AMT MAY 2014 by AMTIL

may14 Australian Manufacturing Technology

Your Industry. Your Magazine.

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contents

Volume 14 Number 04 MAY 2014 ISSN 1832-6080

NMW Innovators to urge action at NMW 2014

GREEN MANUFACTURING Tindo Solar – A ray of hope Harnessing the power of grey water Automatic self-optimisation of wind turbines Australian innovation creates eco-friendly fish farm CEFC finance boosts Australia’s manufacturers

46 48 49 50 52

MATERIAL REMOVAL Aerotherm lifts capacity with new Okuma Savings from sustainability

56 58

QUALITY & INSPECTION Drill bit characterisation using a 3D optical microscope Hi-Tech Metrology unveils new Leica B-Probe

62 63

COMPOSITES Using abrasive waterjet to machine composites 64 Composites – the way ahead for Australian manufacturing 66 COMPRESSORS Compressors – the importance of regular servicing Compressed air audit brings savings of 50% Investing in energy saving

68 70 71

From the CEO From the Industry From the AMWU

10 12 14

INDUSTRY NEWS Marand delivers F-35 JSF vertical tail fins Manufacturing contracts again in March Skills to drive high-end manufacturing MP’s visit for APT New home for Olympus Australia Japan buys Thales Bushmasters RMIT automation software research centre

16 16 18 18 20 20 21

PRODUCT NEWS Our selection of new and interesting products

ONE ON ONE David Hodgett – Victorian State Minister for Manufacturing 40 AMTIL FORUMS Finance: Staying competitive in manufacturing Import/Export: Free Trade Agreements Law: Privacy law changes are here OHS: Don’t forget OHS in the push to innovate

72 73 74 75

Manufacturing History – A look back in time

AMTIL INSIDE The latest news from AMTIL

may14 AustrAliAn MAnufActuring technology

your industry. your Magazine.

Renewables – Powering up a sector PAGE 42

.Composites .Compressors ing .Material Removal .Q&I

.green manufactur

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AMT MAY 2014

Green Manufacturing: Power to change Australia has the potential to create much-needed renewable energy manufacturing jobs following the end of local car-making and the slowdown in the mining sector. Is it time to ramp up our nation’s manufacturing and R&D into the renewable game? According to wellplaced sources, there’s not a moment to waste.

Hickory Group - Building for the future Hickory Group delivers innovative, high-quality products by combining decades of experience in construction with sophisticated manufacturing techniques. At a time when many Australian manufacturers are struggling, this is a company bucking the trend, and creating opportunities for the entire industry.

Cover With its vast landmass, abundant sunshine, mineral wealth and skilled workforce, Australia is well placed to become a world leader in the renewable energy sector Page 42

Improving efficiencies with portable CMMs Suitable for a wide range of manufacturing applications, portable co-ordinate measuring machines are an increasingly popular alternative to traditional inspection methods. Existing for nearly 30 years, the technology now boasts several forms. In some cases, users have replaced their traditional fixed CMMs because the portable proves to be just as accurate.

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FROM THE

Editor

Editor WIlliam Poole wpoole@amtil.com.au Contributors Barbara Schulz

William Poole

Opportunity on our doorstep The Asian Century. We hear a lot about it, but what does it actually mean? We know that the rapid growth of Asian nations – not just China and India but also Indonesia, Thailand and many others – is set to alter the entire balance of the global economy. But how does that work in practice? We regularly hear that Australia is uniquely well positioned to capitalise. So what should Australian manufacturers be doing right now? A new study, “Make for Asia”, seeks to address these questions. The study, from Telstra and the CSIRO, highlights how Australia, with its geographic proximity to these markets, might capitalise on the opportunities emerging as Asia continues its rise. (You can read the report at: tinyurl.com/mp6pn2r.) The report’s central argument is focused around the extraordinary growth rates forecast for the Asian middle class. In 2009, the global middle class amounted to around 1.9bn people, with around 28% of them located in the Asia Pacific region. This is projected to grow to 4.9bn people by 2030, with the Asia Pacific share surging to around two-thirds of that total. That equates to an astonishing 3.2bn people – and they’ll expect what middle classes the world over routinely expect: high-quality, safe, sustainable and reliable products. With increased discretionary spending, growing numbers of Asian consumers are moving beyond products that merely meet their basic day-to-day needs. More and more people are becoming first-time owners of goods such as cars, electronics and leisure equipment, and trading-up to more expensive replacements is also on the rise. Consumer choices become more diverse and nuanced, reflecting both individuals’ desire to signal their affluence and discernment, and their willingness to pay a premium for products that are, for example, ecofriendly. This leads to the emergence of what the report describes as the “meganiche”. We have long been accustomed to the idea of the niche – the segmentation of markets according to the growing demand for increasingly specialised, individualised goods and services. With the growth of the Asian middle class, these niches could amount to as much as 50m-300m people. While such meganiches represent an enormous opportunity, the spoils will go to those manufacturers who have the agility and sophistication to deliver those highly customised, quality products. Meanwhile, the report identifies several other social, economic, environmental, technological and political trends that will reshape manufacturing worldwide. A notable example is resource scarcity: energy, minerals and water are essential manufacturing inputs, yet they are in limited supply, and increasingly in demand. At the same time, another key trend will be the demand that companies operate responsibly, particularly in terms of the environment. The manufacturers that will thrive are the ones that can operate within these constraints. Resource-efficient manufacturing is one of four key areas of opportunity the report defines, along with business model innovation, industry collaboration, and connected manufacturing. These are all areas where Australian manufacturers are well equipped to succeed – you only have to look at the Green Manufacturing feature in this edition of AMT for evidence. The Telstra/CSIRO report describes itself as “a call to action”. The rise of Asia presents a fantastic opportunity, right on our doorstep. The challenge for Australian manufacturers is to seize it.

Sales Manager Anne Samuelsson asamuelsson@amtil.com.au Publications Co-ordinator Gabriele Richter grichter@amtil.com.au Publisher Shane Infanti sinfanti@amtil.com.au Designer Franco Schena fschena@amtil.com.au Prepress & Print Printgraphics Australia AMT Magazine is printed using FSC mix of paper from responsible sources FSC© C007821 Contact Details AMT Magazine AMTIL Suite 1, 673 Boronia Rd Wantirna VIC 3152 AUSTRALIA T 03 9800 3666 F 03 9800 3436 E info@amtil.com.au W www.amtil.com.au Copyright © Australian Manufacturing Technology (AMT). All rights reserved. AMT Magazine may not be copied or reproduced in whole or part thereof without written permission from the publisher. Contained specifications and claims are those supplied by the manufacturer (contributor)

Disclaimer The opinions expressed within AMT Magazine from editorial staff, contributors or advertisers are not necessarily those of AMTIL. The publisher reserves the right to amend the listed editorial features published in the AMT Magazine Media Kit for content or production purposes. AMT Magazine is dedicated to Australia’s machining, tooling and sheet-metal working industries and is published monthly. Subscription to AMT Magazine (and other benefits) is available through AMTIL Associate Membership at $165 (inc GST) per annum. Contact AMTIL on 03 9800 3666 for further information.

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FROM THE

CEO Shane Infanti – Chief Executive Officer AMTIL

Cooperative Research Centre update Cooperative Research Centres (CRCs) are an Australian Federal Government program and are key bodies for Australian scientific research. The Cooperative Research Centres Program was established in 1990 to enhance Australia’s industrial, commercial and economic growth through the development of sustained, user-driven, cooperative public-private research centres that achieve high levels of outcomes in adoption and commercialisation. The program emphasises the importance of collaborative arrangements to maximise the benefits of research through an enhanced process of utilisation, commercialisation and technology transfer. It also has a strong education component with a focus on producing graduates with skills relevant to industry needs. The reason for writing this editorial is that there are many people in industry who are not aware of this program and the benefits it can provide. In February, through Round 16 of the Program, seven CRCs were announced in the areas of Rail Manufacturing, Data to Decisions, Space Environment Management, Hearing, Cancer Therapeutics, Capital Markets and Sheep Industry Innovation. Two proposed CRCs relative to our industry sector were an extension to the Advanced Manufacturing CRC and a new Manufacturing Industry Innovation CRC. In announcing almost $186m in funding, Minister Macfarlane said: “In addition to this funding, the Advanced Manufacturing and Manufacturing Industry Innovation CRCs are well positioned to assist the Australian manufacturing industry to adapt to new, high tech manufacturing processes and will assist in opening new markets. These applications displayed merit and are proposing to address issues of national importance. As such I have asked these CRCs to submit a combined proposal for my consideration.”

It is pleasing to see that these discussions have been progressing well. AMTIL is pleased to be involved in the establishment of the combined CRC, the Innovative Manufacturing CRC, and hope to play an important role in engaging industry with the CRC over the coming years. As the industry body representing suppliers and users of Additive Manufacturing technology, we believe a strong research focus in this area will generate significant growth for our industry and lead to fresh opportunities in new and existing markets. We have been working on the establishment of an Additive Manufacturing Portal/Group for the past two years and have 38 companies to date that have an interest in further learning and involvement in this area. We are working closely with other organisations, particularly CSIRO and Ai Group, to expand this Group into an Additive Manufacturing Network that will provide research and services aimed at developing real opportunities using this enabling technology. This is a major undertaking by AMTIL to ensure that one cohesive, national Network is established that meets the needs of all key stakeholders. An Interim Board has been appointed and Prof Murray Scott has been appointed as the interim CEO. The main task is to prepare a bid to be submitted to Canberra by 30 May with a presentation date to be set for late June. At this stage it is expected that an announcement on the bid would be made in July and, if successful, the CRC would be ready to open in December 2014. Companies who wish to have a further understanding of this Program and how they could engage in the CRC, either direct or through AMTIL, should contact Shane Infanti on 03 9800 3666 or at sinfanti@amtil.com.au.

Seeking your views on an IP Toolkit for Collaboration Both the Chief Scientist and the Advisory Council on Intellectual Property (ACIP) have identified a number of barriers to collaboration between Australia’s publicly funded research organisations (PFROs) and the private sector. Among recommendations for improving collaboration between the two sectors was the development of practical resources to assist with IP management in research collaborations. In response to this, the Department of Industry and IP Australia have developed a discussion paper on an IP Toolkit for Collaboration and seek views on the proposed Toolkit and the elements it should offer to be of greatest value to collaborating parties. The draft version is available at www.industry.gov.au/ industry/IPtoolkit

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AMT MAY 2014

Interested parties are invited to make written submissions by 23 May 2014. We seek responses to the questions posed in the discussion paper in particular. Comments are welcome from any interested party. Submissions should be sent to iptoolkit@ industry.gov.au AMTIL Members wishing to have input into AMTIL’s response to the discussion paper should write to Shane Infanti at sinfanti@amtil.com.au before 17th May 2014.

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FROM THE

Industry Innes Willox – Chief Executive Australian Industry Group

Red tape is a red hot issue Ahead of the last Federal election when we asked our members what the major issues were for them, the regulatory burden was in the top five. And so it should be: for one reason or another, regulation is not something that Australia does well. And over the recent past we have been getting worse. So, the Ai Group is right behind the Federal Government’s commitment to reduce regulatory burdens by $1bn per year each year over the term of the parliament. Two factors will be very important to the success of the assault on removing red tape. The first is the willingness of the business community itself to step up to the mark to help identify major areas of red tape reduction and the solutions. This is critical. Unless businesses buy into the process, we will get a top-down view of priorities and solutions. If we leave it to the bureaucrats to locate the problem areas and the ways they should be fixed, we could well end up with the fox in charge of the henhouse. Second, to make really substantial headway across the business community, we will need to move beyond the fallen and low-hanging fruit and address the major areas of regulatory burden that impact on businesses. The extent of the red tape burden facing Australian business is highlighted in a new Ai Group survey of CEOs. Businesses in the survey rate the major areas of regulatory burden as:

Labour-related regulation • 83% of CEOs who responded to the 2014 survey ranked the regulatory cost burden in these areas as medium or high. • These areas include industrial relations regulations as well as occupational health and safety (OH&S). Reducing duplication and improving harmonisation in OH&S laws has been sought by Australian business for many years, and it is still outstanding. Industrial relations regulation will be the subject of a forthcoming Productivity Commission inquiry. Reducing regulatory burdens must be a leading priority for this inquiry.

State and national tax compliance • Compliance costs associated with payroll and other state taxes was ranked as medium or high by 68% of CEOs, while 64% ranked the compliance costs burdens linked to national taxes including company tax and the GST compliance as high or medium. • This is separate from the level of taxation that is imposed. In this area, business costs could be reduced by addressing onerous and repetitive reporting requirements, online access, and national inconsistencies across jurisdictions. Reducing the costs of compliance and the distortions to business decisions must be a major focus of the Government’s foreshadowed taxation review.

Green tape regulating the environment, waste and energy • The regulatory burdens in these areas are a bugbear for around half of all businesses. • As with taxation compliance, onerous reporting requirements and regulatory inconsistencies across jurisdictions are frequently cited, but ‘green tape’ is often also characterised by lack of clarity, repetition, duplication and lack of consistency in regulatory requirements across agencies. A major clean-up is essential.

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AMT MAY 2014

Singling out these areas should not be taken as meaning that we don’t also need to address the myriad of specific regulations in areas such as infrastructure, planning, natural resources, transport, product safety, food safety, competition and fair trading. Of course they should be addressed – in fact, these areas are ripe for finding productivity and efficiency improvements that will bring cost savings to business as well as potential savings to Government. But the big three areas of regulation – labour, taxation and green tape – are where the most impactful, economy-wide benefits from reducing burdens will be generated. These areas affect the vast majority of businesses and even small reductions in regulatory burdens will be spread across a very large number of businesses. They deserve a particular emphasis. In a similar vein, broad benefits will be generated by addressing the ‘behaviours’ or ‘spirit’ in which regulations are implemented. Ai Group’s CEO survey underlines the importance of professional, constructive and consistent regulator behaviour. This has also been noted by the Productivity Commission. First, I think the scale of the red tape problem is such that we really do need to think big. We need to be open to left-field ideas and give them serious consideration. As an example, the Commonwealth Government is currently wrestling with the design of its Direct Action approach to reducing Australia’s contribution to global emissions of greenhouse gasses by at least 5% below 1990 levels by 2020. Some of our members are very mindful of the risk that Direct Action could impose a considerable regulatory burden on businesses. Others are fearful that the costs of complying with reporting and monitoring requirements will be a deterrent to their involvement in the Direct Action approach. They fear that such a deterrence to participate could jeopardise the scheme and could force the adoption of more intrusive regulatory approaches to emissions reduction – such as is happening in the US. We could easily meet our emission reduction target within the budget the Government has committed to Direct Action simply by purchasing globally recognised, international emission reduction permits. This would allow us to achieve our 5% target (and indeed even the very bullish target recently floated by the Climate Change Authority) without adding at all to the regulatory burden faced by Australian business. And we would not need a Direct Action bureaucracy. Another left-field idea relates to the difficulties in getting businesses to participate in identifying areas of red tape reduction. There is something ironic about asking businesspeople to give up time to participate in surveys and roundtables aimed at reducing the red tape burden that absorbs too much of their time. One way to address this is thorough, professional market research of the kind that goes into the development of new products and services. There is no denying we have a high regulatory burden that is damaging our competitiveness. Worse – our regulatory burden is rising. We urge businesses themselves to get involved to inform and to fuel this process and we urge governments to give major focus to the three big and most widespread areas of business compliance costs: labour-related regulation, taxation and green tape.

FROM THE

AMWU Paul Bastian – National Secretary Australian Manufacturing Workers Union

Handing government to the big end of town The Coalition Government’s lack of understanding of its role in a modern economy is clear in its handling of the auto industry, naval shipbuilding and skills. Perhaps the best example is in its approach to the Federal budget, through its Commission of Audit. The Commission comprises Peter Boxall, Tony Cole, Robert Fisher and former Liberal minister Amanda Vanstone, and is chaired by Tony Shepherd, recently retired president of the Business Council of Australia (BCA). Shepherd’s history and past statements indicate that, rather than to find better ways that the government can support Australia’s standard of living and help industry to be globally competitive, his ideological approach is to obliterate the role of government. That is, removing services that Australian people and Australian companies have a right to expect for the taxes they must pay. There was no room for trade unions or community representatives to give the Audit Commission balance. The terms of reference challenge it to prove why the role of government cannot be replicated by privatisation in every economic and social area. What the Government has done is sought the advice of big business on what it should do and how it should do it, ignoring the rest of society’s views and interests. It has effectively outsourced government reform to big business. Clearly the nation faces a long-term, demographic budgetary challenge due to our ageing population. But using this and a fabricated ‘budget emergency’ as a reason to impose draconian cuts on industry and the community in this and subsequent Budgets exposes the fact the Government has a hidden ideological agenda. The Audit Commission has been asked to aim for a Budget surplus of one percent by 2023 – but the Treasury and the BCA’s own estimates last year under Labor already had us on track to meet that goal. Generating a false climate of financial crisis is a convenient cover for the Coalition Government to impose wholesale privatisation of public assets and abrogate government responsibility in education, training and R&D, and other areas crucial to manufacturing. The Commonwealth Public Service had already been cut to the bone by the previous Labor Government, with government spending just 0.2% higher than 1996-97. Its employment as a share of population is lower than at any time on record. Australia faces budgetary challenges not because of socially essential programs such as the National Disability Support Scheme or the neutered Gonski education reforms, but largely due to a structural tax hangover from the mining boom. Our budget revenue would have been $33bn better off in 2012-13 in CPI real terms (after bracket creep) but for the excessive high income tax cuts by Treasurer Peter Costello in the early 2000s. They have proved unsustainable, yet the Coalition Government is silent on this, as it is on blatantly inequitable superannuation tax concessions for upper income earners. This Government’s ideological heart rules its head, as we’ve seen in its determination to scrap the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, despite it giving viable start-up funding to green businesses while

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AMT MAY 2014

Last month the Government abolished the Australian Workforce and Productivity Agency, the day after that body warned it of the shortcomings of training and qualifications among the manufacturing workforce. And there remains a massive cloud over the funding to the National Workforce Development Fund, the National Centre for Vocational Education Research, the National Skills Standards Council, and the Australian Skills Quality Authority. At the time of writing, the Audit Commission’s recommendations have yet to be released but there have been disturbing signs that cuts will fall disproportionately on other industry programs, pensioners, lower-income Australians and the sick. Extra charges to visit the GP, increasing the costs of medicines to senior citizens, lifting the pension age to 70, and further eroding the real value of pensions are not the kind of revenue-raising measures that will keep Australia the nation of “the fair go”. The Commission’s first option for cuts should be Abbott’s inequitable Paid Parental Leave Scheme, a luxury that will put a $5.5bn hole in the budget. Now comes the great sell-off, with Medibank Private being flogged for $4bn-$6bn, despite it delivering an average $500m annual surplus to the Commonwealth. Believed to also be on the Commission and Government’s possible agenda was privatising Australia Post, and most worryingly, selling off the Australian Submarine Corporation, the linchpin of our nation’s defence shipbuilding future. Privatisation is a gamble with severe limitations. Competition is minimised and power handed directly from the public sector to the corporate sector. Treasurer Joe Hockey is encouraging the states to sell-off prime community assets including ports and power stations in return for a deal to help fund infrastructure. But core state assets that provide crucial cost inputs – power and transport – for the private sector can only be sold once. Sell-offs are a poor funding alternative to the harnessing of the nation’s $1.5 trillion in superannuation savings, with the investment of foreign pension funds to build infrastructure also in its infancy. And it is no way to address long-term budget pressures. We need a government that understands it has a key role to play in providing services, investment, infrastructure to industry and communities, not cut services. Shepherd and his Commission will provide a road map to the Government that will increase inequality, degrade public services, and throw out the social wage. The result shouldn’t be welcomed by the manufacturing sector or the wider Australian community. But then again, friends in high places look after one another.

The bIgger pIcTure In A sMALLer pAcKAge For further information call Anne Samuelsson on 03 9800 3666, mobile on 0400 115 525 or email asamuelsson@amtil.com.au

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Marand delivers F-35 JSF vertical tails Precision engineering company Marand held a ceremony at its premises in Moorabbin (Vic) on 31 March to commemorate the delivery of the first shipment of Australian-made vertical tails for the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF). This delivery of the first major air-frame components marks an important production milestone for Marand, BAE Systems and Australia, demonstrating the significant industrial benefits the F-35 program brings to the Australian aerospace industry. The work on the F-35 vertical tails is subcontracted to Marand by BAE Systems and is one of the largest planned manufacturing projects for the F-35 in Australia, with 722 ship sets anticipated. Dr Denis Napthine, Premier of Victoria, and Michael Ronaldson, Senator for Victoria representing the Defence Minister, were among the guests in attendance at the ceremony. “This is a major step for Marand to move into the field of aerostructures manufacturing,” said David Ellul, Managing Director of Marand. “I am very proud of our team for achieving so much in such a short time with tremendous support from BAE Systems. The unique capability we have established will serve the Australian defence industry and create high-technology Australian jobs for many years to come.” “We take our commitment to international participation very seriously, and today is a very proud day for us, for Marand, and for Australia’s F-35 programme,” added Cliff Robson, Senior Vice-President F-35 for BAE Systems. “In just two years, we have worked side by side with Marand to develop a world class aerostructure facility with a first-rate, repeatable capability for the next 20 to 30 years.”

Dr Denis Napthine, Premier of Victoria, was among the guests at the ceremony held at Marand.

The F-35 Lightning II aircraft will provide the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) with a transformational fifth-generation fighter capability. The project provides significant benefits to the Australian aerospace industry, with more than US$350m already contracted and US$6bn in expected manufacturing orders over the life of the programme.

“The F-35 is not only transforming the battlefield but also the global aerospace industry,” said Orlando Carvalho, Executive Vice President for Lockheed Martin Aeronautics. “This programme is built on a foundation of unprecedented partnerships that tie our countries together and link our companies with one another. There’s really no better example of the true global nature of this programme than right here at Marand.”

Australian PMI: Manufacturing contracts again in March The latest Australian Performance of Manufacturing Index (Australian PMI) from the Australian Industry Group contracted again in March – with a slight drop of 0.7 points to 47.9. Readings below 50 indicate a contraction in activity. While new orders rose in the month (up 2.3 points to 52.3), manufacturing production fell into negative territory, dropping by 2.3 points to 49.2. Manufacturing selling prices also took a tumble falling 11.4 points. Employment across manufacturing was weak with the sub-index down 2.4 points to 45.0. Input prices (67.7) and average wages (55.2) both remained high while selling prices dropped to 39.2. “The latest Australian PMI shows that large parts of the economy are failing to gain traction in 2014,” said AiGroup Chief Executive Innes Willox. “Subdued local demand and the newly resurgent dollar are weighing heavily against the efforts of manufacturers to rebuild their sales base in Australia and internationally. High local production costs and rising input prices are still major barriers for those who are trying to compete internationally and against imports in the domestic market.”

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AMT MAY 2014

The food and beverage sub-sector continued to lift in March, reaching 53.4. It was one of four sub-sectors to expand. Other sub-sectors in the black in March included: petroleum, coal chemicals and rubber products (62.2); non-metallic minerals (66.9); and wood and wood paper products (55.6). “The Reserve Bank has signalled a more positive outlook and a hold on interest rates for 2014, but from a business perspective, the outlook is much more fragile,” said Willox.” The muchanticipated housing recovery remains weak in most states, consumer spending on non-food goods and local services is muted, and business attitudes to investment and hiring remain cautious. In this fragile atmosphere, we need to ensure that all relevant policy settings are supportive and not hindering the rebalancing our economy requires.”

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Skills to drive high-end, advanced manufacturing A new study has found Australia will need a more highly skilled and qualified workforce to build a competitive, high-end manufacturing base over the next decade. The Manufacturing Workforce Study report, developed by the Australian Workforce and Productivity Agency (AWPA) in consultation with industry, unions and the tertiary education sector, was released today at an industry forum in Melbourne. The report examines how Australian manufacturing’s shift from heavy industrial manufacturing to higher-value-added, technologically advanced production will impact on jobs and skills in the years to 2025. “To remain competitive, Australian manufacturing needs to transition to a more diverse, high-end base, where there will be a stronger focus on research and innovation and more niche manufacturing of complex high value added goods,’ said AWPA Chair Philip Bullock. “The Manufacturing Workforce Study looks at the adjustment and renewal which will need to take place in our manufacturing workforce and how we can achieve that shift in a way that supports productivity and skills. “Raising skill levels in this workforce will be critical, and the industry will require more people with higher education skills, particularly science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) skills and improved management skills, to provide the technical and leadership capacity to drive the sector’s transition. Deeper engagement will also be needed between manufacturers and universities and research bodies to ensure the supply of the higher skills required and to drive innovation through research.” The Manufacturing Workforce Study report says that despite recent downturns and closures in some subsectors, manufacturing in Australia can have a positive future. The industry is Australia’s fourth-largest employer, makes a disproportionately large contribution to export revenue and research effort and plays a critical role in the uptake and spread of innovation in our economy. The study finds that despite a probable lack of overall job growth in manufacturing, businesses will generate demand for a wider range

of skilled trades workers, technicians and professionals, particularly in STEM disciplines. Technology and innovation may result in the loss of some occupations but will also change the scope of job roles and create new job opportunities. AWPA conducted the Manufacturing Workforce Study in partnership with the Industry Skills Council— Manufacturing Skills Australia, the Australian Industry Group, Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union (AMWU), RMIT University, industry representatives and the Australian Government’s Department of Industry. The Manufacturing Workforce Study report makes several recommendations to ensure Australia builds a more diverse, sustainable and globally competitive manufacturing base, including: • Industry-wide collaboration. • Continued Australian Government support for programs that assist businesses to develop and upskill their workforces. • Reviewing and revising management training to suit contemporary managers. • Pursuing strategies to assist vulnerable workers’ transition to new roles, along with structural adjustment assistance packages. • Better promotion of the range of manufacturing jobs and career opportunities on offer. • Encouraging the development of greater STEM skills. • Improving apprenticeship completion rates. • Stronger collaboration between industry and universities to support more innovation. • Increasing diversity in the manufacturing workforce.

MP’s visit for APT Australian Precision Technologies (APT) played host to Jason Wood, Federal Member for La Trobe, recently when he dropped in on the company’s premises in Berwick to discuss manufacturing in La Trobe. APT specialises in producing simple to highly complex precision components, instruments and assemblies for the mining, aerospace, and sporting industries. Wood was joined by Mayor Geoff Ablett, Deputy Mayor Amanda Stapledon, City of Casey CEO Mike Tyler, Manager of Economic Development for the City of Casey David Wilkinson, and Executive Officer of South-East Melbourne Manufacturers Alliance (SEMMA) Adrian Boden. The tour, lead by APT Business Director Ron Weinzierl, allowed the guests to see first-hand how APT used a recent government grant to expand its investments in the latest world-leading technologies. “We work closely with our technology partners such as Okuma to maintain our competitive edge,” said Weinzierl. “And that, along with our quality control program managed by Ian MacKenzie, are all critical to our success.” One item that APT produces which particularly piqued Wood’s interest was the company’s advances into cycling and media technology. “I am incredibly impressed with the innovation, commitment and skillsbase demonstrated by APT,” Wood said. “Their use of Coalition Government support and grants is exactly what La Trobe needs and their business model is quite exciting – particularly when diversifying into the sporting field as well.

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APT was also able to showcase its pristine facilities and outline its involvement in a new specialised global export project into the cycling industry. With a young, motivated team, APT is forging ahead into new niche markets with a vision to further expand its global export base. “APT is not just good for La Trobe because of its manufacturing abilities and diversification of their product,” Wood added. “They have also developed a cutting edge training system, working with Chisholm TAFE to develop training that gives employees staged training on state-of-the-art machinery and opens the eyes of young students to the exciting opportunities in Engineering.”

• Effective up to 6.1 metres •

and is effective up to 6.1 metres away. Other styles

• •

• Cleans and neutralizes up to 4.6 metres •

• •

industry news

New home for Olympus Australia Olympus Australia held a dedication ceremony last month to mark the opening of its new headquarters in Melbourne. The new operational headquarters for Olympus in Australia is located in a state-of-the-art facility in Melbourne that incorporates a fully operational Customer Experience Centre, comprehensive training facilities and the company’s National Service Centre. At the dedication of the new building, the celebrations included a traditional Japanese ceremony called “kagami-biraki.”

Visitors in the fully equipped endoscopy room.

In his speech to mark the occasion, Dean Driscoll, Clinical Resources Manager for Olympus in Australia said: “For those of you who are new to the Japanese tradition of ‘christening’ a new building, kagamibiraki is a ceremony performed at celebratory events in which the lid of a sake barrel is broken open with a wooden mallet and the sake served to everyone present.” The purpose of the ceremony is to encourage harmony, health and good fortune, and on his first visit to Australia as Chairman of Olympus Group, Yasuyuki Kimoto, participated in the opening. “Sake enjoys a history of more than 2000 years and has been revered and treated as sacred, being offered to the gods to grant good health and fortune on momentous occasions such as ours here tonight,” Driscoll added. Guests at the opening were given a tour of the new facility, where customers will be able to experience the complete range of Olympus products in the various rooms dedicated to each of the company’s portfolios. Industrial Business Division customers will have hands-on access to products utilised in non-destructive testing, remote visual inspection, materials analysis by X-Ray fluorescence (XRF) and high-speed imaging. Similar demonstration and training areas are available to digital photography and microscopy customers.

The headquarters building for Olympus Australia.

One of the guests at the opening was Australian Institute for Nondestructive Testing (AINDT) CEO, Les Dick. AINDT is the peak industry body for NDT and condition-monitoring and many of its members are serviced by Olympus. “The building is stunning and demonstrates a commitment to the company’s customers,” said Dick. “In the past AINDT has collaborated with Olympus to present specialised training seminars and we look forward to bringing our members to this new facility and allowing them to gain hands-on experience of the latest technology.” For industrial customers, the latest hand-held XRF analyser models were on display at the opening. In addition, the GoldXpert bench-top precious metals analyser was demonstrated. GoldXpert provides carat and compositional analysis results with one push of a button. One guest at the opening volunteered his wedding ring to be analysed and was relieved to find that it was the 18-carat gold he expected.

For medical imaging customers, the Olympus headquarters building has multiple training rooms, including a fully equipped operating theatre and an endoscopy room. All the medical systems are integrated utilising the latest control software, which allows direct and remote control and monitoring of any piece of equipment. On the floor below the Customer Experience Centre is the National Service Centre, where clean-room conditions have been established to disinfect, assess, repair and quality-control the maintenance and upgrading of all instruments including medical imaging equipment such as endoscopes and other medical devices.

Japan buys Thales Bushmasters The Japanese Ministry of Defence has ordered four Bushmaster vehicles from Thales Australia, for deployment with the Japan Ground Self-Defence Force (JGSDF). The vehicles, all troop carrier variants, will be manufactured at the company’s facility in Bendigo, Victoria, for delivery in late 2014. “This new export order demonstrates the ongoing significance and versatility of the Bushmaster vehicle,” said Thales Australia CEO Chris Jenkins. “With effective operational deployment across Afghanistan and Iraq, the Bushmaster

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has proven its effectiveness across urban landscapes as well as mountainous regions, making it uniquely suited to Japan’s geographic and urban environments. The Bushmaster has been a significant success story for Thales, with over 1000 vehicles already sold in Australia, the Netherlands and Jamaica. This is the first time that the company is providing platforms to Japan. “Our aim is to be customer-focused and to offer Thales Group’s seamless and convenient services and technologies to our customers in Japan,” said Jenkins. “We look forward to working closely with the Japanese Ground Self-Defence Force as these vehicles enter service.”

industry news

Invitations open for Vic Hall of Fame dinner Manufacturing excellence will be celebrated at the 2014 Victorian Manufacturing Hall of Fame Gala Dinner, in Melbourne on Monday 16 June.

The Manufacturing Hall of Fame was established in 2001 and over the past 13 years, the awards have celebrated 131 innovative companies, added 26 recipients to the Honour Roll, and recognised ten Young Manufacturers of the Year. The theme of the 2014 Manufacturing Hall of Fame is ‘Transformative Manufacturing’, which increases productivity and site capacity whilst significantly reducing process time and energy use. Industry leaders will be gather at this year’s Gala Dinner to recognise the award-winning companies and individuals. The black tie event will provide those attending with the opportunity to network with industry peers, and host clients, staff and suppliers, as excellence in Victorian manufacturing is celebrated. The event will be held at the Palladium at Crown Melbourne, Crown Entertainment Complex, 8 Whiteman Street, Southbank, Melbourne on 16 June 2014. Tickets (incl. GST and agency fees): $220 each; $2000 per table of ten. Bookings close on Monday 2 June. Tickets can be booked at vmhf.com.au.

RMIT launches automation software research centre

NEW Introducing the HDV300

Video-based Measurement System The power of an optical comparator, meets the precision of digital video. • Electronic overlays – no more Mylars! • Easy to use M3 software – for both shop ﬂoor and lab • Fast measurement processing • Interchangeable lenses for large part images • DXF CAD Import • Touch-screen Windows 7/8 technology • A new generation of Optical Comparators for the 21st Century.

RMIT has launched a new automation software engineering research centre, connecting the University with industry partner ABB. The launch of the Australia-India Research Centre for Automation Software Engineering (AICAUSE) was hosted by RMIT ViceChancellor and President, Professor Margaret Gardner AO. The event was attended by dignitaries from ABB Australia and ABB India, as well as representatives from RMIT’s senior management. Professor Gardner said the centre exemplified RMIT’s global engagement strategy. “As a university of technology and design, RMIT is not only focused in its education and research, but also committed to a philosophy of education and research founded in action and experience. This requires training and education and as well as research and development that engages with partners such as ABB Australia and their global networks – working with others to achieve our goals.” The launch demonstrated the implementation of the centre’s deployment of its core capability of cloud support, robotic testing and visualisation control, with the facility at the City campus connecting with sites at ABB Australia and India. Following the launch, guests joined a tour of the facilities including the Global Operations Visualisation, Advanced Manufacturing Robot Interoperation Test and Cyber-Physical Simulation Rack laboratories. The centre – and in particular its eResearch component, the Virtual Interoperation Testing Laboratory (VITElab) – is funded by the portfolio of Victorian Minister for Technology Gordon Rich-Phillips under the Digital Futures Fund, part of the state’s Technology Plan for the Futures (Biotech and ICT). This government strategy includes the ‘eResearch Agenda’, supporting skills development, data management and collaboration technology.

What company has such vision?

Innovation Rules www.starrett.com.au

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INTERACTIVE EDUCATION Free-to-attend Solutions Theatres for R&D, Digital, Workplace Safety and Plastics. Hear from high-calibre speakers, linking industry and visitors with the latest research and best practice. Do not miss the opening keynote address on Day 1 from Chief Scientist of Australia, Professor Ian Chubb - 10:30am–11:00am Tuesday 13th May, R&D Hub.

ONE-TO-ONE BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES NMW will facilitate prescheduled ‘One-to-One Meetings’ between qualified buyers and vendors. This is a great opportunity to meet and discuss mutually beneficial business outcomes within a private environment.

INNOVATION, INFORMATION & INSPIRATION TO ADAPT TO THE NEXT GENERATION OF MANUFACTURING

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www.nationalmanufacturingweek.com.au

ADVANCING

MANUFACTURING & PLASTICS TECHNOLOGY

NETWORKING FUNCTION

PRODUCT ZONES Six new Product Zones covering sectors and technologies that are driving industry growth - Machine Tools, Additive and Digital Manufacturing, CleanTech, Advanced Materials and Engineering Services.

Join your fellow manufacturing industry professionals from 4pm on Day 1 for an afternoon of drinks and networking. This is a fantastic opportunity to broaden your network, liaise with industry leaders and strengthen existing relationships. Attendance is free for all visitors and exhibitors.

PLASTICS TECHNOLOGY Returning to Sydney for the first time in 24 years, Ausplas - Australia’s premier plastics technology exhibition - will be incorporated into NMW.

DIVERSIFY YOUR PRODUCT OFFERING & GROW YOUR BUSINESS

OPTIMISE OPERATIONS & MAXIMISE PRODUCTIVITY

13 – 16 MAY 2014 SYDNEY SHOWGROUND, SYDNEY OLYMPIC PARK

Government news

New jobs and investment for Melbourne’s north More than 65 new manufacturing jobs will be created in Melbourne’s north through the first project to be funded under a new investment and innovation program targeting the region. Federal Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane and Victorian Minister for Manufacturing David Hodgett announced the $1m grant under the joint Commonwealth/State Melbourne North Innovation and Investment Fund (MNIIF) to Epping business New Age Caravans. The grant will allow New Age Caravans to undertake a $3.7m project to establish an advanced robotic manufacturing centre to improve the productivity and quality of its manufacturing activities. “This project is a great example of an innovative company in a growing market that is driving real improvements in productivity,” said Macfarlane. “The jobs that will be created by this project are suitable for ex-Ford and automotive supply chain workers, with only minimal retraining required. Australian manufacturing is repositioning to take advantage of new markets and new jobs.” It is the first of many projects to be funded under MNIIF, a tripartite agreement between the Commonwealth Government, the Victorian Government and Ford Australia. Hodgett said it is the first of a number of projects that would help grow manufacturing jobs in the region. “This investment in the company’s new facility is the first project to be supported by the MNIIF, which will assist local businesses as they seek new opportunities and build on the state’s strengths,” Hodgett said. “Melbourne’s north is a hub of engineering, aerospace

and defence, electronics and print-packaging industries, which are thriving in a global market. We are partnering with both the Commonwealth and Ford Australia to help entrepreneurial local businesses like New Age Caravans to undertake projects that will create jobs and opportunities.” The MNIIF and the Geelong Region Innovation and Investment Fund (GRIIF) are competitive, merit-based grant programs. The funds are based on a tripartite agreement between the Commonwealth Government, the Victorian Government and Ford Australia. The Commonwealth Government will contribute $30m; the Victorian Government $9m; and Ford Australia $10 million. Of that $49m total, $24.5m will be allocated to the GRIIF and $24.5million to the MNIIF. The funds were set up to help Ford manufacturing employees transition to new roles. “Ford is absolutely committed to transforming our Australian business, which is why we contributed $10m to this fund to support all employees directly affected by our changes,” said Bob Graziano, Ford Australia’s President. “Many of the jobs to be created will be highly suitable for skilled workers from the automotive sector.” Further announcements will be made shortly about other successful projects.

Privacy laws – Protect your bottom line Despite widespread awareness of the new Australian privacy laws and fines for non-compliance, many businesses are still failing to understand how the law may impact their bottom line. The Federal Government’s recent changes to the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) see greater emphasis being placed on personal privacy. Businesses now need to ensure their data is accurate, managed and stored appropriately, and that all the necessary consents have been obtained and recorded correctly. Although many companies are aware of potential fines of up to $1.7m for non-compliance, many fail to understand the other threats to profit the laws bring. According to Nigel Lester, Director, Customer Information Management & Location Intelligence at Pitney Bowes, organisations need to look being doing the minimum required to stay compliant and consider the bigger picture. Pitney Bowes highlights several issues Australian businesses may be unaware of:

1. Increased data administration burden The new laws will put a huge administrative burden on companies. It is vital to have processes in place to manage that. Compliance will rely on a company’s ability to cleanse and control data to ensure it is complaint across the whole business. For companies with data across multiple offices or systems, cleansing and consolidating data will be a major, ongoing task. Once data is cleansed it must also be regularly updated. “Seeing an entire overview of operations in each department is vital to maximise chances of data being clean,” says Lester. “Intelligent mapping technology can generate this view to instantly identify gaps in processes, customer permission records to access their data, and danger zones which might be violating the new laws.”

2. Increased customer service resources The new laws let customers request to see all data a company holds on them. This will require time and resources to pull together, especially as customers become more aware of their right to request information. Many organisations use multiple platforms and systems across different departments, with duplicate data on the same customer. Organisations must implement systems that can eliminate duplication and amalgamate data in one system.

3. Non-compliant partners/contractors If your business outsources data collection or customer contact you must ensure that the people you work with have the right processes to remain compliant. Overseas organisations with access to the information will need to be compliant too. If you work with partners or contractors, a data-management strategy to ensure your customers’ data remains compliant is vital.

4. Training costs Both individuals and organisations are subject to the new laws and can be prosecuted for non-compliance. Privacy data compliance is the responsibility of everyone in the organisation. This means training every staff member. Organisations may need to bring in one person with overall responsibility for compliance, requiring additional resources, but may ultimately save on ongoing training costs. “It’s not surprising that many organisations are introducing Chief Data Officers who are specifically responsible for abolishing silos to deliver a clear view of all operations,” says Lester. “Australian businesses need to ensure they understand the true cost of the new laws.” www.pitneybowes.com.au

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Tech news

USA/China: New twist for better steel When cylinders of steel are twisted, their strength is improved without sacrificing ductility. Steel cylinders made with a particular kind of steel called twinning-induced plasticity (TWIP) steel can be made stronger through work hardening. When TWIP steel is deformed, nanoscale structures called deformation twins form in its atomic lattice. Twin structures make TWIP steel much stronger, but there’s a ductility tradeoff. To evade that tradeoff, engineers introduced a new twist — literally — on the deformation process. Instead of deforming the steel by hammering it or bending it, they took small cylinders of TWIP steel and twisted them. The twisting motion causes molecules in the outer parts of the cylinder to deform to a much greater degree than those toward the core.The result is a steel cylinder whose surface becomes stronger and more resistant to cracking, while the inside retains its original ductility. It is hoped this technique will be used to pre-treat steel that requires a cylindrical shape. Brown University

Netherlands: 3D-printed skull – medical first Doctors have saved a woman’s life by carrying out the first skull transplant using biocompatible plastic parts built in a 3D printer. The 22-year-old patient was suffering from a rare condition that caused the inside of her skull to grow extra bone, squeezing her brain. This resulted in severe headaches, gradual loss of sight and motor control. It was only a matter of time before other essential brain functions would have atrophied and she would have died. In the past implants were created using a kind of cement, which did not have a good fit. 3D printing allows for precise customisation. The surgeons worked with Australian 3D printing firm Anatomics - a medical device company that specializes in 3D printing. The patient has made a full recovery and can see again and is now back at work with no ill effects or visible scarring. Mixed

France: Mother-of-pearl inspires super-strong material Ceramics all have the same flaw: they are fragile. Yet this characteristic may soon be a thing of the past: a team of researchers has presented a new ceramic material inspired by mother-of-pearl from the marine mollusk abalone. This material, almost ten times stronger than a conventional ceramic, is the result of an innovative manufacturing process that includes a freezing step. This method appears to be compatible with large-scale industrialization and should not be much more expensive than the techniques already in use. The artificial mother-of-pearl, which retains its properties at temperatures of at least 600°C, could find a wealth of applications in industry and reduce the weight or size of ceramic elements in motors and energy-generation devices. CNRS

Germany: Rapid materials testing in 3D Ultrasound is a proven technology in components testing, but until now evaluating the data has been time-consuming. This will be easier and faster in the future. Researchers have been able to produce high-resolution 3D images from the test signals, as in medical ultrasounds. These pictures reveal any material defects, giving their size and exact location. The solution builds on phased array technology. This allows the ultrasonic waves to be passed through large areas of material at a time instead of only penetrating the subject selectively. In parallel, they have developed a real-time

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algorithm. To analyse an abnormality in the material, the examiner can view the pictures from different directions, rotate them or select specific areas. It is also possible to take longitudinal or transverse sections of the images. Fraunhofer

Germany: High-stability, lightweight construction materials Researchers have developed microstructured lightweight construction materials of highest stability. Although their density is below that of water, their stability relative to their weight exceeds that of massive materials, such as high-performance steel or aluminium. The lightweight construction materials are inspired by the framework structure of bones and the shell structure of the bees’ honeycombs. The elements are about 50 µm long, wide, and high. The shell structure resembles a honeycomb with slightly curved walls to prevent buckling. , 3D laser lithography was applied. Laser beams harden the desired microstructure in a photoresist. Then, this structure is coated with a ceramic material by gas deposition. Microstructured materials are often used for insulation or as shock absorbers. Karlsruhe Institute of Technology

Sweden: Ceramic nanoparticle coating for aero engines Researchers have started using nanoparticles in the heat-insulating surface layer that protects aircraft engines from heat. In tests, this increased the service life of the coating by 300%. The goal is to be able to control the structure of the heat-insulating surface layer on top of the metal components of aircraft engines in order to increase its service life and insulating capability. The base is a ceramic powder, but adding plastic to generate pores that make the material more elastic has also been tested. Nanoparticles have also been tested. The particles are so fine that the powder must be mixed with a liquid and then sprayed (suspension plasma spray application). The new coating layer lasts at least three times as long as a conventional layer while it has low heat conduction abilities. University West

Spain: Advances in cryogenic treatment A more efficient way to produce steel is being researched via cryogenic treatment (a process in which the material is subjected to temperatures below -153 ºC). Conventional cryogenic treatment consists of slowly cooling the material to about -180 ºC, keeping it at that temperature for a long period of time and then reheating it to ambient temperature. The fact that it takes so long is a problem. To solve this, one of the alternatives that is currently being explored is multi-phase cryogenic treatment. It is based on the repetition of short, fast, cryogenic cycles. It allows the processing time to be considerably reduced, which enables consumption and costs to be cut. Results are, on the whole, better than the ones achieved using conventional cryogenic treatments. And the process is totally environmentally friendly. Basque Research

Product news

Walter completes its Xpert team Walter has completed its family of Xpert taps with variants for ISO K and ISO N materials The distinguishing feature of the Xpert tap family is the ease of association with a range of applications, achieved by a clearly visible inscription with the ISO material group and the Xpert name. For all types, the inscription on the shank of the ISO material group clearly indicates in which materials the tools achieve their highest performance. These advantages are now available for the P, M, K and N ISO material groups, with the introduction of Paradur Xpert K and the Paradur/Prototex Xpert N. Xpert products work almost hand in hand with each other because there are secondary applications that enable their use beyond primary roles. For example, the Xpert N is usually most suitable for long-chipping aluminium materials, but if the materials are made to be increasingly short-chipping through a high Si content, then use of the Xpert K is beneficial. The situation with steel and stainless materials is similar. “In this way, the flexibility of the whole family using the P, M, K and N materials is complete,” explains Martin Hellstern, tapping specialist in Product Management at Walter. The Walter Prototyp Paradur Xpert K is the robust reliable solution for machining cast iron. Two different tools are not required to produce blind and through-hole threads in cast iron. Instead, the user can manage with only one – a straightfluted tap in this case. An additional feature is that the Xpert K is manufactured from HSS-E-PM, so in addition to toughness, the tool body in the powder-metal version offers a higher level of hardness. This, combined with an optimised, temperature resistant TAFT coating, results in excellent tool life even with highly abrasive cast iron materials and high cutting data. Two specialised tool designs, the helical flute Paradur Xpert N and the Prototex Xpert N spiral point tap are available for non-ferrous metals, particularly AlSi alloys with up to 7% Si content or pure copper. The distinguishing shared feature is a polished uncoated surface, which supports controlled chip formation and evacuation in ISO N materials. In addition, miscutting in soft materials is prevented by the geometry, specifically designed for ISO N materials. For soft materials, Walter also offers the Paradur Xpert N with a reduced number of flutes to optimise chip evacuation. www.walter-tools.com

AMT MAY 2014

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product news

Harmony Endmill – Eliminating vibration The Harmony range of endmills from Sutton Tools utilises the latest technologies to provide improved performance and tool life. The key to successful milling is to minimise or eliminate the vibration produced in the cutting action. This is known as a build-up of harmonics in the workpiece, which can be detrimental to cutting tool life. The Harmony Endmill overcomes vibration, through a combination of tool design, micro geometry, material and coating, without the need to sacrifice productivity. The Harmony family is constantly being expanded to enable component producers supporting a broad spectrum of industries to successfully mill new materials as they are introduced. The Harmony UNI is the general all-rounder in the Harmony range with a universal design that can be used in a wide range of steels, cast iron and exotic alloys. A combination of a 35/38 degree unequal flute helix and various optimisation with regard to the end-teeth geometry can reduce the potential harmonic buildup of vibration in the system. This results in chatter-free milling in many applications, increasing productivity and tool life. The Harmony UNI is made from VHM-ULTRA, an ultra-fine grain type (0.5 microns), combined with Balzers Alcrona coating (AlCrN), and micro-geometry technology, which offers the best wear resistance in high performance milling applications. The VA-Harmony endmill has been engineered specifically for milling stainless steels and super alloys—such as austenitic grades 304 and 316, duplex grades, as well as inconels 718 and 725. Available in diameters from 6mm to 20mm, the VA-Harmony EndMill is ideal for a range of milling operations, including finishing, side cutting, oblique cuts, roughing and slotting – all with the one tool. The tool design incorporates an ultra-fine micro-grain carbide base material, combined with the Balzers Oerlikon Helica multilayer coating for outstanding oxidation resistance and hot hardness. Together with the 40/42-degree unequal flute helix

and the 45-degree corner chamfering edge-protection, the VAHarmony outperforms competing endmills in both bench testing and end-user assessments. The VA-Harmony Endmill is a versatile tool that offers an industryleading performance - suppressing chattering, and facilitating higher feed-rates, longer tool-life and increased productivity compared with conventional endmills. The Harmony DUO range can be used for roughing, cavity milling, pocket milling, profiling, ramping, slotting and finishing, and provides an ideal selection of endmills for machining toolgrade steels in the mould and die industry. Due to its various features, this range has the versatility to complete moulds in the hardest and toughest of materials, eliminating costly failures and downtime during the cycle. The dual-stepped core design provides optimised performance, with the rigid construction of the thickened core section delivering enhanced tool stability and minimised vibration, while the deeper flute profile offers excellent chip-evacuation. The ultra-fine grade of micro-grain carbide base material is enhanced by a choice of two Balzers Oerlikon coatings. A multilayer Alcrona coating (AlCrN) optimises the machining of softer steels, while an Aldura coating, comprising bi-layered AlCrN and TiAlN provides superior hot-hardness and oxidation resistance for milling hardened tool-grade steels and alloys. The Harmony DUO range has been subjected to a series of exacting internal benchmarking tests to compare its performance against leading brands under identical operating conditions. The results indicated that Harmony DUO delivers comparable or better performance. www.sutton.com.au

Economical bending with Trumpf The new generation of TruBend Series 3000 from Trumpf Machinery combines high axis speeds with easy operation and an attractive price-performance ratio. The easy to use, robust and reliable TruBend Series 3000 features a multi-touch control and compact design for a distinguished appearance. The backgauge can view the entire bending length approach and is usable without interference contour. The automatic crowning ensures constant angle, while high axis speed makes the machines the fastest in its class. The TruBend 3100 has a force of 1,000kN and a bending length of three metres. It is equipped with a two-axis back gauge, but can be allocated to a four- or five-axis stop system. The sheet can be positioned securely even with complex component geometries. Boasting low investment costs, the TruBend 3100 boasts an operating concept that is simple and intuitive. On a big screen with a modern multi-touch control, the machine operator can draw components and program the machine graphically. The exact bending parameters are calculated on the basis of Trumpf technology data, which draw on decades of experience as a basis. A 3-D visualisation feature further facilitates ease of operation. The operator can choose from a variety of different tool clamping systems as needed – even foreign tools can be used without an adapter. The Quick Clamp option reduces setup times, with a quick-lock lever and automatic hydraulic clamping. The terminal system centres tools automatically and can be used vertically, further reducing set-up times.

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The TruBend Series 3000 comes equipped with various features to ensure a safe and ergonomic workplace. These include the optoelectronic safety device BendGuard. It monitors the area below the upper tool using a light field. If an object such as a hand interrupts the field during operation, the machine stops, protecting the operator. The compact design of the machine brings other advantages: it requires only a small footprint, has an easily accessible interior and can be installed quickly because it is fully assembled upon delivery. The foot switch can be easily repositioned to suit the operator’s specific needs. The TruBend Series 3000 and complete Trumpf range is available in Australia exclusively from Headland Machinery. www.headland.com.au

Product news

Universal Robots lower barriers to automation Universal Robots (UR) has launched its simple-toprogram robots in the Australian and New Zealand markets, targeting small and medium-sized customers in the manufacturing, packaging and process industries. UR is an innovative and globally successful Danish manufacturer of robots. Since the first UR robot entered the market in 2009, the company has seen substantial growth. This year alone, UR expects to sell 800-1000 robots globally. Portfolio customers include companies such as Lear, Oticon, Bosch, BMW, LG, Samsung, GN Resound, Boeing in Australia and several universities across Australia and New Zealand. UR designs its robots with a focus on user friendliness and flexibility. The company has approximately 50 employees. All development and production is carried out in Odense, Denmark. UR’s robotic arms are targeted at companies for which robotics and automation technology has traditionally been too expensive, cumbersome and difficult to program. The lightweight UR5 and UR10 are designed specifically to integrate seamlessly into existing production processes and work alongside personnel with little to no safety shielding required by other robotic equipment. The products are virtually plug-and-play, and provide users with a simple user interface, which means they can be programmed and operated by people with no previous experience, simply by grabbing the robot arm and physically showing it what to do. “Many companies have invested in our robots to save on personnel costs, boost quality or raise productivity,” says Shermine Gotfredsen, Business Development Manager for UR in Asia Pacific. “We see potential in all these applications in the Australian and New Zealand markets, but one of the most relevant reasons for local manufacturers to consider UR products is to drive down the cost of operations, which will help small and medium-sized local business compete with bigger manufacturers and overseas operators.” Instead of the expensive sensor technology found in many robotic products, the UR5 robotic arm uses a unique patented technology to measure the electrical current in its joints to determine force and movement. The innovation means the product costs significantly less than other automated solutions. “Small and medium-sized enterprises demand a fast return on investment,” adds Gotfredsen. “Besides the robot’s low initial cost, it operates very cost-efficiently and our customers generally find it is profitable in only six to eight months.” Universal Robots products are distributed in Australia by Sensorplex. www.sensorplex.com

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product news

IR Centac 800 energy efficient centrifugal compressor Ingersoll Rand has responded to industry needs for a smaller, more energy-efficient centrifugal air compressor with the new Centac C800, exclusively available in Australia from CAPS. The C800 is built on Ingersoll Rand’s latest generation technology: an integrated and simplified centrifugal compressor platform. The model is an extension of the popular Centac C1000 product line. Providing 100% clean, oil-free air, the C800 has been certified as ISO 8573-1 Class 0, and is designed to minimise downtime and lower the total cost of ownership. The Centac C800 reduces energy use by up to 6% at full load, significantly reducing overall ownership costs, whilst the unit’s backward-leaning impellers were designed with leading edge software and computational fluid dynamics that maximise peak efficiency and provide greater turndown. Furthermore, inlet guide vanes (IGVs) are standard on the new C800 delivering up to 10% additional energy savings at partial load. Reductions in energy use with the C800 can lead to significant savings. With the single largest contributor to lifetime cost for centrifugal compressors being loss of production, the Centac C800 is designed with features to ensure 100% uptime. “Lost production caused by unscheduled downtime is the largest contributor to a compressor’s lifetime cost,” said Paolo Lazzari, International Business Development Manager for CAPS Australia. “Ingersoll Rand manufactured the C800 with fewer parts, integrated components – and easily accessible critical components – to increase the compressor’s reliability and efficiency.” Preventative service and maintenance tasks have become easier with the C800 air compressor, with a one-piece removable inducer, in-place rodable coolers, bull gear inspection ports, and open cooler casing which offer increased access to critical components. The fully configured C800 compressor package also provides for efficient installation – with no special foundation or grouting required. The single inlet and outlet connections for

cooling water also reduces installation time and cost. These features were specifically designed to enable a high level of system efficiency and reliability. The Web-enabled Xe-Series controller enhances productivity and enables plant and operations managers to remotely access and adjust the system from virtually anywhere. It presents real-time monitoring and trending of critical components, making it easy to predict maintenance needs and correct operating parameters from Web-enabled smartphones, tablets and personal computers. The Ingersoll Rand Centac C800 is the latest addition to CAPS’ comprehensive centrifugal compressor range. www.capsaust.com.au

Bürkert – Innovation meets efficiency Bürkert’s new type 8697 pneumatic control unit with position feedback, with LED status indication, has been released to fit all Classic and Element valves. The IP65/67 8697 head has mechanical or inductive position switches, and an integrated pneumatic pilot to control single-acting actuators. This innovation replaces the type 1062, offering one-button commissioning for decentralised automation for small drives. Designed as a more compact version of the type 8690, Bürkert’s latest innovation boasts a larger scope than its predecessors. The new type 8697 is available as a pneumatic unit or feedback for Element valves with 50mm actuators, as well as a pneumatic control unit for Classic valves with actuator sizes 40/50/63mm. The head can also be used as a feedback for Classic actuators of all sizes, 40-225mm. The type 8697 replaces the type 1062, which previously offered position feedback (but no pilot) for Classic valves. Beyond a replacement, the type 8697 offers original advancements such as an integrated pilot valve with manual actuation and LEDs for indicating device status. Integrating this head is the simplest way to create a decentralised automation device, improving overall process

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speed and allowing independence and therefore creativity in process design, leading to perfectly optimised systems. The type 8697 asserts itself with mechanical self-adjusting valve position switches as two and three-wire inductive or micro switches. LED integration illustrates switch position. Utilising the type 8697 as a pneumatic control unit creates a decentralised device, eliminating the need for a control cabinet with hoses leading to the respective valve. This simplifies system design and minimises the control air consumption for drive switching. Combining the type 8697 with a process valve from the ELEMENT series results in an efficient process which avowals an EHEDG-compliant valve system with high level IP protection and an integrated control air supply with additional spring chamber ventilation. The hygienic and water segments are the focus of the type 8697; but its dynamic design substantiates its use in the general process industry. www.burkert.com.au

Product news

Dormer Shark Line takes a bite out of threading Dormer Tools has introduced Shark Line, a range of taps for material specific applications. All of Dormer’s Shark taps feature a coloured ring that signifies the specific material type it is suited to. The range encompasses spiral point taps for through-hole applications, spiral flute taps for threading blind holes, and, in the case of white ring taps for cast iron, straight flute taps for both through or blind holes.

cutting edges to ensure longer tool life, as well as providing a superior thread surface finish. The different geometries for blind and through holes have been optimised to ensure process security. Extra-fine surfaces due to improved grinding technology enable the advanced surface coating to have a smoother finish. This reduces the risk of chipping, increases tool life and allows higher cutting speeds. Moreover, the application-specific cutting edge treatment ensures optimal performance. Yellow Shark is designed for threading low-alloy steels, and is available with an electroplated Hard Chrome finish up to five microns thick to prevent edge build-up in materials that are prone to sticking to the cutting edges. The flute geometry has been designed to prevent swarf nesting, reducing the risk of recutting swarf on reversal.

Dormer’s Marketing Manager Simon Winstanley explains the need for material specific taps: “Simply because of the multitude of forces exerted on the cutting edges, producing threads with taps is one of the most difficult machining processes a solid round tool can perform. “Working with a general cutting geometry in materials that have a low resilience will have the effect that the actual diameter of cut thread will be too large. In materials that have a high resilience the threads of the tap will become enclosed by the material with increased risk of breakage. Entering the workpiece material with rake and relief angles that are specifically suited for that range of materials is essential for producing the optimum thread.” Shark taps are manufactured from a HSSE-PM substrate specifically developed for taps to give the additional toughness required, consistently stable properties and a superior grindability compared with conventional high-speed steels. These improved characteristics mean the taps have a more predictable and assured life. Advanced geometry ensures the production of excellent threads at both high and low cutting speeds. It also prevents unnecessary built-up edge and wear on the

Red Shark is designed for high-performance thread production in alloy steels and is available in Bright finish or with TiAlN-Top coating for increased protection against abrasive wear and erosion. When combined with edge preparation, it guarantees exceptional performance in alloy steels. The spiral flute version features back taper design to diminish chipping on the last few threads of the tap and reduce the torque required to reverse the tool. The production of threads in a wide range of stainless steels is achieved with Blue Shark. Available with Steam Temper or Super-B (a hard lube coating that prevents chips adhering to the flutes) coatings with specific edge preparation, these taps provide extended tool life in even the most difficult stainless steels. The White Shark has been developed specifically for cast iron and other short chipping materials. Available with the Steam Temper or TiAlN coating options it features a straight flute design, which enables production of both through and blind holes. Green Shark is the final material specific thread cutting option. It has been developed for non-ferrous materials with a Bright or TiAlN-Top finish to provide exceptional cutting service life in aluminium and its alloys, brass and copper. www.dormertools.com

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NMW PREVIEW

Innovators to urge action at NMW 2014 The New South Wales Finance Minister Andrew Constance, Australia’s Chief Scientist Prof Ian Chubb and Prof Veena Sahajwalla from the University of NSW will be among more than 35 high-profile industry speakers at National Manufacturing Week 2014 (NMW) in Sydney from 13-16 May. The NMW Solutions Theatre speaker program will run on the exhibition floor throughout the event, giving manufacturers a rare chance to connect with the innovators as well as the technologies shaping industry’s future. For the past 15 years, NMW has been Australia’s largest industry event, and is the only manufacturing trade event scheduled this year. Reflecting its status, NMW has attracted an extraordinary group of speakers to the 2014 edition, with ideas for injecting more innovation and creativity into the sector to generate competitive advantage. Prof Chubb, for one, will begin by urging industry to embrace innovation. He comments: “As a country, we need more innovation and ideas, and we need everyone to be thinking about how we can change.” The NMW Solutions Theatre program will take place in four separate Hubs: R&D; Digital Technology; Workplace Safety/CleanTech; and Plastics Technology. Each Hub will feature presentations and demonstrations, including technical insights and interactive discussions on topics ranging from sustainability to nanotechnology and 3D printing in metal. Among the new ideas being presented in the R&D Hub are: • Exploring novel technological developments in photonics and robotics: with speakers from The Australian Astronomical Observatory, including Assoc. Prof. Andrew Hopkins, Head of Anglo-Australian Telescope Science. • The Imperative for Innovation: Marlene Kanga, Member of the Board, Innovation Australia and former national president, Engineers Australia • Manufacturing Australia’s Future – Innovate or Perish: A services-based approach to creating new business assets and strategies - Lachlan Mullane, Partner, Hodgkinson McInnes Other presentations in the Solutions Theatre will address areas of specific opportunity in medical technology, mining & energy and other industries. Other speakers will drill down to operational improvements. For example, Colin Cockroft, Senior Engineer Manager East Coast for EMC Energy Made Clean, will speak about efficiency gains of up to 20% that can result from optimising systems according to a complex set of variables including commodity prices and demand. According to NMW Exhibition Director Anthony Reed, having the R&D Hub and Solutions Theatre program running alongside the trade exhibition – and freely available to all visitors – is intended to

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spark the deeper level of engagement that truly strengthens industry. “NMW is bringing together some truly great thinkers, with new ideas, new strategies and new ways of thinking that, we believe, will inspire you toward more innovation - or perhaps specific improvements - in your business,” comments Reed. “Best of all, the Solutions Theatre programs will run at no charge, right on the exhibition floor at NMW, giving you the opportunity to really engage with industry leaders – to hear their ideas, ask questions face-to-face, and even continue the conversation following their presentations.”

A showcase for advanced manufacturing Across the broader exhibition floor, NMW will be putting the spotlight on emerging industry trends, with a record 15 Product Zones housing over 275 local, national and international exhibiting companies. The Product Zones include six new areas dedicated to the fastgrowing Digital and Additive Manufacturing sectors, as well as Machine Tools, which will have everything from CNC machining centres to laser equipment on active display. In another first, the NMW CleanTech Product Zone will house solutions for waste minimisation, efficient cooling and other options for companies seeking to boost efficiencies and cut their environmental impact. The new Product Zones complement the showcase of innovative technologies housed in NMW’s established areas, including Welding Technology, Robotics & Automation, and Process Control & Instrumentation. “To help you connect with all of the products and services of interest, NMW is also offering a free One-to-One Meetings service that takes the legwork out of meeting new suppliers,” says Reed. “Through this program, you nominate issues or technologies you’d like more information about, and NMW will match you with expert suppliers in that field. The service means you spend more of your time dealing directly with people who can give you new ideas and technologies for solving your challenges – all in the one venue.” With so much to see and do at this year’s event, Reed recommends visiting the NMW website, where access to the full event program, exhibitor layout and more can help you pre-plan your visit to get maximum benefit. NMW 2014 is supported by Engineers Australia and NSW Trade & Investment, and will be held at Sydney Showground, Sydney Olympic Park on 13-16 May. Entry to both the exhibitions and the Solutions Theatres is free to trade visitors. www.nationalmanufacturingweek.com.au

NMW PREVIEW

AMTIL members and partner organisations will be well represented at NMW. Here are some of the companies that will be exhibiting at the show. 3D Systems Asia Pacific

BOC

3D Systems is a leading provider of 3D content-to-print solutions, including 3D printers, print materials and on-demand custom parts services for professionals and consumers alike. The company also provides CAD software and plugins, and affordable consumer create-and-make printers, apps and services. Its expertly integrated solutions replace and complement traditional methods and reduce the time and cost of designing new products by printing real parts directly from digital input. These solutions are used to rapidly design, create, communicate, prototype or produce real parts, empowering customers to create and make with confidence.

BOC offers an outstanding selection of leading gases, welding and safety products specific to the industrial market. Its network covers 90 BOC Gas & Gear retail outlets, 40 production facilities and 1000 gas agents across the South Pacific, while its welding specialists offer a wealth of technical expertise in gas and welding and its safety specialists can help you with workplace safety issues.

Stand: 1537 www.3dsystems.com.au

BAC Systems Quality industrial storage and workshop equipment manufactured by BAC Systems will be on display at its stand 2123, including its latest release â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the 77 Series racking and shelving system. Designed with safety in mind, the 77 Series offers a hybrid storage solution, for the smallest parts stores to the largest warehouses. It encompasses storage methods for the smallest widgets right up to palletised storage. With so many unique solutions in the single system, BAC believes the 77 Series is the future of storage and warehousing. BAC will also be displaying its signature Drawer Storage System, adjudged by Standards Australia to be the benchmark for such systems. The system is the optimal solution for warehouse compression, requiring significantly less floor space than shelving for small-to-medium components, while not being prone to the technical faults and down-time of comparable electromechanical alternatives. BACâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s range of reliable workbenches will also be showcased. A favourite in Australian workshops, BAC workbenches can be configured with modular drawer storage, shelving, and a wide range of additional options to increase productivity. The BAC technical sales team will be available at the stand to assist with the layout design for your site.

Stand: 2123 www.bacsystems.com.au

BOC, a member of the Linde Group, develops safe, sustainable and innovative solutions for customers in many industries. The Linde Group is a world-leading gases and engineering company that has around 62,000 employees in more than 100 countries worldwide. BOC customers can enjoy local service whilst also benefiting from the extended support, expertise and buying power that comes with being part of a major international business.

Stand: 1025 www.boc.com.au

Carl Zeiss As a metrology innovation leader, Carl Zeiss IMT manufactures a complete range of coordinate measuring machines (CMMs) for every quality control need, as well as form, contour and surface measuring instruments, industrial computed tomography (CT) X-ray solutions for castings and non-destructive testing (NDT), and micromeasuring systems for extremely small parts such as medical components. It also offers complete system services, including retrofits, hardware service, software support, and metrology training.

Stand: 2345 www.zeiss.com.au

ECi M1 ECi M1 is an enterprise resource planning (ERP) software solution designed for growing manufacturers. Customers include job shops, custom and mixed-mode manufacturers, and make-to-order manufacturers. M1 automates and integrates every business process from quoting through invoicing and point of sale (POS). It is also flexible and easy to customise, so it can handle the most valuable and unique business processes with ease. Essential functions of M1 include: maintaining contact details for customers and suppliers; scheduling production to efficiently make use of resources; managing production jobs through job costing; controlling inventory of raw materials, finished goods and subContinued next page

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NMW PREVIEW Continued from previous page

Gravotech Australia

Laser & Sign Technology

assemblies; analysing pre- and postsales activities; and ensuring quality and managing warranties. ECi’s implementation and customer service teams can have M1 systems up and running quickly, with dedicated professionals and locations throughout the Australia and New Zealand. Training and M1 customer service are always available to ensure customers get the most from their ECi M1 ERP system.

The Gravotech Group offers some of the best engraving, marking and modular signage solutions on the market. Its line-up of engraving machines, as represented by the Gravograph and Technifor brands, includes pantographs, small engravers to large industrial rotary machines, CO2 and fibre lasers. The company also offers a full range of materials, dedicated engraving software, plus the most experienced support team here in Australia.

Laser & Sign Technology (LST) has been distributing and supplying lasers for over 20 years. This experience enables the company to provide the correct, quality laser solution for any bespoke or general industrial requirement. LST’s team includes laser physicists, engineers and fully trained technicians, to provide qualified technical support.

Stand: 1544 www.ecisolutions.com

Enterprise Connect Success in business has a lot to do with making powerful connections and getting the right advice. Enterprise Connect (EC) is a Federal Government initiative backed by industry. It offers comprehensive advice and support to eligible Australian small and medium businesses to help them transform and reach their full potential. Every business is different, so EC tailors its advice, services and support to each business’s requirements. With a wealth of private sector experience, EC’s highly skilled Business Advisers work directly with manufacturers, providing tailored, unbiased and confidential advice to help you bring about real change in your business. A strong network of government, industry, education and research partners means EC is well placed to provide comprehensive advice and support to improve your business’s performance. Over 27,000 EC services have been delivered to businesses throughout Australia, including 4200 comprehensive Business Reviews for manufacturing businesses. More than $12m in matched funding has also been provided to 2000 manufacturers through the Tailored Advisory Service, helping businesses to implement recommendations flowing from their Business Review.

Stand: 2225 www.enterpriseconnect.gov.au

Epicor Epicor provides enterprise resource planning (ERP) software solutions to maximise efficiencies within the four walls of each manufacturing plant, while providing innovative technology to inspire efficiency across the globally extended enterprise. The comprehensive Epicor solution portfolio enables manufacturers to plan, schedule, execute, and monitor the entire business – from raw materials to final product, to pick, pack, and ship. With a full range of functionality, Epicor provides manufacturers with flexibility and agility, and inspires a competitive edge. With nearly 40 years of combined experience serving mid-market organisations and divisions of Global 1000 companies, Epicor has more than 20,000 customers in over 150 countries.

Stand: 1445 www.epicor.com

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Stand: 1408 www.gravotech.com.au

Hi-Tech Metrology One of Australia’s leading providers of metrology products and services, Hi-Tech Metrology will be displaying the latest technology for 3D scanning, computeraided inspection and reverse engineering at its stand. With a focus on using scanning technology to process high-resolution 3D spatial geometries for reverse engineering, visitors will walk away with practical knowledge and information on a complete range of laser-scanning technologies, and gain an understanding of the key benefits that they can expect in their day-to-day business operations. A combination of hands-on live demonstrations of the latest metrology equipment and interactive, problem-solving discussions will bring together industry professionals and the Hi-Tech Metrology team. One highlight will be the Romer Absolute 7325SI in action, scanning a range of complex parts and components for reverse engineering and inspection tasks. The Romer Absolute SI scanning solution is the latest release from Hexagon Metrology’s portable arm business, Romer, and represents the latest development of the ground-breaking Absolute series of portable measuring arms. A milestone in the world of portable CMMs, this completely integrated scanning package allows users to accurately measure and inspect parts to both part drawings and full 3D CAD models, as well as to collect vital 3D surface and positional data.

Stand: 2638 www.hitechmetrology.com.au

Kyocera Asia Pacific “Contributing to the betterment of worldwide manufacturing and our customers’ productivity by providing efficient cutting tool products and high-precision tooling solutions” – Kyocera started producing ceramic cutting tools in 1971, and today it is one of the leading manufacturers in the world. Its wide range of products feature innovative technology for turning, grooving, threading, cut-off, drilling and milling, based on diverse cutting materials including carbide, cermet, ceramic, cubic boron nitride (CBN) and polycrystalline diamond (PCD).

Stand: 2448 www.kyocera.com.sg

The company distributes ULS (USA) and SEI Lasers (Italy), with laser powers from 10 to 1000 watts using CO2, YAG, vanadate and fibre technologies, and bed sizes from 100mm x 100mm to 2m x 3m. Featured on the LST stand will be large LED edgelit light-guide panels (LGPs) manufactured using SEI’s BLU series laser systems. These systems are capable of producing 3m x 2m acrylic panels at speeds up to 50 sqm/hr. LST is the Australian distributor of the Type3 range of software solutions, and also stocks a large range of laserable consumables from IPI plastics and Horizons. LST has recently been appointed as the distributor of envisionTEC 3D printers. With resolution and surface finish unmatched by any other rapid prototyping system, envisionTEC 3D printing solutions can build models quickly and cleanly in a large range of materials covering all manufacturing processes. Direct cast and mouldable materials, electro-platable ceramics and even bio-compatible components can be printed on the one machine.

Stand: 1431 www.lastech.com.au

LEAP Australia LEAP Australia is an engineering solutions business — its name stands for Leading Engineering Application Providers. The company’s focus is on solving customers’ engineering problems by combining the extensive real world experience of its staff with market-leading technology. A support-focused organisation, LEAP treats its customers’ businesses as they would their own. By offering only the best value, LEAP’s customers can expect high-quality products and support when they choose it to assist them with their product development requirements. LEAP is a locally owned company with offices around Australia and New Zealand. It has worked closely with hundreds of engineering companies (from single person operations to multinational organisations) as well as with universities, government departments and other institutional organisations. LEAP represents the largest CAD, CAID, CAM, DEM, FEA, CFD, CEM, PDM , DEM and PLM reseller in Australia and New Zealand,

NMW PREVIEW supporting users of PTC and ANSYS products in the ANZ region.

Stand: 1639 www.leapaust.com.au

Lightwave Technology Lightwave Technology, a division of Oryvillia Pty Ltd, has been a qualified supplier of the manufacturing, construction and surveying industries since 1990 in Australia. It is the Australian distributor for Faro Metrology products and will be showcasing these products and software at the exhibition. Lightwave cover all aspects of high accuracy measurement, 3D documentation, dimensional control qualification, reverse engineering and rapid prototyping. It also offers an extensive product range of accessories, consumables, optical instruments, lasers, total stations, GPS, machine control systems and software.

Stand: 1638 www.lightwavetechnology.com.au

Melbourne Centre for Nanotechnology The Melbourne Centre for Nanotechnology (MCN) is an open access, state-of-the-art nanofabrication facility, which aims to facilitate the integration of nanotechnology techniques into the research and development activities that support Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s innovation and manufacturing economies. The MCN

comprises world-class cleanroom fabrication facilities as well as biochemistry and advanced microscopy laboratories. It provides research institutions and industry clients with open access to cutting-edge micro- and nanofabrication equipment and technologies as well as the expertise to support innovative projects. MCN has key expertise in lithography, thinfilm deposition, chemical etching, reactive ion etching and characterisation, using materials including metals, silicon, diamond, nitrides and oxides. Its staff can train your employees to use its tools and systems as if they were part of your own in-house process line. It can also conduct fabrication or analysis projects for a simple fee-for-service or collaborate on design, prototype and batch production milestones for clients involved in product development. MCN enables productivity and quality gains for users by providing a wide range of capabilities at one facility. This enables easy transition from concept to prototype, with the possibility to scale up to trial batch production. It is particularly relevant in application areas such as energy, biosensing, microfluidics and nanofluidics, nanomedicine and drug delivery, micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS), optics and medical bionics. MCN is part of the Australian National Fabrication Facility.

Stand: 2423 www.nanomelbourne.com

Modern Tools For over 30 years Modern Tools has been offering a range of quality machine tools and associated accessories from South Korea, Taiwan, Spain, Germany, Italy, the USA and elsewhere. Its range encompasses Smartvent fume extractors and down-draft welding tables, Skyhook lifting cranes, First precision milling machines and machining centres, Hwacheon high-quality precision lathes, Shen Jang bandsaws, and Femi grinders and linishers. Also on offer are Fagor digital display systems, Algra & Haase quickchange tool posts and Repar machine safety guards, Techplus drilling machines, Gosan precision lathes, Siegmund welding and positioning tables, with associated fixtures and workholding products.

Stand: 2239 www.moderntools.com.au

Multicam Systems Fully Australian-made Multicam CNC routing machines are designed for profile-cutting sheet product and extrusions including metals, aluminium composite materials (ACM), plastics, insulation materials, foam, rubber, and timber products and laminates. They are used in the manufacture of aluminium boats, aerospace components, aluminium and plastic engineered products, truck body parts, caravans and motor homes, kitchens, furniture or any other flat sheet product. Continued next page

PERFORMANCE UNEQUALLED The Harmony range of endmills represents worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s latest technologies to provide improved tool life and performance. Harmony UNI Universal design for steels, cast iron and exotic alloys

Harmony VA Excellent solution for stainless steels & difficult super alloy type materials

Harmony Duo NH For machining preheat treated metals up to a hardness rating of 48 HRC

Contact Sutton Tools 1800 335 350 cservice@sutton.com.au

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NMW PREVIEW Continued from previous page

Productivity features ensure that Multicam machines are an excellent alternative to plasma and laser machines, which have higher running costs and greater servicing demands. Machine process areas range from 2500 x 1300mm, to 4000 x 1500mm, and more. Multicam can also manufacture machines to your specific requirements. Machines can be supplied with vacuum hold-down beds, fully automatic rotary tool change systems, automatic material loading and unloading, chip extraction and a host of accessories for cutting anything from metal products to cardboard. Multicam CNC machines integrate with existing network infrastructure, including LAN, WAN, WiFi and even internet connectivity, making remote training and support easy, and are compatible with most industrystandard software. The company offers range of specialist software solutions to help ensure a strong return on investment. With offices in NSW, Victoria and Queensland, Multicam boasts a dedicated team of factory-trained technicians, ensuring get quick, reliable service when you need it.

Stand: 2139 www.multicam.com.au

One CNC OneCNC CAD CAM is a market-leading computer aided manufacturing CAM system for CNC part programming. With unparalleled ease of use and sophisticated toolpath generation, it’s the only CAM system you’ll need for milling, turning and millturn machining, wire EDM, laser, plasma, router or flame cutting machines. OneCNC has versions that provide a wide range of capabilities in 2-, 3-, 4- and 5-axis machining. The programming flexibility extends to a comprehensive range of CAM functionality that can be applied to any type of CAD from almost any source . Multi Axis is the ultimate tool for full 4- and 5-axis positional and 5-axis simultaneous machining of parts, and OneCNC has solutions for these machines.

Stand: 1640 www.onecnc.com.au

Portable Analytical Solutions Portable Analytical Solutions (PAS) is the exclusive distributor of the Niton XRF range of analysers in Australia, New Zealand and the surrounding region. With offices in Sydney, Perth and Melbourne, PAS provides local factory-backed service, spare parts, training, rentals and technical and application support. Providing rapid identification of chemistry in more than 400 alloy grades, the Niton is a particularly useful instrument for companies in the aerospace, metal fabrication, foundry and related industries. The verification of metal alloys for quality assurance and control purposes is crucial in ensuring product reliability and safety. From metal production to in-field maintenance and final product

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assembly, there is constant potential for errors and mix-ups, which could lead to safety hazards. To minimise these risks, the Niton can recover lost material traceability, isolate finished welds to validate filler material composition and dilution, and confirm finished products. With a non-destructive method of testing, the Niton is capable of generating instant lab-quality data in the palm of your hand, delivering elemental analysis and positive identification for various manufacturing requirements including components, wire strands, rods, finished welds, bolts, rivets and other fasteners. It enables users to print certificates of analysis and can easily be connected to a PC for remote use.

Stand: 1310 www.portableas.com

Pro Z 3D Solutions Pro Z 3D Solutions is Australia’s authorised reseller of 3D Systems, offering a range of professional 3D printers and total 3D Solutions including 3D Scanning Systems and 3D Software. With a sales and engineering team who use what the company sells, Pro Z 3D offers all the service of a small company, backed by a world leader in 3D printing, 3D Systems. Founded by 3D industry professionals Ben Tam, Shane Rolton and Paul Griffiths, Pro Z 3D combines over 40 years of experience in providing 3D technology solutions for applications in medicine, education, defence, mining, architecture, design, science, forensics, biomechanics, automotive, aerospace and animation, among others.

Stand: 1539 www.proz3d.com.au

Pronto Software Pronto Software has been developing awardwinning business management software for over 30 years. With in-built intelligence, flexibility and an easy-to-use interface, its flagship product, Pronto Xi enables users to discover rich business insights. Pronto believes in the power of actively listening to clients, adapting its product to meet their needs and finally revealing the best solution. According to Pronto, this is how it continually surpasses client expectations, delivering moments of utter surprise and delight.

Stand: 1641 www.pronto.net

RecruitAustralia.com RecruitAustralia.com is a recruitment business that specialises in sourcing highquality staff such as: CNC and mechanical trades; service technicians; CAD CAM programmers; design engineers; quality assurance specialists; mechanical engineers; technical sales representatives; sales engineers; management and supervisors; and office administrative staff. It services industries such as defence, aerospace, automotive aftermarket, plastics, rail, mining,

fabrication, precision engineering, production manufacturing, jobbing manufacturing, and construction industry manufacturing. The team at RecruitAustralia.com are true technical recruiters that are run by people from the industry. Director Edward Busuttil has a trade and engineering background, with a Trade Certificate in Fitting Machining plus many years’ hands-on experience in management and sales. Combining qualifications with experience, the team at RecruitAustralia.com understand you and your industry better than most, sourcing high-quality permanent or temporary staff.

Stand: 2723 www.recruitaustralia.com

Renishaw Oceania Renishaw is a global company with core skills in measurement, motion control, spectroscopy and precision machining. Its products are used for applications as diverse as machine tool automation, co-ordinate measurement, additive manufacturing, gauging, Raman spectroscopy, machine calibration, position feedback, CAD/CAM dentistry, shape memory alloys, large-scale surveying, stereotactic neurosurgery, and medical diagnostics

Stand: 2439 www.renishaw.com

Robert Bosch (Australia) A name synonymous with quality since 1886, Robert Bosch is now widely recognised as a world leader in technology and innovation, covering a breadth of industries and products that extend from the automotive industry, to healthcare, energy, power tools, household appliances and whitegoods. On average, Bosch applies for 19 new patents for advanced and new technologies every day. Working with Bosch means accessing a global pool of resources, knowledge, experience and support. Bosch Australia was established in 1954, and its Manufacturing Solutions division is globally recognised for its innovative work in engineering services. Its engineers are highly skilled at understanding the entire lifecycle of a project. Its flexibility in manufacturing solutions has allowed Bosch to deliver: improved yield and throughput on numerous assembly lines throughout Asia, Australia, Europe and North America; the design, construction, installation and integration of assembly lines for electronic products in both low/mid volume applications and highly automated, high-volume applications; development of various assembly and joining processes; integration of equipment into different servers and manufacturing execution systems; and facilitation of Design for Manufacture processes reviews, resulting in significant material, labour and equipment savings and reduced product cost.

Stand: 1214 www.bosch.com.au

NMW PREVIEW SigmaTEK Asia Pacific SigmaNEST offers some of the best nesting technology in the industry, with a proprietary nesting engine developed and maintained by a SigmaTEK team of mathematicians and engineers considered leaders in the field of material optimisation in manufacturing. SigmaNEST serves nearly every industry that cuts or punches. And because SigmaNEST can be used on every type of machine, it offers a single, economical solution that’s flexible and scalable. SigmaNEST saves valuable materials and manpower while maintaining quality. Integration with the most popular CAD and CNC programs, a simple interface and strong customer support have seen SigmaNEST become an industry leader with over 9,000 systems installed worldwide. Material cost is the number one expense of manufacturing, and SigmaNEST is designed to give the best yield from raw material with the minimum waste, lowering cost per part and improving productivity. Complete material inventory management makes remnant nesting easy and facilitates inventory reduction. Part-in-part nesting reduces rectangular cost per part. SigmaNEST is engineered to be flexible, and with the API Software Development Kit, users can develop plug-ins to customise the way they use the software. SigmaNEST also offers the option to alter machine configurations, posts, part parameters, sheet parameters,

task parameters, file locations, report layouts and standard shapes.

Stand: 1546 www.sigmanest.com

Successful Endeavours Based in Melbourne, Successful Endeavours offers research and development services for hire, designing electronics products for manufacturers and entrepreneurs. Its services encompass: electronics design; printed circuit board (PCB) design and layout; embedded software development (the software that runs on the PCB); electronics prototyping; and small-scale product (for non-manufacturing clients). Specific areas of expertise include:sensors, analogue electronics and data logging; low-power and battery-operated devices; industrial controls and telemetry; power, water and clean energy; and web-enabled devices (IoT and M2M).

Stand: 2449 www.successful.com.au

Sutton Tools Sutton Tools is a 100% Australian familyowned company and Australia’s only production manufacture specialist and supplier of globally competitive quality cutting tools. The company supplies drills, taps, endmills, countersinks, reamers and holesaws to service the tools & die, aerospace, automotive, marine and general

engineering industries in Australian and overseas markets. Its comprehensive range of high-performance precision cutting tools includes HSS, HSS-Co, HSSE-V, powered metal HSS and carbide ranges, manufactured to ISO, DIN, ANSI, BS and JIS standards. To meet the growing demand for a total solutions provider, Sutton has now extended its offering of cutting tools to include a full range of Ceratizit carbide inserts and holders. By increasing its cutting tool portfolio, Sutton will be able to cover all applications for customers and offer for the first time a complete range of cutting tools and services.

Stand: 2734 www.sutton.com.au

Tasman Machinery Tasman Machinery supplies a full range of machinery and related equipment to the Australian plastics manufacturing sector. It is the market leader in Australia supplying highly energy-efficient all-electric injection moulding machines from Sumitomo. It also supplies equipment for vacuum forming, injection moulding, extrusion and blow-moulding. It stand at Austech will feature its highly popular Formech Vacuum formers, and a range of screws and barrels from Xaloy, the world leader in screws and barrels.

Stand: 3431 www.tasmanmachinery.com.au Continued next page

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NMW PREVIEW Continued from previous page

Techni Waterjet Techni Waterjet is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of profile water-jet cutting systems, with over 500 installations worldwide. It specialises in the design, development and installation of complete water-jet cutting solutions suitable for cutting any material. The company is committed to offering systems of the highest quality. All systems are designed specifically for the very tough water-jet environment and offer the lowest running costs in industry. The Techjet-X3 Premium range of cutters offers the highest levels quality and accuracy of water-jet machines available today with an accuracy of 0.01mm. Developed in-house, its Quantum Electric Servo Pump (Quantum ESP) range of high-pressure pumps replaces hydraulics with electric power, resulting in lower operating costs. The PAC (Precision Angle Control) cutting head is capable of producing parts with a true angle up to +/60 degrees with continuous rotation.

Stand: 1825 www.techniwaterjet.com

The LS Starrett Company of Australia The LS Starrett Company was founded in the US in 1883 by engineer Laroy S Starrett, who invented the combination square in 1877 and started the company to manufacture it. The company grew rapidly with a broadening product line, additional employees and penetration into an increasing number of markets. Starrett has a history and reputation so rich and solid that the words “quality” and “Starrett” have become virtually synonymous. Today, the company employs about 1800 people worldwide.

Starrett has been operating in Australia for over 20 years and is widely known for its extensive range of precision measuring instruments, engineers’ hand tools, bandsaw blades, holesaws and other cutting tools. In 2012 Starrett launched its range of optical comparators, vision-based measuring systems and force measurement products into the ANZ market. The company’s range of metrology and measurement equipment now includes a new range of twin-column materials-testing equipment. At NMW 2014, in addition to an extensive line-up of precision tools, cutting tools and force measurement equipment, Starrett will have on exhibit its complete range of vision and optical systems.

Stand: 2549 www.starrett.com.au

Trotec Laser Trotec Laser is a world-leading manufacturer of laser engraving, cutting and marking machines selling over 3000 machines annually. Its lasers are Austrian-designed and built and it is the only manufacturer supplier in Australia. The company offers the world’s largest and most advanced laser machines, ranging from desktop lasers through to industrial machines, the lowest overall cost of ownership and a world-leading warranty of up to 10 years. In addition, Trotec offers unlimited technical support and free training to its laser customers at any of its training and development centres located in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth. Through its Australian-based subsidiary, Trotec Laser Australia, it can offer additional products including Vision engraving machines, Vytek industrial laser machines, Triline Wayfinding Solutions and Rowmark.

Stand: 1928 www.troteclaser.com.au

TXM – Total Excellence in Manufacturing TXM is Australia’s leading Lean manufacturing consulting business, and has enabled over 100 manufacturers in a diverse range of industries across the country to improve

their competitiveness and productivity and to grow in today’s competitive environment. The TXM team bring a wealth of practical manufacturing experience to your business as well as a deep understanding of Lean Manufacturing principles. The team see themselves as manufacturing people first, consultants second, so they can get to grips with the issues in your business quickly and work with your team to deliver practical solution. As a result, TXM has an unparalleled record of delivering lasting improvement. Working with TXM, manufacturers have typically achieved: productivity improvements of over 20%; waste reductions exceeding 50%; lead-time reductions up to 90%; and inventory reductions of up to 90%. TXM’s experience extends over a broad range of manufacturing industries including engineering, metal manufacturing, food and beverage, construction materials, machinery manufacturing, boat-building, transport components, electronics, high technology, plastics, packaging and pharmaceuticals.

Stand: 2422 www.txm.com.au

White Industries White Industries is a dynamic Australian family-owned company from Dalby in Queensland. Offering outstanding expertise and service, its supplies major industries in every state and territory of Australia, including: automotive and transport, engineering, energy, mining, pump manufacture, railways, shipbuilding, major construction and local government. A modern, forward-thinking business, White Industries employs more than 50 staff, with new offices in Brisbane and Sydney and representation all around Australia. The company adds value for its clients through professional customer service and high-quality products. It is an ISO quality endorsed company and operates a quality management program to comply with ISO standard 9001:2008.

Stand: 1619 www.whiteindustries.com.au

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AMT MAY 2014

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One on one

David Hodgett is the Victorian State Minister for Manufacturing. He is also the Minister for Major Projects and the Minister for Ports. He spoke to William Poole. AMT: Let’s start with your professional background and how you came to be in your present role? David Hodgett: I had a career in the Commonwealth public sector. In my last job I ran the Migration Refugee Review Tribunal for the Federal Government, looking after South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania and Victoria. I always had an interest in local government, I served as a local councillor and mayor for a number of years, working with federal and state colleagues from different parties on various issues. All my life, a lot of it’s about public service. AMT: The Liberal party named building on our strengths in manufacturing innovation as one of the pillars of a stronger economy. How’s that being put into practice in Victoria? DH: We were very critical of the former government in not having a manufacturing strategy. We came in and developed a Victorian manufacturing strategy, backed up with significant funding, $58.1m, for a number of projects over a four-year period. There are some great stories in manufacturing but there are sectors that are enduring enormous challenges: the high Australian dollar, shifting consumer preferences, fierce international competition. We wanted to not only recognise those challenges, but support manufacturing businesses across a suite of programs. A couple come to mind: we have the Investing in Manufacturing Technology (IMT) program, where we help businesses become more productive or more competitive. We might help them with equipment, to innovate, to diversify, invest. For example, Wattle Organic Foods received about $45,000 towards a $100,000 project to help put in a three-fold packaging machine for organic fruits and vegetables. That will help them become more productive, and create five jobs. It’s usually tied to jobs or transitioning people to higher-value roles. That piece of equipment will help them become more competitive and get into exports. We also have our International Engagement Program, helping companies get into export markets. Since coming into office in 2010 we’ve led 67 trade missions, many led by the Premier or a senior minister, where we give companies the opportunity to show their wares overseas and build partnerships. We’ve seen some great stories come out of that. We also have our Manufacturing Productivity Networks program, we have our Vouchers program. We have a number of things backed up. I get annoyed by a lot of reports that get written and they’re good for helping policy or information or assessment, but if they sit on shelves and don’t deliver good outcomes, they become a bit useless. I’m pleased that the strategy for a more competitive Victorian manufacturing sector is backed up by that $58.1m across a range of programs that actually do support our manufacturers. AMT: What do you see as the biggest challenges facing Victorian manufacturers? DH: Manufacturing is in transition. We have the auto companies announcing the decision to withdraw, so I think you’ve got manufacturers now diversifying or transitioning into other areas or sectors. There’s opportunities in pharmaceuticals and medical products, food and agri-business, future materials, advanced manufacturing. I think our future opportunities are in some of those things – higher-value products. Carbon Revolution in Geelong, for example, they’re a business that make single-piece carbon-fibre auto wheels that are 50% or 60% lighter – and I’m sure they’ll get into into truck and aeroplane wheels. The Premier and I were at Marand on 31 March, which has a contract for the Joint Strike Fighter. They’re one of only five companies around the world that’s able to provide that tooling. There’s a company where X amount of years ago, 70% of their

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AMT MAY 2014

business would have been exposed to Ford. Over time they’ve diversified into advanced manufacturing, defence manufacturing, and now only 30%, or less, is exposed to Ford. They’ve seen where they need to go and have moved into other industries; they’re not exposed to one particular area. We can’t ignore the challenges, but we can also put into context that there are plenty of good examples out there. If you look at the last few weeks you can see the ups and downs in the industry. The Premier was with Coles, announcing 3500 jobs and significant investment in Victoria, and the next day Ford said it was putting off 300 workers and winding back production. The following Monday, we had Toyota announce it was ceasing manufacturing down the track. By the Wednesday, the Premier and I were down at Parmalat in Rowville, for the announcement of a $25m investment with Paul’s Milk exporting milk products to China – a great example. Then we had the SPC announcement. The following Tuesday, Alcoa announced the closure of its aluminium smelter. But by the end of the week Shell said they’d found a buyer, with 1200 jobs protected, and the following weekend Energy Australia announced 300 jobs in Geelong. Although not all those are manufacturers, you can see in the industry there are good stories and bad stories. But Marand is a great story. Carbon Revolution is a great story. These guys are expanding, bringing jobs, innovating, trying different products. We did an announcement out at New Age Caravans in Campbellfield. In 2009 they made 12 caravans for the year. Now they’re making 115 caravans a month. They’ll turn over $65m this year and are significantly expanding their businesses – 85 jobs. They’re going gang-busters, making an Australian-made caravan. People look at the negative stories, and you can’t ignore those challenges. We have to have things to support them and transition into other areas. But there are plenty of opportunities and good stories, where companies are investing, innovating, employing people. AMT: The car companies departing will obviously affect a lot of small companies in their supply chains. What can be done to help them? DH: It’s an enormous challenge and we don’t underestimate that. We had Ford and Toyota producing vehicles in Victoria – Holden produced vehicles in South Australia, but we had the engine plant and the design and engineering team here. We have about twothirds of the older component manufacturers – a significant number of employers. I think our job as government is: if we can grow the economy and grow jobs, that gives people more choices – and there’s been a net gain of some 64,000 new jobs since we came into office. I’ve gone and talked to Ford and Holden and Toyota workers, and they’re all at different stages of careers, but they love making stuff, they want to continue manufacturing till they cease in 2016/17. Some don’t want to go and do certain jobs – they might not want to do a lawnmowing round or work in a coffee shop. They like manufacturing. But other people will move into different roles, like an Alcoa worker transitioning into a TAC role in Geelong. When we create jobs people say ‘Well, they’re not going to stack shelves at Coles’, but if other people are taking those jobs that gives other people more choice of what they can do. When I talk to manufacturers, they would see the role of government as what we are doing – creating a strong economy, with a AAA credit rating. We’re cutting red tape. Coles said part of their decision to come to Victoria was that we had the best planning laws in the country, consistent, sensible planning laws.

They’re things that government can control that give businesses the confidence to come and invest, to employ people, to grow their businesses. At the end of the day, if Ford in Detroit makes a decision to stop producing here, we can influence that decision with support and incentives, but there’s little we can do to control it. There’s little I can do about the high Australian dollar. The things we can do is delivering that strong economy, the AAA credit rating, good planning laws, red-tape reduction, confidence for people to come and invest in Victoria. And that’s been shown through the job growth here, the success of our trade program. That’s the feedback people are giving us. One of the other things we do is with the decentralisation of our Victorian government business officers. They’re not centralised in Melbourne anymore, they’re out in the regions, going into businesses to make sure they’re aware what government programs are on offer. I often say it would be our worst failing as a government if a company was downsizing or putting people off, going interstate or offshore, or even closing, and we’d had a program that could have helped them if they’d known about it. And it’s a two-way street. You may have a company say ‘Well I need help in this area and there doesn’t seem to be anything’, so the officers go back and tell the minister or tell the government there’s a gap here that would deliver jobs and growth and investment. I get really good feedback about our government business officers.

in real jobs where skills shortages are. More apprentices, more skilled people coming out job-ready in those industries that need it. It’s one of the first questions I ask when I visit businesses: ‘What’s your workforce like? Is it stable? Do you have any trouble getting skills?’ And a lot of them have got partnerships with the local TAFE, where they have specific training for their needs. I’m very confident we’re delivering better outcomes in terms of addressing skills shortages and the needs of businesses and people who want to do a course actually coming out with job-ready skills. AMT: Finally, what’s been the proudest moment of your political career to date? DH: There’s been many. I think it’s a great honour to be an elected member. Most of my life has been about public service. I genuinely believe in trying to make a difference in leaving the place a bit better than you found it, delivering good outcomes for the local community. We’ve delivered a lot in a short period of time, but a great honour would be serving as a member of the Cabinet of the Napthine government. All my portfolios are economic portfolios that are delivering jobs and investment in Victoria. So I suppose being sworn in as a Cabinet Minister and being able to make a real difference in those portfolios is a proud moment. But I’m sure there’s plenty yet to achieve and plenty to do and no time to waste.

AMT: What can be done to promote R&D? DH: I think a strong manufacturing sector drives innovation and R&D, so it’s very important. I usually run through the figures as a snapshot of Victorian manufacturing. There’s still 280,000-plus people employed in manufacturing across 25,000 businesses – just under 10% of the state’s workforce. It’s very important to the Victorian economy and it’s a major contributor to R&D. It drives innovation, and it’s a major exporter. So things like the Manufacturing Productivity Networks, where we get a group of companies together to collaborate – there’s been great stories out of that in terms of R&D. We’re always looking to assist where companies can innovate and invest in R&D. If you don’t have manufacturing, you don’t have that. That’s why it’s important that Ford made the decision to leave their design and engineering team here as a centre of excellence, that’s going to be great, because we’ve got good skills and engineers. Ford will have a significant presence and be a major employer across Victoria and Australia. AMT: What about skills shortages? DH: We’re putting more money in now for skills and training than has ever been done before. In terms of training and skills development, we’ve allocated $1.2bn in training in the current budget. That’s 41% more than Labour spent in 2010-11, which was $850m. In 2013 there were 45,000 students undertaking training, which is 54% more than under Labour in 2010, and 70% of students are undertaking training in areas of skills shortages, compared to 49%. There were plenty of people doing courses, in fact there were incentives for people to sign up for courses that weren’t delivering outcomes in terms of employment and jobs. We would argue that we’re more targeted in terms of where our training and development of skills is, delivering

AMT MAY 2014

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Green Manufacturing

With its vast landmass, abundant sunshine, mineral wealth and skilled workforce, Australia is well placed to become a world leader in the renewable energy sector. Is it time to ramp up our nation’s manufacturing and R&D and go full steam ahead into the renewable game? By Barbara Schulz. Since January, 56 giant turbines have dominated the skyline overlooking Musselroe Bay. Tasmania’s largest wind farm generates 168MW – enough to supply up to 50,000 homes, meeting the residential power needs of nearby Burnie and Devonport combined. Australia is blessed with an abundance of clean, renewable energy resources – such as solar, wind, wave and geothermal – with the potential to create much-needed manufacturing jobs following the end of local car-making. The $394m Musselroe Wind Farm has employed Tasmanians in construction jobs since 2011, with its steel towers manufactured locally in Launceston. “But the jobs and investment in Tasmania would not have been possible without the Renewable Energy Target (RET), which is supporting the development of new clean energy projects right across Australia,” says Clean Energy Council Chief Executive David Green. The RET was introduced in 2001 with the aim to create an extra 9500GWh of power by 2020. In 2009, the Labor government increased the figure to 41,000GWh to ensure renewable energy made up the equivalent of 20% of Australia’s electricity. The Climate Change Authority (CCA) reviewed the policy in 2012 and recommended that the Government keep its target, despite changing demand forecasts and some electricity generators saying it would drive power costs up by billions of dollars. Green says the RET has already generated more than $18bn in investment for Australia, including over 2m small renewable energy systems installed on rooftops of homes and businesses throughout the country. This year sees yet another review of the

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RET, and the Federal Government has flagged its intention to cut or abolish the program. The Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) has urged the Government not to remove its support. “We need to look to the jobs of the future,” says ACF Senior Economist Dugald Murray. “And they are in clean energy. With manufacturing in crisis and the mining sector slowing, renewable energy and clean-tech innovation could be job saviours”

Embracing opportunities According to the Clean Energy Council, there’s not a moment to waste, with another $18bn worth of investments in the pipeline. One of the world’s largest solar panel manufacturers, US-based First Solar is reportedly close to announcing agreements to supply remote mining projects in Australia, helping resources companies save on fuel costs. Jack Curtis, the company’s vice-president of business development for Asia-Pacific, recently told Bloomberg it expects to develop 200MW of capacity for the mining industry over the next three years by combining solar power with diesel. “In an environment where profitability isn’t what it used to be, with the mining industry focused on cost control, the electricity that powers the mines is becoming a bigger line item, and the ability to put a dent in that and hedge against fuel price volatility is something that solars offers,” Curtis said. “We expect fairly shortly to announce some pretty exciting projects in that space.” First Solar is targeting mining sites in Western Australia, the Northern Territory and South Australia, with the aim to expand as the solar industry proves that it can provide reliable supply. The company is involved in many projects, including the Greenough

Green Manufacturing

River Solar Farm in WA, the first utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) project in Australia. Over ten times larger than any other PV plant operating in the country, the project is expected to generate enough energy to power 3000 homes and displace 20,000 tons of greenhouse gases each year. The plant’s output will be purchased by the WA Water Corporation. While First Solar is not an Australian company, it makes strong efforts to build local industry and create jobs as part of a global strategy to work with local suppliers. Despite claims that it is not sustainable for Australian manufacturers to participate in this space, Curtis maintains it is cheaper to use local suppliers than rely on imports from Asia. He told the ABC last year: “I think it’s a really great validation that there are a number of components of the solar economic value chain that can and should be localised in Australia.” Theo Lemonidis, General Manager-Commercial (Vic) at Hofmann Metaltec in Melbourne, confirms this. Hofmann supplies steel brackets that hold the PV panels in place at First Solar farms being constructed in New South Wales. Completion of the farms, in Broken Hill and Nyngan, is expected in 2015. In tooling up its Cheltenham factory to press the brackets, Hofmann has created local jobs, offered training opportunities to new and existing staff, and gained valuable expertise. “First Solar has a preference to work with Australian companies,” he says. “They keep as much work as possible in Australia and this project has given us quite a lot of work. We are very excited to be contributing to the future of the renewable industry in Australia. We are a happy supplier.” Hofmann is now primed to manufacture brackets for any First Solar project in the region. The company has also been involved in other renewable projects, such as making gearboxes for wind generators, and designing and manufacturing the drives for the world’s largest tidal turbine. It has recently been working with a company (which Lemonidis declined to name) working on wave power. First Solar’s supply chain also includes Backwell IXL, a Geelong-based manufacturer that is working with First Solar on the development of framing and electrical interconnection components for its PV arrays. At the height of construction on the Greenough River project, First Solar had over 100 new product engineering and quality systems analysis and assembly jobs at Backwell IXL’s plant. “The great irony is that the IXL guys historically have manufactured components for the automotive industry,” said Curtis. “Now they’re able to retool their capabilities to frankly be our most costeffective supplier for solar projects vis-a-vis a number of Asian competitors.” The Musselroe Wind Farm has 56 wind turbines with a generating capacity of 168MW.

In working with First Solar, Backwell IXL has invigorated its operations and services and the development of staff. Continued next page AMT MAY 2014

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Green Manufacturing

Construction has begun on the Nyngan Solar Plant in central NSW, which will be Australia’s largest solar power station.

The need for investment Renewable energy undoubtedly offers a growing area of opportunity for Australian manufacturers. However, it also faces the same problems and challenges as other manufacturing sectors. Recently a major Australian solar panel manufacturer moved its facility to Thailand, a decision that Ray Keefe, Managing Director of Successful Endeavours, believes was the result of the shortfall in incentives for investment here in Australia. “It is so sad to see that happen but the playing field isn’t level,” says Keefe. “The Thai government offers low interest rate loans, support for setting up, and up to an eight-year tax holiday to set up a new plant there.

Continued from previous page

It continues to work with the US company on engineering the cartridge manufacturing process. Backwell IXL now has the expertise required to exploit future opportunities in Australia’s clean energy sector, particularly as large-scale solar adoption increases in the local market. But how do local manufacturers remain globally competitive? According to Lemonidis, while manufacturing in Australia is very challenging at present, there are opportunities: “Our focus is to do things better, faster and more efficiently. To stay competitive in that industry you have to be more efficient as it is all about costs, quality and delivery. You have to be innovative and the industry’s quality standards are very high. Delivery on time is very important for these large-scale projects.” Hofmann is making 200,000 PV panel table supports in variable degrees to suit the diverse Australian geography for a First Solar project. The company has invested in automation to offer the products at a globally competitive price. Lemonidis believes that if Australian industry works together, there is a future for local manufacturing. “We see a future in renewable energy, so we invested in automation and reduced labour costs,” adds Lemonidis. “If the Australian supply chain works together, we can produce what’s required for such projects. We have been working with some good local companies and together we managed to achieve a globally competitive result.”

Catching a wave Among the wave energy projects currently underway off Australia’s coastline is the bioWAVE Ocean Pilot in Port Fairy (VIC), led by BioPower Systems. Other companies involved are AMOG Consulting, Jacobs Engineering, BlueScope Steel, Diamond Energy, Southern Ocean Mariculture, CNC Design and the University of Melbourne. The total project is valued at $15m, with $5.6m of funding coming from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA). The patented bioWAVE technology was developed in Australia to efficiently generate electricity from ocean waves. It converts wave energy to mechanical energy, and then uses a unique mechanicalto-electrical energy converter. Beyond the direct benefit of offsetting carbon emissions, the project will promote local economic activity, providing employment opportunities and skills development. Research and associated knowledge-sharing are an important aspect of the project. According to ARENA, a successful demonstration of the bioWAVE pilot could create further opportunities in the renewable energy sector and lead to further use of wave energy as a zeroemission electricity source.

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“If a government wants to encourage economic activity in a sector [such as solar] it needs to make investment attractive. The current issue is that investment in this area is not very attractive compared to incentives elsewhere and so that reduces opportunity.” Andrew King at NSW-based Crown Tooling paints a darker picture for the renewable industry. The production engineering and precision CNC machine shop has been involved in the design and manufacture of various parts in the solar energy sector, such as worm drive assemblies for a company called Vast Solar, as well as cast iron parts for Melbourne-based Solar Power Australia. However, King doesn’t see opportunities for local manufacturers in the solar industry. “Due to the fact that the return on investment (ROI) on solar is so slim and it requires large amounts of government support, most of the manufacturers have had to go to China to get cheap parts and assemblies, which cuts out Australian manufacturers completely,” says King. “I really believe that Australia can only seriously cut emissions if the government puts large amounts of money into R&D on far more efficient ways of generating power comparable to what we currently generate. We must also invest in hydro- and nuclear power as it is the only clean energy available with our current technology.”

Niche opportunities Solar energy is more expensive to produce than other forms of renewable energy such as hydro, wind or biomass, and will therefore struggle to compete commercially in the short term. However, as global deployment of solar energy technologies increases, the cost is likely to decrease. Meanwhile, Keefe believes that, while Australia has never been seen as a mass-manufacturing nation, there are plenty of other areas where we can do very well, such as high-technology telemetry, controls, energy generation and management. “We desperately need a cost-effective and high-efficiency inverter that meets industry and regulatory requirements,” says Keefe. “And rooftop solar could do with some improvements too. Many existing installations do not have the panels’ angles correct to get the best efficiency from sunlight.” Another opportunity exists in retrofit panel level tracking systems. According to Keefe, tracking solar makes a big difference compared with stationary technology. Then there is energy storage, which is a major enabler for the future smart grid. “If we can store locally and release on demand and at a managed rate then you could get to 100% renewable energy supply. We already do a mass level version of this with the Snowy Mountain scheme, where we pump water uphill at night so it can run downhill during peak demand periods during the day and delivery electricity through generators.”

Green Manufacturing

The Greenough River Solar Farm in WA, the first utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) project in Australia.

This is just one form of storage. The US-model of flywheels and battery systems are others. And there will be more opportunities. Renewable energy is only the tip of the iceberg in the green markets. In its 2008 report ‘Green Gold Rush’, the ACF found that strong action on climate and industry policy could trigger the creation of 500,000 jobs in six key growth industries by 2030. These green markets include renewable energy, energy efficiency, sustainable water systems, biomaterials, green buildings, and waste & recycling. With the right combination of market demand and policy frameworks, Australian businesses are poised to succeed globally.

ONE COMPANY.

www.environment.gov.au www.firstsolar.com www.hofmannengineering.com/metaltec.php www.ixlmanufacturing.com.au www.biopowersystems.com www.successful.com.au www.crowntooling.com www.vastsolar.com www.solarpoweraustralia.com.au

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AMT MAY 2014

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Green Manufacturing

Tindo Solar – A ray of hope Adelaide-based Tindo Solar is living proof that even in the midst of a dire situation there are opportunities to be found and room to innovate. By Jack Baldwin. The impending exit of Holden has put South Australian industry in a tough place, increasing the pressure on companies to shift into other sectors and make the transition to advanced manufacturing. Headquartered in Mawson Lakes, Tindo is a solar panel manufacturer at the forefront of that transition. Richard Inwood, the company’s manager of business and people, describes himself as ‘bullish’ about the future of manufacturing in SA. “Olympic Dam fell over. Holden has fallen over. They’re major, major things,” says Inwood. “People are now focusing on the problem rather than just hoping that it’s going to work out okay.” Inwood makes a convincing case; apart from obvious business acumen, his passion for renewables and the good they bring is real and sincere. He previously worked as a researcher at the CSIRO, is one of 50 Australians trained by Al Gore as a ‘Climate Reality Presenter’, and a talented public speaker on climate matters. Tindo literally means ‘Sun’ in the Kauna Warra language, of the peoples indigenous to the Adelaide plains on which the company’s plant is situated. But while the company looks to the past for its name, its culture is unwaveringly forwardthinking. An emphasis on scalability hints at plans to expand, and the company isn’t hesitating to experiment with new business models either. In many ways, Tindo and the message it brings to its customers are shaped its place in a booming industry dominated by international competitors. “If you look at the overall marketplace, it’s around one and a half billion budgeted this year for panels to be installed somewhere in Australia, commercial or domestic,” Inwood explains. “The vast, vast majority of that comes from overseas.” Nonetheless, with so many manufacturing firms leaving South Australia or closing their doors altogether, can Tindo compete with the lower cost Chinese opposition? “We can. And we are,” states Inwood, “the supplementary question is, well, how?”

“It would be good if people could rely on the facts and figures, much like they would do with a vehicle for example – you’ve got a crash test rating with however many stars and that’s true and trusted. We have yet to test a Chinese panel that has been true to label, in terms of its nominated output. That’s a real question mark.” Tindo earns their stars by way of their ‘Flash Tester’, also known as a ‘Sun Simulator’. During a flash test, the solar panel is exposed to a flash of light from a xenonfilled arc lamp. The output spectrum of this lamp is as close to the spectrum of the sun as possible. “Once people understand the difference between the stuff that comes into the country and what we can do in their local backyard, there’s a trust factor. People say, ‘Yeah, sure, let’s do it.’” The challenge for the team at Tindo is getting this message out with a limited marketing budget. Their solution is an open-door policy, with tour groups regularly admitted to look round the factory.

Tindo faces two big challenges: education and building volume. Both are, at their core, marketing issues. The lack of standardised testing is also an issue, and many imported panels don’t test in line with what they’re branded as. This is where Tindo starts their engagement with customers.

“We regularly have people knocking on the door asking for a tour, and we do that all day, every day,” says Inwood. “The more people that know about us, the easier that challenge is, and from there we can start a conversation.”

“There is no testing in this country of panel output at all, other than what we do here,” Inwood explains. “So what do the Chinese do in particular? They’re going to come in and tell a whole heap of fibs.

Of course, marketing alone couldn’t help the business if production wasn’t feasible in the first place. For an advanced manufacturer like Tindo, automation and Lean processes are critical.

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The automation advantage

“This is viable because we work on volume, we work on genuine quality, we work on genuine output,” explains Inwood. “It’s efficient because we can generally design, engineer, manufacture, sell and pull it out of our front door. No-one else can do that in this country. We have to have that innovative edge, that efficiency that comes with automation and innovation. Innovation is all about setting yourselves apart from the rest of the rabble.” Tindo has cut labour costs by automating most of the process. Its entire 60MW capacity production line can be run with six to eight people. Everything is designed to be as labour-efficient as possible. From wiring the initial pieces of panelling together to the final flash test, the Tindo production line snakes across the factory floor with very little human intervention – much of the work is ‘eyes-on’ rather than hands-on, including inspection and testing. Materials are the biggest cost. “We couldn’t operate like they would do in China for example, it just wouldn’t be tolerable,” says Inwood. “People love what they do here. They appreciate that it’s a quality, green, responsible product.” The production line is designed to be scalable, with a further two shifts able to be added when volume builds to required levels, something Inwood thinks will happen soon as commercial and government projects pick up. One of their latest and largest commercial projects is 400 panels right on the roof above their factory, which Tindo rents. “It looks bloody impressive,” adds Inwood.

Green Manufacturing

“The owner was adamant he wanted it. It was going to help him keep it rented and give him a payback period he wouldn’t have otherwise.” For Inwood, the proposition he puts to a commercial operator is simple: “Keep paying the bill and not have anything to show for it at all, or have something that’s going to go the distance and give a return on investment.” The SA Government has a longstanding relationship with solar, with policies implemented during Mike Rann’s time as premier helping to build the economies of scale necessary to support the industry. It’s one reason why the state has such a huge amount of solar panels, which proved advantageous during the recent heat waves and power outages, taking a lot of strain from the grid. Inwood is a strong advocate of overhauling the state’s procurement policies, which he

believes will not only help local businesses like Tindo, but create jobs and help fill the gap left by Holden. “It’s a multi-billion dollar procurement this government has. As a ballpark number, if we were to replace just 20% of what’s imported, we’re creating between 400 to 600 manufacturing jobs. We can take someone from Holden and within a day they’re fully functioning here. We can readily take a lot of those people – what we need is support to allow us to grow and take that challenge up.” To be fair, Inwood concedes, the state government has been quite a supporter. The company expects to fill its second and third shift with newly announced government contracts and the launch of its Power Purchasing Agreement, which would see panels installed for free instead selling the lower-priced energy produced to homeowners or commercial clients. Inwood’s envisages a Silicon Valley-type

future for SA, in which companies like Tindo, engaged in genuine, high-quality manufacturing, build on skills already in the state. “Not going to the lowest common denominator, giving people some advantage, whether that’s service or longevity or output or quality or safety – that’s all key stuff,” Inwood says. “If you’re going to play in the bottom sandpit then the competition is mad. It’s all on price. Then you get corners being cut, people getting hurt and dollars getting lost. That’s just a messy place to play.” Tindo’s task, then, is to get its message out there. Whether that’s by educating potential customers, winning government contracts or experimenting with new business models, the company has a challenge ahead of it – but plenty of opportunity, too. www.tindosolar.com.au

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Green Manufacturing

Harnessing the power of grey water Canberra-based clean-technology company Nexus eWater was able to fast-track development of its revolutionary grey water recycling system by using Autodesk Inventor to create digital prototypes before manufacturing them in the real world. Nexus eWater was founded in late 2009 by a team of five experts with decades of experience in the field of grey water – waste water from baths, sinks and washing machines. The group’s ultimate goal was to address the critical global need for more effective water use. The solution? The Nexus reHeater and the Nexus reCycler, a unique water and energy recycling system for domestic installations. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that water scarcity affects one in three people on every continent. These figures are indicative of a spiralling global water crisis, and the world is in urgent need of solutions. Every year, more than 3.4m people die from a water-related disease, and 780 people lack access to clean water. Incredibly, more people have a mobile phone than a toilet. In addition, it is estimated that heating, treating and transporting water accounts for about 15% of the carbon footprint of the US, and residential water heating accounts for 58% of water-related carbon emissions. The problem is even worse in water-scarce regions such as California, where 20% of all electricity and gas consumption is linked to a water-related activity. According to information released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), water prices have gone up 11% over the last year. In fact, the average price householders pay for water has risen from $2.44 per thousand litres in 2010-11 to $2.72 in 2011-12. In total, households spent over $4.3bn on water. These statistics clearly underscore the need for better water management. According to Craig Richmond, CEO of Nexus: “We are committed to encouraging people to think about using water and energy more wisely,

so we don’t have to produce more of it. We have resources such as grey water in our homes that can actually help achieve those sorts of outcomes.”

The Nexus solution The Nexus eWater system harnesses the power of grey water, and combines two ground-breaking, low-cost technologies – the Nexus reHeater and the Nexus reCycler – which can be sold separately or as an integrated unit. In a nutshell, grey water contains a lot of heat, which usually ends up down the drain. The Nexus reHeater utilises a heat pump to pick up the heat from the grey water and transfer it into the reHeater storage tank, where it produces very efficient hot water, reducing typical heating costs by up to 75%. The Nexus reCycler is a water conservation product that can reduce residential water use by as much as 40% and cut waste water volumes by up to 70%. The Nexus reCycler also produces clean and reusable water for irrigation and toilet flushing, at a cost lower than tap water. The Nexus eWater system reduces the need f or fresh water, and can save a typical household $100-200 every month. It also has the potential to lower demand on public water supplies, and lessen the amount of wastewater entering sewers or treatment systems, thereby reducing power costs.

Fast-tracking and product optimisation The engineers at Nexus eWater were able to fast-track their development program by using Autodesk Inventor to design, simulate and optimise digital prototype models before they were built and tested in the real world. This process helped the team to complete the process within mere days, an outcome which might otherwise have taken months. “We’ve benefitted greatly from the Autodesk Clean Tech Partner Program,” says Richmond. “As a start-up company we didn’t have the financial resources to purchase the software needed to design and develop our product, so this kind of program is absolutely invaluable. When it comes to the physical construction and testing of prototypes, Autodesk software has saved us weeks and weeks, if not months, of time and, of course, a lot of money.”

Load analysis for a Nexus hub product.

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Autodesk enabled the Nexus team to model performance virtually, and eliminate a lot of the bugs before anything was actually

The Nexus recycler can reduce residential water use by as much as 40% and cut waste water volumes by up to 70%.

built. In addition, Nexus was able to track any minor modifications made during the prototype construction phase and record them onto the CAD software. “It functions as an instant design update,” adds Richmond. “For instance, we’ve just introduced a product which is, essentially, a plastic tank that goes into the ground and holds the grey water. Moulds can cost tens of thousands of dollars to produce, so you have to make sure you get it right, first time. The Autodesk products have allowed us to do that. At the moment, we mainly use Inventor but are looking to use even more Autodesk products, to develop an even wider range of manuals and materials.” A unique advantage of the Nexus eWater system is its dual functionality. While the Nexus reHeater and Nexus reCycler combine to create a complete solution, there are some parts of the world in which there is a greater demand for the product’s separate functions. For instance, in the south of the US, the dry conditions make water conservation a key issue. Conversely, in the north, where it’s colder and wetter, the focus is on efficient, cost-effective water heating. The product will initially roll out in California, with plans to launch the product in Australia shortly thereafter. “The time for change is upon us,” says Richmond. “It’s time for us to look in our own backyard first and see what we can leverage.” www.nexusewater.com www.autodesk.com.au

Green Manufacturing

Automatic selfoptimisation of wind turbines Siemens is “teaching” wind turbines how to automatically optimise their operation in line with weather conditions. The turbines are learning to use sensor data on parameters such as wind speed to make changes to their settings. These changes ensure the turbines can optimally exploit the prevailing conditions. Wind power facilities can’t always generate their maximum electrical output when wind speeds are moderate or low. Specialists for learning systems at Siemens Corporate Technology (CT) developed the self-optimisation software for wind turbines in co-operation with Technische Universität Berlin and IdaLab in the ALICE (Autonomous Learning in Complex Environments) project, funded by Germany’s Ministry of Education and Research. Their solution enables turbines to produce around 1% more electricity annually under moderate wind conditions, while also reducing wear and tear. The researchers have a demonstration wind turbine unit that uses its own operating data and gradually increases its electrical output. The scientists’ approach combines reinforcement-learning techniques with special neural networks. A neural network is a software algorithm that operates in a way similar to the human brain. For several years now, Siemens CT has been developing neural networks in order to model and predict the behaviour of highly complex systems, such as wind farms, gas turbines, factories, or even stock markets.

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The software programs learn from historical data, which also enables them to forecast the future behaviour of a system. A model can thus be created that predicts the electrical output of a wind turbine under specific weather conditions. The researchers examined a large amount of very noisy data to identify relevant attributes that would enable the efficiency of a wind turbine to be improved by changing settings such as rotation speed. Patented neural networks were then used to create a reinforcementlearning policy from the analysis results. The system thus learns to change certain wind turbine settings in a manner that ensures the maximum possible amount of electricity is generated in a given situation. After just a few weeks, the system is able to define and store the optimal settings for common weather occurrences. After an additional extended period of training, it can even regulate electrical output under rare and exceptional weather conditions. The technology was successfully tested at a Spanish wind farm last year. Ongoing analyses of relevant operating parameters ensure the system can continually improve itself through repetition. The methods used here can be employed in many other fields. www.siemens.com

www.siemens.com/press AMT MAY 2014

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Green Manufacturing

Australian innovation creates eco-friendly fish farm An Australian designer has played a key role in manufacturing a world first in aquaculture – a salmon protection pen protects the fish, while also safeguarding the seals that want to eat them, and the staff who might be caught in the middle. John Rafferty of Elemental Manufacturing, of Wangi Wangi (New South Wales), designed and manufactured essential components and injection moulding tools for the environmentally harmonious pen, for Australian salmon-farming business Huon Aquaculture. Describing the pens as ‘revolutionising the salmon industry worldwide’, Huon praised Rafferty’s contribution as instrumental in realising the design and producing parts that cost half as much as metal fabricated designs, yet which last longer. “In most countries outside of Australia and New Zealand, seals are destroyed by farmers as a pest,” says Rafferty. “These seal-proof pens are designed to protect seals and prevent them from being destroyed as a result of them continually attacking the pens to get at the fish.” The new pens employ a double-net system to protect the salmon and prevent seals from ramming themselves against the inner netting to get at the tasty fish inside. It also allows easier and wider egress for the disappointed seals. Because the double net design is 40% wider than conventional designs, Elemental was faced with the challenge of producing a triple-collar stanchion that was strong enough to cope with the flexing and stresses imparted by the wider design.

“Many suggest that this revolutionary pen design should be adopted as a new global standard,” says Rafferty, whose background was in toolmaking before he started Elemental. The business provides clients with industrial design of injectionmoulded parts and injection-moulding tool design, which includes supply and tool commissioning. One of the most important parts Rafferty designed for Huon was the triple collar stanchion, which he says is the first and only 450mm, plastic injection moulded triple collar stanchion for aquaculture. At 2.5 metres in length and weighing over 50kg, this part is used to support the entire pen, and houses the three flotation collars (pipes) that keep the pen afloat. The design also includes a fully enclosed walkway and handrail for workers to be able to move safely around the entire circumference of the pen. As well as the challenges of designing a part that will perform in the conditions and meet all the safety requirements, it was of paramount importance to create a shape that can physically be moulded. Rafferty faced the hurdle of designing a tool that would not only allow the part to be moulded, but to ensure that any weld lines generated during the moulding process were in the lowest-stressed regions of the stanchion. “This was no easy feat, as this part is the

A key component Rafferty designed for Huon was a 450mm, plastic injection-moulded triple-collar stanchion.

backbone of the salmon protection pen, and is subject to a myriad of both long- and short-term loads,” says Rafferty. Ultimately Rafferty engineered a design that was not only ideal for the purpose, but which also offered considerable cost savings. Some of the benefits of replacing the existing metal stanchions with an engineered polymer include: • A reduction in price of more than 50% compared with the current metal fabricated units. • A significant weight saving, from 160kg down to 55kg, which allows for larger pens and therefore increased, more efficient production. This weight reduction decreases the energy needed to move the pens, both during assembly and in operation on the water.

Sealone

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Green Manufacturing

An enclosed walkway and handrail allows workers to move safely around the pen.

The triple-collar stanchion supports the entire pen and houses the three flotation collars.

• Improved service life. The metal units can corrode over time, while the polymer units are designed to last at least ten years, with an expectation of a serviceable life of 20 years or more. • The polymer stanchions have a significant amount of controlled flexibility compared with the metal units. Under heavy loads, this allows many of the forces to be diffused throughout the assembly compared with the metal stanchions, which are unforgivingly rigid. Diffusion of forces results in less damage to the pen‘s components during storms and rough conditions. “As far as injection moulding is concerned, this 50kg-plus, 2.5m long part is considered

extremely large,” says Rafferty. “This together with the 25mm wall thicknesses meant moulding the part would be demanding for both man and machine. Our success in designing and moulding these extremely large volume parts allows for a rethink on the existing boundaries of what can and cannot be achieved within this industry.” To support the Australian polymer industry, Rafferty’s company worked with a local Australian injection moulder, Wasson Engineering Plastics, who assisted Elemental with the commissioning and running of the moulding tool. Rafferty reports that Wasson has proven to be very competitive compared with overseas moulders. For Rafferty, using a company

like Wasson was important, “ensuring that our local industry not only survives, but grows and is sustainable”. A champion of Australian design and manufacturing, Rafferty says the success of this project paves the way for many new products that were previously considered impossible to be looked at in a different light. In the wake of the first success, Huon Aquaculture has again engaged Rafferty’s services to commission a larger, heavier version of the product for their continuing expansion. The next size, still in tooling production, will weigh more than 65kg. john@tooldesign.com.au

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Green Manufacturing

CEFC finance boosts Australia’s manufacturers Manufacturers seeking to boost business through increased energy productivity and capacity are tapping into the expertise of the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC). The manufacturing sector is highly energy-intensive, and since 2000, electricity prices faced by some manufacturers have increased by 115%. Combined with continued strength in the Australian dollar, conditions are tough for manufacturers striving to remain competitive. However, according to CEO CEO Oliver Yates, the CEFC’s varied investments are helping businesses accelerate opportunities that reduce reliance on grid electricity and gas, improve capacity and energy productivity and reduce carbon emissions.

Clean Energy Finance Corporation CEO Oliver Yates.

The Climate Institute has estimated potential savings from untapped energy-efficiency measures in the manufacturing sector would be worth $2.4bn in 2020. By financing energy efficiency, low-emissions and renewable technologies, the CEFC has built a diverse investment portfolio since last July, partnering with Australian banks, non-bank financiers and technology companies to accelerate growth in the low carbon economy. “We’ve been developing finance that makes it possible for manufacturers to tap into those savings,” says Yates. “Our own investments have proven that potential with savings through equipment upgrades reducing energy costs by anywhere between 14% and 50%, depending on the technology and the reliance of the business on grid electricity and gas.” ClimateWorks says the types of projects that present the largest potential are process design and optimisation, including improvements to motors, conveying, mixing and handling equipment, and reducing thermal losses to refrigeration systems, ovens, dryers, furnaces/kilns and boiler systems. Waste heat can also be captured and used to pre-heat materials and reduce the fuel inputs required to perform other industrial processes, reducing production costs. The CEFC’s portfolio encompasses a number of these types of projects. Many manufacturing businesses miss out on accessing the cost reduction benefits of energy efficiency improvements due to lack of internal capital and external finance for new equipment as well as issues with long project payback periods and a lack of information about available options. The CEFC is providing essential capital and sharing technical knowledge and valuable experience. The projects the CEFC has invested in help manufacturers reduce costs, increase efficiency and maintain international competiveness. Many of these projects also have the added benefit of reducing waste disposal costs and reducing carbon emissions.

Success stories The corporation has already witnessed several inspiring success stories for those seeking to upgrade their operations. “With finance for new ovens for specialised plastics manufacturers, waste-to-energy biogas plants for meat processors and egg producers, equipment such as new presses for label printers, and refrigeration upgrades for food processors, we’ve been helping manufacturers, particularly those in regional Australia, make substantial inroads into future-proofing their businesses,” says Yates. “We’re providing finance for these projects at a scale that simply hasn’t been offered previously.” The CEFC is partnering with the Commonwealth Bank to make up to $100m available to manufacturers through the Energy Efficient Loan program, which tailors finance to match the cost savings delivered through upgrades. “By upgrading to new technologies and more efficient equipment, manufacturers are making a difference to their business, increasing their production capacity, reducing their input costs and improving their profit margins,” Yates explains. “We’re helping these businesses

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remain competitive in a rapidly changing environment so that they can continue to be the backbone of their communities, providing local employment opportunities and much needed stability to local economies.” Global Roto-Moulding, a specialised plastic products manufacturer, was able to more than halve its oven energy use through an upgrade its ovens enabled through the Energy Efficient Loan from Commonwealth Bank and CEFC. The company, which has operations in Ilrymple in Victoria and Helidon in Queensland, makes water tanks, children’s playground equipment and custom-moulded machine parts for industry and primary producers. It is expecting to retain its competitive edge and operate in an environmentally responsible manner as a result of the upgrade. “Through the Energy Efficient Loan we’ve also financed new printing presses for Labelmakers which provides labels for some of the nation’s best known consumer brands,” adds Yates. “The new presses operate at twice the speed and use half the energy of the old ones, reducing both energy costs and carbon emissions by about 14%. Substantial savings are also gained through reduced paper wastage and the use of solvent-based inks.” Two major fruit suppliers have also used finance through the CEFC to upgrade their refrigeration. In Wandiligong, Nightingale Bros expects to cut its energy costs by about 40% through upgrading to a modern ammonia-based refrigeration system using and Energy Efficient Loan. Similarly, last year Shepparton-based apple and pear suppliers Radevski Coolstores cut its energy costs by about a quarter through a refrigeration system upgrade for its 16 coolrooms using CEFC and Commonwealth Bank finance.

Waste-to-energy opportunity The CEFC is also helping manufacturers convert their waste into energy by financing biogas plant installations. It is working with biogas specialists Quantum Power to accelerate up to $40m in projects that turn organic waste streams into energy, offering manufacturers a solution at no upfront cost. Quantum Power builds, owns operates and maintains the biogas plants, providing energy to their clients at a predetermined price. The CEFC-Quantum Power alliance builds on the CEFC’s previous biogas financing experience.

Green Manufacturing

Global Roto-Moulding, which makes specialised plastic products such as children’s playground equipment, upgraded its ovens through an Energy Efficient Loan.

“Businesses using our finance to harness this technology are making substantial inroads into reducing reliance on grid electricity and reducing costs associated with waste disposal,” says Yates. For example, in Jandakot, Western Australia, gardening products supplier Richgro is building a biogas plant that has the capacity to process more than 35,000 tons a year of organic waste, diverting it from landfill. The power produced is expected to meet the needs of Richgro’s site. Similarly, egg producer Darling Downs Fresh Eggs is installing a biogas digester at its site in Pittsworth (Queensland), which will take poultry manure and other organic waste and turn it into power. It is expected to meet around 60% of the site’s needs in its first year of operations. “These businesses are reducing their waste output and associated expenses while turning it into something useful – power – which will further reduce their input costs. Their success supports a competitive, growing and productive sector that is vital to the ongoing sustainability of local communities and ultimately the Australian economy.” The Federal Government has identified the beef industry as highly exposed to fluctuations in international markets. In the past two years, CEFC finance has helped the country’s largest meat processor and exporter JBS Australia to reduce its dependence on grid-connected natural gas by about half through the installation of a biogas plant. Meanwhile, a system installed at AJ Bush & Sons major rendering plant in Queensland helped the business cut its grid electricity consumption by 35%.

Supporting new industries The CEFC is also supporting Australian manufacturers through its investment in larger renewable energy projects that are creating demand for Australian manufacturing skills. The wind towers at Taralga wind farm in New South Wales and the Portland Wind Energy Project in Victoria are Australian-manufactured. Taralga’s towers use Bluescope manufactured steel. Sundrop Farms, which is a major greenhouse development using solar thermal technology to desalinate water and create optimal growing conditions for tomatoes, is sourcing components like water pipeline, pumps, cables and other parts from local manufacturers. CEFC finance is also helping Carnegie Wave Energy accelerate the final stage of its ocean energy technology, which requires a dedicated manufacturing hub that could adapt existing capacity to create new jobs.

A system installed at AJ Bush & Sons’s plant in Queensland helped cut its grid electricity consumption by 35%.

In its relatively short period of operation, the CEFC has brought the financial sector to the table and persuaded them to progress investment in clean energy technologies. By building a diverse investment portfolio, the CEFC has provided support to sectors across the Australian economy, including manufacturing, and has been successful in helping Australian businesses grow , while increasing the deployment of energy-efficient, low-carbon and renewable technologies. The CEFC’s total portfolio is now over $700m and includes some yet to be announced projects. With a contribution of over $1.8bn by co-finance partners, the CEFC has catalysed investments in projects over $2.5bn in value. The CEFC’s cost of carbon abatement to date is in the order of negative $2.40 per ton CO2e. This means that, including borrowing costs, the CEFC expects to generate a positive return from its investments while reducing carbon emissions. Investments already have the effect of abating 3.88m tons of CO2e. The CEFC is on track to reach its target of $800m to $1bn invested in its first financial year with further new investments to be announced shortly. “The important thing for manufacturers to remember is that we’re helping them help themselves,” says Yates. “We’re providing upfront finance options to catalyse change and enable manufacturers to make productivity gains and cost savings sooner. It’s part of our broader investment mission to develop the capabilities and capacity for lowering emissions and enabling a globally competitive Australian economy in a carbon-constrained world.” www.cleanenergyfinancecorp.com.au AMT MAY 2014

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company focus

Hickory Group – Building for the future Hickory Group delivers innovative, high-quality products by combining decades of experience in construction with sophisticated manufacturing techniques. At a time when many Australian manufacturers are struggling, this is a company bucking the trend, and creating opportunities for the entire industry.

Taking a tour of Hickory Group’s factory in Brooklyn (Victoria), it seems on many levels much like any other production line. Raw materials go in at the start – sheet-metal is roll-formed and welded together; components are installed; everything is finished, cleaned, quality-checked – and out of the other end come completed products. The difference is that what come out are not, for example, coffee machines, computers or cars. What come out are entire rooms. At any given point along the production line, work might be in progress on a hotel suite, a hospital ward, or a kitchen/lounge for a luxury apartment. Each module goes from being a simple steel box – four walls, a roof and a floor – through a comprehensive fit-out process, stage by stage. Access routes for services such as plumbing or electrics are established, windows are fitted, interior tiling and exterior cladding are set in place, even baths and washbasins are installed – everything including the kitchen sink. Finally it’s wrapped, ready for delivery. “It’s not too dissimilar a process from any manufactured goods,” says Hickory’s CEO George Konstandakos. “You do the design and engineering up front, then build a prototype, a pre-production version of a module, and have the client sign off on the quality and fit and fitness of that module.” As the modules reach the end of the production line, they are loaded onto trucks and transported to a building site, where they are stacked together to form a building. It might be an apartment block, a school learning centre or an aged care home. A larger module being assembled during AMT’s visit comprised two individual hospital wards separated by a central hallway, each fully fitted out with its own ensuite bathroom. Such flexibility and versatility are among the key benefits Hickory can offer – both in terms of potential real-world applications, and in meeting the expectations and preferences of the client. In addition, the Hickory Building System delivers higher quality and precision because so much work is undertaken in a clean, controlled factory environment rather than on-site. The columns

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that are crucial to the modules’ structure are manufactured to tolerances of one millimetre, a precision that would normally be unheard of in construction. The modules come with a 50-year structural warranty, same as any conventional building, and are built to withstand the harshest environments. “We’re building in South Hedland, the toughest cyclone region in Australia,” says Konstandakos. “Our modules are designed for 300km/hour winds. We fully warrant them and back their design and engineering.” Hickory’s approach also offers time-savings of up to 50% compared with traditional building methods, because work can be conducted simultaneously at the factory and the building site – in turn minimising local disruption around the building project. In addition, it is more environmentally friendly, with steel favoured over concrete, a more general use of materials that are lighter, less carbon-intensive and more easily recyclable, reduced water and energy usage, and less waste. “We employ all the learnings from building a one-off module, so when we start volume production we’ve found out all the issues and problems,” adds Konstandakos. “You don’t have the luxury to do that on a building site, you sort of resolve problems as you go along, but here we have an opportunity to learn from building one module. And once we’re happy with that, we roll out volume production.”

An evolving hybrid Hickory Group was founded 21 years ago by George and Michael Argyrou, who remain in place as the group’s Managing Directors. The company started off as a conventional construction business, building townhouses and apartments, and recorded steady growth, gradually taking on high-rise residential towers and major commercial projects. Around five years ago the company began its evolution into modular construction, entering a joint venture with leading architect Nonda Katsalidis. It was Katsalidis who developed and designed Unitised

company focus

Building, a unique column system that enables the modules to be stacked together. Today, according to Konstandakos, Hickory’s modular division is the leading modular construction manufacturer in Australia. Staff numbers have expanded to around 70 full-time personnel. Working alongside them on-site are a rolling workforce of some 100 subcontractors who are brought in according to the specific demands of each project. Hickory has longstanding relationships with reliable local tradesmen who it can call upon when required. “Labourers, boilermakers, plumbers, electricians, cabinetmakers, waterproofers… we subbie out a lot of work,” says Konstandakos. “It’s a hybrid between manufacturing and building, so we need good builders as well, but we also need good manufacturing people. It’s all locally made, from local materials. We support a lot of suppliers and a lot of industry in and around Melbourne.” Projected turnover for this financial year is around $50m, and Hickory aims to double that to $100m per annum in the coming years, increasing production volumes and introducing efficiencies. The factory currently turns out two modules a day, and the company intends to increase that amount to four. New products are in development, as well as streamlining of manufacturing processes. The modules are currently welded together, requiring skilled boilermakers and unique roll-formed components, but Hickory is exploring ways to move towards structural steel that can be bolted together. This would take a lot of complexity out of the system, and would also support Hickory’s ambitions of extending skywards. Its tallest building to date topped out at nine floors, but the current system is capable of being employed on buildings up to 70 storeys. “We’re looking for taller buildings,” says Konstandakos. “It’s where you get the efficiencies in modular, doing a long run of modules. It’s where we’re striving to be, taking on some towers.” There are challenges, not least in getting the message across that Hickory’s products represent a proven, viable alternative. In Australia, modular construction is still seen as an experimental technology, and Konstandakos is keen to overturn that perception among the general public, the industry, and crucially, financiers, who often shy away from anything that’s different or unique. “If you look at the smarts we put into these buildings, we have professional engineering groups, we have university fellows involved in testing and validating our system. In some parts of Europe like Sweden, modular construction is more than 50% of all buildings. In Australia it’s tiny, probably less than 5%. We want to be seen as a mainstream alternative to normal standard construction of buildings.” Given the current climate in Australia, where a shortage of affordable housing is fuelling an increasingly overheated property boom, and an ever-growing urban sprawl highlights the need for high-density inner-city housing, it seems likely Hickory might be onto something. “The cost of construction goes up every year,” says Konstandakos. “There’s an industry crying out for improved sustainability and efficiencies, and manufacturing is a method where you can rope in those costs. It brings in efficiencies in volume, standardised practices, it’s all in a controlled environment. The cost of housing goes up every year and here’s a technology that can provide for reducing those costs.”

A new home for manufacturing An intriguing aspect of Hickory is the number of staff on its payroll who came across from jobs in the automotive sector, including the General Manager for the Sync arm of the business, a Production Manager, and several engineers and CAD designers. Over the last six months at least ten further staff have been brought over from the car industry. Indeed, Konstandakos, who took his current role only last year, had previously spent 18 years in engineering at GM Holden. “There’s a lot of value-add through the skills automotive personnel bring to this business,” he explains. “We have a strong focus on design and engineering in this business. It’s designed for manufacturing and assembly. That’s really the practices we bring in from the automotive industry, that you design it so everything just clips together, it’s all fit for purpose, and you minimise downtime. “The automotive industry is used to working on very slim margins. Efficiency comes naturally to them – you’ve got to take every cent out of every component. That sort of thinking in this business means we’re able to improve our efficiency.” The impending departures of the three remaining car companies in Australia have left a lot of their workers and suppliers facing an uncertain future. The news has also prompted a mass of speculation about where Australian manufacturing can go once the automotive industry has gone. What Hickory is doing might well help to answer those questions. “There’s a lot of manufacturing expertise in Victoria,” says Konstandakos. “And with Holden, Ford and Toyota all closing their doors in the next few years, there is a lot of skill there. We’ll be looking for people with those type of skills. “It’s opportunities for suppliers as well. We have a different model to conventional building, we’re feeding a production line. We need good-quality components, and we need parts to arrive just in time. We’ve struggled to get the supply base that understands what we’re doing. There’s a lot of Mum-and-Dad businesses that have been feeding Ford, Toyota and Holden that could potentially move across.” It might not entirely fill the void left by automotive, but Hickory at least presents an area of opportunity at a time of adversity for Australian manufacturing. More importantly, it provides a fine example of how, with ingenuity and innovation, the industry might build itself a future. “If we get behind it, now is the time to really accelerate this side of the industry,” adds Konstandakos. “We need another big manufacturing sector that’s got lots of opportunities and good growth, and this is one.” www.hickory.com.au AMT MAY 2014

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Aerotherm lifts capacity with new Okuma Those helicopters zipping through the air over Kiwi and Aussie communities in pursuit of law and order, timely healthcare, tourism or news updates need to be serviced at regular intervals like any other vehicle. Chances are that Aerospace Thermal Coatings (Aerotherm) will play a part in this overhaul process. Aerotherm is one of a very small number of Australasian niche companies that repair aircraft turbine and transmission components for New Zealand and Australian aircraft service companies, notably for engine types Rolls Royce A250, Honeywell LTS101 and Garrett TPE331. Aerotherm and Air New Zealand’s two aircraft engineering facilities in Auckland and Christchurch are the only workshops in the country that operate under a NZCAA Part 145, P1 approval (thermal spraying). Aerotherm’s welding facility is also qualified to American Standard AWS D17.

Parts for a US valve manufacturer made on the Okuma machine.

In addition to this highly specialised engineering work, Takaninibased Aerotherm has a substantial and loyal base of domestic and offshore customers in industrial and automotive businesses, for which it produces a sophisticated and diverse range of coatings, both metal and ceramic, for either repair and maintenance customers or OEM applications. In November 2013, Aerotherm added a new Okuma M560V vertical machining centre to its impressive stable of engineering plant. Director Derek Stent says the business has been growing to such an extent in the past few years that the team had to take its capacity to the next level. A decision was taken that investment in new plant was necessary to future-proof Aerotherm’s operations. “We have always known about Okuma,” says Stent. “Everybody knows about Okuma, that it’s a leader in its field and produces premium equipment. We’ve now experienced first-hand that it produces premium results in terms of time, cost effectiveness and precision engineering. And we have found that the buying procedure, after-sales service and training are premium, too.”

spread the message, to the point where aircraft work now constitutes around 70% of Aerotherm’s daily tasks.

Stent, a qualified fitter and turner, says that since he started Aerotherm in the early 1980s, the company has grown not only in terms of size and factory floor throughput, but also in terms of its range of product offerings. Originally known as Flamespray Engineering, it initially focused on thermal spraying, as well as some grinding, welding, and machining.

Operations Manager Phil Brown, who has been with Aerotherm for eight years, says the two days’ training on the Okuma M560V was a very good investment. In addition to sharpening and broadening his skills set, it also gave him a few new general ideas about quality control, time management and cost-efficient diversification, all which will add value to Aerotherm’s reputation and bottom line. The Okuma M560V’s major work over the past two months has been making jigs for fixtures, prototypes and producing components for a US valve manufacturer.

In the late 1980s one of Flamespray’s customers approached the team with a proposal to do an aircraft turbine and gearbox refurbishment job. Aerotherm was established, and Flamespray “gradually sort of faded into the background” as word of mouth

“The Okuma’s full CNC function and fourth axis has upped the game for us,” says Brown. “The accuracy and workmanship are excellent. The machine has expanded the capability of what we can make and repair significantly.” According to Fred de Jong, General Manager Okuma New Zealand, the Japanese-assembled M560V features a highly rigid box-frame design, which lends itself well to the application of Okuma’s ‘Thermo Friendly Concept’. This results in comparatively high thermal stability, and therefore significantly improved accuracy over a wide range of ambient temperatures. A key design feature that is of particular benefit during one-off and delicate work applications such as those undertaken by Aerotherm is that the table moves only in the Y direction, which allows it to move closer to the front of the machine. This makes workpiece loading easier and provides better vision of the process when operating. Also utilised in the M560V, as with most Okuma machining centres, is the highly reliable built-in spindle motor. This comes equipped with oil air mist lubrication, for long life even at extended full speed running, and a separate thermal control (TAC-S) for reliable and continuous dynamic stability and accuracy.

Aerotherm operations manager Phil Brown with the company’s new Okuma M560V vertical machining centre.

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“The M560V is yet another example of the long-time Okuma principle of ‘single-source responsibility’,” de Jong explains. “This means that the machine, motion control, controller and software are all built by Okuma. The machines are therefore fully integrated solutions, right from the design phase, so when support is required there is only one place necessary to call.

Material Removal

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Brown aligning the fixture on the new Okuma vertical machining centre.

“It’s also worth noting that Okuma is the only true factory-owned and -operated CNC vendor domiciled in the New Zealand. For the customer, that means better service through faster response times at a lower cost with nothing getting lost in translation.” In addition to the US exports, the other 30% of Aerotherm’s daily tasks include thermal spraying, plasma-sprayed ceramic coatings, as well as corrosion control coatings such as SermeTel, Alseal and Ipseal, precision grinding and welding, and 3D mapping and measurements of part profiles.

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“We’re a good team that gets on well amongst ourselves and runs a stable company,” says Brown. “Most of our six employees have long service, and we have a number of long-standing big contracts with some of the major players in our target markets. We hope to build a similar association with Okuma.” The Okuma vertical machining centre joins a comprehensive range of equipment in Aerotherm’s impressively orderly workshop. These include metal thermal spray equipment set up for combustion powder and wire, twin wire arc, plasma spray, and liquid-fuelled HVOF. Its extensive machine shop is also equipped with highcapacity centre lathes, cylindrical grinders, a surface grinder, a vertical borer, a milling machine, TIG and MMA welding equipment (suitable for both ferrous and non-ferrous alloys), and air-circulating ovens rated at up to 700 degrees Celsius. The company’s Brown & Sharpe CNC-controlled co-ordinate measuring machine (CMM) boasts an envelope of 700mm by 500mm by 500mm, and is capable of readings as small as four microns, calibrated to the ISO 10360-2 standard. Stent says his already favourable impressions of Okuma have been reinforced by the experience of finally acquiring one of its machines. “I went into the buying process well informed,” says Stent. “With the Okuma team’s expert advice, I bought the machine that is perfect for Aerotherm’s requirements, and even exceeding the high expectations I had.” www.aerotherm.co.nz www.okumaaustralia.com.au

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AMT MAY 2014

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Material Removal

Savings from sustainability A project aimed at energy-efficient machining has also delivered production efficiencies. By Peter Zelinski. Cycle time and tool life are the kinds of machining process variables that manufacturers often aim to improve, but energy use rarely gets the same attention. In fact, the energy use of a given machining process is not even likely to be measured or tracked. While power is expensive, it’s not nearly as costly as the machine itself or the tooling consumed in the cut. Moreover, choices related to tool path, cutting parameters and so on all directly affect cycle time and tool life. The energy used to remove a given volume of material is much more of an untouchable matter of physics. Or so it would seem. Researchers with GKN Aerospace recently demonstrated something about energy consumption in CNC machining that is very different from this view. Working under the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining as part of the US Air Force’s Sustainable Manufacturing Initiative, GKN found considerable margin for saving energy in the machining process. The company’s aircraft component production plant in Missouri, applied one of its flexible machining cells to this project, which aimed to discover just how much energy could be saved in aircraft part machining. The research focused on a titanium 6Al-4V sample part designed with deep pockets that are typical of military aircraft components, and it used equipment that is just as typical – horizontal machining centres that had been in service for more than a decade. Using a power meter, researchers measured the effects of various attempts to save energy in this machining application. They found that strategic choices related to tools, coolant, programming and parameters can reduce energy use by 73% compared with the plant’s established processes. The findings actually went beyond energy savings. The US Air Force funded the study not only to prepare suppliers for potentially higher energy costs in the future, but also to look for manufacturing efficiencies that apply in any scenario. Some of the measures proven in this study save energy specifically because of how well they save cycle time, a valuable improvement on its own.

GKN Aerospace’s Cedo Nedic, one of the researchers involved in the Sustainable Manufacturing Initiative.

More per revolution

Coolant considerations

One of the most basic tool-related variables the project considered was the number of flutes on a carbide end mill. The “6-4” in titanium 6-4 could well refer to the number of flutes GKN used to machine it, because historically this plant has applied a six-flute tool to rough the metal and a four-flute tool to finish it. While larger flute numbers had sometimes proved effective as well, the plant had never had the opportunity to systematically study the effect of flute quantity. Even so, the relevance of this quantity to energy savings seemed straightforward. With more flutes, less tool revolution is wasted because more cutting occurs with each turn of the tool.

The effectiveness of through-tool coolant delivery was also tested. Solid end mills using only flood coolant were run against otherwise identical end mills that had been modified (again by Brubaker) to deliver coolant through ports near the tips of each flute. Throughtool delivery provided measurably superior tool life in multiple ways – nominal tool life improved, while the wear from flute to flute on the same tool was also more consistent. That consistency effectively extends the tool life advantage, because if a tool can be trusted to wear predictably, it can be trusted to remain in the cut longer as it wears.

Brubaker Tool provided GKN with the end mills it used to study flute quantity. The researchers confirmed that tools with more flutes do deliver energy savings. These tools permit faster feed rates, which shorten cycle times and reduce energy use per part. Yet there is a point where the flute number is too high. The researchers encountered difficulty with 20-flute tools. Testing revealed rapid tool wear at the upper part of the cutting depth with these cutters, which they attributed to chip evacuation problems. Reducing the flute count to 16 seemed to prevent this wear by widening the channel between flutes enough to allow chips to escape. GKN therefore found 16 flutes to be the most energy-efficient option.

But again, cost-effectiveness has to be questioned. Nedic says the team’s testing of through-tool coolant demonstrated tool-life improvement of as much as 30%. That is significant by itself, but small compared with through-tool coolant’s cost premium of 100% more than the unmodified tool. These findings stem only from one plant’s evaluation of a single process involving a single part number, but based on these findings, Nedic says he is unlikely to recommend through-tool coolant in titanium unless it helps with a chip-clearance problem.

Whether the tool is cost-efficient is another matter. GKN Principal Engineer Cedo Nedic points out that higher-flute-count tools are more expensive and more difficult to regrind. At the extreme, energy cost savings are not enough to justify the added tool expense. He says a tool with eight flutes offers a better compromise between tool cost and the benefit of high feed rate. Where possible, the plant has increasingly been adopting eight-flute tools.

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With regard to the coolant itself, one process improvement that showed unequivocal cost savings was coolant recycling. For its sustainability research, the GKN plant connected the machining cell to a coolant recycling system with a Xybex centrifuge from Master Chemical. Mixing recycled coolant with fresh coolant produced no measurable change in cutting performance, but it saved on coolant use considerably. In full production with this cell, GKN estimates that coolant recycling would save $45,000 per year in coolant purchases while cutting water use by 11%.

Material Removal

The titanium part used for the sustainability testing.

Programming, step 1 All of the above are hardware changes applied in the cut or at the machine. John Shain, a CNC programmer at GKN, says an equally important area of energy savings comes before machining ever begins, when the cycle is being programmed. The various ways to refine a milling program include changing the shape of the tool paths as well as optimising the parameters by tailoring the feed rate all along these paths. Does either of these approaches reduce energy use? Shain says both do, particularly when used together. Employing one software resource for the tool path and another for feed rate optimisation produces such dramatic process improvement that he expects to see this sequence become a standard part of the plant’s approach to programming new jobs. The researchers used VoluMill software from Celeritive Technologies to obtain more efficient tool paths for pocket milling. Rather than following the shape of the pocket, VoluMill tool paths aim to keep the stress on the tool consistent by avoiding sharp changes in feed direction. Toolpath moves therefore continually curve, bearing no resemblance to the shape of the final feature for most of the machining. The consistency that these tool paths provide potentially makes it safe to raise speed and feed rates much higher than the programmer would risk in a tool path that includes areas of significant stress fluctuation. Because of the way this faster cutting contributes to energy reduction, the test process that consumed 1.18kWh per cubic inch of material removal using GKN’s baseline machining methods consumed just 0.60kWh once VoluMill was used for programming. Supplementing this gain with higher-flute-count tools, through-tool coolant and coolant recycling brought the energy use down to 0.43 kWh per cubic inch.

Programming, step 2 The researchers then looked to feed rate optimisation in search of further savings. The VoluMill software already has this optimisation, says Shain, but running the tool path through dedicated optimisation software improved performance further. However, such optimisation is often based on the predicted volume of the chip. That volume correlates to cutting force, but it does not determine cutting force precisely. Software that does predict this force is Third Wave Systems’ Production Module. This software uses finite element analysis to model the cut. Using Production Module to tailor cutting parameters so that the cutting force would remain steady yielded the final increment of energy savings, according to Shain. The process combining all these improvements consumed 0.32kWh per cubic inch, a 73% reduction from the baseline way that the plant had routinely machined parts. That baseline is no longer so routine, thanks in part to the process advances resulting from these findings. Various existing part numbers have been reprogrammed for cycle-time savings using VoluMill and Production Module, and new jobs will probably take advantage of these software resources going forward. Using software this way might seem cumbersome, but Shain says the extra steps don’t add

The machining cell.

much time to critical parts that involve significant programming time already. For example, using these software tools on a job requiring 100 programmer hours might raise that time to 110 hours, offset by the hours of cycle time saved each time the part number is run. Such savings provide for sustainability in multiple ways. While the term usually implies lowering energy use, keeping a job commercially sustainable involves holding costs low enough that the part remains in production. These aims are not contradictory. The programmingrelated findings of the sustainability testing are particularly promising, GKN says – not only for the energy reduction, but also for the cost reduction and increased capacity resulting from cycle time improvements. www.gkn.com/aerospace Reprinted courtesy of Modern Machine Shop

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AMT MAY 2014

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Quality & Inspection

Improving efficiencies with portable CMMs Suitable for a wide range of manufacturing applications, portable co-ordinate measuring machines (CMMs) are an increasingly popular alternative to traditional inspection methods. By Anthony Lur, Product Marketing Specialist at FARO, Asia Pacific. Quality over quantity – in the world of manufacturing, quality often outweighs quantity in numerous aspects. Productivity and efficiency are primary concerns for business owners because profitability is crucial. However, to remain profitable and competitive in the longer term, it is perhaps important for businesses to take a closer look at quality processes and how they improve manufacturing efficiencies. Manufacturers today often adopt the Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DfMA) methodology to manage costs. In essence, DfMA is the combined process of engineering a product to facilitate its manufacturing and assembly with minimum effort, time, and cost. In this context, achieving quality is not about producing a flawless part. Realistically, it is about working within constraints imposed by existing tools, skill sets, or physical limitations of tolerances achievable when building the parts. The framework accepts that errors are inherently present but must be kept in check. In a typical plant, measurements are required and performed at various stages – from digitising parts in the design phase, to detecting defects in manufacturing, to finally reducing assembly errors. While the idea of adhering to quality standards in the manufacturing process is not new, quality and inspection methods have evolved over the years, as user needs changed and new technology became available.

Traditional: Old is gold, or out with the old? One of the most popular traditional inspection methods that manufacturers employ is the usage of hand tools, such as Vernier callipers, micrometers and gauges. Commonly used in quality labs and inspection rooms, hand tools are easily used for basic geometries such as diameters, thickness, and one- or two-dimensional features. However, there is limited usage for such tools when it comes to the measurement of complex shapes. Measurements are usually low on repeatability and reproducibility. In addition, the use of hand tools does not allow for automatic, direct comparison with the CAD files used in manufacturing the object. Data must be manually computed

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in order to compare with nominals. Aside from hand tools, another popular tool commonly found at inspection facilities is the optical comparator. One of the main benefits is that the tool offers a magnified view of the object, allowing the user to make comparisons to scale and take quick measurements. Nonetheless, it is a manual process that provides two-dimensional inspection with limited accuracy. For large volumes of measurement, manufacturers often opt for theodolites, which offer decent levels of accuracy over long distances. Even so, a theodolite’s long set-up time, slow data acquisition, and the need for multiple device positions to calculate co-ordinates makes it less attractive as a method. Finally, there is the fixed co-ordinate measuring machine (CMM). The fixed CMM comes in a variety of sizes and designs, offers very high levels of accuracy, enables direct comparisons with CAD data, and allows automated, repeated measurements. A major drawback of the fixed CMM, however, is its requirement for a special climatecontrolled room. Operationally, this means carving out a dedicated space for the machine and moving parts that need to be measured to the machine. The method lacks flexibility in measurement capabilities and involves high costs — not just in the purchase of equipment, but also because it requires real estate, climate-control facilities, maintenance, and labour.

Portable CMMs: The game changer Today, the portable CMM has emerged as a popular alternative. Having been around for nearly 30 years, the technology exists in several forms, including articulated arms, 3D laser scanners, and laser trackers. Fundamentally, these devices provide the benefits of CMMs with the added versatility of portability, which allows users to deploy wherever there is a need. In addition to being less costprohibitive than fixed CMMs, portable CMMs do not require a controlled environment, making them easier and cheaper to operate and maintain.

Quality & Inspection The most common type of portable CMM is probably the articulated arm. Equipped with several articulating joints, these measurement arms are able to imitate and exceed the movement of a human arm. Typically, articulated arms come in models with either six or seven axes of rotation, providing flexibility when performing measurements. As an option, 3D laser-scanner head-units can be mounted to the articulated arms to provide non-contact scanning capabilities. At FARO, articulated arms come in a range of lengths (1.2-3.7 metres) to cater to different measuring volumes. Capable of volumetric accuracies of up to 23 microns and weighing as little as 10kg, the FaroArm line of products offers accuracy, precision and portability. This enables easy pick-up and deployment of the device around a facility, even for a one-man operation. Apart from the articulated arm, portable CMMs also come in the form of laser trackers. Made for a larger working volume, laser trackers offer extremely accurate measurements over long ranges. Measurement ranges and accuracies have improved significantly in recent years. The FARO Laser Tracker Vantageâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s radial measuring range is 80 metres, capturing data at typical accuracies of up to 39 microns. Weighing just under 18kg, the Vantage offers portability and versatility on measuring large parts, no matter where production is located within the plant. Manufacturers can achieve unprecedented speed and efficiency by capturing more with fewer device moves and shorter routines.

Applications in the manufacturing environment The portable CMM can be a valuable addition to a companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s existing collection of measurement equipment, suitable for a range of real-life applications.

1. Incoming inspection Incoming inspection allows companies to check supplier parts and verify they are delivered defect-free and within expected tolerances. It also allows proper documentation of the part before it is introduced into the production line. This prevents any corruption to products coming out of the manufacturing process. On top of that, inspection reports help to ensure there are no discrepancies between what was ordered and what was delivered.

2. Dimensional inspection and analysis This is a broad term for any process that measures a dimensional part to compare to an inspection norm. This includes checks on angles, prismatic features (such as lines, planes, circles), distances between points, as well as geometric and positional tolerances. Especially where large or irregularly shaped components are involved, portable CMMs handle measurement with much more ease than traditional tools, providing manufacturers with accuracy, repeatability, and readings that are free from human error. This helps to cut down wastage in time, effort, and money.

3. Machine alignment and calibration In this application, the portable CMM is used to build machines, to achieve positional integrity on fixtures and parts, or to calibrate a machineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s foundation. Proper calibration prevents any misalignment or improper levelling in the installation of the machine, which may cause defects in the final assembly and output. This is crucial to the quality of the finished product. Using hand tools to align machines is time-consuming, it does not reap digital records from the alignment, and it is not accurate enough. A carpet-tufting company reported an 80% improvement in the alignment process when they switched from dial indicators, precision levels, scales and piano wires, to a laser tracker.

4. In-process and on-machine inspection Inspection of parts right where they are made saves time and eliminates downtime, as the pieces do not

have to be removed from the machine before reworking can take place. With a portable CMM, the part can be checked as it is built, productivity is increased, and the bottom line improves. A company that makes precision optical components used to rely on traditional gauging methods, which was time-consuming and inadequate. Since switching to an articulated arm deployed on the machine, the company has been able to cut inspection times by at least 50%. Other than the ability to check the component while it is being built, the portable CMM also eliminates the need to remove the part from the machine, which in turn prevents a loss in component orientation when returned to the machine.

5. First article inspection The portable CMM is very useful in measuring and comparing first-run articles to nominal data. It upholds quality standards in Lean manufacturing by verifying the final output of a pilot run. A comparison of the first article against the original design intent ensures that the first run of the product looks similar to the way it was intended. Only then can a full production run be started with the confidence that the output is up to scratch. Aside from faster, more accurate measurements, portable CMMs enable automatic report generation as a form of documentation, which is required for ISO or Six-Sigma certifications.

6. CAD-to-part inspections CAD-to-Part inspection is essentially the inspection of a part made in comparison to the original CAD file. This is especially suitable for non-prismatic shapes or for parts that cannot be touched because they are too soft, brittle, malleable or hot. Scans that indicate deviation feedback can be obtained without coming into contact with the object. The software shows the amount of difference between the actual built part and the original design intent, allowing the user an informed decision whether to accept or reject the part. One machine shop enjoyed higher accuracy and efficiency when it replaced hand templates with a laser scanning-enabled articulated arm. It also allowed the company to make immediate comparisons with CAD models, raising the quality of the output by machining parts to precision according to specifications. The company reports a significant reduction in inspection times, from 300 labour hours to just two to three hours.

7. Reverse engineering / rapid prototyping Reverse engineering is the digitising of a part, object or structure to create a fully-surfaced 3D CAD model. Most commonly done with a 3D laser scanner, the process is also achievable with the contact probe on an articulated arm or a laser tracker. Typically, reverse engineering can be used to re-engineer parts whose drawings are obsolete, for non-destructive testing and analysis (such as structural analysis, fluid dynamic tests, finite element analysis), or for product design and redesign.

8. Measurement room inspection While the measurement room is typically allocated for the traditional fixed-type CMM, there are instances where the portable CMM can be made useful in this space as a complement. Depending on the volume of production, inspection time may have to be shortened. If traditional methods cannot cope with the surge in demand, a fixed CMM operator may in these instances benefit from complementing the existing equipment with a portable CMM, which will help to take some load off the traditional fixed CMM. As the portable CMM can be easily set up in the same space, it does not require additional changes to be made to the measurement room. In some cases, users have even replaced their traditional fixed CMMs because the portable CMM prove to be just as accurate. www.faroasia.com

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Quality & Inspection

Drill bit characterisation using a 3D optical microscope An industry-leading hand and electric tool company is utilising Bruker’s NPFLEX 3D optical microscope for R&D and product quality control in their drill bit manufacturing. By Deepak Sharma and Tom Stout. It is known within the tool-making industry that there is a correlation between the surface roughness of critical tool surfaces and that tool’s ultimate function. The difficulty for the tool company was finding a solution that could measure the surface roughness easily, quantitatively and repeatably. Previously the company had used 3D stereo microscopes to take pictures of the drill bits from differing angles. They would then use simple image analysis to identify metal burrs and damage to the drill bits. This methodology was highly user-dependent and was susceptible to varied part positioning and subjective user analysis. Surface roughness and its impact on the quality of the production grade product remained an enigma. Additionally, it was very difficult to compare new data to prior measurements due to these variables and the resulting lack of gauge capability.

The NPFLEX 3D optical microscope.

Smaller optical microscopes provided a challenge for positioning larger samples or imaging drill bits from an end-on perspective. However, Bruker’s NPFLEX resolves these issues, with a large gantry capable of holding a part that measures one cubic foot (28,300 cubic cm) and weighs up to 150lb (68kg). Part loading and manipulation on this system is very easy. Secondly, the NPFLEX has optimised long working distance objectives that allow the part being imaged to be in focus at a distance of 33mm from the objective. This makes capturing images from difficult-toreach geometries much easier. The long working distance combined with a crash mitigation device also gives everyday users a large margin of error and serves to ensure crashing of the objective does not occur, providing peace of mind for the operator. The result of this combination of features enabled the NPFLEX to perform repeatable multiple measurements on multiple drill bits, even from end-on angles. Metric surface dimensional data was rendered easily into standard reports. This gave the manufacturer a metric measurement capability that was objective and comparable through time. The issue of user dependence was also minimised. As a result, the company could focus on its metrology problem rather than the metrology process; in this case, the surface roughness on the drill bit and the simple changes in critical surface finish that could impact the tool’s longevity. It set up a testing regime to identify parameters to ensure production was within specified parameters.

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In addition to the quality applications of NPFLEX, the tooling manufacturer’s R&D group was able to utilise the tool for more extensive material and tribology analysis. Studies were conducted on high-speed steel drill bits used to drill into anodised aluminium plates. Data was collected from three distinct regions of the drill bits. It was found that the radii of curvature and edge quality remained unaffected but the Str parameter (which helps determine lay or recurring pattern) and bearing ratios changed after certain usage amounts. This indicated that while initial drill bit usage smoothed the surface, further prolonged usage caused decreased smoothing. The images obtained actually showed significant material re-deposition occurring upon prolonged test periods. Initially, the drill bits would smooth out, but with prolonged usage the drill bit material was displaced causing a roughening of the surface.

Additionally, a cross-material analysis was performed where several drill bits that differed, either in materials or coatings, were used and measured pre- and posttesting. The drill bits used were Titanium CarboNitride (TiCN), High Speed Steel (HSS), a drill bit with Titanium Nitrite (TiN) coating, and one containing a Silicon Carbide nano-composite. The post-usage results clearly indicated that the Silicone Carbide composite drill bit experienced the least amount of material re-deposition after usage. The simplicity and ease of use of the NPFLEX 3D optical microscope, combined with critical measurement capabilities, allowed the tool manufacturer to test drill bit performance, develop improved tool quality at lower cost, while increasing speed to market. www.bruker.com/nano www.coherent.com.au

Image showing points of data collection (head, forward surface, and inside surface) from various drill bits.

Quality & Inspection

Hi-Tech Metrology unveils new Leica B-Probe Released into Australia and New Zealand by Hi-Tech Metrology, the new Leica B-Probe extends the applications for the Leica Absolute Tracker AT402. Manufactured by Leica Geosystems, part of Hexagon Metrology, the B-Probe is designed for the inspection, alignment and assembly of large-scale fabrications such as railway coaches, construction and off-highway vehicles, or mining and agricultural machinery. The Leica B-Probe works within a ten-metre radial distance from the AT402 with an accuracy of ±0.2mm over a full measurement range, offering greater capabilities and flexibility over similar systems that have fixedbase stations. The 190g B-Probe features IP50 certification and is AAA battery powered, an ideal complement to the ultra-compact, user-friendly system design of the AT402. By using the move station method, the working range of the system can easily be multiplied with almost no loss in probing accuracy. For even larger parts or measurements that require higher accuracies, a standard retro-reflector can also be used in combination with the B-Probe to take full advantage of the AT402’s accuracy and 160-metre radial measuring range. Available immediately from Hi-Tech Metrology, the Leica B-Probe accessory is as simple as adding a reflector to a laser tracker, and any AT402 laser tracker already in use can be upgraded with a B-Probe by the user himself.

Absolute accuracy The Leica Absolute Tracker AT402 is the next-generation laser tracker based on the groundbreaking Leica AT401 product line. The ultra-portable 3D Absolute Tracker can be utilised for fully guided 3D measurement processes, as well as traditional inspection tasks. The new laser tracking system is optimised for ease of use, so operators can focus on the measurement task instead of complicated settings, such as the number of samples or measurement frequency.

The Leica B-Probe.

The Leica AT402 comes standard with the exclusive Leica PowerLock technology, which automatically finds and locks onto any moving reflector within a field of view of one square metre at a five-metre distance. This feature represents a giant leap for the handling of laser trackers. With endless telescope rotation, the AT402 can measure a full 360-degree horizon and a 290-degree vertical dome, resulting in more than twice the measuring volume of conventional trackers, including the ability to measure straight up, which no other tracker can do. www.hitechmetrology.com.au

The Leica AT402 is ideal for large-volume, precision measurement applications performed by industries such aerospace, power generation, heavy equipment, and other manufacturers that produce large components and assemblies. The system introduces a simplified user interface with four pre-defined measurement profiles that adjust the instrument settings to any measurement condition with the click of a button. In addition to its standard mode streamlined for daily operation, users can easily change settings for outdoor measurement jobs and for applications requiring exceptional speed or accuracy. The laser tracker’s all-in-one design integrates other usability features, such as IR remote control, environmental monitoring, level to gravity, in addition to powerful standard features such as Leica PowerLock technology, a certified-IP54 rating and built-in Wi-Fi connection for wireless operation. “The Leica AT402 leverages the innovations of the original laser tracker and introduces significant enhancements for intuitive use,” states Eric Hollenbeck, Product Manager for trackers at Hexagon Metrology. “These refinements help the operator to streamline their measurement work on the factory floor, in the field, or at a remote location, drastically reducing setup time and system monitoring. The lightweight, wireless system has the largest measurement volume in the marketplace, with a maximum measurement volume of 320m. This metrology solution is in a class all by itself when it comes to ease of use, portability, high precision and the largest-ever work envelope.” The compact measurement system and its case weigh less than 15kg, and can be used anywhere, inside or outside, due to its IP54 rating for ingress protection against dust and fluids often found in industrial environments. With a full eight hours of battery life, the tracker’s hot swap batteries enable the operator to install fresh batteries without powering down the system, keeping user productivity high.

AMT MAY 2014

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Composites

Using abrasive waterjet to machine composites While speed and accuracy are two big reasons that shops machine composites with abrasive waterjets, easy set-up and minimal tooling are also key factors. Cutting composite material is a perfect application for abrasive waterjets. A precision waterjet with a taper compensating head will machine 6mm thick carbonfibre as fast as 4.5 metres/min at 4100 bar with taper of less than 25 microns per side. With the same precision, it can also machine G10 composite 20mm thick as fast as one metre/minute at 4100 bar. Since composite parts are often produced in small runs of as few as one or two parts, minimal set-up time is the key to profitability. One example is Kevlar fibre used for vehicle armour. Each piece has a unique geometry, resulting in dozens of cuts unique to each vehicle. The ability to quickly set up to cut armour panels means faster turnaround time. The ability to nest geometries within 1mm of each other also minimises material waste and makes the process even more cost effective. Another consideration is that in some high-precision applications such as medical and aerospace, raw composite sheets can be relatively small, sometimes only one metre by one metre, and just 6mm thick. In these applications the small waterjet platform – along with a low horsepower pump – will significantly reduce the initial capital outlay.

Delamination is a common problem when piercing composites.

Depending on the speed of the cut and the grit of the abrasive, composites machined with an abrasive waterjet can have a surface finish of five microns, and may not require further processing. High-resolution photos show that abrasive does not impinge on the material, and even consumer grade carbonfibre (which naturally has voids between the material layers) can be cut on an abrasive waterjet without being damaged. Machining Dibond for signage is not a highprecision application, but superior surface finish with zero surface frosting is critical for the finished product, and it is the reason more and more sign companies turn to waterjet for their application. When machining composites, it is important to support the material in a way that does not allow the jet to deflect onto the bottom of the composite. It is also important to choose the correct abrasive grit. For example, most composites will have a better surface finish if they are cut with 120-grit abrasive.

Piercing headaches While cutting composites is pretty standard, piercing composites is a different story. In the past, piercing a wide range of composite materials – from phenolics, carbonfibre and G10 to Kevlar and even

1mm holes pierced in 4mm carbonfibre with low-pressure water and abrasive.

Dibond – would cause material delamination (the term used when the layers separate). Delamination is the result of the high-velocity water and abrasive following the path of least resistance, and leaching into the epoxy that is binding layers of material. When piercing results in delamination, the geometry of the hole has to be large enough to remove the entire delaminated area, or else the part has to be scrapped. Even delamination of support material like paper phenolic, will compromise the structure. To avoid delamination, smaller holes are often drilled by hand. One option for automatically piercing composites is to use a process that automatically reduces the water’s velocity during piercing, while still drawing a strong enough vacuum (known as the Venturi Effect) to pull abrasive into the jet stream. This option is not 100% effective, but with careful set-up it brings significant benefits. The process does require test cuts to optimise the water velocity for different materials and thickness.

Four-millimetre carbonfibre machined with an abrasive waterjet, under 30x magnification.

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An option that ensures 100% delamination-free piercing is to use a pneumatic drill mounted next to the nozzle. The waterjet operating software automatically moves the drill into position and a 3mm bit drills a start hole. The software then automatically positions the nozzle over the pre-drilled hole and starts cutting. While the drill option 100% eliminates delamination, there are limits on the diameter of the hole that can be pierced, and it will add to the overall cycle time of the part. Despite increased cycle times, the drill option is inexpensive and very easy to adapt to different materials and different material thicknesses. Abrasive waterjet offers an affordable process for machining all types of composite materials quickly and reliably. www.omax.com

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Composites

Composites – the way ahead for Australian manufacturing Composites Australia and the CRC for Advanced Composites Structures held their 2014 Composites Conference in Newcastle, NSW, on 8-9 April. The following is an extract from an address given by Bob Baldwin, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry. A couple of things are very clear when we talk about Australian manufacturing and composites. First, there is no sugar-coating it – manufacturing in this country is facing tough times. There are several reasons for this, but a high dollar, intense international competition, high input costs and low profit margins are just some of the factors conspiring to make life difficult for the sector. But this is the reality of the world we live in. And to prosper and grow, our manufacturers must be prepared to adapt, to transform, and to reinvent themselves.

Whether it be companies like Boeing Australia supplying wing surfaces for the new 787 Dreamliner, or Carbon Revolution supplying carbon fibre wheels to companies like Porsche, BMW, Lamborghini and McLaren, or Quickstep Technologies manufacturing advanced carbon fibre composites for the aerospace and defence industries, supplying the Joint Strike Fighter Program and Lockheed Martin’s Hercules transport aircraft, or Skycraft using carbon and titanium to create the world’s first purpose built freestyle motor cross bike weighing just 75kg… the possibilities are boundless. Increasingly we are seeing composites being used in engineering for structures that need to be strong, rigid and lightweight... Their ability to be tailored to meet the demands of extreme conditions enables composites to be being put to use in the oil gas and petrochemical fields. Whatever the application, composites point the way ahead for Australian manufacturing and is up to us to nourish and support them. And by ‘us’, I mean all of us – government, researchers, and business. We all have our own roles to play in helping turn good ideas into good commercial outcomes, jobs and national income, and this is of course why the work of Composites Australia and the Advanced Composites Structures CRC play such critical roles.

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It doesn’t matter if you’re in the aerospace, automotive, building and construction, civil infrastructure, energy, marine, mining or transport industry, the fact is that composites are an important part of the transition to a high-technology, high-valueadd manufacturing sector of the future. Composites exemplify innovation and we see them applied across the economy.

Testing of composite panels with improved fire performance

Critical players For over 30 years Composites Australia has been on the ‘composites case’. It has represented interested parties across the composites community from fabricators to suppliers of raw materials. It has provided a forum for discussion, debate and exchange of ideas and represented the interests of the composite sector persuasively and effectively to government. Critically, it has been a source of vital knowledge in a developing field. The contribution Composites Australia has made – over an extended period – cannot be underestimated. Leading the way in emerging technologies is not always an easy task and I congratulate them on their ongoing dedication and vision. I also want to acknowledge the performance of the CRC for Advance Composite Structures. Since its launch in 1991 – with a primary focus on the aerospace and defence industries – this CRC has become a world leader in the development and applications of composites across the economy. Its work in areas ranging from UV curing composites, fire resistant surface materials and implanting new technologies for the Navy is delivering many innovative outcomes

and applications. Add to this, two CRC Star Awards and a JEC Europe Innovation Award and we see a CRC that I think is driving the transformation of Australian manufacturing. It’s exactly these type of achievements that have seen governments of all persuasions continue to invest in CRCs and the investments have been sound ones. By 2017 CRCs will have contributed some $7.5bn to the economy, which is around 0.03% of GDP annually, and there is no doubt the CRC for Advanced Composite Structures has contributed its fair share to our economy. I have every confidence that Australian manufacturing has a bright future. The talent, ideas and technology in the composites sector alone is a source of faith and inspiration. Under this government the focus will be on allowing business to get on with what it does best. Transformation will not be easy. But look around and you can see that transformation is happening. It is achievable and the rewards are worth working for. www.compositesaustralia.com.au www.crc-acs.com.au

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Compressors

Compressors – the importance of regular servicing It’s perfectly human to assume that a modern air compressor will run forever and a day without a hitch, but a little attention is a worthwhile investment. By Edwin Wong. Sitting away in a quiet corner of every factory floor is the everreliable air compressor. It may be operational 24 hours a day, and there is often a casual ignorance of its weighty contribution to the production process. When a breakdown occurs, operations can sometimes come to a complete halt. The fact remains that overlooked servicing and maintenance of your compressed air system can be a costly long-term strategy. Kaeser Compressors’ National Service Manager Ulf Torpman strongly states that companies who neglect their air compressors are soon due a punitive and expensive lesson: “Air compressors are incredibly sophisticated machines. They are not cheap to purchase, and yet people think its okay to take shortcuts with servicing and maintenance to cut costs. Would you buy an expensive sports car and then run it all day, forever, without any servicing at all?” There are a myriad of benefits to a regularly and well-serviced air compressor. Companies will avoid untimely and extremely costly production downtime due to compressor breakdowns; but they will also increase the total life-cycle of their compressor. “Theoretically well-serviced compressors should run for an extremely long time,” Torpman states. “It is our slogan – ‘Built for a lifetime!’ Unfortunately, I’ve seen units run all day with no maintenance. They don’t last five years.” Good servicing starts with good customer support. This is achieved by having a deep understanding of the customer and formulating a complete overview. Customers should expect their compressors’ service operators to conduct meticulous site inspections with a formulated checklist that will provide them with an inclusive overview of all their compressed air operations. Torpman contends that some of his contemporaries take a narrowminded view to servicing. “Don’t only change oil and filters on your compressor. Look at the auxiliary equipment such as ducting, pipe works, drains, filters, control modes and controller. It’s the detail that makes the difference. This helps the customer to save money.”

Flat-fee servicing the way forward Flat-fee servicing is increasingly gaining traction as a viable and attractive servicing option for many customers. It works by formulating a servicing agreement between parties for a set number of years to conduct minor and major servicing and maintenance at regular intervals throughout the year. It usually also covers the costs of spare parts to the whole compressed air system. “If you have a flat-fee pricing, the customer knows the costs in advance and he can budget for the financial year,” Torpman explains. “He also knows that the compressor station will be in prime condition and this works to his benefit; no unnecessary breakdowns and disturbances in the production.” Flat-fee servicing eliminates the variance and uncertainty that would normally accompany the running of the air compressor. Flatfee servicing agreements contain several inherent benefits for the customer. They are billed regularly instead of having to process larger invoices at irregular intervals. The peace of mind with flat-fee servicing also cannot be understated. “If you have a service agreement in place, you can rest assured that we will take care of your compressor station,” Torpman adds. “As a supplier, we know and can plan the maintenance to the smallest detail, which saves both money and time for the customer and us.”

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Maintenance done correctly and on time minimises unplanned stoppages in production. Industry-standard service intervals are approximately 3,000 hours. Therefore, depending on site conditions, a single shift might require one service per year, a double shift would require two, and a multi-shift operation would be looking at three services per year. While it is startling to think of the many number of site operators who choose to neglect their air compressors, they must also be wary of fraudulence at the other end of the spectrum. “There are operators who will over-service your compressor – sometimes even every 1000 hours. You’ll have a fantastic air compressor, but it will be very expensive to run.” Torpman cites Kaeser’s Preventative Maintenance Program. “This is our allinclusive service program for all production demands. It has been developed to give customers an understanding of their compressor lifecycle costs, and one service price mean there are no surprises or hidden costs.”

Curbing emissions In view of soaring energy prices and ambitious climate protection targets, modern industry is experiencing unprecedented pressure to make production processes as efficient as possible. Kaeser’s Intelligent Energy technology is designed to deliver significant energy savings and therefore minimise greenhouse gas emissions. Energy costs taken over the lifetime of any compressor can add up to 70% of the initial capital cost. Investing in an efficient compressed air system combined with a Preventative Maintenance Program can have a major impact on reducing energy consumption. It is possible to reduced compressed air creation costs by up to 30%, and ultimately greatly diminishing emissions. www.kaeser.com.au

BOC is a partner you can rely on. At BOC, we understand the tough economic challenges facing the manufacturing industry everyday and how important it is to have a supplier you can rely on. If we can help you increase productivity while keeping costs down, then we’re doing our job. We recognise that for welding, it’s important to use the right combination of BOC shielding gases, quality welding consumables and state-of-the-art welding machines to help you achieve the results you need. In addition to this, BOC has a wealth of technical expertise available to you through our Welding Specialists located in major regions across Australia.

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Compressors

Compressed air audit brings savings of 50% A comprehensive compressed air audit undertaken at Australia’s largest carpet manufacturing plants by Southern Cross Compressors (Australia) identified savings of upwards of 50% on compressed air energy costs, plus a host of environmental benefits. Godfrey Hirst Australia has been manufacturing in Australia for more than 140 years and is recognised as one of the top ten carpet manufacturers in the world. With manufacturing plants in Australia and New Zealand, the company produces an extensive range of quality residential and commercial carpet products. Guided by a policy of continuous improvement and a commitment to minimising environmental impacts, the engineers at Godfrey Hirst sought submissions from a number of compressed air specialists to conduct a full analysis of their systems. Structured processes coupled with the latest technology to identify energy efficiency opportunities resulted in Southern Cross Compressors being selected to undertake a comprehensive audit of the systems at Godfrey Hirst’s Victorian manufacturing plants. The brief was to identify opportunities for improvements in efficiency, reduce operating costs and further improve the company’s environmental footprint and sustainability. The review included a complete compressed air audit and analysis of both the supply and demand side. On the supply side this involved reviewing the size of the compressors, their installation, filters, dryers and receivers, supply pipe dimensions, pressure settings and the method of control. Critical ventilation and maintenance programs were also studied to allow recommendations to be made. The demand side audit reviewed piping to point of use, identifying air leaks, incorrect pressure settings, pressure drops and inappropriate uses. Using the latest technology ultrasonic flow meter, Southern Cross technicians determined the exact air flow and usage profile on each line for each shift on all sites studied. With dramatically varying loads, profiles were then established to identify more suitable, cost-effective equipment.

Air leaks on the demand side were identified using an ultrasonic leak detector with every leak tagged, photographed and detailed in a report providing information on leak volumes, corresponding energy wasted and annualised energy costs. As a result of the audit, air leaks alone were identified as costing the company thousands of dollars per annum in wasted power. With energy costs escalating, this would only increase. The air supply side audit identified overall additional savings through the use of more efficient modern compressors, common issue opportunities, oversized compressors in use, inefficient or non-existing sequencing between multiple compressors, flow imbalance between main air lines, incorrect pipe sizing causing pressure drop, incorrect pressure settings and undersized air receivers. “The benefits of highly specialised knowledge and the use of the latest technology in this audit has produced astounding results for the company with long-term benefits,” said Robert Lunardelli, Godfrey Hirst Environmental Engineer. “An outstanding result!” southerncrossaircompressors.com.au

Extracting unwanted air in industrial workplaces With air conditioning becoming an increasingly costly solution to stagnant air problems at industrial premises, Fanquip’s ‘wall plate exhaust fans’ are a more economical, efficient means to extract heat, fumes, smoke and stale air from a factory, workshop or processing plant. With near-limitless options for retrofits, this high flow rate wallmounted unit can be positioned into the deepest areas of a premises if necessary to create a purging draft. Running on electricity, it runs cleanly and can be installed without danger of contaminating sensitive stock or food items. Fanquip wall plate exhaust fans are as easily retrofitted onto existing premises as they are factored into the construction phase of a new building. They are manufactured as a strong and durable self-contained metal unit. Companies setting up wall plate exhaust fans have a great degree of control in the positioning of the units and can therefore dictate the line of draft they create and the direction in which it travels. Installation point is limited only by available wall space. Outlet diameters are manufactured in sizes ranging from 310mm right through to 1830mm. Four motor speeds – 480rpm, 570rpm, 720rpm, 960rpm, and 1440 rpm – are available in selected combinations with motor powers ranging from 0.15kW through

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4.5kW. Free air volume ranges from as compact as 600 litres per second for smaller premises through to 30,000 litres per second for large factories and workshops. Various accessories add to the versatility of use with these units. For the external side of the fans, rollover cowls for a hood protect the unit in all sorts of conditions including hard rain, frost and hail, as well as in areas likely to be subjected to high levels of ultra violet radiation. Safety guards manufactured to applicable Australian standards are available to prevent any inadvertent contact with rotating blades. Galvanised gravity-closing louvres can also be installed to prevent back draft when the unit is not in operation. Counterweights reduce drag on the fan. In larger premises, Fanquip wall plate exhaust fans work very well in conjunction with Fanquip roof fans to give total control of drafts www.fanquip.com.au

Compressors

Investing in energy saving Compressed air systems are often taken for granted in manufacturing operations, and businesses could be missing out on significant energy savings, and cost reductions, as a result. By Paul McCleary, General Manager for Motion Technologies. Over the past few years a lot of talk and focus has been about reducing overhead costs in manufacturing without losing effectiveness to respond to customer needs. Additionally our customers â&#x20AC;&#x201C; all those end users that have operations to produce a product for sale â&#x20AC;&#x201C; are also searching for those elusive cost savings that do not affect the operation of their businesses or their profit margins. We are all searching for common ground savings. Reducing energy consumption and manufacturing smarter is the only avenue at present. AMT magazine and others have featured many articles about manufacturing smarter. A smarter decision is to address a major loss of energy in your business, which is compressed air. Compressed air is a total loss energy system. The compressor is normally running in the corner of your factory to keep the noise away from the workforce. Long runs of airlines are required to get the energy where you need it. We all know how compressed air is made, and how it works, so I am not going to talk about this. But it is by no means a cheap form of energy generation to drive lesser equipment. We use it in the factory for incidental work in the manufacturing process. It can be driving drills, grinders, pneumatic tables, machinery using cylinders and alike. As the users we have become so dependent on the ease of compressed air that we have neglected to look at what it really costs! I always suggest to my customers that they should go out and see the circuit breaker that the compressor is connected too, and how long it is running for in half an hour. You know it is not energy-efficient. Now think of a customer like a bottling plant, with all those pneumatic cylinders being driven by compressed air. What if you could turn off your compressor, what savings would it make to your power bill. The savings would be huge. Finding an alternative means of motion for incidental and dependent pneumatic equipment is the solution. For factory owners using electricity to power pneumatics or hydraulics or other equipment, it makes sense to not convert electricity into other forms of energy movement, as we incur losses every time we convert energy from one form to the other.

Counting the costs Why have we tolerated the expense of compressed air over the years gone by? The simple answer is initial outlay purchase prices. Compressed air is affordable to

Why have we tolerated the expense of compressed air over the years gone by? The simple answer is: initial outlay purchase prices. buy along with the associated equipment connected to it. The actual expense to run it is excessive. Do you know how much compressed air really costs you? A simple example is a small 240 volt nailgun compressor. The cost is around $1200 per year to run. Throughout Europe during the past few years, a movement away from pneumatic cylinders and miscellaneous equipment to electrical linear motors has occurred. Electric linear drives are replacing conventional pneumatic cylinders in more and more applications. The reasons include poor efficiency, high costs for commissioning, reconfiguration, service and maintenance, and the limited control capabilities of pneumatic systems. A recent total cost comparison demonstrates that electric linear drives, at current prices for components and electricity, pay for themselves within a few months even for simple point-to-point motions with two end positions. This also helps to reduce the

carbon footprint significantly. Another avenue in your business if you have machinery being driven by servo-motors is to reclaim some of that energy you are using. Since electrical vehicles have been popular in recent years, technology has had to change as well. Now servo-motor drives have battery storage capabilities for storing the energy for use when needed by your machine. A motor of any form under deceleration becomes a generator, and business owners are wasting all that energy that is being generated. Implementation of energy savings does mean investing in energy saving. The payback period in the two above examples alone can be seen on your electricity bill. It can be done progressively when a component fails, or a straight outright justification. These are real savings that we are letting slip by! Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s take our power and use it more wisely. www.motiontech.com.au AMT MAY 2014

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forum – Finance

Staying competitive in a challenging manufacturing marketplace Andrew Graham outlines ways to combat the current challenges facing Australian manufacturers. A recent study by SGS Economics and Planning revealed that the Australian manufacturing base is in decline across the country. The results of this study positions Sydney manufacturing ahead of its national counterparts, not as a result of growth but because of the decline seen in other states. Positioned at the core of most supply chains, manufacturing firms must deal with several challenges to growing profitably. At the same time, opportunities are expanding in emerging markets such as China, where the competition is fierce. The stakes are high and manufacturing companies find the dual challenges of costcontainment and revenue growth at the heart of many decisions. The strong Australian dollar, increasing cost of energy and lagging productivity are all factors that contribute to the overall decline in Australian manufacturing. But there are ways that Australian manufacturers can combat this. There are four key steps that manufacturers should consider in order to ensure a sustainable and successful future:

1. Revise your pricing strategy to improve profitability A responsive pricing strategy can help manufacturers stay ahead of rising business costs, but an effective pricing strategy can also be the difference between stable profits and a failing business. The stronger a customer’s perception of value, the more potential there is to increase prices. It is therefore important to understand and be able to clearly articulate the value of the business offering, the dynamics of the market and the key differentiators that set you apart from the competition. Additional costs can sometimes be absorbed by bundling your offering differently or introducing separate charges for some transactions. The key message here is to think ’better before cheaper’ and don’t differentiate on cost. Businesses that are not flexible or responsive to changing industry conditions will feel their impact. Identify the key indicators that influence your profit margin including direct costs such as fuel, wages, maintenance and subcontractors. Regularly monitor these to ensure the prices you charge maintain your margin. When costs change, so must your prices. Be transparent with your customers and communicate with them openly by rationalising any adjustments in price. If customers understand your cost pressures they will be more accepting of the changes, particularly when it has to do with maintaining current service quality levels.

2. Don’t just know your customer, know your customer’s customer Technology has accelerated communication and transparency, making buyers more educated and informed than ever before. Successful engagement starts with recognising changes in buyer communication patterns, product knowledge and online behaviour. Manufacturers must understand the trends and unmet needs of their own customers and their customers’ customers. Sharing these insights with your customers will assist in positioning your organisation as an industry expert and will encourage your customers to see you as a valuable partner. Integrate and make sense of your in-house data. The data may confirm your intuition, empowering you to make further

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improvements, or it may surprise you, leading you towards a different course of action. Either way, you’ll know that your insights are based on facts so that you can make better decisions more confidently.

3. Begin your Lean transformation Combat financial uncertainty by reducing costs and eliminating waste to improve profitability and run a lean and efficient business. The power of Lean lies in its ability to reduce costs in all areas. This is accomplished not through traditional cost reduction efforts, but by challenging every activity to determine if it adds value in the eyes of the customer. Business processes that haven’t changed in decades are obvious candidates for elimination. Place the emphasis not on doing things more efficiently, but on why any operation must be done at all. The drive to eliminate non-value-added activities has obvious benefits. More reliable processes lead to less work-in-process inventory and reduced space requirements. As wasteful activities are eliminated, the elapsed time to manufacture a product is reduced. The bottom line is that customers receive a better product, at a lower cost and in less time.

4. Invest in innovation Some manufacturers have difficulty sustaining profitability in the long term because of their short-term focus on profit and loss. Many manufacturers don’t feel compelled to innovate and invest because of the pressure they are already under to survive, so instead they cut costs. Those who don’t invest in growth, limit their own prosperity. An organisation must look at both its capacity to deliver and its capabilities to deliver quality outcomes. There is no point putting more business through an incapable system. Despite fears about the industry, Australia is still a relatively safe place to innovate. It has more natural resources than the rest of the world, a stable government and generally-favourable tax conditions. Productivity is a key area for improvement and manufacturers need to look carefully at how they can innovate to increase efficiency and improve their competitiveness. Innovation, research and development is where Australian manufacturers can take the upper hand in a global marketplace. The most successful manufacturers will be those who address the current industrial changes in Australia by recognising growth opportunities and investing in their future. Manufacturers need to address these issues now to start preparing for tomorrow’s environment in order to ensure their business is sustainable and successful in the future. Andrew Graham is National Head Of Business Solutions, RSM Bird Cameron. RSM Bird Cameron is the largest midtier accounting firm in Australia with national ownership and profit sharing and offers a full range of specialist advisory services, including business consulting and advisory, assurance and advisory, taxation consulting, corporate consulting and turnaround and insolvency. www.rsmi.com Ph: 03 9286 1800

forum – Import / export

Free Trade Agreements – Australia the big loser The creation of genuine and permanent jobs for local and export markets is the real way forward for Australia, as explained by Doug Tozer. Australia seems to be the big loser with Free Trade Agreements. Selling off Australian manufacturing jobs in exchange for a reduction of another country’s duty rates over 18 years just doesn’t sit well. Australia has about 6300 tariff items that control duty; 226 at 10%, 3400 at 5% or less and about 3000 are duty-free. Most, if not all of the duty is zeroed if imported under Free Trade Agreements [FTAs]. We are the dimwit of global trade. Where FTAs do not reduce duty, we have in place 14,000 tariff concessions that by their very presence, claim we do not manufacture those products locally, or people do not know they exist and do not contest them. Antidumping measures can be waived if a tariff concession or bylaw is in place - opening imports to slave rates and no chance of local industry assessment of such low prices for import replacement or export potential. If we don’t control imports through duty protection, we need controls on overseas labour rates to sustain competitive local industry. Yet the government insists that FTAs and no industry protection is the way to support our people and our production base or what is left and not already sold out to imports over the last 15 years. Duty is part of the GST calculation on imported products, so lowering the rates from as high as 17% to zero has made a negative impact on GST collected from imports that has to be recovered by other means? Excise on tobacco, alcohol and fuel remains exceptionally high: the cost of fuel being a large impost on the distribution of production goods between factories in our supply chains.

Business incentives needed The one-shop fire sale of Australian-owned assets is not the answer to increasing infrastructure or growing wealth for the nation. A reduction in government spend can be achieved through short and long-term business incentives, investment, profit-sharing in industry and creating real permanent jobs, not fictional backpacker or door-knocker jobs to replace light bulbs or shower outlets or energy-saving power points that don’t work and that add no value to our society. Create real permanent jobs outside government into added-value production for local and export markets with diverse products other than raw materials. We have the infrastructure in place and people and skills, all we need to do is decentralise the major city populations to relieve the pressure to grow tunnels and bridges and super freeways or morning carparks that converge traffic on the inner city. Invest the need for infrastructure into growth of our production centres interlinked by our rail and tram networks for 24/7 container delivery

to shops or ports that would further free up trucks from suburban roads. Provide free land for tradeparks to further reduce production capital costs and stimulate investment.

Competing for a larger share The government is far from aggressive in pursuing exports. In 2011 world imports exceeded $17trillion and Australia’s exports were $269bn or 1.5% of world imports. Likely less than 1% if you remove raw materials and probably declining along with factory closures. Steel companies are just some of the many closing factories and jobs, then getting tariff concessions for importing the same products from overseas jobs. Out of the 96 chapters in the import tariff, Australia depends on 69 of them annually to sustain our lifestyle from overseas jobs which produce those products. Without the government being more open and proactive in setting up regional thinktanks accessible by the average person to investigate the trade numbers, we cannot look deeper into potential growth areas where we can compete for a larger share of the trillion dollar global market through small business or larger partnerships that consolidate capability, capacity and resources. We need a government bank that supports winning local jobs from overseas contracts. Similar to the US bank that with just one deal gave $3bn to buy up Australian jobs on the Australia Pacific liquefied natural gas (LNG) project (www.exim.gov).

Recommendations A judicial enquiry into our politicians and their interests both with their business and religious associations and their capability to manage Australia for Australians may be the way ahead. We need people with a mindset beyond the tax collector to change our autocratic control regime to facilitation. People who can grow Australia’s wealth for the people and through growth and industry investment and lower(even remove) many hidden taxes and imposts that make living in Australia costly and demanding on wages that also makes us less competitive globally … or are we? A five and ten year plan accessible to all people that lays out our manufacturing road map supported with global trade figures and analysis with ongoing open public input. Working with the people rather than dictating their requirements may be a healthy change in Australia’s culture. Doug Tozer is President of Tradefox Inc. Tradefox supports the services of professional customs brokers, consultants, importers and exporters involved in customs quarantine, tax and excise. Ph: 61 (0)4 8767 0733 www.tradefoxinc.com

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forum – Law

Privacy law changes are here In March 2014, the Federal Privacy laws changed. Unfortunately, compliance with the new regime requires more than “just” an update to your existing Privacy Policy, as explained by Paul Kirton. Firstly, an easy question: Does your business have an annual turnover of greater than $3m, and: • use external IT providers, off-site data storage and/or cloud computing?

• Penalties for breach. The Privacy Commissioner has wider powers to investigate interferences with privacy, and increased monetary penalties now apply for breaches (up to $340,000 for individuals and $1.7m for companies).

• outsource business functions to local or overseas contractors?

Action steps for businesses

• send direct marketing communications to customers?

Under the new laws, it is no longer sufficient for businesses to simply have a Privacy Policy in place and to leave it at that. The new laws require businesses to implement practices, procedures, documentation and systems to ensure and to verify compliance. As with any internal compliance program, your privacy steps need to be visible, actually used and their use recorded.

• send customer information overseas? If “yes” to any of the above, then Australia’s new Privacy laws (which commenced on 12 March 2014) apply to your business. Even if your business turnover is less than $3m, you may choose or be required by your trading partners to comply.

Personal information The new Privacy laws detail how “personal information” may be collected, used, disclosed, stored and destroyed, and how an individual may gain access to or make complaints about the personal information held about them. • “Personal information” is information or an opinion about an identified individual, or about an individual who is reasonably identifiable. Common examples include name, address, contact phone numbers, email address, details about family members, etc. • “Sensitive Information”, a sub-set of personal information, is specifically information or an opinion about an individual’s racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, political association membership, religious beliefs or affiliations, philosophical beliefs, professional or trade association membership, trade union membership, sexual orientation or practices and criminal record. It also expressly includes health and medical information and genetic information.

So, unfortunately, you can’t just simply change the references in your current Privacy Policy from “NPPs” to “APPs”. Compliance with the new laws also means: • Privacy Policy. Your Privacy Policy needs to be amended, and specific, mandated new information included in it. • Staff Resources and Training. Your staff need policy documents and training on how to lawfully collect, handle, store, use, disclose, share and destroy personal information. • Enquiries and Complaints. You need to establish mechanisms for addressing enquiries and complaints about your privacy practices. • Consents Forms and Notifications. The data collection forms and privacy consent forms that you use in your trading documentation will need to be updated. • Contractual arrangements. Your contracts with IT providers, third parties and overseas entities will need to be reviewed and possibly updated. • Direct Marketing. Your processes for sending direct marketing communications to customers, and their content, will need to be revised; and

Within your business, you are likely to hold and use a variety of personal information (and sensitive information) about individuals who deal with you (whether they are customers, suppliers, trade partners, agents or contractors etc).

• Audit. You must occasionally audit the efficacy of your privacy practices, and the compliance of your staff with them.

Australia’s new Privacy laws

What about Credit Reporting?

Australia has had Privacy laws for approximately 25 years. Under the old regime, you may have had (or should have had) a written Privacy Policy in place, and complied with the previous 10 National Privacy Principles (“NPPs”).

Does your business:

The new Privacy laws substantially enhance the existing obligations on businesses and the rights for individuals. The new regime is not intended to restrict the flow of information, or to prevent you from properly running your business, but is intended to simply put systems and procedures in place to protect the personal information of individuals from misuse.

Penalties: $1.7m fine for companies Of note, the main changes are: • APPs. 13 new Australian Privacy Principles (“APPs”) replace the 10 NPPs. Importantly, it isn’t simply a case of “10 + 3” - whilst several of the APPs mirror the NPPs, the APPs are more detailed and, in some cases, more restrictive. • Overseas disclosure. There are expanded obligations and liability where a business shares personal information with companies or people located overseas (eg. head office, franchisor, global offices, outsourced contractors and other business partners).

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• source credit history and credit worthiness reports about individuals from Veda and/or Dun & Bradstreet? • list the credit defaults of individuals? If “yes” to the above, then you must also additionally comply with the new Credit Reporting Regime (also commenced 12 March 2014). Notably, this regime requires business to have certain policies and procedures in place specifically relating to the treatment of credit information about individuals (including sole traders, members of partnerships and guarantors). It also requires you as a credit provider to become a member of an approved External Dispute Resolution Scheme. Given the new onerous obligations that apply, you need to consider the desirability or necessity of participating in the Credit Reporting Regime. If you have any questions about the changes and how they may impact you, please contact Paul Kirton (paul.kirton@mk.com.au) or Kelly Dickson (kelly.dickson@mk.com.au) on 03 9794 2617. www.mk.com.au

forum – OHS

Don’t forget OHS in the push to innovate The advanced manufacturing sector is continuing to innovate and push the boundaries of traditional industrial processes and products. Brendan Torazzi explains why employers shouldn’t forget about OHS. Advanced manufacturing plays a key role in the Australian economy, helping to create and improve the products and processes that many businesses rely on through the use of innovative technologies. Today the industry has moved on from the traditional methods of steel, auto and industrial machinery work to incorporate new technology and production procedures. However, it can also carry its own set of challenges, risks and hazards that must be faced by staff in the workplace. A great deal of effort, design, and complex technology is required to produce goods and services through advanced manufacturing and as such, it’s important to ensure that every worker is aware of the appropriate occupational health and safety or OHS requirements. These are crucial for keeping them and their fellow colleagues safe, particularly if the innovative machinery and equipment they are working with have not had a long-established history of use.

The importance of OHS in manufacturing Companies engaged in all types of manufacturing, whether the traditional or more advanced version, can benefit significantly from official WHS or OHS training. According to Safe Work Australia, the national body overseeing WHS activities in the country, 1 million people were employed in manufacturing during 2011-12. This represents 9% of the Australian workforce as a whole. The Australian Workforce and Productivity Agency (AWPA) identified manufacturing as the fourth largest employment sector in the country, with over 90,000 businesses in operation. Together, these enterprises contributed 6.8% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 33.5% of total merchandise exports during the last year. Over the five years from 2007-08 to 201112, 113 manufacturing workers died from an injury related to the job, and the industry was also responsible for 16% of all serious workers’ compensation claims during this time. Safe Work Australia has named the manufacturing industry group as one of the seven national priorities for the prevention of workplace risks. The other six are agriculture, road transport, construction, accommodation and food services, public administration and safety and health care and social assistance. All of these sectors have been identified as

causing high rates of injury or fatality during 2012 or being inherently hazardous. In manufacturing, some of the most common causes of OHS incidents include being struck by falling objects, being trapped by machinery or between stationary and moving objects, or being in some sort of vehicle incident. Stress on the body (from carrying heavy objects or handling metal items, for example) and falls, trips and slips were also some of the culprits behind workplace incidents during 2007-08 and 2011-12. While the incidence rate of serious claims in the industry has fallen by 26% since 2000-01, it remains the second-highest of all industries in Australia during the 201011 period. Advanced manufacturing can pose particular challenges for the workplace as employees work with innovative new technologies, equipment and machinery. In order to keep your workplace safe for everyone it’s important to have the right WHS awareness and training in place.

What can OHS training do for your company? Under the Australian government’s Work Health and Safety Codes of Practice 2011, any person conducting a business or undertaking has the duty to manage risks to health and safety according to a number of guidelines. You are obligated to follow the code if you engage employees to carry out work, and also if you manage or control the workplace fixtures, fittings and plant. It also applies if you design, manufacture, import or supply plant, substances or structures for workplace use.

The relevant officers of a company are responsible for bringing their organisation in line with the WHS Act and Regulations. This means understanding the risks involved in the work and ensuring the appropriate resources and processes are available to minimise or eliminate these risks. The right occupational health and safety courses for your industry can play a crucial role in keeping your workers safe. Training your employees in how to avoid or reduce the risk of an incident supports the safety of the workplace as a whole, so your staff remain healthy and ready to work. The health and safety of skilled staff will become even more vital as companies cultivate a stronger focus on innovation. AWPA predicts that in the future, more manufacturers will be engaging in in-depth research and development and design and prototype production. In addition to this, more manufacturers will be focused on the small-scale production of complex goods with a high amount of added value, perhaps even taking part in the supply chain structures around the world. In the push to innovate and modernise manufacturing processes, it’s important not to leave the appropriate occupational health and safety requirements behind. Every worker in your company is entitled to operate in a safe workplace environment. Brendan Torazzi is CEO of AlertForce - a Registered Training Organisation. AlertForce specialises in compliance training for Workplace Health and Safety by offering quality online, face-to-face and/or blended training approaches to create fast, flexible and competitive OHS training & compliance solutions. Ph: 1800 900 222 www.alertforce.com.au AMT MAY 2014

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manufacturing history

60 YEARS WITH MEN AND MACHINES – PART 43

Machine tools and global warfare Part 2

We continue our instalments from the book “60 years with men and machines” - the autobiography of US machinist and author Fred Herbert Colvin (1867-1965). The timeline is December, 1941 and Fred’s retirement is interrupted by Pearl Harbor. By Fred Colvin At the outbreak of World War II, I was seventy-three; and putting in about sixteen hours of work a day. I finished the “Aircraft Handbook” revision early in 1941. This book was a reference work I had originally written in 1918, but which had been rendered hopelessly out of date by the spectacular developments in fighter and bomber aircraft at the outbreak of the war. During this time, I was promptly carried off to the French hospital in New York with an acute gall-bladder attack, which the doctor, surprisingly enough, said had been brought on by overwork. Fortunately I got better without undergoing an operation, and was up and around working again in a month or so. It was now 1941 and World War II moved on with increasing speed. German Field Marshall Erwin Rommel was rapidly pushing the British back in North Africa as far as Tobruk— which he finally took after fifteen months of siege—and Mussolini was already dreaming of parading on a white horse in Cairo. Yugoslavia and Greece had been overrun by the Nazi war machine. Russia had been invaded as far west as the outskirts of Moscow. But American supplies were reaching the British in increasing amounts, and it seemed as though the Battle of Britain had been won by the RAF and that Hitler had abandoned all plans for an immediate invasion of England: And everyone knew the British were rallying for an all-out attack on Rommel’s forces in Africa. By November 1941, I felt that it was about time I took that deferred vacation to a sunny climate, for I feared the effects of the coming winter on my already weakened gall bladder and other associated parts of my biliary system. I made up my mind. “I am never going to spend another winter up north,” I announced one morning over the breakfast table to my wife. “The remaining winters of my life shall be spent in the sunny climes Florida or California—preferably California. I want sunshine and warmth during the declining years of my life.” I think you are really serious about it this time, Fred,” said my wife. “I’ll show you how much I mean it,” I said. “You know that alpaca overcoat I bought only last February? Well, yesterday afternoon I gave it to the elevator operator as an advance Christmas gift—and that’s not all! I had Sam over at the garage give the Mercury a complete overhauling the other day. ‘Goin’ on a long trip, Mr. Colvin?’ he says. ‘Yes, Sammy me boy,’ I said, ‘We’re going to California!’ And off to California we started, on Tuesday, December 2, 1941. On Sunday, December 7, 1941, we reached Arkansas. About four o’clock in the afternoon we heard the news on the radio*. We forgot all about California and our winter vacation, and turned south to Houston, Texas. At the Ben Milan Hotel in Houston, the desk clerk handed me a sheaf of telegrams and air-mail letters as soon as we arrived. They were mostly from officials of defense agencies in Washington, and the gist of them was that I should turn around and come back to Washington as fast as the Mercury would carry me.

I did as suggested. We covered the 1,600 miles between Houston and Washington in 5 and a half days—a record I know I will never again equal or even approach—and landed breathless in our nation’s capital on December 16. The first thing I did was to buy another overcoat. It would be a long, cold winter in spite of the feverish activity already apparent everywhere. The telegrams had directed me to report to the Office of Production Management. I was assigned as Consultant to the Contract Distribution Division. My specific task was to help locate and organize all the small and medium-size plants that could be tooled to make parts or sub-assembles for the guns, planes, tanks, and ships that the larger manufacturers were scheduled to produce. Returning to my previous chapter, machine tools were again proving that they were the heart of any production problem and were indispensable to mechanized warfare. Naturally there was the inevitable confusion resulting from insufficient preparation – there was a good deal of isolationist feeling before Pearl Harbor that hampered all our production efforts until we had actually been attacked… To be continued…

*Pearl Harbor: Attack by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the US naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii on December 7 1941. The attack led to the US’ entry into WWII. In 90 minutes 2386 Americans died, 1139 were wounded and 18 ships were lost, including five battleships.

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79 Melbourne Networking Event 80 AMTIL Hotspots 82 AMTIL at NMW 2014 Shane Infanti â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Chief Executive Officer AMTIL

Marketing â&#x20AC;&#x201C; When to invest in your business Too many companies see marketing as an expense that can be reduced when times are tough. In fact, the opposite should be the case. The heart of your business success lies in its marketing. Most aspects of your business depend on successful marketing. The overall marketing umbrella covers advertising, public relations, promotions and sales. Marketing is the process by which a product or service is introduced and promoted to potential customers. Without marketing, your business may offer the best products or services in your industry, but none of your potential customers would know about it. Without marketing, sales may crash and your business wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t reach its potential.

Getting word out. For a business to succeed, the product or service it provides must be known to potential buyers. Unless your business is known in the industry and you have communication with your customers readily available, you have to use marketing strategies to create product or service awareness. Using marketing to promote your product, service and company provides your business with a chance of being discovered by prospective customers. Higher sales Once your product, service or company gets on the radar screen of your prospects, it increases your chances that customers will make a purchase. As awareness becomes a reality, it is also the point where new customers start to spread the word, telling others about your product or service. Sales will increase as the word spreads. Without employing marketing strategies, these sales may not have ever happened; without sales, a company cannot succeed.

Company reputation The success of a company often rests on a solid reputation. Marketing builds brand name recognition or product recall with a company. When a company reaches the high expectations of its customers, its reputation stands on firmer ground. As your reputation grows, the business expands and sales increase. The reputation of your company is built through credibility, effective communication--externally and externally--and quality products or services, which are created or supported by marketing efforts.

Healthy competition Marketing also fosters an environment in the marketplace for healthy competition. Marketing efforts get the word out on quality, range and pricing of products and services, which not only reaches the intended audience, but also reaches other companies competing for the your business. Without competition, well known companies would continue to sell while lesser known companies or new companies would stand little chance of ever becoming successful. Marketing facilitates the healthy competition that allows small businesses and new businesses to enter and grow in the industry and ultimately be successful.

Considerations Although marketing is hugely important for a business to succeed, it can also be very expensive. A marketing program that gives your company the best chance is a healthy mix of different forms of marketing, such as magazine advertising, website development and exposure, public relations, radio advertising, design and printing for all print materials, trade shows and other special events. A combination of all these activities will give your company the best opportunity to succeed. AMTIL has a wide range of services that can help your company promote itself to the right target market. For more information on these services please call Anne Samuelsson on 03 9800 3666 or email asamuelsson@amtil.com.au.

AMTILinside

Opening doors for business AMTIL held a Networking Event for its members on the evening of 26 March at Riversdale Golf Club, Mount Waverley, in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs. Keynote speaker Roger La Salle gave a light, entertaining presentation, explaining his approach to innovation and new product and opportunity development, via a process he has developed called Matrix Thinking. His model, he says, will always result in new or better products or opportunities. As always with Roger, his talk challenged conventional norms by approaching the subject matter in a number of very simple rules. Matt Eades, Senior Business Development Manager for the Victorian Government’s Department of State Development, Business and Innovation, talked briefly about the activities his department can deploy to assist Victorian manufacturers. These includes innovation vouchers, technology vouchers, Manufacturing Productivity Networks, and the Grow Your Business program. Former Victorian government official Robin Owen also took the microphone for a few minutes to discuss the Grow Your Business project he was about to start, and that Roger was the leading expert for that group programme.

Roger La Salle

Robin Owen

Matt Eades

ManufactureLink proudly owned and operated by AMTIL

AMTIL CEO and master of ceremonies on the night, Shane Infanti.

Follow our members on

Go Get linked! Manufacturelink is your directory for all things Manufacturing. processes. services. technology.

1186AMT

We’ve got the link to make it happen. Visit www.manufacturelink.com.au to learn more.

AMT MAY 2014

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AMTILinside

HotSpots – Don’t miss out An invitation to supply components for a medical application; the release of a new report on global machine tool consumption; an urgent call for a replacement co-ordinate measuring machine; all of this and more can be found on our new Industry HotSpots service. Industry HotSpots is a brand new service for AMTIL members, with many of the items featured available exclusively to our members only. HotSpots include items that AMTIL feels is important for our members to be aware of – items that offer opportunities for growth, security and sustainability. Although AMTIL sees all the HotSpots as an ‘opportunity’, as in a chance activity aimed at fostering growth, we have broken the various entries into categories to help members to quickly drill through to what is the headline action or item for them and their business. These groups are loosely defined as: • Industry – These are industry-wide notices that AMTIL feels are of import to its members. • Service –AMTIL has developed relationships with expert service providers in various disciplines and is able to offer these services exclusively to our membership. • Opportunity – These items offer a chance to quote or connect with a contract, available only through the Members Only area of our website. We wish all our members good luck with their tender. • Networking – AMTIL strongly believes that in order for our industry to grow, shore up its defences and strengthen its place in an ever-competitive market, individuals must learn to leave the comfort of their office and network with other like-minded business leaders and collaborate on strategic activities. Here is where AMTIL hopes to provide our members with notice of events and activities that offer chances to take action on those aspirations. • Workplace – From time to time, AMTIL is able to provide information to our members that they really

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should be aware of with regard to the manufacturing environment we work within. HotSpots is one place where AMTIL will try to make you aware. In order to access the detail behind the HotSpot, AMTIL’s members simply need to follow the links, and log in using their Username and Password. If there are any questions, please feel free to contact our office and an AMTIL staff member will help you with your membership details. We would encourage all AMTIL members to keep their eyes open, because if the first few don’t hit the target for you, one soon will. At some stage, something that will benefit your business in some way will make an appearance as a HotSpot. Richard Branson once said: “Business opportunities are like buses, there’s always another one coming.” So, AMTIL will be posting HotSpots items to our members regularly. Be ready. One might just be yours for the taking. If you are interested in gaining access to these HotSpots or you have something you feel will meet our criteria for listing, please forward them on to AMTIL for assessment by e-mailing info@amtil.com.au with the subject line HOTSPOT.

Round 5 Bounce down ‘14 Howdy all, it seemed so long ago since the start of the season. Round 5 completed and it’s all beginning to take shape. The usual suspects are leading the way where many of the March premiers are already saying goodbye to their finals aspirations. Big name recruits crossing over for a new start are yet to deliver on their promise but there’s plenty of time to prove their worth. Geelong is the only undefeated team taking the scalp of the Hawks, Carlton records their first win of the season and Mick still rambles on about nothing important except himself. The Pies edge out North - I think the natives are losing patience with Brad Scott. Port keeping us entertained by playing a refreshing brand of football. See you next month. 1 Fethers

2 The Axe

3 Aust Mobile Tools

4 SKN

5 Jeff Hedger

6 Brendan Smith

7 Daniel Fisher

8 Seco

9 Bulldozer

10 Shane Infanti

Manufactureres Pavilion proudly owned and operated by AMTIL

Save the Date Back in 2015! 26th – 29th May 2015 Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre Profiling Australian Business for Australian Opportunity • Australian Manufacturers • Speaker Program • Networking Opportunities For more information visit www.amtil.com.au Austech and the Manufacturers Pavilion are proudly owned and operated by AMTIL. Manufacturers Pavilion is within Austech 2015

AMTILinside

Driving manufacturing efficiency through Cleantech Timed to coincide with National Manufacturing Week, AMTIL will be running a Cleantech Forum, in a breakfast session at the Novotel Sydney Olympic Park, NSW, on Wednesday 14th May. The manufacturing sector is under relentless pressure to reduce costs and increase productivity to survive and thrive. The technology solutions that deliver efficient use of resources such as energy, water and raw materials can collectively be called Cleantech. Cleantech providers can reduce and reuse waste streams, reduce environmental liabilities and deliver improved operational performance. As the sector matures, there are many innovative, proven and viable technology solutions available for manufacturers. This has nothing to do with being ‘green’ – Cleantech is all about providing solutions that enable industry to do more with less. The session will provide an overview of some great Australian solution providers, and a guide on how to take the next steps to improving the efficiency of your operations. You can learn about solutions relevant to your business, improve efficiency through Cleantech providers, and network with likeminded industry representatives About the Speaker: John O’Brien is the founder and Managing Director of both

John O’Brien

AMTIL’s Industry Partner for this event: Cleantech Capability Team Australian CleanTech delivers two programs funded by the Federal Department of Industry: the Cleantech Capability Teams that connect industry with solution providers; and the Australian Technologies Competition that finds and mentors Australia’s best emerging technology companies. For more information visit www. cleantech-teams.com.au. Date: Wednesday 14th May Time: 8am – 10am Venue: Novotel Sydney Olympic Park, NSW

Australian CleanTech and Sino CleanTech – research and advisory firms that assist Cleantech companies to grow, investors to successfully invest, and governments to create policy environments that facilitate industry growth. He has advised numerous organisations on securing or making Cleantech investments.

Tickets: AMTIL Members $15pp, Non Members $45pp (includes breakfast).

For further information or to book please contact AMTIL Events Manager Kim Warren at kwarren@amtil.com.au or call 0417 146 102.

Please provide attendee names and contact details for invoicing purposes.

Join us at NMW 2014 National Manufacturing Week (NMW) 2014 will take place on 13-16 May at Sydney Showground, Sydney Olympic Park, and AMTIL will be there as an exhibitor.

AMTIL ASSOCIATE MEMBERSHIP OFFER To take out a year’s Associate Membership for FREE, present this coupon and visit the AMTIL stand at National Manufacturing Week.

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AMT MAY 2014

Our primary mission at NMW is to show our support for our members who are exhibiting. Exhibiting at the show also provides AMTIL with the opportunity to spread the word on how we can help members sell more products, reduce costs and raise their profile in the market. It is the first NMW since AMTIL made the decision to shift its own Austech exhibition to a biennial schedule. Austech had previously been run together with NMW every year since its inception in 1990, and the colocation agreement will resume at next year’s show in Melbourne. AMTIL’s participation in this year’s event is a demonstration of its continued support for NMW and its organiser Reed Exhibitions Australia (RXA).

“It’s great that AMTIL is going to be taking part in NMW this year,” says Peter Lambe, AMTIL Member Services Manager. “We’re really looking forward to being there, both in support of our existing members who are exhibiting, and as a way of reaching out to potential new ones. “Any members visiting the show should drop by our stand. We look forward to talking to you.” As part of its participation at NMW, AMTIL is offering the chance to sign up for a year’s Associate Membership and pay nothing for the first 12 months. Just cut out the voucher below and present it to the team at AMTIL’s stand. For more information on NMW, visit www.nationalmanufacturingweek.com.au.

AMTILinside

New AMTIL Members

FLUID TECHNOLOGY

Cimcool Australia 36 Boundary Road South Melbourne, VIC 3205 Tel: 1800 050 469 australia@cimcool.com www.cimcool.com.au

Laser Central 16 West Link Pl Richlands, QLD 4077 Tel: 07 3375 6022 rob.newton@lasercentral.com.au www.lasercentral.com.au/ab

M.a.B Engineering Services 510 Dowling Street Wendouree, VIC 3355 Tel: 03 5339 3847 contact@mabengineering.com.au www.mabengineering.com.au

Westlink Group group of companies

Westlink Engineering 23 Industrial Drive Sunshine, VIC 3020 Tel: 03 9310 1310 johna@westlinkeng.com.au www.westlinkeng.com.au

White Industries Tel: 07 4672 5800 18130 Warrego Highway Dalby, QLD 4405 jim.stevenson@whiteindustries.com.au www.whiteindustries.com.au

Keeping it Simple. One Membership. Many Benefits. New membership packages available. AMTIL membership for companies, individuals and supporters within the precision engineering and advanced manufacturing sector. For more information visit www.amtil.com.au or contact Member Services Manager Peter Lambe on 03 9800 3666 or plambe@amtil.com.au

www.amtil.com.au

AMT MAY 2014

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industry calendar

Please Note: It is recommended to contact the exhibition organiser to confirm before attending event

INTERNATIONAL Montreal Manufacturing Technology Show Canada, Montreal 12-14 May 2014 Innovations in metalworking technologies. Includes machine tools, metalworking, automation, design. www.mmts.ca AmCon USA Denver: 13-14 May 2014 Austin: 21-22 May 2014 Design and contract manufacturing expo www.amconshows.com/spring-shows/ orlando-fl/ Rapid.Tech Germany, Exhibition Centre Erfurt 14-15 May 2014 International trade fair and users’ conference for rapid technologies (additive manufacturing). www.rapidtech.de Intermach Thailand. Bangkok 15-18 May 2014 Sheetmetal fabrication technology and machinery exhibition Includes latest sheetmetal technology. SUBCON Thailand runs in conjunction with Intermach www.intermachshow.com Metaltech Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur 21-24 May 2014 Event for the machine tool, metalworking and manufacturing industry, hosting more than 1800 providers of metalworking and machine tools technologies from 37 countries. www.tradelink.com.my/metaltech Sudtech Germany, Stuttgart 3- 5 June 2014 International sub-contracting fair for the Southern German manufacturing market. Includes plastics production and processing; metal-working and machining; materials and semi-manufactured products. www.suedtec.com INTEC India, Coimbatore 6-10 June 2014 Machine tools and accessories; cutting tools; software; material handling; automation. Additional concurrent events - “Industrial Automation Expo”and “Toolex”. http://intec.codissia.com Automation Technology Expo - East USA, NY 10-12 June 2014 Includes cutting-edge robotics, automation and assembly technologies; vision inspection systems; control software/hardware; sensors; motion control. Seminars include Innovations in robotics and new technologies to modernize the factory floor and 3D printing capabilities. www.canontradeshows.com/expo/atxe14 Plastec East USA, NY 10-12 June 2014 Event for the plastics industry www.canontradeshows.com/expo/plaste13

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Amerimold USA, Detroit 11-12 June 2014 dedicated to tooling, moldmaking, design and development amd built on the foundation of the MoldMaking Expo, this is a new event connecting the leaders tool and moldmaking, molding and additive technologies. www.amerimold.de Manufacturing Surabaya Indonesia 11-14 June 2014 Includes: CAD/CAM; cutting/precision tools; automation; material handling; moulds/dies; sheetmetal working technology www.pamerindo.com/events/11 Inside 3D Printing Conference and Expo 12-13 Jun 2014: Seoul, South Korea 26-27 Aug 2014: Hong Kong 18-19 Sep 2014: Tokyo 21-23 Oct 2014: California, Santa Clara A B2B tradeshow for the 3D printing industry. Explores the business applications of 3D printing. Includes keynote presentations, the latest 3D printers and services in action. www.mediabistro.com/inside3dprinting China International Machine Tool & Tools Exhibition (CIMES) China, Beijing 18-22 June 2014 Global machine tool exhibition. Includes the latest metalworking, CNC machines and industrial automation technology. www.cimes.net.cn/en Manufacturing Expo Thailand, Bangkok 19-22 June 2014 Auto and industrial parts manufacturing technology exhibition comprises co-located shows: InterPlas Thailand; InterMold Thailand, Automotive Manufacturing and Assembly Technology. www.manufacturing-expo.com ACMEE 2014 India, Chennai 19-23 June 2014 11th International Machine Tools Exhibition. Includes: CNC Machines, CAD/CAM , cutting/ machine tools and accessories; robotics; welding; material handling. www.acmee.in/about-show.htm M-Tech Japan, Tokyo 25-27 June 2014 Includes mechanical parts such as bearings, fasteners, mechanical springs and metal and plastic processing technology. www.mtech-tokyo.jp/en MTA Vietnam 2014 Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City 8 - 11 July 2014 International precision engineering, machine tool and metal working exhibition. Co-locating with Metrology Vietnam; ToolTec Vietnam; SubCon Vietnam; Automation Vietnam and WeldTech Vietnam. www.mtavietnam.com

EMTE-EASTPO joint event China, Shanghai 14-17 July 2014 EMTE (European Machine Tool Exhibition) and EASTPO (Shanghai International Machine Tool Fair) has announced a joint event to be held in even years, commencing July 2014. www.emte-eastpo.com AMTEX India, New Delhi 25-28 July 2014 Includes: CNC machines; metal forming/cutting tools; milling/grinding/boring machines; welding machines; material handling. www.amtex2014.com TAIROS Taiwan, Taipei 31 July – 3 August 2014 Taiwan Automation Intelligence and Robot Show. Includes industry & service robots; system integration; sensors; AI; software; automated equipment, processing, testing, welding, www.tiros.org.tw/en IMTS USA, Chicago 8-13 September 2014 One of the largest industrial trade shows in the world www.imts.com AMB Germany, Stuttgart 16-20 September 2014 Leading international metal working exhibition www.messe-stuttgart.de/en/amb MSE2014 Manufacturing Solutions Expo Singapore, Suntec City Convention Centre 8-10 October 2014 www.smfederation.org.sg (click on Calendar/Trade Fairs) Mining and Engineering (M&E) Indonesia Indonesia, Jakarta 29-31 October 2014 Delivers significant opportunities for Australian and international suppliers to enhance their business profile, launch latest technologies and services and network with mining professionals from Indonesia and the surrounding region. www.miningandengineeringindo.com JIMTOF Japan, Tokyo 30 October – 4 November 2014 Leading international machine tool exhibition www.jimtof.org/eng MACTECH 2014 Egypt, Cairo International Convention Center 27-30 November 2014 The14th edition for MACTECH – the regional manufacturing, trading and networking forum serving the markets of the Middle East and North Africa. Specialising in Machine Tools, Industrial Tools, Welding and Cutting Equipment www.mactech.com.eg

industry calendar local National Manufacturing Week Sydney Showground, Sydney Olympic Park 13-16 May 2014 Manufacturing exhibition showcasing latest products and technologies in the manufacturing market. Includes dedicated product zones and an extensive program of education and networking events. AUSPLAS Australia’s premier plastics trade exhibition - will run alongside NMW. www.nationalmanufacturingweek.com.au Safety in Action Perth: 11-12 June 2014 Sydney: 2-4 September 2014 Includes comprehensive range of safety products and services. www.safetyinaction.net.au Foodpro Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre 22-25 June 2014 Showcasing every aspect of the Australasian Food Processing industry. www.foodproexh.com Inside 3D Printing Conference and Expo 9-10 July 2014 Melbourne A B2B tradeshow for the 3D printing industry which will explore the business applications of 3D printing through conference sessions, keynote presentations, and the latest 3D printers and services in action. www.mediabistro.com/inside3dprinting Furnitex Melbourne Exhibition Centre 10-13 July 2014 For the furniture & soft furnishings industry. www.furnitex.com.au

Advertiser Index 3D Systems Asia Pacific 8 Acra Machinery 7 AlfexCNC 17 Amada 86,87 AMT Advertising 67 AMT Digital Strip Ad 14 AMTIL Manufacturelink 79 AMTIL Membership 83 AMTIL Austech 81 Anca Motion 49 Applied Machinery Aust. P/L 15 BOC 69 CAMCO cutting tools 59 Complete Machine Tool (Enzo) 27 Compressed Air Australia 19 Delcam 63 ECI Solutions 39 Epilog Laser 51 G-Zero five 47

Your Industry. Your Magazine.

Queensland Mining & Engineering Exhibition Mackay Showground 22-24 July 2014 Industrial exhibition for the mining sector. www.queenslandminingexpo.com.au Defence and Industry Conference Adelaide 29-30 July 2014 Will bring together Defence officials and representatives of Defence Industry from across the country and overseas. Industry will be encouraged to discuss all available work for SMEs, not just in the Defence sector, to maximise local business opportunities. dmo.majorevents@defence.gov.au www.defenceandindustry.gov.au Cleanscene Sydney Olympic Park 2-4 September 2014 National cleaning and hygiene expo. Co-located with Safety in Action. www.cleansceneshow.com.au Queensland Gas Conference & Exhibition Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre 10-11 September 2014 Brings together international opinion leaders from the global energy market and senior decision-makers from the Australian LNG industry and supporting infrastructure www.queenslandgasconference.com.au

LandForces Asia Pacific 2014 Brisbane 22-25 September 2014 A comprehensive international industry exhibition to showcase land-defence equipment, technology and services for the armies of Australia, Asia and the Pacific region. www.landforces.com.au Mining & Engineering NSW Newcastle Entertainment Centre 8-10 October 2014 The latest products and technologies for the rapidly growing coal mining sector of the Upper Hunter Valley. www.miningandengineeringnsw.com.au Australasian Waste & Recycling Expo Sydney 9-10 October 2014 Innovations in the collection, sorting and processing of waste from the municipal, commercial and construction sectors. www.awre.com.au All Energy Australia 2014 Melbourne Convention Centre 15-16 October 2014 an annual, free-to-delegate, business-tobusiness conference and networking forum hosted alongside an exhibition showcasing renewable energy, clean energy, sustainable transport and energy efficiency. www.all-energy.com.au

Bulkex Qld, Rockhampton 17-18 September 2014 Latest in bulk handling products, methods and solutions. Includes latest in conveyor systems, thermal imagers, loader innovation, dust collection, stainless steel feeders. www.bulkex.com.au

Hare & Forbes OBC Hi-Tech Metrology 33 Industrial Laser 25 Iscar 2,3 LS Starrett 21 Machinery Forum 77 MAPAL 9 Metal Cutting Technology FLAP Millsom Materials Handling 57 MTI Qualos 29 National Manufacturing Week 22,23 OMAX 45 OSG Asia Pty Ltd 4&5 Siemens Industry Software 13 Standaco Machinery Sales 31 Sutton 35 Techni Waterjet 37 Thyssenkrupp 65 Walter 11

Would you like to advertise in Australia’s No. 1 precision and manufacturing magazine? Call Anne Samuelsson of AMTIL on 03 9800 3666 or email asameulsson@amtil.com.au

june14 Australian Manufacturing Technology

Your Industry. Your Magazine.

NEXT MONTH…

MEDICAL A look at how the latest developments in manufacturing that are helping to drive advances in cutting-edge medicine. CUTTING TOOLS MOTORS & DRIVES FORMING & FABRICATION SOFTWARE

AMT MAY 2014

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THE INTELLIGENT SOLUTION

The HDS series press brakes accurately folds parts as verified by Amada’s Virtual Prototype Simulation System (VPSS). With VPSS all prototyping is done offline and programming is fully automatic.

HDS step bending: Active crowning gives high accuracy wherever the tools are set across the bed. This makes it possible to ‘Step bend’ and maintain an accuracy of 15 minutes or 0.25 degrees. Step bending eliminates double handling of parts and reduces tool changes. A typical pressbrake may spend as much as 80% of its time idle, leaving just 20% making components. HDS + VPSS may spend as little as 20% of its time idle, that’s 80% making components.

15 Power Consumption (kW)

HDS Features include: Accurate to 15 minutes or 0.25 degree across the bed length. Low energy consumption. Active Hybrid Crowning enabling Step Bending.

PRESSURIZATION – POWER CONSUMPTION Conventional Hydraulic Bender

AMADA HDS1303NT

9 6 3 0 196 [20]

392 [40]

588 [60]

Pressurization (kN tonf) Units in [ ] are for reference only

Axis at rest. 1.71 kWh - Conventional machines 0.55 kWh - AMADA HDS3130NT

784 [80]

EFFICIENCY UP, COSTS DOWN “Amada’s software package has helped us to reduce our setup times by 50%!”

“We feel very comfortable, Amada are always there for us to rely on.” Phill Pears, company owner, Brampton Sheetmetal Pty Ltd

Sheetmetal companies today are faced with small runs and tight tolerances for most of their jobs. It is common for a shop to run 15 setups per shift – many shops run significantly more. Founded in 1986, Brampton Sheetmetal is constantly striving to keep up to date with the latest technology in order to meet the industry’s demands and provide highquality service to its customers. “Brampton Sheetmetal is committed to providing quality parts for our clients with precision and efficiency,” company owner Phill Pears says. His Melbourne-based company has been dealing directly with Amada since 2003, which has many advantages, Mr Pears explains. “Amada has been very flexible and helpful in different areas, like setting up our software. They’ve helped us as much as we have needed to get everything set up and working the way we want. Amada has a highly trained crew of people that can be around very quickly to help us out.”

Brampton Sheetmetal has recently installed a HDS 1303 press brake, featuring Amada’s unique hydraulic-controlled "Hybrid Drive System" powered by highly responsive AC servomotors. The result is quick movement of rams and bending precision in microns. “Accuracy and delivery times are very important in the market we are in,” Mr Pears says. “We also see increasingly complex parts and the need to turn things around quicker, and prices are very competitive. Being able to reduce the setup times – for high and low volume work – is very important to how we remain competitive.” The new press brake in combination with an Amada software package – AP100 CAD system, SheetWorks and BendCAM – has dramatically improved the shop’s productivity. Programming the machine while offline saves setup time because the operator doesn't have to program the machine to run the part. The engineering staff can set the program for a

part and download it to the brake or scan it via bar code. SheetWorks creates precise sheetmetal solid models starting from shell models, including all the necessary technical information, such as bend deduction, which makes the production process much more accurate, Mr Pears explains. “The software package allows us to get more out of the machine and has helped us to dramatically improve setup times by 50% in the last 12 months. Additionally, we have increased the accuracy of our parts and decreased the defect rate. Brampton Sheetmetal also uses the latest Virtual Prototyping Simulation Software (VPSS) from Amada to verify projects in 3D, eliminating the need for prototypes. VPSS uses a comprehensive database of data and parameters from the factory’s actual machines, tools and materials in generating 3D CAD models.

Reducing setup times, deriving greater productivity, reducing scrap rates Accuracy: Amada’s software solutions, including VPSS, SheetWorks, BendCAM and the AP100 CAD system, has not only reduced Brampton Sheetmetal’s setup times by 50%, but increased accuracy and decreased the defect rate. Productivity: The innovative HDS 1303 press brake’s enhanced back gauge speed has achieved phenomenal high speed and high precision.

Amada Oceania Pty Ltd Sydney 02 8887 1100 | Unit 7, 16 Lexington Dr., Bella Vista NSW 2153 Melbourne 03 9020 1400 | Unit 1, 3-4 Anzed Court Mulgrave VIC 3170 Perth | Brisbane | www.amada.com.au

TO SUIT ALL APPLICATIONS FROM 100MM TO 1300MM CAPACITY

BS-7DS 215 x 178mm

BS-10LS 468 x 250mm

BS-916A 350 x 228mm

EB-280DS 245 x 180mm

BS-10AS 400 x 230mm

EB-320DSV 255 x 200mm

BS-320AS 510 x 260mm

CALL

for more information

today!

H-1300SAT 1300 x 1300mm Specifications are subject to change without notice.

SYDNEY (02) 9890 9111 Unit 1/2 Windsor Rd, Northmead NSW

BRISBANE (07) 3274 4222 625 Boundary Rd, Coopers Plains QLD

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H-460HA-NC 480 x 460mm