professor Andrews. “As the world moves towards inherently-variable…

The movement of goods from A to B may seem a simple process on paper for the average consumer. But it has taken years of development, progress and innovation to reach this level of streamlining, and that process is only becoming faster and more efficient. For the industrial supply chain, this can be an intricate process, involving a variety of stakeholders with countless variables to consider along the way when moving goods from one place to another. Road, rail, air and sea transport, warehousing, packaging services – there are many different facets involved in the process and adding value to every step of the supply chain. Giving the freight and logistics providers, and their customers – manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers – the opportunity to see the businesses, technology and innovation leading the cutting edge of progress within the Australian and international supply chain firsthand is one way to help the industry…

In CNC systems, the design of a mechanical part and its manufacturing program is highly automated. The part’s mechanical dimensions are defined using computer-aided design (CAD) software, and then translated into manufacturing directives by computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) software. The resulting directives are transformed by post-processor software into the specific commands necessary for the chosen machine to produce the component. What that means, in simple terms, is that the days of “one man, one machine” are now a fast-fading memory. One programmer at a computer console can program, implement, and supervise machine work that would be the equivalent of several operators on lathes, grinders, routers, mills, and shapers in earlier times. Computer-controlled, automated machining methods can achieve reaches, holds, and other actions that human operators and conventional machines typically don’t do efficiently. Generally, lathes and machining centres have two axes, but more sophisticated models have more, allowing for more advanced jobs to be…

Broens began operations in Sydney’s south-west suburbs in 1979. Thriving as a manufacturer providing subcontract toolmaking and general engineering services, it soon diversified into sectors such as automotive, aerospace, medical, mining and heavy industry. In 2007, it took over two companies in Elizabeth, northern Adelaide – Static Engineering and Calbic Engineering – and consolidated them to form Broens SA. By then, Broens was a globally respected provider of design, manufacturing and engineering solutions, exporting to more than 16 countries and involved in projects such as the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and the F35 Joint Strike Fighter. However, towards the end of 2016, the company was placed into liquidation. At that point Adelaide City Engineering Pty Ltd came into the story. Adelaide City Engineering was formed in 2003 by Timothy Lillie as a new venture. The aim of the business was to provide quality services with continual improvement to its customers while also providing a safe…

The Victorian Manufacturing Hall of Fame recognises exemplary companies in the manufacturing industry. This year’s event is being delivered in partnership with the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI). The theme of this year’s awards is Advancing Victorian Manufacturing, highlighting innovation and the strengths of Victorian companies in advanced manufacturing. There will also be a new award, Woman Manufacturer of the Year, to recognise outstanding women working in the manufacturing industry. Other categories include Young Manufacturer of the Year, Manufacturer of the Year and Leader in Workforce Skills Development and Company Induction. Awards will also be given to companies operating in high-growth manufacturing sectors: transport, defence & construction technologies; medical technology and pharmaceuticals; new energy technologies; and food & fibre. “I’m proud that this year’s awards feature the new Woman Manufacturer of the Year award, recognising all of the women in the sector breaking down barriers and succeeding in their careers,” said Victorian Minister for Industry and Employment Ben Carroll. “These awards are all about celebrating advanced…

Having a stand enables AMTIL to show our support for members visiting or exhibiting at NMW, while also providing the opportunity to engage with Australian manufacturing businesses more generally and discuss the ways it can help them. For our members, there’ll also be ‘Happy Hour’ drinks at the stand from 4.00pm on the Wednesday and Thursday of the show (9 and 10 May). So any members at the show should drop by Stand 3426 for refreshments and a chat. AMTIL’s presence at NMW will also serve as a curtain-raiser for an extensive program of events that we have planned between now and May of next year. Most notable among these will be the 2018 AMTIL National Conference, which will be held at Leonda by the Yarra in Hawthorn, Melbourne, on 22 August. The one-day event follows on from last year’s highly successful inaugural Conference, held at the same venue. Conference plans taking shape This year the theme for the AMTIL National Conference will be…

For example, every 10% reduction in total vehicle weight achieves an average fuel economy improvement of 4.9%; however, a decrease of 100kg in the weight of a car can also cause a 3%-4.5% increase in safety risk. One way forward is to develop new materials that are lighter and stronger than those they replace. Responding to the needs of vehicle manufacturers, steel makers around the world are developing new advanced high-strength steels (AHSSs) that are both lighter and stronger than conventional steel, offering improved fuel efficiency without compromising safety. According to an environmental case study reported by the World Steel Association, the use of every 1kg of AHSSs in a five-passenger family car could achieve a total lifecycle saving of 8kg greenhouse gas, which corresponds to a 5.7% reduction in emissions over the life of the vehicle. In their paper ‘Thermomechanical processing of advanced high strength steels’, University of Wollongong (UoW) researchers Professor Zhengyi Jiang and Dr…