Based in Warriewood on the northern beaches of Sydney, Raymax Applications has been bringing Australia and New Zealand the latest laser technology for more than 25 years.
Light amplification of stimulated emission of radiation – or laser for short – technology does not sit still. Since the first demonstration of a ruby laser in 1960, humankind has sought to harness this versatile light source to create and develop new applications never before achieved.
Lasers have become well established in industrial processes such as welding, the cladding of fatigued or worn parts, or for cutting metal used in manufacturing sectors such as automotive, aerospace and medical instruments. Then there is the vital task of product traceability, where lasers can ablate surfaces such as glass wine bottles with a permanent Julian code or identification mark. They can even engrave a unique identification code on every medical instrument used in hospitals – readable by both humans and machines. More recently a new process has taken manufacturing by storm: that of 3D metal printing.
For more than 25 years Raymax Applications has found the latest “best in class” lasers and laser technology for companies and research facilities across Australia and New Zealand. Raymax also conducts its own research & development programs, utilising extensive process development facilities and engineering capabilities to assist customers.
“We constantly seek to source the latest technology and support it with our depth of experience and a team of physicists and factory-trained engineers,” says John Grace, Managing Director of Raymax Applications. “This has seen us supply, install and service laser systems in locations such as the Reserve Bank of Australia, many wineries and breweries, Coca Cola, Carlton United Breweries, Masterfoods, Fisher and Paykel, RUAG, Telstra, Defence and many SMEs innovating their business processes.”
While laser technology has proven to have a low maintenance cost and extensive life span, many of Raymax’s businesses remain demanding customers as they choose to update their facilities by taking advantage of improvements developed by the laser manufacturers. In selecting quality products, Grace explains that most of the products Raymax supplies are made by companies based in Europe, the USA and Canada.
“All of these have unique partnerships with us providing support, service and factory training of our engineers and even customers,” says Grace. “These direct factory links provide a major benefit to our Australian and New Zealand customers, and are particularly helpful when new applications and installations are utilised. This is highly valuable for full system process understanding – both locally and from the manufacturer.”
Meeting local needs
Australia’s geographic isolation has assisted in the growth of a service not considered until laser technology became available. Large parts used in mining and energy, and even small aircraft parts, are subject to wear and fatigue, requiring repair or replacement. Repair using a high-power diode Laserline laser can mean shorter downtimes and reduced costs against purchasing a new part and waiting for it to be shipped. Cladding repair with lasers also has the benefit of extending the life of a component, making this appealing from an economic perspective. Raymax is very strong in this sector of the marketplace.
Hyperspectral imaging is a successful new field of development that has seen Raymax bring HySpex cameras to the local market. Developed by Norwegian company NEO, hyperspectral imaging cameras can be used across a number of fields for the acquisition of sophisticated data. In a laboratory setting, seeds can be scanned for different properties; in the food industry the quality of fish fillets can be checked; in field work hyperspectral imaging identifies the different layers of earth for agricultural improvements of better targeting of mining excavations.
Hyperspectral imaging can also take to the skies with the HySpex Mjolnir attached to a drone. In this role data can be gathered of structures in fields for agricultural purposes or to support armies engaged in combat. This new product has seen a huge demand for local applications by companies and universities and is fully supported by Raymax.
To service its diverse customer base, Raymax provides other products required for research or specialist industry applications. One field is that of spectroscopy, where it has a number of products such as spectrometers that offer non-destructive analytical solutions for close inspection of products or items being investigated in research or on production lines. Raymax also offers laser optics – with products such as VIPA, or Michelson interferometer or Etalon.
Partnerships
Partnership experience has been highly valuable in the emerging industry of 3D metal printing. With an exclusive agreement between SLM Solutions and Raymax, the expertise gained by SLM Solutions in partnerships with European and American companies has been extensively helpful for paving the way for many different manufacturing companies and universities to identify a way forward for their individual needs with 3D metal printing.
“Sharing partnering information is extremely helpful, such as information about the production of a car steering knuckle through SLM’s partnership with Hirschvogel Tech Solutions, or the rocket component printed using biomimetic engineering applied by CellCore using an SLM280 to produce a never-before done monolithic thrust chamber,” says Grace. “More recently SLM Solutions has focused on developing parameters specific to moving 3D printing into series production, as that is where we see the demand heading.”
Challenges
The introduction of 3D metal printers requires not only a paradigm shift in shopfloor strategies, with the emergence of disciplines such as integrating design into engineering platforms, data analytics and reassessment techniques. Each of these work towards improving outcomes in the application of 3D metal printing.
To bring about successful change in this area, Raymax seeks to encourage training and learning so that laser systems operate effectively. The key skills required are computerised technology, optics and physics that enable full system utilisation, as well as additional chemical knowledge to understand metal powder performance. At the same time, mechatronics engineering supports the capability to build parameters for each stage of development of specific product types.
“Our business covers a diverse customer industry base as laser technology is a stimulating and exciting field,” Grace concludes. “Very often, consumers are not aware of the influence or impact of lasers on our daily lives and the products we purchase.
“Lasers have changed the world and made it easier to develop products and processes. It is as simple as that. Facilitating and bringing to production never-before-done laser applications is not just something our customer base needs, it is also our passion and keeps us challenged and focused to provide customers with the best solutions to help achieve their desired outcome.”