Industry News

AMT: Tell me about the history of PIMA.  How broad was the plastics industry in Australia when PIMA was established? Grahame Aston: PIMA began around 1992 after the chemical industry took over the PIA and created PACIA with a greater focus on chemicals rather than plastics. At that time, there were about 700 moulding companies of various sizes in NSW. PIMA began with approximately 70 members at that time and was known back then as the Plastic Injection Moulders Association with an obvious focus on Injection moulders. As time passed and we lost many members through retirements and acquisitions, we had also seen our members base expand from just injection moulders to now cover all facets of the plastics industry, convertors, materials, ancillary equipment, consultants, in fact, anyone that has any business within the plastics industry, which is why we are now known as the Plastics Industry Manufacturers of Australia.  Currently,…

‘Reduce, Reuse & Recycle’ is in action at the Nissan Casting Australia Plant (NCAP) in Melbourne’s southeast.  Nissan LEAF electric vehicle (EV) end-of-life batteries, charged by solar energy will part power the EV component’s manufacturing area. This is estimated to cut NCAP’s annual C02 emissions by 259 tons, saving the company 128 megawatts of energy and around $30,000 each year. Winner of the 2022 Victorian Manufacturing Hall of Fame Award - Leader in Global Supply Chain Partnerships award for its outstanding achievement in manufacturing, NCAP can soon add its Battery Project, called Nissan Node to its successful accomplishments. This exciting future for end-of-life EV batteries, Nissan Node will include a new Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) installation made of nine repurposed Gen 1 Nissan LEAF batteries charged via a solar array as well as EV chargers for cars at NCAP. Founded in 1982, Nissan Casting Australia (NCAP) is located in Dandenong South and has been manufacturing in Victoria for 40 years. As one of Australia’s only OEMs, (Original Equipment Manufacturer), it has established itself as a market leader in die-cast…

Established in 1954 in Langenthal, Switzerland, Güdel has been family owned for three generations. Today worldwide, the company has around 1,000 employees with more than 20 locations. Güdel is a manufacturer of high-precision machine components, modules and a provider of sophisticated automation solutions. Its spectrum of products ranges from linear guideways, racks, pinions, and gearboxes right through to linear tracks and gantry robots. Güdel also assembles its products into solutions with a high degree of control intelligence that can be found in the automotive, tire, metal, rail, intra-logistics, pharmaceutical, renewable energy, wood, and aerospace industries. Characterised by its quality and modularity, Güdel products have been a part of CNC Design’s portfolio in Australia and New Zealand for more than ten years. Their linear tracks known as TrackMotion, are well known and applied as the linear track or seventh axis for industrial robots. They support all the major industrial robot manufacturers, including Fanuc, Kuka, and ABB. If you want to buy a track, you can…

Aerobotix and Automated Solutions Australia (ASA) have announced a robotic automation international partnership between the two companies. The partnership follows the 2021 signing of the AUKUS security pact between the US, UK, and Australian Governments, which includes provisions for the allies to work together on hypersonic and counter-hypersonic capabilities. The Aerobotix-ASA collaboration will enable the Australian defense sector and Australian defense contractors to more easily access both companies’ expertise in automation. The two companies became acquainted through their mutual capabilities in the robotic coating automation industry and are now working together to pursue projects for which a sovereign presence is required. “We’ll work with the US State Department for approval of any technology transfer for ASA,” said Josh Tuttle, Aerobotix Business Development Manager. “We’ll also help ASA in other ways. For example, we can save them years of costly development work by sharing how to robotically spray FIREX™ RX-2390 Thermal Protection System coatings for missile manufacturing.” Aerobotix and ASA are both turn-key robotic integration companies with specialised capabilities in the precise application of paints and performance coatings. Aerobotix has accumulated invaluable experience in…

SoftIron, which is soon to open the first-ever base-level computer manufacturing facility on Australian soil – proudly announces its newest flagship offering, HyperCloud – the world’s first fully turnkey, totally integrated and supported, Intelligent Cloud Fabric. Designed and manufactured from the ground up by SoftIron in its own factories, HyperCloud is a fully-integrated platform that removes the complexity of integrating the many independent hardware and software layers needed to build and run a unified private or hybrid cloud. Using pre-integrated building blocks, HyperCloud fully automates the provisioning of storage, compute, networking and infrastructure services, providing a fully functioning, multi-tenant cloud that can be deployed in as little as half a day and less than half a rack and scale almost infinitely. “When we founded SoftIron in 2012, we did it recognising that the industry’s path for manufacturing IT solutions was fundamentally broken for the requirements of the future, both in the core data centre and especially at the edge,” said Phil Straw, CEO and co-founder of SoftIron. “In essence, SoftIron has completely reinvented and modernised how data infrastructure…

The University of Southern Queensland is a successful recipient under the Australian Government’s $362m Trailblazer Universities initiative, giving the green light to the University of Southern Queensland-led ‘Innovative Launch, Automation, Novel Materials, Communications and Hypersonics (iLAuNCH) Hub’. In a giant step for the Australian space sector, the University of Southern Queensland leads Australia’s effort to boost commercialisation and national capability in the space sector thanks to $50m in funding from the Federal Government’s inaugural Trailblazer Universities Program. Vice-Chancellor Professor Geraldine Mackenzie said along with university partners the Australian National University (ANU) and the University of South Australia (UniSA), and industry partners, the University would lead Australian breakthroughs in an area of critical national manufacturing priority. “The University of Southern Queensland is already a leader in space manufacturing with expertise in hypersonic propulsion systems, advanced materials, and astrophysics,” Professor Mackenzie said. “iLAuNCH Hub will improve Australia’s skills in the space sector, providing new jobs and boosting the economy, and also help ensure our country’s space expertise grows well into the future.” It is anticipated that the…

Australian craft brewing software specialist helps Oregon brewery capitalise on the demand for new products and co-packing contracts by focusing on data to streamline packaging operations Australian manufacturing performance software company, OFS, has signed a deal with Oregon-based craft brewer Ninkasi Brewing Company, removing manual processes for its manufacturing team and helping it to increase on-time-in-full (OTIF) orders from 40% to 94% as the brewery expands its product portfolio. Founded in 2005 and famous for its Total Domination IPA, Ninkasi makes approximately 150,000 barrels (almost 50 million schooners) of beer every year. The craft brewery has also recently expanded its operations to contract out its production lines to budding brewers and producers of canned cocktails, hard seltzers, and other popular drink lines. The new production model led Ninkasi to rethink its approach to data capture and efficiency improvement initiatives and seek a provider that could help it reduce downtime, speed up product changeovers, and improve its production scheduling. “When we were small, it was easier to keep up with production demand, but we reached a point of growth and diversity…

Based in Bendigo, Victoria, The Edge Equine is an Australian manufacturer of equine dental products, primarily rasps for manual horse dentistry. The company also provides commercial industrial sharpening services for the central Victorian region – specialising in high-precision sharpening such as broach drills, annular cutters, saw blades, and router bits for local commercial cabinet makers, sawmills, and food processors. The company’s focus on manufacturing equine dental products stemmed from a local horse dentist’s request to sharpen his equine dental blades. Today, it is a point of differentiation as The Edge Equine has concentrated on a more traditional product while other manufacturers have moved to the electronics industry. The Edge Equine prides itself on providing prompt service, made possible with on-site manufacturing capabilities that enable them to ship products within 48 hours. The company sells directly to over 40 countries, with distributors in the US, UK, New Zealand, and South Africa. The company’s relationship with ANCA started in 2005 when they purchased a second-hand TG4. “Over the years we grew to have three TG4s on the floor,” explains Managing…

Run by the Australian Manufacturing Technology Institute Limited (AMTIL), AMW2023 will occupy more than 10,000 square metres of exhibition space at the MCEC, with more than 270 organisations so far taking stands to showcase the latest manufacturing technologies, processes, and support services. ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING ZONE With the likes of Bilby 3D, CSIRO Manufacturing, SLM Solutions, GoProTo (ANZ), Objective 3D, FormLab Inc., Titomic, Additive Australia, Thinglab, Metal Tech, and RMIT University, the range of exhibitors includes Additive Manufacturing users, suppliers, and supporters. The Additive Manufacturing Zone will spotlight the latest advances in the technologies within this sector. Techniques within Additive Manufacturing include Stereolithography, Selective Laser Sintering, Material Extrusion, Sheet lamination, Binder jetting, Cold Spray processing, Material jetting, directed energy deposition, powder bed fusion, VAT photo polymerisation and wire arc manufacturing (WAAM). Many of these will be represented within the Additive Manufacturing Zone. “I was very happy to have viewed all the technologies on display. The whole organisation of the show was exceptional. Looking forward to attending the Melbourne 2023 version which I know will be a…

The new SPEE3D Phaser nozzle uses compressed air or nitrogen to deposit material four times faster than the speed of sound at much higher energy. This process achieves high particle velocity to enable more deformation of particles during the deposition process. As a result, harder materials can be made including stainless steel, titanium, high-strength aluminium and nickel-based carbides. These materials are in addition to our existing various copper, aluminium bronze and aluminium materials. “The SPEE3D PHASER nozzle is revolutionary because anyone can print what’s considered ‘hardier’ materials, and without having to rely on helium to cold spray these materials like other nozzles,” said CTO Steven Camilleri. “With supply chain issues continuing to delay parts for industries such as space, defense, auto racing and maritime, the Phaser nozzle can create these parts in just minutes to withstand severe conditions, high stress, immense shock loads and abrasive environments.” SPEE3D’s cold spray metal 3D printers are the world’s fastest, most robust, deployable additive solution to manufacture full-density, solid metal parts in just…

Brigitte Stavar has been reappointed as President of the Board of Directors at AMTIL for another year, after a meeting of AMTIL directors convened recently. Brigitte Stavar is also the General Manager of Sheetmetal Machinery Australia Pty Ltd and Powerco Crimping Australiasia, with over 25 years of experience in the machine tool industry in Australia. “The AMTIL board has been very supportive, and I am very thankful to them,” said Brigitte Stavar. “They are key to our success in what AMTIL does, supporting the manufacturing industry.” Stavar was appointed the AMTIL President in late 2019, only a few months shy of the world locking down with COVID. One of the milestones of that unpredictable time was AMTIL’s continued support for the providers and consumers of the Australian manufacturing industry. Another milestone was overseeing the stewardship of the Australian Manufacturing Week tradeshow, first in Sydney and now in preparation for the Melbourne show. Turning AMW into an industry-leading brand. “I am very pleased that Brigitte Staver has decided to stay in this role for another term,” Shane Infanti, the CEO of AMTIL…

Sustainability Open Innovation Challenge 2022 aims to bring together industry partners and creative innovators to co-develop sustainable solutions in key areas such as sustainable materials, packaging, zero-waste, and many more. The fourth edition of the Sustainability Open Innovation Challenge, launched by Enterprise Singapore, aims to bring together industry partners and creative innovators to co-develop sustainable solutions. Solutions should be implemented locally and regionally before pushing them out on a global scale. For this challenge, each of our industry partners bring a unique challenge statement addressing key themes of Green Buildings, Renewable Energy, Sustainable Food Source, Zero-waste, Sustainable Materials and Packaging. Winning innovators will access a unique opportunity for co-innovation with corporates, benefiting from their extensive expertise, mentorship, and resources. Other prize rewards include potential grant support from Enterprise Singapore, A$76,000 from Hexagon Group, alongside potential funding and test-bedding opportunities from the industry partners themselves. The time is now to make a tangible difference to your business and the sustainable goals of our planet. The cooperation between the Australian manufacturing industry and that of Singapore (and others), ensures investment…

When it comes to manufacturing industrial equipment – be it scientific instruments, factory equipment or power tools, to name just a few – a multitude of different intricate parts are needed to ensure the product functions as intended. For industrial manufacturers of such equipment, there is a clear and common need for parts, however complex they may be, to deliver the robustness, consistency, accuracy, and repeatability to uphold the performance expectations and functionality of the product faithfully. Failure to ensure this could result in malfunction, which in turn could lead to extra costs and damage to the brand’s image. But the challenge for industrial machinery manufacturers doesn’t end there; the need for such parts to also be produced both timely and cost-effectively will always be an equally inherent objective. With traditional manufacturing techniques, there is an immediate and accepted recognition that long lead times and high costs will typically be part and parcel of the process. Therefore, traditional manufacturing options often hinder industrial equipment manufacturers’ quest to streamline efficiencies across their production operations. The Stratasys’ industrial-grade SAF technology is a…