AUG SEP 2021
A NANO TECH
GIANT IS
UNLEASHED MEDTECH: FIT FOR THE FUTURE
MEDICAL
READ MORE ON PAGE 88
Special Feature: Industry 4.0 State Spotlight: Victoria
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Prepare for ground-breaking changes to key industries including: Aerospace and Defence Batteries and Electronics Electric Vehicles and Drones Medical and Dental Advanced Metals and Alloys Composite Materials and Resins 3D Printing and Textiles For further information, read more on page 88 or visit our website
AUG SEP 2021
MEDTECH: FIT FOR THE FUTURE
MEDICAL
Special Feature: Industry 4.0 State Spotlight: Victoria
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006
CONTENTS
Volume 21 Number 04 AUG/SEP 2021 ISSN 1832-6080
FEATURES MEDICAL MedTech – Healthy outlook for Australian innovators AM Hub case study: Radetec Diagnostics AM Hub case study: Kesem Health New technique breaks the mould for AM medical implants Monash supporting India’s COVID-19 battle AM Hub case study: Vesticam Promoting Australia for medtech manufacturing Stoneglass Industries: Vale, Georges Sara
42 48 49 50 51 52 54 56
COMPRESSORS & AIR TECHNOLOGY Identifying compressed air efficiency opportunities
58
FORMING & FABRICATION Zip Water boosts its fabrication productivity Fabricated metals industry: Integrating business processes Power Laser Genius+ - Next-level laser cutting Cutting quotation software slashes customer response times
60 62 63 64
INDUSTRY 4.0 MTM – Pressing the button on Industry 4.0 Why Industry 4.0 is so important at Integra Systems Business intelligence: Bringing clarity Five reasons why we struggle to leverage Industry 4.0
66 68 70 72
MATERIAL REMOVAL Conma Industries - Confident in the future ESPRIT CAM: Automating multi-spindle program creation
78 79
STATE SPOTLIGHT - VICTORIA New Age Caravans – Combining Industry 4.0 & Lean AL-KO: Custom workholding from Dimac ANCA Motion – Motorising productivity Laminex – A story of manufacturing innovation Optibelt assists with Australia’s first electric motorbike BNNTs - Game-changing nanotech Up-to-spec at Aero Spec
82 84 85 86 87 88 89
CUTTING TOOLS Iscar: Tool craft for aircraft Holistic approach optimises processes and tool life Seco: How sustainability applies to machining Sandvik: The next step to unmanned production
90 93 94 96
42 MedTech – Healthy outlook for Australian innovators Specialising in innovative medical devices, Australian enterprises including Neo-Bionica, Ellume and Grey Innovation, are showing the world what our technology and design have to offer.
66 MTM – Pressing the button on Industry 4.0 MTM embarked on an Industry 4.0 journey a few years ago with AMTIL’s help. The resulting project has far-reaching implications across its business.
74
MATERIALS HANDLING Older cranes deliver new gains Verton: Making offshore lifting a breeze
98 100
SAFETY Worker hearing challenges Achieving a completely clean workspace
102 103
One on One
PUMPS & VALVES Get better results for critical seals/gaskets
104
Simon Dawson is the Director – Industrial Transformation at the Innovative Manufacturing Cooperative Research Centre (IMCRC). He spoke with AMT about his role.
REGULARS From the Editor From the CEO From the Ministry From the Industry From the Union
8 10 12 14 16
INDUSTRY NEWS Current news from the Industry
18
80
VOICEBOX Opinions from across the manufacturing industry 28 PRODUCT NEWS Selection of new and interesting products 34 COMPANY FOCUS Austeng ONE ON ONE Simon Dawson
80 74
AMTIL FORUMS
106
AMTIL INSIDE The latest news from AMTIL
110
MANUFACTURING HISTORY – A look back in time
118
AMT AUG/SEP 2021
Austeng – The Geelong arc of manufacturing advancement The manufacturing industry in Victoria’s second largest city is currently going through a start-up revolution. At the forefront is innovative engineering company Austeng
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008
FROM THE EDITOR WILLIAM POOLE
Keeping up the fight So here we are. Again. This time last year, COVID-19 was hogging the headlines, with Victoria heading into a second lockdown that would last months. However, at the time there were grounds for cautious optimism. Australia had fared remarkably well in containing the virus. Victoria aside, the country was edging back to something resembling normality. And the Federal Government was making positive signals about efforts to secure Australia’s early access to a vaccine. Today, at time of writing, Victoria is back in lockdown, as is NSW and South Australia, with a new COVID variant circulating among a population still largely unvaccinated. A year ago we might have hoped to be beyond this point by now. Yet here we are, indeed. COVID-19 continues to dominate in other ways. The main feature in last August’s AMT was Medical, and it was unsurprisingly packed with stories of Australian manufacturers finding ingenious ways to battle the pandemic. With Medical back on the cover of this issue, the virus still casts a big shadow. To some extent that’s fair enough. Australian manufacturers did great things at the height of the crisis, and they continue to do so as the pandemic goes on. Last year, amid shortages of everything from hand sanitiser to medical ventilators, manufacturers pivoted fast to fill the void. The pandemic exposed our vulnerability to global supply chain disruptions, and reminded the public of the need for a robust local manufacturing base. So how’s that working out a year on? Well, it’s going well in the US. According to a new report from the Reshoring Initiative, a record 109,000 manufacturing jobs were brought back to the US in 2020, with companies emphasising moving operations closer to home, and policymakers seeking to shorten supply chain gaps. President Joe Biden has prioritised reshoring, with a goal to bring a further 5 million jobs back onshore. In Australia there are also signs of a growing intent among manufacturers to reshore operations over the coming years (see page 18). And the Federal Government’s Modern Manufacturing Strategy features a range of welcome measures aimed at nurturing the industry. These are all promising developments. But then you read about a company like Med-Con. Med-Con was one of the companies that AMT profiled in last year’s Medical feature. In fact it got a lot of media coverage, hailed as one of the heroes of Aussie manufacturing’s COVID fightback. When the pandemic hit, Australia was hit with a serious shortage of surgical masks, most of which had been imported, so the Government turned to Med-Con, then Australia’s only surgical mask manufacturer. The Shepparton-based company rose to the challenge, acquiring new machinery and recruiting more than 100 staff. And in a few months, it increased its supply of masks from two million to 60 million. Today, however, most of Med-Con’s machines are quiet, and the workforce has shrunk to 25. According to an ABC report, as international supply chains have reopened, health services have gone back to sourcing cheaper masks from overseas. For Med-Con, orders have plummeted. It’s been a dispiriting experience for Chief Executive Steven Csiszar: “As a manufacturer you’ve got to think to yourself ‘Do I want to keep doing this?’” It’s depressing how quickly we forget, and not just because it’s a shabby way to treat companies like Med-Con. We also risk again leaving ourselves exposed, whenever the next variant, or the next pandemic, comes along. COVID-19 is still out there, and so is the need to get behind Australia’s manufacturers. The fight’s not over.
Editor William Poole wpoole@amtil.com.au Contributors Carole Goldsmith Brent Balinski Sales Manager Nicholas Raftopoulos nraftopoulos@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 in Australia using PEFC™ Programme for the Endorsement of Forestry Certification Chain of Custody certified from sustainable forests 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 bi-monthly. Subscription to AMT Magazine (and other benefits) is available through AMTIL Associate Membership at $175 (ex GST) per annum. Contact AMTIL on 03 9800 3666 for further information.
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AMT AUG/SEP 2021
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010
FROM THE CEO SHANE INFANTI – Chief Executive Officer AMTIL
The mother of all products Machine Tools truly are the “mother machines”. They make the machines that make the products that make our lives what they are today. Every manufactured product you can think of, from the coffee you have first thing in the morning and the cornflakes you eat for breakfast, to the computer you use at work, the train home in the evening, and the car waiting at the station, and even the couch you sit on to watch your television with a glass of wine – they are all made by machines that were made by machine tools. Think about that... just the coffee beans alone require a coffee bean harvester, washing and screening equipment, dry processing, roasting, hulling, polishing, sorting and grading processes. Each one of these processes requires equipment that has significant machining and fabrication work to produce it. And that’s just the coffee beans. So if you have your coffee with milk and sugar, multiply all those processes by three, and then include the machine that you have sitting in your kitchen that now allows you to push a button and the coffee is produced. Whilst we may take making a coffee for granted, we cannot escape the simple fact that machine tools are the “mother machine” in every step of the process. That being said, I would like to extrapolate “machine tools” out to what we term “manufacturing technology”, taking into account all the software, the cutting tools, the automation and robotics, and all the ancillary equipment that together go into making a machine tool operate productively. What is the point of this article you may ask? I’ll get to that in a minute. First, let me give you my definition of Advanced Manufacturing. Advanced manufacturing is the use of innovative technology to improve AMTIL is currently developing a technology dissemination project called LYNX. The LYNX Project will be a controlled three-year, persistent, consistent program of events, workshops and activities that will promote and encourage the early adoption of manufacturing technology. The project will have national and regional reach to as many manufacturers as possible as we help them on their journey to become or consolidate as advanced manufacturers. It will focus on demonstrating leading-edge manufacturing technologies, practical
AMT AUG/SEP 2021
products or processes, with the relevant technology being described as “advanced,” “innovative”, or “cutting edge.” Advanced manufacturers “increasingly integrate new innovative technologies in both products and processes”. I’ve raised this because we know that coffee beans can be picked, washed, dried, processed and sorted by hand. We don’t need machines to do that – unless we want a productive, efficient and profitable business! So here is my point: we need to continuously invest in manufacturing technology in order to call ourselves an advanced manufacturing industry. The AMTIL Board recently reviewed our vision and mission statements and I thought it is relevant to share them with you in light demonstrations of process techniques, and displays of management methods that will help strategic decision makers advance and drive profits. These showcases of Technologies, Methodologies and Techniques (TMTs) will include roadshows, open days, workshops, webinars, in-house demonstrations and one-on-one mentoring. It will also include inbound and outbound technology tours and knowledge transfer activities. Editorial and case studies will top off the LYNX Project as we seek to share knowledge and promote our great Australian success stories.
of the above. AMTIL’s vision is to represent manufacturing technology suppliers and users and promote advancement in technology that enables our manufacturers to thrive globally. Our mission is ensuring advanced manufacturers have access to the latest manufacturing technology through promotion, networking, collaboration and advocacy. So we will continue to promote and encourage early adoption of manufacturing technology through all of our activities and work with government and industry to ensure Australia grows its number of advanced manufacturers well into the future.
The focus will be on outcomes, investment, jobs, product development and growth. We will also be encouraging our younger generation to be involved in the project and its activities as we create awareness of the many career opportunities that exist in our manufacturing industry. If you have any interest in AMTIL’s LYNX Project or would like further information, please contact Greg Chalker, Corporate Services Manager at AMTIL, by emailing gchalker@amtil.com.au.
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FROM THE MINISTRY THE HON CHRISTIAN PORTER MP – Minister for Industry, Science and Technology
Manufacturing strategy delivering for businesses The Government’s support for local manufacturing stepped up a gear mid-year with a number of major developments in the $1.5bn Modern Manufacturing Strategy. The Strategy will create jobs, help businesses overcome roadblocks, and deliver a stronger and more resilient economy to benefit all Australians. The Strategy is delivering, and money is now flowing to businesses. New grants are on offer through two key initiatives under the Strategy, and successful projects have been announced under Round 2 of the Manufacturing Modernisation Fund (MMF), the Modern Manufacturing Initiative (MMI), and the Commercialisation Fund. The Manufacturing Collaboration Stream, the largest element of the Strategy, has launched and will provide $800m towards transformative, industry-led projects that will spur private sector investment and job creation through business-to-business and business-to-research collaboration. Funding of between $20m and $200m is available to cover up to 33% of eligible expenditure for projects across the six National Manufacturing Priority areas – Medical Products; Recycling and Clean Energy; Food and Beverage; Defence; Space and Resource Technology and Critical Minerals Processing. Grant applications are also open under the Supply Chain Resilience Initiative (SCRI), with $50m on offer. Matched grants of between $50,000 and $2m are available under the first round of the initiative to support projects addressing supply chain vulnerabilities across medicines and agricultural production chemicals, identified as sectors of focus in the Sovereign Manufacturing Capability Plan. Four space manufacturers will share $13.9m in grants through round 1 of the Translation and Integration streams of the MMI to grow Australia’s global civil space industry, integrate into global supply chain and commercialise new export opportunities. One of the successful grant recipients, EffusionTech, will receive $1.2m in funding to develop and manufacture lowcost, durable and high-performance liquidfuelled rocket engines for the growing commercial launch market. Under the same streams, $36m was awarded to five medical product manufacturers to scale-up medical production, create highly-skilled jobs, open new export opportunities and build Australia’s economic resilience. This includes $3m to help Perth-based Avicena Systems scale up manufacturing
AMT AUG/SEP 2021
Minister Porter (left) watches a demonstration of Avicena System’s Sentinel COVID-19 rapid screening system with the company’s director Tony Fitzgerald.
of its Sentinel COVID-19 screening system, which can be used to rapidly test more than 90,000 people every day. Also in South Australia, Noumed Pharmaceuticals will receive $20m towards construction of a new $85m state-of-theart manufacturing facility for prescription and over-the-counter medications. Noumed is one of Australia’s largest suppliers of pharmaceuticals but currently manufactures all of its products offshore. The new facility will see its Australian operations become almost entirely selfsufficient, while also creating hundreds of new jobs for South Australian workers. Under Round 2 of the MMF, $55m in grants was awarded to 86 businesses across the country to support manufacturers to invest in modern technologies and equipment to increase productivity, improve capacity and capability and create new jobs. Western Australian Bonissimo Coffee Roasters will use its grant to help reduce the number of plastic-lined coffee cups and coffee pods ending up in landfill by installing $1.4m worth of new equipment to manufacture cups and pods made from bio-polymers that are 100% organic and fully compostable. The upgrade will also enable the company to increase its coffee pod production six-fold, allowing it to hire more staff and pursue new export opportunities for its premium coffee products. Other successful projects include: a lightweight digital health sensor produced in Queensland that sticks to the skin and can provide early warning of cardiac issues; new generation high-output solar panels to be made in South Australia; and a brewery
expansion in New South Wales that will use world-leading thermal energy storage to reduce power consumption and chemical use. Alcolizer Pty Ltd, based in Balcatta Perth, is among six companies to share in funding under the Government’s $30m Commercialisation Fund, which brings together industry and researchers on job-creating projects. Alcolizer will use its $742,363 grant to work with research and industry partners on developing a mass market saliva-based antigen test to detect COVID-19 in asymptomatic and symptomatic patients within ten minutes. This will be achieved by combining Australian patented breakthrough technologies developed by the University of Technology Sydney and hardware technologies developed by Alcolizer, in the form of a new medical device called the Virulizer. Prime Minister Scott Morrison and his Government see the value of our businesses and that is why we are backing them to innovate and create jobs right across our country. Our Modern Manufacturing Strategy is delivering, and is also backed by the Morrison Government’s plan to take on new apprentices and trainees, lower taxes and the cost of energy and cut red tape. Through support like this we are helping to build a manufacturing sector that can take on the world, create high-value jobs for Australians and deliver a stronger and more resilient economy. More information on the Strategy is available at: www.industry.gov.au/manufacturing.
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FROM THE INDUSTRY INNES WILLOX – Chief Executive Australian Industry Group
Are carbon tariffs a threat to Australian industry or an opportunity? On 14 July 2021 – Bastille Day, appropriately enough – the European Commission announced an ambitious set of proposals to meet Europe’s agreed goal of a 55% cut in greenhouse gas emissions over the next 10 years, and net zero emissions by 2050. One big plank in that platform is the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism or CBAM – often shorthanded as a carbon tariff. This will not be the last such proposal. Australia needs to engage with the CBAM or risk ending up with a noodle bowl of unilateral decisions and systems in multiple countries that would be a nightmare for many Australian exporters. To not engage in proper negotiation and discussion would leave Australian business unrepresented at a time when many of our markets are moving in this direction. The outcome needs to be that Australian industry can compete in transparent markets and on a level playing field. The EU CBAM has strong political support and is very likely to happen, though the details may evolve from the initial proposal. As it stands now, the scheme will initially apply to imports of aluminium, cement, electricity, fertiliser and steel. Australia’s exports to Europe include some steel and a very small amount of aluminium. The scheme would only require reporting until 2025, after which importers would start to pay the equivalent of the European carbon price. The stated goal of the CBAM is to allow Europe to ramp up its emissions reduction policies without losing its industries as a result. The design tries to create a level playing field by ensuring exporters to the EU are paying the same carbon price that European producers have to under the EU emissions trading scheme. Maintaining trade competitiveness as emissions come down has long been a key objective of responsible climate policy in Australia as much as in Europe. CBAM is best understood as a new alternative to existing approaches, which range from freely allocating emissions rights to vulnerable industries, to not having a carbon constraint at all. The glass-half-full view is that this ‘carbon tariff’ could have been much worse. Prior to the announcement there were fears CBAM would be either a punitive big stick to monster other countries into changing their policies, or else greenwashed protectionism designed to shut trade out of Fortress Europe. Assessing the embodied emissions of complex goods and carbon costs in electricity can also be extremely complex and burdensome. Thankfully these fears are not borne out in the actual detail now available. On its face CBAM applies to a limited range of simple products, doesn’t cover embodied electricity emissions, doesn’t discriminate between trade partners, and doesn’t go further than the carbon-cost equalisation goal. Crucially for non-discrimination, it ramps down Europe’s current free allocation of emissions rights to its own steelmakers and other vulnerable industries, and reduces importer CBAM liabilities to reflect that free allocation while it lasts. Ai Group is preparing research on the impact of Europe’s CBAM and of carbon tariffs in general. Early results suggest Australia’s exports to Europe will be about as profitable after CBAM as they are today. But the devil is in the detail, and it will be vital to ensure actual implementation of CBAM matches the top-level promises of fairness. This will become even more important as CBAM is potentially extended to more goods and to indirect emissions from electricity and perhaps transport.
AMT AUG/SEP 2021
Australia’s policy response should be to enter discussions to ensure that our businesses are treated fairly and our high-quality emissions data is accepted at the European border. The carbon tariff genie is out of the bottle and not engaging isn’t the answer, especially once other countries start to introduce their own carbon costs at their borders. The US is currently debating a proposal for a ‘polluter import fee’ proposed by the Congressional Democrats and endorsed on the campaign trail by President Joe Biden. Canada, Japan and the UK also have discussions about border adjustment underway. We should seek to improve these carbon tariffs, making them fairer and easier to navigate, rather than simply oppose them. And we should also learn from Europe’s experiment. If CBAM performs well, Australia should consider a border adjustment of our own alongside alternative options to ensure continued competitiveness as we develop plans for net-zero emissions. Australian producers have been understandably concerned that their trade competitiveness will be threatened by carbon tariffs, given our relatively high national emissions and lack of carbon constraints. Europe also has form on protectionism. However, at first blush Australia is not at great risk from CBAM. Instead there is an opportunity to shape a new approach that will better reconcile the twin imperatives of economic prosperity and a safe climate with the reality of a messy multi-speed world.
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FROM THE UNION STEVE MURPHY – National Secretary Australian Manufacturing Workers Union
The importance of a good job Manufacturing is a highly sought-after industry around the world. When the Liberal Government goaded Holden into closing, there was no shortage of other nations more than happy to support their local industries to pick up the extra work. But why exactly is that? As we all know, manufacturing drives innovation, improves productivity, delivers skills and produces the goods that businesses and consumers want and need. But all those things – fantastic though they are – are not the real reason that countries around the world are climbing over each other to secure investment into their manufacturing industries. The real reason is much simpler: jobs. Manufacturing is a great source of highquality, dependable jobs. As the global demand for manufactured goods continues to rise, so will the need for the skilled workers who create, make and maintain those products. As manufacturing has become more sophisticated and new advances in technology have improved productivity, the skills required by workers has grown and changed along with it. For decades, these improvements in productivity saw higher wages for Australian workers as their unions were able to negotiate a fairer share for the workers whose skill and labour created the wealth. Sadly, the increase in part-time, casual and labour hire work in the industry means that manufacturing is no longer able to drive economic growth or provide financial security for workers in the same way it once did. Since detailed records began in 1984, the number of part-time workers has increased from 7% to 17% of the workforce and the number of full-time employees has gone from more than 1 million to 695,000. Casualisation has also played a large role in the changing nature of the industry, with rates sitting around 17%-20% of the industry, or around 130,000 workers. Unlike many other industries with similar levels of casualisation, more than half of the casual workers in the manufacturing industry work full-time hours. This has given rise to tens of thousands of “permanent casuals” workers who are permanent in all by name. In 2016, the AMWU did detailed research on the views and experiences of casual workers (both members and nonmembers). It found that overwhelmingly, casual workers wanted the right to be able to convert to permanent employment and half of all casuals surveyed wanted to convert to permanent employment. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it also found that the vast majority of labour hire workers
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wanted the right to convert to permanent employment with their host employer. It is clear that casual and labour hire employment is not the preferred method of employment for the majority of employees, including a majority of those employed in those forms right now. Casualisation – including through misclassification of permanent employees as casuals – and insecure work – including labour hire, sham contracting or part-time workers who need more hours – have a range of negative effects on workers, communities and the economy at large. At the macro level, casualisation has depressed wages and improvements in workers’ working conditions. Not only are casual workers less likely to push for these things in bargaining, but the ever-present threat of permanent jobs being replaced by casual ones serves as a brake on demands by permanent workers. While many workers may prefer to work part-time, there are a large number of part-time workers who would like, and are available to work, more hours – but simply cannot find them. The significant rise in underemployment, particularly since the Global Financial Crisis (GFC), is another significant source of workers within our industry who are precariously employed. As they rely on their employer for more hours
in order to make ends meet, they find it very difficult to demand significant improvement to their wages and conditions. At the micro level, the impacts of insecure work are well known. Workers often are left unable to do simple things like make plans, support their communities or engage in volunteer work. More serious impacts are also well documented, like being unable to get loans, make financial commitments or undertake long-term planning; increased pressure on mental health; and family breakdown. Australia was built on the promise of a fair go, and the right to a good, secure job with decent wages has been the cornerstone of that promise for generations. If we want to get wages going, improve training and deliver productivity improvements then we must address insecure work. If we believe Australian workers should share in our nation’s growing prosperity, to be able to live happy, healthy and connected lives, and to win the new industrial and social rights for future generations, we need to address job security. Manufacturing is such an important industry because it delivers good jobs that workers, their families and communities can rely upon. It is time for our industry to deliver on that promise.
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INDUSTRY NEWS
Survey: Australian manufacturers say reshoring likely by 2023 One in two Australian manufacturers (55%) intend to reshore their operations to Australia by 2023 following market volatility caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and international relations with neighbouring countries, according to a new survey released by PROS. The Australian Manufacturing Outlook survey revealed confidence that the Australian economy is growing, with more companies signaling they intend to bring manufacturing operations back to Australia. Nearly one quarter (22%) of respondents have already reshored operations, with nearly half of companies’ overall manufacturing capacity (48%) targeted to return to Australia by 2023. Western Australia, Northern Territory and South Australia are poised to lead the nation’s charge on reshoring over the next three years according to respondents, with a focus on creating local jobs and growing priority sectors such as lithium batteries, defence and space, and capitalising on their respective geographic advantages. The rise to reshore has been driven by the need to future-proof critical supply chains in the face of market change and disruption, to minimise risk and protect jobs in key industries. This is coupled with the Federal Government’s support through the Modern Manufacturing Strategy and strong consumer preference (89%) towards our nation producing more products, according to research conducted by Roy Morgan. Three-quarters of those surveyed (78%) believe Australia possesses the technology, people and economic strength to support the creation of an agile manufacturing base, which would better protect and reinstate the local production of goods. Recent quarterly GDP data (released in December) also revealed a growth of 3.1%, as Australia pushed through the height of the pandemic. However, Australian manufacturers are underprepared to compete in a digital economy, with 82% of survey respondents
still in the planning process or yet to implement e-commerce channels to sell to domestic or international buyers; only 9% also have market-aware, dynamic pricing strategies. “The economic recovery is well underway, but Australian manufacturers must equip themselves with e-commerce and dynamic pricing capabilities,” said Haley Glasgow, APAC Head of Strategic Consulting and Alliances at PROS, a provider of SaaS solutions. “Otherwise we risk not only stalling the economic growth already achieved but missing the right moment in history to reclaim our manufacturing heritage. “Australia is incredibly well placed to leverage smart technologies like artificial intelligence and digital selling channels to overcome the competition challenges from imports and online sources. But to reinvent themselves, investment must be made by the Government, industry and companies themselves.” In support of strengthening self-reliance, nine in ten (90%) Australian manufacturers are confident their company has access to a skilled Australian workforce capable of producing, marketing and selling its products through traditional and digital channels. “As Australian manufacturers seek to reshore, it is vital they lead with a digital strategy and mindset if they are to achieve local and global competitiveness,” Glasgow added. The Australian Manufacturing Outlook survey was conducted by independent market research firm OnePoll in December 2020. The research sample consisted of 500 senior employees in the manufacturing sector across Australia.
CSIRO appoints new Chief Scientist CSIRO has appointed Professor Bronwyn Fox as Chief Scientist, close to 30 years after she began her career with CSIRO as a research assistant. Professor Fox, CSIRO’s fourth female Chief Scientist, joins the agency from Swinburne University of Technology, where she is Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Enterprise). CSIRO Chief Executive Dr Larry Marshall said Professor Fox brings great depth of scientific experience to the role.
Manufacturing Futures Research Institute, with a mission to support the transition of Australia’s manufacturing sector to Industry 4.0 – the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Professor Fox said she had worked with CSIRO scientists for close to 30 years.
“Bronwyn exemplifies the CSIRO way – driven to deliver, brilliant but humble, leading by listening, and a generous collaborator,” Dr Marshall said. “She has a long history of bringing together researchers from across multiple scientific domains and institutions, leveraging digital science, and helping industry to translate brilliant ideas into real world solutions.
“It is wonderful to return to CSIRO as Chief Scientist after starting as a 22-year-old research assistant, and to be able to champion science research and capability, working with industry and fostering STEM careers,” Prof Fox said. “The depth of scientific research at CSIRO and its committed people are a unique and special national treasure and I look forward to taking up the role.”
“Her sustained commitment to supporting the growth of the manufacturing industry in Australia strongly supports our purpose to deliver solutions from science that drive Australia’s economic recovery and resilience.” As a materials and engineering scientist, Professor Fox was the founding director of Swinburne University’s
Professor Fox is Chair of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering (Victorian Division), a Fellow of the Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE), a Fellow of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute (RACI) and a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD).
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INDUSTRY NEWS
Leading aerospace engineer to head RMIT’s new Space Industry Hub Professor Brian Falzon has been appointed Director of RMIT’s Space Industry Hub in Melbourne. The newly announced Hub, established with funding from the Victorian Government and supported by industry partners SmartSat CRC, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and FrontierSI, will connect local business and research capabilities with global opportunities in space technology. Considered one of the world’s leading academic researchers in aerospace technologies, Falzon brings a wealth of experience in advanced manufacturing. He said it was an exciting time to take up the role, with the world on the cusp of a new space revolution. “The emergence of new technologies and highly efficient launch vehicles means that access to space is no longer the preserve of governments with large budgets,” he said. “This democratisation of space is opening up tremendous opportunities in the development and exploitation of upstream and downstream technologies.” Falzon said Victoria was well placed to become a global research and innovation centre. “We have a strong research and industrial aerospace manufacturing sector, world-leading expertise in additive manufacturing, data science and visualisation, atmospheric studies, and navigation, among others, underpinned by several researchintensive world-leading universities.” Deputy Vice-Chancellor for STEM and Vice President Digital innovation, Professor Aleks Subic, said Falzon’s extensive international experience in aerospace technologies, would bring
world-leading capability and leadership to RMIT’s Space Industry Hub: "Brian's string of industry connections, resulting from decades of research collaborations on industry-funded projects with Boeing, Bombardier, ESA, NASA and others will be vitally important in connecting us to the international research and innovation ecosystem. His experience in driving high impact research involving interdisciplinary teams from universities and industry will be crucial to driving the Hub development at RMIT.” In 2013, Falzon was appointed to the Royal Academy of Engineering/Bombardier Chair in Aerospace Composites at Queen’s University Belfast. He became Head of the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering in 2016 where he embarked on a transformative programme of restructuring and growth. Falzon has made seminal contributions in the field of advanced composite materials and structures. His early work influenced innovative designs implemented on the Australian Boeing 787 and FA-18E/F programmes. Falzon's work damage modelling and characterisation was used on the NASA Advanced Composites Project and various projects with Bombardier Aerostructures Belfast (now Spirit AeroSystems) have led to technologies being incorporated in current and planned future programmes. Professor Falzon will return to Australia and begin his appointment at RMIT in September.
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INDUSTRY NEWS
REA: Student interest in manufacturing careers skyrockets The Re-Engineering Australia Foundation (REA) in July unveiled the latest results from a 15-year longitudinal study into the Motivational Drivers of Children’s Career Decision Choices, showing a surge in interest in a career in manufacturing among students. Since 2006, REA has surveyed students and teachers involved in its STEM programs to determine their impact on influencing students’ career motivations and career choices. To date, over a million students across Australia have been involved in these programs, and the research forms part of a longitudinal research process examining the Motivational Drivers of Children’s Career Decision Choices started at the University of South Australia in 2006. The survey found that not only were gender issues around STEM rapidly disappearing, but over 50% of students are interested in manufacturing careers, and 81% of students changed their career choice to be STEM-based. In addition, the educational attainment of more than 75% of students increased across all subject areas due to their in STEM programs and their involvement with Industry. The impact is felt by the schools, with 84% indicating they had lifted the importance of STEM education in their school. “A core human motivation is the desire to be creative, and over the 15 years we have been studying student career motivation, there appears little change in this underlying driver,” said Dr Michael Myers OAM, Executive Chairman of REA. “Students love to create."
A fundamental and critical differentiator of the REA programs has been the requirement for students to work directly with industry partners in their projects. Students have the opportunity to see a direct relevance between the classroom activity they enjoy and the world of work. “While we have little influence over their starting point, with the support of industry, we have been able to open the minds of students to how much fun manufacturing can be, and the gender imbalance is rapidly disappearing,” Myers added. Besides the more apparent outcomes of these programs, students develop personal and employability skills, learning about working in teams, working towards common goals, time and resources management, and seeking out industry support and mentors. “Contrary to popular belief, Australia produces the best STEM students in the world: a testament to our culture and way of life,” said Myers. “Every time we have Australian students participate in international STEM competitions, the rest of the world stops to see what they have bought to the table. We need to believe in the capacity of our students because ‘No One Said They Couldn’t’.”
Swinburne, Amaero to work together on space tech Swinburne University of Technology and Amaero International Limited have partnered with the Australian National Fabrication Facility (ANFF) on a project to develop coatings for internal turbine engine surfaces and nozzles. The project’s aim is to advance Compliant Multilayer Environmental Barrier Coatings (EBCs) that can be applied to rocket engine components. The outputs of the research will have commercial applications in aviation, space, defence, and high-temperature processing applications. “This is an exciting project that showcases Swinburne’s strength in materials and coatings for space,” says Director of Swinburne’s Space Technology and Industry Institute, Professor Alan Duffy. “By bringing together the brightest minds and world-class capabilities from Swinburne, ANFF, and local industry excellence in Amaero, we can address the material issues within the extreme environment of a turbine engine. In solving this problem for space, we also benefit through its use back on Earth. Swinburne is delighted Amaero is partnering with us in this breakthrough technology.” Through the research collaboration Amaero will: • Identify suitable 3D printed designs that allow for the construction of the EBCs. • Provide technical advice during manufacturing and performance testing. • Manufacture and provide of full-scale demonstrator parts to meet the EBC requirements. • Provide $150,000 (ex-GST) in funding over a 48-month period to support two PhD students and direct cost to work on this project as well as $150,000 of value in kind.
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Swinburne will also contribute to the cost of the project and provide in-kind contributions, focusing on: • Identifying EBC microstructures, designs, and alternative material systems to meet commercial relevant requirements and develop approaches to fabricate the identified EBCs. • Responding to industry expert’s feedback concerning optimisation of the microstructure for the EBC application. • Conducting fabrication trials that meet the commercial relevant EBC requirements. “We are very pleased to be collaborating with Swinburne University of Technology on researching and developing specific barriers and coatings,” said Amaero CEO Barrie Finnin. “The global space industry represents a significant large and strategic commercial opportunity for Amaero and this research will enhance the industryleading technology that our company provides.
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INDUSTRY NEWS
GoProto ANZ completes ISO 9001 Quality Management System certification AMTIL member GoProto ANZ has been awarded ISO 9001:2015 quality management systems (QMS) accreditation. Australia's largest 3D printing facility, GoProto operates six different additive manufacturing technologies in-house for prototyping and end-use applications, as well as providing 3D scanning, machining and injection moulding services. ISO 9001 is quickly gaining acceptance among 3D printing and contract manufacturers as a foundation for their quality programs. The stringent process analyses a business’ operations from top to bottom, seeking commitment to quality at every level. “ISO is one of the most rigorous and well-regarded standards in the world,” says James Sanders, General Manager of GoProto ANZ. “We sought to become certified as part of our longstanding commitment to quality and a further step of our Industry 4.0 journey. I am extremely proud of our team’s efforts, which proves their commitment to providing high quality parts and excellent customer service. We’re dedicated to constant improvement and making sure we have the processes and systems in place for this.” GoProto’s ISO certification was accelerated as a result of a grant awarded by the Centre for Defence Industry Capability, in recognition of the company’s potential to manufacture aerospace and defence components in-country, which will contribute significantly to Australia’s sovereign industrial capability priorities. GoProto specialises in quick-turn, on-demand, custom manufacturing, offering end-to-end solutions for 3D scanning, 3D printing/additive manufacturing, CNC machining, sheet metal, cast
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Alstom brings train manufacturing back to WA Alstom commenced operations on 7 June at METRONET’s brand-new train manufacturing facility in Perth, marking a watershed moment for rail manufacturing in Western Australia, effectively restarting the industry in the state. The project will create around 200 jobs including apprentices and aboriginal workers to manufacture, test, commission and maintain 41 six-car electric (EMU) and two three-car diesel (DMU) trains, which includes 20 years maintenance of the EMU trains and maintenance support services for the DMU trains. The fleet of 43 trains will be built with the support of a thriving ecosystem of local suppliers, contractors and equipment vendors. Alstom has committed to 50% local content for the vehicles, bringing additional flow-on benefits beyond the delivery of the trains to the WA economy. The new facility was opened in a ceremony attended by WA’s Premier Mark McGowan and Minister for Transport Rita Saffioti. “Alstom is delighted to begin operating METRONET’s brand-new train manufacturing facility in Bellevue, revitalising the rail industry in WA,” said Mark Coxon, Managing Director for Alstom in Australia & New Zealand. “Over the coming weeks we will begin ramping up the production of these new trains in line with our commitment to deliver the latest rolling stock and maintenance technologies and develop the next generation of local, world-class railway manufacturing professionals.” The project will see the transfer of the latest railway technologies and manufacturing processes to WA, establishing one of the most technologically advanced train manufacturing and maintenance sites in Australia. Alstom will provide fast-tracked training and skills development programmes through dedicated partnerships with local TAFE and training organisations, creating a new generation of skilled railway manufacturing professionals.
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The new C-Series trains will be more energy-efficient and designed to accommodate future upgrades. Each train will have a capacity of approximately 1,200 passengers and include three double passenger doors per car for enhanced passenger flows. The new trains will be maintained at PTA’s Nowergup depot and will utilise Alstom’s innovative HealthHub predictive maintenance tools that will optimise the performance and reliability of the trains throughout their lifecycle.
INDUSTRY NEWS
AMW 2022 selling out fast as exhibitors seize early booking benefits Next year’s inaugural Australian Manufacturing Week (AMW) exhibition is selling out fast, with around 90% of the floor space already booked for the event, to be held in Melbourne in March. Sales for AMW 2022, Australia’s premier manufacturing solutions event, have been so strong that AMTIL, the event’s organisers, has taken a further bay at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre (MCEC), bringing the overall floor space for the AMW exhibition from 15,000sqm to 16,500sqm. Even with this expanded footprint, AMTIL expects the show to be fully sold out many months in advance of its opening on 8 March. Exhibitors who have booked space for AMW are already benefiting from significant exposure as a result of pre-show marketing activity by AMTIL. “Riding on the coat tails of AMTIL’s ongoing promotion of AMW is just one of the advantages of locking in a stand early for next year’s exhibition,” says Kim Banks, AMW Exhibition Manager and Head of Events at AMTIL. “The sooner you get your stand locked in and announce it to your target markets, the quicker you can start putting yourself in the box seat to develop great early interest in your company’s presence at the event.” According to Banks, it’s never too early for companies to start publicising their participation in a major industry event such as AMW: “When your promotional work combines with the marketing being undertaken by the event organisers, it has a multiplier effect, creating a real buzz of expectation throughout the industry. At AMTIL we’re already seeing that effect – the earlier you book, the bigger the benefit.”
The AMW website features a full directory of all the organisations who have signed up to exhibit. Companies can upload a wealth of information on their exhibitor listing, including contact details, company profiles and product info, social media links. "The 'WHO'S EXHIBITING’ link on the website is already creating quite a buzz among prospective exhibitors, as they check to see which of their competition is already on board for the expo,” adds Banks. “I think for a lot of people, when they see who is going to be at the show, they realise they really can’t afford not to be there.” The inaugural edition of Australian Manufacturing Week (AMW) will take place at Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre (MCEC) from 8-11 March 2022. For more information on exhibiting at AMW, please contact Anne Samuelsson, Head of Sales at AMTIL on 0400 115 225 or at asamuelsson@amtil.com.au. www.australianmanufacturingweek.com.au
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INDUSTRY NEWS
Engineers Australia CEO recognised in Queen’s Birthday Honours List The integral role of the engineering profession in Australian society has been underlined in the 2021 Queen’s Birthday Honours, with recognition for Engineers Australia CEO, Dr Bronwyn Evans. Dr Evans has been appointed as a Member (AM) of the Order of Australia (General Division) for significant service to engineering, to standards and to medical technology.
and, in particular, the inclusion of Bronwyn. “Bronwyn exemplifies the sort of wellrounded engineer that is so valuable in our community, one who combines a track record of technical excellence with skills in leadership, diverse interests and networks, and a thirst for learning.”
An electrical engineer by background, Dr Evans has been a passionate mentor of young engineers in all sectors. She has spent much of her career contributing to innovation initiatives in the medical devices sector, including through establishing the Growth Centre for MedTech and Pharmaceuticals (MTPConnect) and in her executive role as Senior Vice President of Quality, Clinical and Regulatory at Cochlear. She was the CEO of Standards Australia and on the President’s Committee at the International Standards body, ISO, before taking on her current position leading the engineering profession’s peak body.
Dr Evans said she is delighted to be recognised and that she hopes her award will help encourage others to forge a career as an engineer, particularly young girls and women. “Australia needs engineers more than ever, in navigating the challenges of climate change, and succeeding in a global environment of rapidly-advancing technology,” she said. “The engineering profession is essential to enabling Australia to have a successful, sustainable and safe society, today and into the future.
Engineers Australia National President and Board Chair, Dr Nick Fleming congratulated Dr Evans on the recognition. “Bronwyn is a tireless advocate for engineers and the benefits the engineering profession brings to our community, whether she’s speaking to school children, to politicians
or to corporate leaders,” Dr Fleming said. “Engineers Australia welcomes the recognition of the engineering profession in the 2021 Queen’s Birthday Honours List
“We need to draw on the talents of our entire community to develop the best engineering solutions. One of my ambitions is for women to make up at least 50% of the engineering profession in Australia, as this currently only sits at 14%.”
Australian businesses boost machinery investments Australian businesses are continuing to invest for the future with new data from Commonwealth Bank showing financing for equipment and machinery was up 21% in May, compared with the same time last year. CBA’s Executive General Manager Business Lending, Clare Morgan, said asset financing across a number of sectors within CBA’s Business Bank continues to surge as businesses restock and invest in new assets: “The construction industry in particular, has benefited from multiple government stimulus packages, including record investments in public infrastructure projects and the Homebuilder grant. We’re also seeing strong demand for vehicle financing and machinery, particularly in the food manufacturing and agriculture sectors. In fact demand for agriculture machinery is the highest we’ve seen in several years.”
equipment such as lower emitting tractors (up 88%) and loaders (up 73%) compared to this time last year. “Many businesses are also taking advantage of CBA’s Energy Efficient Equipment Financing (EEEF) which rewards customers with a 0.5% discount on financing for energy-efficient vehicles, equipment and projects,” said Morgan. “In the agriculture market, we have seen significant growth in the second half of the year as supply and confidence has grown.”
The construction industry has seen significant year on year growth of excavators (up 191%) and other earthmoving equipment (up 121%). The agriculture industry has also seen growth in the financing of energy-efficient
Over the last year, the work-from-home trend experienced by Australian businesses has led to a 43% increase in computers and a 75% increase in laptops financed as people look for ways to stay connected remotely.
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In addition, the market has responded to the Federal Government’s $1.5bn Modern Manufacturing strategy with significant growth in welding units (up 112%) and compactors (up 32%) compared to May 2020.
“Government incentives have helped stimulate this growth,” Morgan added. “And we’ve seen thousands of our customers take advantage of the instant asset write-off scheme over the past year alone, so it’s great the Federal Government has extended the scheme for another year.” CBA vehicle asset finance trends that compare May 2021 to the same time last year, show: • Total car financing has increased 35%. • Automotive repair equipment has increased 93%. This is largely due to the vehicle supply issues relating to the pandemic, similar to why there is currently a very buoyant secondary vehicle market; and • Light commercial vehicles between 2,000kg and 3,500kg has increased 136%; benefiting from the government’s manufacturing and construction stimulus.
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GOVERNMENT NEWS
Short-term, high-impact R&D project opportunities for manufacturing SMEs The Innovative Manufacturing Cooperative Research Centre (IMCRC) is inviting further applications for IMCRC activate, a funding initiative to help Australian SMEs accelerate their recovery from COVID-19 through shorter-term, agile research & development (R&D) collaborations, with matched cash funding of between $50,000 and $150,000 available per project. Launched by IMCRC in 2020, IMCRC activate supports highly targeted, cost-effective and innovative R&D projects in collaboration with IMCRC partner universities and the CSIRO, allowing SMEs to quickly identify and solve key challenges within their businesses through the uptake of emerging technologies and new business models. To date, IMCRC has invested $2m in more than 15 innovative manufacturing and Industry 4.0 related activate projects spanning multiple industry sectors, including medical products, building and construction, clean energy and minerals. Current activate project participants include Biomedbank, Alcolizer, 3D Dental, GTET, HYDAC, SPEE3D and FormFlow. One of the first IMCRC activate approved projects, led by Perthbased technology company Alcolizer in collaboration with the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), has focused on developing a medical device called Virulizer. The device will be used at the point of risk as a qualitative detection of the Nucleocapsid and Spike protein antigen to SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) from saliva swabs. Virulizer produces results in under 10 minutes and its Levels of Detection (LOD) values outperform all rapid antigen tests currently available. With all key milestones successfully met, the project has provided Alcolizer with a functional prototype, a strong position to receive additional funding though the Government’s Commercialisation Fund, and thus a clear pathway for commercialisation, strengthening the company’s existing investment in non-invasive nanoparticle
detection. Based on the success of the research collaboration, the business expects to generate a substantial increase in revenue over the next two years and create multiple high value jobs, including for several UTS researchers who have relocated to Perth to join Alcolizer’s growing business. Alcolizer General Manager Roger Hunt commented: “IMCRC’s activate program has been fundamental to the early-stage funding of the COVID-19 test. Being easy to access, with a turnaround time from application to project commencement in under a month, the program has significantly helped us to accelerate our research efforts at a critical point in time.” Dr Jason Coonan, Chief Operating Officer at IMCRC, congratulated all IMCRC activate project participants on their work to date and said he looked forward to working with the next round of participants. “COVID-19 continues to impact the manufacturing industry in Australia, especially SMEs,” he said. “Kickstarting collaborative manufacturing research projects and helping them become commercially successful is critical to rebuilding the Australian manufacturing industry. We’re calling on ambitious Australian manufacturing SMEs with strong, commercially viable ideas to apply for IMCRC activate while funding remains – which won’t be for much longer.” IMCRC activate is currently open for applications and more information on the funding initiative is available at: www.imcrc.org/activate
Gold Coast Manufacturing Hub opens for local businesses The Queensland State Government has announced the opening of the Gold Coast Manufacturing Hub, giving the local industry an opportunity to connect, upskill and innovate. Glenn Butcher, Minister for Regional Development and Manufacturing, said the Gold Coast Manufacturing Hub, located in Nerang, was part of a $38.5m investment into a statewide network of hubs that provided expert advice and support. The hubs are intended to provide a place for local manufacturing businesses to receive expert advice and support to transition to advanced manufacturing. Each hub will offer access to a wide range of services including business development programs, skills development and training programs, and awareness of advanced manufacturing. “We knew a hub on the Gold Coast was important to support the thriving local manufacturing industry,” Butcher said. “The Gold Coast is already home to many first-class manufacturers including PT Automaton, Patterson Glass, PWR Performance Products, Mastercut Technologies, Knotwood Pty Ltd, King Springworks and Urban Turf Solutions, and we want to see more have the opportunity to grow and create jobs. We have
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already opened hubs in Cairns, Townsville, Rockhampton and Gladstone, and now here on the Gold Coast, and will soon open another in Mackay." Local member Meaghan Scanlon said the new Gold Coast Hub would provide local businesses with access to development programs and specialised training. “As well as the targeted support and training, the hub will also deliver a grants program for local manufacturers focusing on the manufacture of marine vehicles and transport equipment, food processing and technology, and metal fabrication,” said Scanlon. “Local manufacturers such as Geofabrics, which received a $494,200 grant through the Palaszczuk Government’s Made in Queensland program to upgrade its geosynthetic clay liner (GCL) line, can now access local support to continue their commitment to innovation and creating high-skill jobs.” www.qld.gov.au/manufacturinghubs
GOVERNMENT NEWS
New guidelines for $800m collaborative grants The Federal Government has released guidelines for the Collaboration Stream of the Modern Manufacturing Initiative, with $800m in funding available to encourage collaboration on projects as part of the $1.5bn Modern Manufacturing Strategy. Funding between $20m and $200m is available for large-scale projects, covering up to 33% of eligible project expenditure. Minister for Industry, Science and Technology Christian Porter said the Collaboration Stream will see the Government strategically invest in projects that help manufacturers to scale up and create jobs, targeting projects within the National Manufacturing Priorities. “We want to co-invest in transformative, industry-led proposals that will spur private sector investment, encouraging manufacturers to draw on each other’s strengths and harness our world class research,” said Porter. “The Collaboration Stream is the largest component of our Modern Manufacturing Strategy, and focuses on long-term transformation in the National Manufacturing Priority areas to support job creation and investment in Australian manufacturing.” The $1.5bn Modern Manufacturing Strategy supports Australian manufacturers to scale up, build resilience, become more competitive and create jobs. Project funding under the Collaboration Stream will support business-to-business and business-to-research collaboration across the six National Manufacturing Priority areas: medical products, clean energy & recycling, food &beverage, defence, space, and resource technology & critical minerals. Applications can be lodged between 11 August and 9 September. The Collaboration Stream guidelines can be viewed at: www.business.gov.au/mmic www.industry.gov.au/manufacturing
New online register to help build supply chain resilience Helping manufacturers to connect with suppliers quickly and easily is the aim of a new industry capability register. A six-month pilot of the free online register, Capability Connection, is available for businesses in Greater Melbourne, South East Queensland and Townsville. Minister for Industry, Science and Technology Christian Porter said the need for a detailed register was identified at the start of the pandemic when manufacturers who wanted to pivot to the production of items such as face masks and hand sanitiser had difficulties identifying local suppliers. “Capability Connection aims to fill this gap by improving supply chain visibility and fostering collaboration between local businesses, ensuring we can avoid the risk of shortages of essential items at critical times,” Minister Porter said. While primarily targeted at manufacturers, the register will also be open to all businesses that want to promote capabilities, services and goods to other businesses and the public. The register is being built and managed on the Government's behalf by Industry Capability Network Limited. Regular assessments of the effectiveness of the pilot register will be undertaken following the launch. www.capabilityconnection.com.au
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VOICE BOX OPINIONS FROM ACROSS THE MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY
How Australia is unlocking the industries of the future While Australian software darlings Atlassian, Culture Amp and Canva continue to capture headlines, there remains a common misconception that Australia shies away from hardware startups and advanced manufacturing. This couldn’t be further from the truth, writes Mike Zimmerman. At present, exports from engineering enabled industries (excluding mining) total $92bn or 29% of total exports in Australia; we have five academic institutions ranked in the top 50 in the world for engineering and technology; and 2.61 million Australians work in engineering and engineering-enabled industries — around 22% of the job market. From LiDAR to robotics and satellite technology, Australia has a multitude of companies operating on a global scale and exporting our hardware innovations to the world.
The Australian advantage As we continue to manage the challenges of the pandemic, Australia has the opportunity to leverage existing strengths to enable the growth of world-leading engineering-enabled solutions, both for domestic and international markets. Historically, Australia has maintained a global reputation for strength in heavy industries including mining, construction, infrastructure and agriculture. Arguably, our energy and resource sectors have been major drivers of the economy for 30 years, and despite the effects of COVID-19, we have maintained our reputation as a consistent supplier of both. For instance, in the 2018-19 financial year, twothirds of Australia’s energy production was exported. Something perhaps less well known is the strength of Australian research institutions and universities across data-driven fields including artificial intelligence (AI), LiDAR, field robotics, and the Internet of Things (IoT). These fields present a huge opportunity for us to combine strengths and create the solutions that the world needs, especially today. These solutions fall into three broad categories: 1. Improved welfare of workers and consumers: Safer operations, improved training, tracking, and traceability. 2. Efficiency gains: Automation, speed and scale, better forecasting and supply management, and reduced waste. 3. Growth opportunities: Improved yields, new insights and services, trusted premium goods. A number of companies from our Main Sequence portfolio are already working with industry and leveraging world-leading IP to drive impact here and around the world. Not your typical LiDAR company, Baraja is building the future of autonomous vehicles by revolutionising the scanning technology that helps self-driving cars and other vehicles navigate their environment. The company has its own approach to LiDAR, Spectrum-Scan, that builds upon proven photonics and optical technologies from the telecommunications industry to completely rethink environment scanning for autonomous vehicles. Essentially, this approach sets a new benchmark in precision and reliability for autonomous mobility, creating precise images of the world through high-resolution point clouds at 200+ metres range, built to withstand real-world conditions in cars, heavy vehicles and more. Working to disrupt the IoT space, Myriota provides low-cost, low-power satellite connectivity for IoT sensors across industries including agriculture, mining, defence, logistics and management of vehicles. The company currently has seven mini-satellites in orbit — one of which was launched by SpaceX. Also a part of the portfolio, Advanced Navigation is building ultraprecise, AI-based navigational technologies and robotics used by multinational companies including NASA, Boeing, and Tesla.
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Emesent is a world leader in drone autonomy who’s flagship product, Hovermap, combines advanced collision avoidance and autonomous flight technologies to map hazardous and GPS-denied environments. While a small group of companies are already changing the way we operate our industries, we need to ensure that we are properly leveraging Australia’s inherent strengths by creating more of these companies to ensure we stay at the forefront of global problem solving.
Building the next generation of industry pioneers Building these companies “takes a village”. These are not mobile applications that a decent coder and a social marketing expert can develop over a weekend and turn into the next TikTok. These are solutions that have tangible value in our physical world and demand collaboration across industry sectors to build. To accelerate solutions there are four key ingredients needed, with each element chosen with precision to maximise the chance of success. The first is the research. Every problem you want to solve has at least the seed of a solution and it is happening right now in the research labs of the world. Research capability is needed to bring advanced systems and data science platforms to life, as well as to provide access to IP and the equipment and expertise to build trusted prototypes. The second piece of the pie is industry. Industry expertise bringing needs, trials and validation, and the business case to buy more. This is a company’s secret sauce to getting to market, fast. You need to understand customers and supply chains and be able to deliver the new solution straight to them. Thirdly (and arguably most importantly), you have the CEO, who brings the vision, passion and resilience necessary for the startup journey to commercialise that IP and bring value to the market. When it comes to finding the best executive leader, the election criteria includes a confidence around uncertainty, some advantage in the industry that this company will rise and the ability to synthesise thousands of idea streams into a path with momentum. And finally, you have the injection of capital. So — how do you pair all these ingredients for the perfect recipe? This is where the venture science model rears its head. Instead of hearing pitches from founders with an idea, venture science begins by identifying a challenge and global opportunity before assembling the science capability to address it, introducing a pathway to market, and injecting capital to create a brand new company. It’s this model that recently gave life to clean energy storage startup Endua and satellite space startup Quasar. At Main Sequence, we see ourselves playing a critical role in building more of these pioneering companies, functioning as a matchmaker between problem and opportunity. With deep experience in startup creation, helping set major company milestones, applying pattern recognition to mitigate risk, and of course risk capital. Now is the time to call the village. Together we can build more companies that harness the forces of entrepreneurship and science to deliver solutions at scale to the planet. Mike Zimmerman is a Partner at Main Sequence. www.mseq.vc
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New materials revolution makes more of waste The Industrial Revolution brought enduring benefits to humanity, notwithstanding the social and environmental costs. More recently, the information revolution resulted in an explosion of digital tools and new technologies and businesses. Now, writes Professor Veena Sahajwalla, we are on the cusp of a new epoch: the materials revolution. Community, government and international concerns around our waste and recycling challenges are converging, with a growing willingness across societies to embrace the issues we face. The materials revolution values the sustainability of all the materials we use from our planet, which are essentially finite in supply. Fast fashion and consumption have outpaced society’s ability to effectively deal with the consequences of a throw-away mentality, such as overflowing landfills, waste stockpile fires, and pollution of our waterways and atmosphere. A growing understanding about materials sustainability is juxtaposed against a consumption mentality for convenience and cheaper materials and products. We need to rethink our attitudes to the resources we rely on for our societies to function, and rethink our approaches to waste. The fact is that waste is, and should be treated as, a renewable resource. We need to add ‘reform’ as a fourth R to the three Rs of reducing, re-using and recycling unwanted products and materials, which we erroneously call waste. New technologies are emerging to demonstrate we can reform waste into new materials and products in ways traditional recycling does not. This is not so say that traditional recycling methods and processes are unwanted – they play a vital role in managing our waste. But what we need are new ways of recycling mixed and complex waste items like electronic waste (e-waste), to extract and reform the valuable materials they contain, like rare earths and metals. New government policies include rare earths as a national priority but we could introduce as part of that priority a requirement to harness more sustainably the material resources contained in e-waste. This reforming of many waste types will be a crucial step in the journey to create circular economies, where we keep materials in use for as long as possible. Another key step is that we need to start designing products and systems differently so that materials that are no longer wanted can more easily circulate back into manufacturing. This is why I see a strong alignment of recycling and manufacturing occurring in the near future. There are sobering reasons to get on with the job. The Government’s newly released National Waste Report 2020 shows our national waste increased to 74m tonnes a year. Of that, about 60% is estimated to be recycled, but Australia’s new waste export bans coming into effect from this year are expected to reduce the rate of recycling. This is below the national resource recovery target of 80% by 2030, set in the 2019 National Waste Policy Action Plan. Not being able to send a lot of our waste overseas adds another urgent reason to embark on the materials revolution with new technologies. Infrastructure Australia’s (IA) recent Priority List Report found that constraints on collection and processing, including product design and lack of sufficient demand, have led to recyclable waste ending up in landfill. The report lists as its highest priority the need for the nation to retool itself with waste and recycling infrastructure. It says current constraints include lack of space for transfer facilities, the inability of material recovery facilities to process co-mingled, highly contaminated waste (particularly in remote and regional Australia), and under-developed domestic reuse markets due to over-reliance on the export of waste. IA finds Australia must recycle an additional 650,000 tonnes of waste plastic, paper, glass and tyres onshore by 2024, putting
further pressure on waste recovery and processing infrastructure. Limited landfill capacity and sorting facilities are increasing logistics costs as waste is transferred greater distances for disposal. I see a huge opportunity to not only address these challenges but also use our innovative smarts to create new technologies, supply chains and jobs. We need a materials revolution where there is a much closer alliance between scientists and engineers doing research & development, and governments, industries and communities that can benefit from new discoveries and technologies to improve sustainability. Recycling in new ways can be a foundation for the manufacture of high-quality materials and products made from waste resources. This new level of self-reliance can enhance sovereign capability in times of pandemic disruption, and lead to improved economic prosperity through the creation of new, and localised, supply chains. Recycling and reforming waste materials for completely new uses – for example isolating hydrogen from tyres or plastics to make green steel – should be at the centre of how we transform our sovereign manufacturing sector. UNSW’s Sustainable Materials Research and Technology (SMaRT) Centre is helping to create the much-needed alignment of recycling and manufacturing by introducing new technologies to business partners, community groups and just about any stakeholder interested. Our newly developed MICROfactorie technologies are increasingly being used outside our laboratories to reform waste into new, value-added materials and products. For instance, our Green Ceramics MICROfactorie module can transform materials such as glass, textiles and plastics not suitable for conventional recycling into new engineered products like floor and wall tiles, tables and other hard surfaces. Another module can reform e-waste plastics into filament as a feedstock resource for 3D printing. Companies like Mirvac are embracing the challenges of being more sustainable and in March featured many of our Green Ceramics in a display apartment at its Pavillions development at Sydney Olympic Park. Mirvac CEO and Managing Director Susan Lloyd-Hurwitz CEO says the “take-make-waste approach is no longer acceptable”. She and her team are working hard to find a better, more sustainable way to provide homes and office buildings that are kinder to the planet. My vision is for decentralised and modernised recycling and manufacturing in Australia. Increased funding from governments in this regard is extremely welcome, and while there is more to do we are making great progress. The second round of the Federal Government’s National Environmental Science Program has stepped squarely into this space, committing to fund for seven years a new Sustainable Communities and Waste Hub, which I will lead with a consortium of research institutions, industry and community partners. Enabling onshore waste processing, more sophisticated recycling, and reforming of ‘waste as a renewable resource’ as part of manufacturing must be central to the new materials revolution and Australia’s ongoing prosperity. Professor Veena Sahajwalla is the founding Director of the Centre for Sustainable Materials Research and Technology (SMaRT) at the University of New South Wales. www.smart.unsw.edu.au
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VOICE BOX OPINIONS FROM ACROSS THE MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY
‘Green steel’ is hailed as the next big thing in Australian industry. Here’s what the hype is all about While steel is vital to our way of life, production of the metal is a big contributor to global greenhouse emissions. However, new clean steelmaking processes are emerging involving hydrogen rather than coal, and for Australia the potential benefits are huge. By Jessica Allen and Tom Honeyands. Steel is a major building block of our modern world, used to make everything from cutlery to bridges and wind turbines. But the way it’s made – using coal – is making climate change worse. On average, almost two tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) are emitted for every tonne of steel produced. This accounts for about 7% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Cleaning up steel production is clearly key to Earth’s low-carbon future. Fortunately, a new path is emerging. So-called “green steel”, made using hydrogen rather than coal, represents a huge opportunity for Australia. It would boost our exports, help offset inevitable job losses in the fossil fuel industry, and go a long way to tackling climate change. Australia’s abundant and cheap wind and solar resources mean we’re well placed to produce the hydrogen a green steel industry needs. So let’s take a look at how green steel is made, and the challenges ahead.
Steeling for change Steel-making requires stripping oxygen from iron ore to produce pure iron metal. In traditional steel-making, this is done using coal or natural gas in a process that releases CO2. In green steel production, hydrogen made from renewable energy replaces fossil fuels. Australia exports almost 900m tonnes of iron ore each year, but only makes 5.5m tonnes of steel. This means we have great capacity to ramp up steel production. A Grattan Institute report last year found if Australia captured about 6.5% of the global steel market, this could generate about $65bn in annual export revenue and create 25,000 manufacturing jobs in Queensland and New South Wales. Steel-making is a complex process and is primarily achieved via one of three processes. Each of them, in theory, can be adapted to produce green steel. We examine each process below.
1. Blast furnace Globally, about 70% of steel is produced using the blast furnace method. As part of this process, processed coal (also known as coke) is used in the main body of the furnace. It acts as a physical support structure for materials entering and leaving the furnace, among other functions. It’s also partially burnt at the bottom of the furnace to both produce heat and make carbon monoxide, which strips oxygen from iron ore leaving metallic iron. This coal-driven process leads to CO2 emissions. It’s feasible to replace a portion of the carbon monoxide with hydrogen. The hydrogen can strip oxygen away from the ore, generating water instead of CO2. This requires renewable electricity to produce green hydrogen. And hydrogen cannot replace carbon monoxide at a ratio of 1:1. If hydrogen is used, the blast furnace needs more externally added heat to keep the temperature high, compared with the coal method. More importantly, solid coal in the main body of the furnace cannot be replaced with hydrogen. Some alternatives have been developed, involving biomass – a fuel developed from living organisms – blended with coal. But sourcing biomass sustainably
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and at scale would be a challenge. And this process would still likely create some fossil fuel-derived emissions. So to ensure the process is “green”, these emissions would have to be captured and stored – a technology which is currently expensive and unproven at scale.
2. Recycled steel Around 30% of the world’s steel is made from recycled steel. Steel has one of the highest recycling rates of any material. Steel recycling is mainly done in arc furnaces, driven by electricity. Each tonne of steel produced using this method produces about 0.4 tonnes of CO2 – mostly due to emissions produced by burning fossil fuels for electricity generation. If the electricity was produced from renewable sources, the CO2 output would be greatly reduced. But steel cannot continuously be recycled. After a while, unwanted elements such as copper, nickel and tin begin to accumulate in the steel, reducing its quality. Also, steel has a long lifetime and low turnover rate. This means recycled steel cannot meet all steel demand, and some new steel must be produced.
3. Direct reduced iron “Direct reduced iron” (DRI) technology often uses methane gas to produce hydrogen and carbon monoxide, which are then used to turn iron ore into iron. This method still creates CO2 emissions, and requires more electricity than the blast furnace method. However its overall emission intensity can be substantially lower. The method currently accounts for less than 5% of production, and offers the greatest opportunity for using green hydrogen. Up to 70% of the hydrogen derived from methane could be replaced with green hydrogen without having to modify the production process too much. However work on using 100% green hydrogen in this method is ongoing.
Becoming a green steel superpower The green steel transition won’t happen overnight and significant challenges remain. Cheap, large-scale green hydrogen and renewable electricity will be required. And even if green hydrogen is used, to achieve net-zero emissions the blast furnace method will still require carbon-capture and storage technologies – and so too will DRI, for the time being. Private sector investment is needed to create a global-scale export industry. Australian governments also have a big role to play, in building skills and capability, helping workers retrain, funding research and co-ordinating land-use planning. Revolutionising Australia’s steel industry is a daunting task. But if we play our cards right, Australia can be a major player in the green manufacturing revolution. Jessica Allen is a Senior Lecturer and DECRA Fellow at the University of Newcastle. Tom Honeyands is the Director of the Centre for Ironmaking Materials Research, University of Newcastle. This article was originally published by The Conversation. www.theconversation.com www.newcastle.edu.au
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Five technology trends in Australian manufacturing Industry 4.0 is here and manufacturing stands at its centre. Using transformative technologies that now connect the physical world with the digital world, manufacturers can offer highly customised products to enhance the customer experience. By Matthew Weake. New forms of human-machine interaction, as well as advances in artificially intelligence (AI) technologies, give manufacturers better connectivity between their customers and supply chains, as well as more flexibility to produce differentiated products to meet consumer demand. However, the amount of technological advancement that once occurred over a number of years is now happening in a fraction of that time. As technologies continue to accelerate and disrupt, the great differentiator won’t simply be a matter of quality or cost but how quickly one company can innovate over another. According to Austrade, over the next 20 years Australia’s manufacturing industry will evolve into a highly integrated, collaborative and export-focused ecosystem that provides highvalue customised solutions within global value chains. The sector will focus on pre-production (design, research and development) and post-production (after-sales services) value-adding, sustainable manufacturing and low-volume, high-margin customised manufacturing. To enable this vision, Australia’s manufacturing sector will increasingly rely on sensors and data analytics, AI technology, 3D printing, and virtual reality solutions. CADPRO Systems has identified five key technology trends for Australian manufacturers that will emerge over the next five years.
Generative design Generative design is software technology that lets manufacturers create highly optimised designs to meet pre-determined goals and constraints. Using shape synthesis algorithms and multi-physics performance analysis in the cloud, the software automatically generates thousands of design options from a single idea. This has huge potential for the Australian manufacturing sector, where one single idea can result in literally thousands of iterations in product design and capabilities. It can also lead to spin-off products that allow manufacturers to enter new markets.
Additive manufacturing Commonly known as 3D printing, additive manufacturing directly connects the digital world with the physical world by developing physical objects through depositing materials in layers based on a digital model. This technology is used to create literally anything from prototypes to produced products including engine parts, ecofriendly buildings, and medical implants. Additive manufacturing can incorporate new materials and integration that supports product innovation while reducing manufacturing cost and waste. It allows for much greater customisation of products, which meets the growing need for personalised, just-in-time manufacturing.
Internet of Things The Internet of Things (IoT) continues to be a top manufacturing trend due to its ability to seamlessly connect electronics, software
and sensors to support communication between devices. This enables smart services that use real-time data gathered from internet-enabled devices on production facilities, transport fleets, networks, grids and more to provide specific services for design, production and delivery. Through IoT, advanced manufacturing software connects devices, gathers relevant data, and sends it to a centralised management console where business intelligence software converts the information into insights to drive better decision-making, or automatically updates manufacturing processes based on pre-defined rules. This helps to automate production and quickly overcome issues such as labour shortages.
Robotics and automation The use of robotics and process automation, powered by AI technologies that have machine learning capabilities, is becoming key to manufacturing operations. AI and robotic automation is perhaps the biggest economic opportunity that Australia has over the next 30 years. It is by far the largest source of productivity growth and could potentially add up to $2.2 trillion in value to the Australian economy by 2030. Due to the cost savings and efficiency gains from robotics and process automation, the manufacturing industry could achieve significant benefits from this technology. For example, automated workflows reduce human errors caused by repetitive tasks, which supports the efficient production of high-quality finished products, even for small-batch manufacturing. This allows manufacturers to deliver consistent, positive customer experiences.
Data analytics software Data has become core to doing business for all industries across Australia, including manufacturing. For example, data allows businesses to accurately measure what customers want and determine how customer demand will evolve over time. Advanced manufacturing software helps manufacturers seamlessly link data insights, processes and resources to meet customer needs. This improves plant efficiency, enhances the customer experience, and reduces manufacturing costs. Australian manufacturers have realised that customer experience now defines their industry, and they must take up the challenge of meeting increasing demand for high-quality, more personalised products on much tighter production schedules than have been experienced in the past. This involves the adoption of intelligent, automated technologies that make the business of modern manufacturing much easier, while delivering a consistent and enhanced customer experience. Matthew Weake is a Senior Manager - Manufacturing at CADPRO Systems Australia. www.cadprosystems.com.au
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TECH NEWS
Australia: Grenfell - Never again! Non-combustible cladding
Amsterdam: 3D-printed steel footbridge unveiled
After the 2017 Grenfell Tower blaze tragedy in London which killed 72 people, Dr Kate Nguyen - a Melbourne engineer - teamed up with Envirosip to design lightweight, cost-effective cladding that will not combust. Dr Nguyen thought the way electrical cables are insulated might be part of the answer. “Instead of using a ceramic resin, which was very costly, I thought the plastic insulation around electrical cables that uses tiny ceramic particles could effectively do the same thing”. At high temperatures, the ceramic particles activate and chemically interact, forming an insulation. Subsequent experiments at RMIT led to the invention achieving the Australian combustibility standard AS1530.1:1994 and the international ISO1182:2010 standard. Envirosip is now commercialising the product, which is being further developed for a range of applications. The ceramic-like coating is made from industrial waste.
The world’s first 3D-printed steel footbridge has been installed in Amsterdam last month. Created by Dutch company MX3D, the bridge measures 12m in length and contains 4.5 tons of stainless steel forming a curved, flowing structure. The bridge will also be fitted with dozens of sensors – allowing monitoring in real time. Data will be fed into a “digital twin” to imitate its performance and behaviour, helping to inform future novel construction projects involving 3D manufacturing. Printing began in 2017, taking six months. The steel was printed layer by layer in four parts, plus four “corner swirls” that were manually welded together. News of the bridge’s opening follows a week after Knight Architects received approval for what is expected to be one of the busiest pedestrian bridges in London. Archinect
Engineers Australia
USA: Growing ‘metallic wood’ to new heights Natural wood is a ubiquitous building material because of its high strength-to-density ratio. For the last three years “metallic wood” has been in development. Its name and useful properties come from its porosity (like wood’s). As a lattice of nanoscale nickel struts, metallic wood is full of regularly spaced cell-sized pores that radically decrease its density without sacrificing strength: it has the strength of titanium at a fraction of the weight and unique optical properties. Engineers have now solved a major problem preventing metallic wood from being manufactured at meaningful sizes: eliminating the inverted cracks that form as the material is grown from millions of nanoscale particles to metal films big enough to build with. Preventing these defects, which have plagued similar materials for decades, allows strips of metallic wood to be assembled in areas 20,000 times greater than previously. The enhanced colour changes also gives it the potential to be used as a sensor. University of Pennsylvania This strip of metallic wood is thinner than household aluminium foil but is supporting more than 50 times its own weight without buckling.
Italy: First test with a natural gas/ hydrogen blend in steel forging The world’s first test of a 30% natural gas/hydrogen blend in steel forging was successfully carried out by a collaboration in Italy. Used to power furnaces, the trial was successfully carried out after studies and tests lasting a year. Hydrogen is in a position to become the solution for decarbonising steelmaking as well as all hard-to-abate industrial sectors. This trial is a preparatory step to the gradual introduction of zero-emission hydrogen, initially blended with natural gas and then in pure form, in certain steelmaking processes. It is estimated that the permanent use of a 30% green hydrogen blend, fuelled by renewables, on the total gas consumed by the steel forging plants would lead to a reduction in CO2 emissions of 15,000 tonnes per year, equivalent to 7,500 cars. Power Engineering Intl.
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Queen Maxima of The Netherlands at the opening of the bridge
Germany: Safe human-robot collaboration Range-finders on robots do not function when humans and machines stand close to each other. To increase safety, a webbased design tool – the Cobot Designer – has been developed, allowing companies to design their cobots to increase employee safety. Available as a free web application, users can combine different robots, hazard situations and tools, thus compiling and continuously expanding a catalogue. Ascertaining the robot’s speed to ensure safe collaboration, the tool is intended to replace measurement with a tester: preventing bad purchases and costly measurements (the robot must be programmed and built). The goal is to use computer simulation to dispense with measurements entirely. It is available for free on www.cobotplaner.de to anyone designing an HRC workstation. Fraunhofer
Germany: Magnetic pulse welding Aerospace companies face a storage challenge when storing hydrogen because the fuel must be cooled to -253 deg.C. Tanks and pipes accordingly must be absolutely tight. An innovative new welding process has been developed: magnetic pulse welding which demonstrates extremely resilient, metallic mixed joints for cryogenic applications. With this process, the magnetic pressure of a tool coil ensures a high-speed collision and the formation of a solid state joint as well as high stability and leak tightness. Creating tighter joints within just a few microseconds, these joints function reliably both at temperatures down to minus 270 degrees. Overlaps, which provide even more stability, are also created at the joints. The
TECH HEADING NEWS method is not based on a high heat, but mainly on a high pressure between the joining partners - generating a high pressure on the joining surface and this ultimately welds the two metals together. The great advantage is that it can join combinations of metals that until now have been impossible or difficult to weld together. Fraunhofer
USA: Robot’s soft touch beats Super Mario Researchers have 3D-printed a soft robotic hand agile enough to play Nintendo’s classic game “Super Mario Bros” - and win! - demonstrating a promising innovation in “soft robotics” via this open source program. In the past, controlling the fluids that make these soft robots bend and move has been difficult. But now, the ability to 3D-print fully assembled soft robots with “integrated fluidic circuits” in a single step has been developed. Previously, each finger would need its own control line, but now, it can play the game based on just one pressure input (ie applying low pressure caused only the first finger to press the controller to make Mario walk, while a high pressure led to jumping). Guided by a set program that autonomously switched between pressures, the robotic hand was able to complete the first level of Super Mario Bros. in fewer than 90 seconds. Biomedical applications are being explored. University of Maryland
Germany: Enzymes successfully embedded in plastics Generally, plastics are processed at over 100deg.C, but enzymes cannot usually withstand these high temperatures. Researchers have now embedded enzymes in plastics without the enzymes losing their activity - creating enormous potential. To stabilise the enzymes, inorganic, highly porous carriers were used. The enzymes bind to these carriers by embedding in the pores. Although this restricts the enzymes’ mobility, they remain active and are able to withstand much higher temperatures. The stabilized enzymes had to be distributed as quickly as possible in the hot plastic melt - a balancing act which resulted in a process that is suitable for both bioplastics and for the conventional petroleum-based plastics. The carrier and technology remain enzyme-specific because no two enzymes are alike. The first functionalized plastic granulates, films and injection moulding bodies have already been produced. Fraunhofer
UK: Aircraft engines quiet as a hairdryer An incredibly light new "meringue-like" material that can reduce aircraft engine noise has been developed. The graphene oxidepolyvinyl alcohol aerogel weighs just 2.1kg per cubic metre, making it the lightest sound insulation ever manufactured. It could be used as insulation within aircraft engines to reduce noise by up to 16 decibels - reducing the 105-decibel roar of a jet engine taking off to a sound closer to that of a hair-dryer. The extremely low-density aerogel was created by using a liquid combination of graphene oxide and a polymer, which are formed with whipped air bubbles and freeze-casted. Although the initial focus is aerospace, it could also be used to create panels in helicopters, or car engines. University of Bath
USA: The robot smiled back EVA is a new autonomous robot with a soft and expressive face that matches the expressions of nearby humans. At present, progress is hindered by the fact that each facial expression needs to be programmed. In order to adapt robot behaviour in real time to different situations, robots need to be able to train themselves, as well as make fast decisions and apply the acquired knowledge to diverse and new contexts. Researchers addressed this by designing an animatronic robotic face by developing a vision-based self-supervised learning framework for facial mimicry. While lifelike animatronic robots have been used for years, the team made two advances: EVA uses deep learning AI to “read” and then mirror the expressions on nearby human faces. And EVA’s ability to mimic a wide range of different human expressions is learned by trial and error from watching videos of itself. EVA’s internal neural networks learned to pair muscle motion with the video footage of its own face. The robot blueprints are open-sourced. Columbia University School of Engineering & Applied Science
“Figuring out a simple way of eliminating inverted cracks has been a long-standing hurdle” James Pikul, Associate Professor at the Universityof Pennsylvania, in relation to “metallic wood” (a lattice of nanoscale nickel struts). An inverted crack is an excess of atoms – in the case of metallic wood – extra nickel fills in the nanopores. These cracks have been a problem since the late 1990s. A technique has been developed which allows for crack-free regions that are 20,000 times larger – with the ability to make previously impossible devices. The new approach allows the manufacture of porous metals that are three times stronger than before, at similar relative density and 1,000 times larger than other nanolattices. The material is already being used as membranes to separate biomaterials in cancer diagnostics, protective coatings and flexible sensors.
Production of a biofunctionalized film
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Markforged announces Metal X Gen 2, Next Day Metal, and X7 Field Edition Markforged has announced three key additions to its Digital Forge additive manufacturing platform: the Metal X Gen 2, Next Day Metal, and the X7 Field Edition. The new hardware and software releases are built to help manufacturers reinvent the way they overcome global supply chain challenges by producing parts efficiently and safely at the point of need. Whether on a factory floor or in the most remote areas of the world, these advances are designed to enable manufacturers to recover faster when parts break, operate with less onhand inventory, and minimise equipment downtime.
The X7 FE is a ruggedised, field-deployable industrial 3D printer for tactical response to inventory challenges in remote locations, as utilised by the US Marine Corps XFAB program. The X7 FE is equipped with a rotomolded high-impact polyethylene Pelican case to protect it during transportation through harsh environments. The case contains all the tools, spare parts, and materials required for maintenance and repair operations in the field. Customers can drop the unit directly into harsh environments like combat zones and exploration sites and be printing in less than two minutes.
The Metal X Gen 2 builds on the legacy of its predecessor, the original Metal X System released in 2017, by pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in printing complex, industrial-grade metal parts with key hardware developments that improve user experience and increase operator safety to make metal printing even easier. New features such as an external seveninch touchscreen, door position sensors and additional chamber insulation make the Gen 2 even more energy- and time-efficient than before.
factors, combined with an approximately 17-hour small parts express run on the Sinter-2 post-processing oven, can give manufacturers the parts they need more quickly, and thanks to increased capacity on each printer, it allows them to scale their additive manufacturing operation.
Markforged has also released Next Day Metal across its entire global fleet of metal printers. This over-the-air software update unlocks print speeds up-to twice as fast as before to produce high-quality, strong metal parts. Wash and dry times – an essential step in metal 3D printing – are now more accurate for smaller parts, shortening the required debind cycle time. These
Supply chain and manufacturing challenges relying on The Digital Forge are not limited to the factory floor. The X7 Field Edition (X7 FE) allows Markforged technology to be deployed in the most demanding environments in every corner of the world, helping engineers, operators, and service members reinvent the way they tackle global supply chain challenges.
“Manufacturers are up against many challenges in today’s market – from supply chain challenges like rising supply costs and shipping delay,s to increased pressure from the market to innovate faster and stay ahead of the competition,” said Shai Terem, President and CEO of Markforged. “Since Markforged shipped our first printer, we’ve been committed to quality and continuous improvement, always looking for simpler, smarter, and more robust ways to empower our customers to build anything they can imagine. The addition of the Metal X (Gen 2), Next Day Metal, and the X7 FE to our Digital Forge are important steps towards reinventing manufacturing today so that we are all more resilient tomorrow anywhere in the world.” www.markforged.com
Metalmaster: Welding fume extraction for all materials Designed for mobile use in manufacturing or fabrication facilities, the European-made Metalmaster S-H13 Mobile Welding Fume Extractor is a compact fume extraction and filtering unit. It provides filtration of fumes from Mig, Tig and Arc welding on all materials that produce intense fumes. A 3m-long, 160mm-diameter Exo-Joint swivel arm provides high-velocity fume extraction. This unique arm design delivers up to 56% more air flow efficiency with its low drag characteristics when compared to pleated hose arms that require internal support. The Metalmaster S-H13 can process a high volume of 1,300 cubic metres per hour combined with dual stage air filtering capability, featuring a class-leading 23sqm of filter media surface area to prolong the life of the filter and promote quiet operation of less than 69dBA.
standards and produce fully respirable clear air. The filters are designed for contamination-free filter changing from the clean air side. For larger fume extraction requirements, the Metalmaster D-H13 featuring twin 3m Exo-Joint swivel arms processing 2,600 cubic metres per hour is the right choice.
The extractor’s HEPA H13 filters are compliant with EN ISO 15012 W3
www.machineryhouse.com.au
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These compact, space saving mobile welding fume solutions are ideal for manufacturing lines, steel fabrication facilities, construction of transport vehicles and anywhere where welding is an integral party of operations.
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Guhring gets 222 groovy with new parting system With the arrival of the new 222 System of turning and grooving tools, Guhring has extended its position as a supplier of full-line turning solutions that deliver productivity, efficiency and high performance. Like the toolholder designation, the nickelplated blade-type toolholder is available with and without through coolant facility with a blade length of 120 or 150mm, a height of 26 or 32mm and a width of 2.25mm depending upon the selected tool. The new blades are compatible with existing Guhring blade holding tools as well as industry-standard blades from alternate manufacturers.
Incorporating an extensive line of indexable inserts and toolholders, the new 222 Series provides a productive and costeffective solution for all material types and applications. The 222 designation is derived from the two cutting edges with an effective depth of cut up to 22mm. The 222 System is available with both a toolholder or as a blade type to suit the demands of the end-user. The dedicated toolholder is nickel-plated to present extended tool life and longevity with three internal coolant supply channels to suit the specific set-up of the endusers machine tool and coolant supply configuration. High-pressure coolant delivery is supplied to the cutting edge via two channels that are positioned both above and below the cutting edge. This design extends tool life, performance F879.41 N39 X1.1572 Y.5857 Z-4.508 A-55.9513 B16.4387 F893.1 and it also supports chip breaking and evacuation. The toolholders are available in left and right-hand designation with tool body dimensions from 12 by 12mm up to 25 by 25mm, making the new 222 System suitable for everything from small compact
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turning centres and sliding head machines through to large more robust machine tools. The impressive toolholders can be selected in overall body lengths from X1.3037 Y.5839 Z-4.4698 A-56.3279 B15.0668 F904.19 N41 108mm to 152mm depending upon the tool selected. Rigidity and performance are further assured by a tool design that also incorporates a new clamping screw design and insert support that guarantees maximum insert clamping torque and stability during machining.
The pressed-to-size solid carbide indexable inserts are coated with Guhring’s innovative proprietary Fire coating technology that demonstrates outstanding performance and longevity. The insert grades provide stable and consistent machining on carbon steel, low and high-alloyed steel, cast steel and stainless. The double-edged inserts correspond with the toolholders with neutral, left and right-hand variants X1.4503 Y.5821 Z-4.4316 A-56.6898 B13.6653 F912.54 N42 X1.597 available. Guhring has developed the 22mm long and 3mm wide inserts with an optimal chip breaking design that creates a smooth cutting action and reduces cutting forces. www.guhring.com.au
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8.07 F91 49 3 2 9 F9 2. .234 B1 B12 2 2 2 6 3 036 B12. .0 . 62 .03 57 -57 7 5 A .036 AA-57 3 93 933 3 3 . . A-4 4 933 Z- 05 Z -4.3 5 8 5 Z 80 Y.5 80 .3 4 Z 5 . 5 Y .580 97 97 7 Y . .5 .59 5 1 0 1 8 5 X X 7 Y. 2 1.59 42 2 X N4 4 N 4 .5 Y 7 N 4 X1.59 54 2.5 N42 2. F91 912.5 54 . F 9 2 5 . 1 3 3 91 N42 X 2.54 65 665 53 F F91 . .66 3 3 X 5 4 N42 B1 13 .66 F912.5 8 8 B B13 653 89 898 13.6 B 6 . .54 N42 6 1 . 3 F9 2 56 56 .6898 3.665 A- A6 8 B1 2.54 N 1 9 6 16 A-5 6.689 F 3 .665 43 16 A-5 8 B13 4. .43 6 .689 12.54 9 F Z-Z-4 4.431 6 A-56 3 5 6 3.6 1 898 B1 221 1 Z .43 A-56.6 58 21 Z-4 54 F912. 3 5 6 6 . 3 Y. Y.58821 Z-4.4316 98 B1 3 3 Y.5 21 A-56.68 5505003 Y.58 Z-4.4316 54 . 2 1 4 9 F 4 3 . 5 6 3 6 . . 1 B13 X111.4.4503 Y.582 6 A-56.6898 Z-4.431 0 111XXX1 4414 www.mastercam.com 1.45503 Y.5821 N F912.54 B 8 4 1 9 8 X 3.6653 6 N . 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B12.23 7.03 Z-4.5461 A-55.5607 B17 803 F879.4 N39 X 1.157722 Y. -55 55-. 55. 5.959513 13 B 16.4 4 387 F89 3.1 40 X .3 0 7 Y 39 4 62 B 4 5 106 Y.5876 . 1 . 7 1 7 . 0 B 1 . 8 5 9 Y 5 0 1 8 . 1 3 3 N 8 N X 8 6 5 A 12.2 . - -5 5.9 13 B1 43 Z 9 57A X 30 F879.41 8 .1 39 X 572 5885 5 F A . N38 A 349 1 5 6 5 4 . . 5 5 . 6 4 0 0 Z 7 7 1 Z 8 . 5 5 6 B 9 N39 X .157 Y.05808 0 Z--4 17.7803 F Y A A- 5.9 13 B16 387 893 N4 X1 6 A .587 Y 8 F 3 6 0 9 . 4 1 5 0 1 8 4 2 0 5 5 1 . 5 8 . 4 7 5 7 8 8 F . 08 A-5 5.9 13 .15724. Y.5.5 9 1 N3 . 7 .5Z 50.50 . N38 X1 4Z.5 461 A-55.5607 B17.7803 F879..4 -48Z85 -555.95 13 B166.4387 F893.1 N40 1.303 Y.5 Z-4 698 A - Z2-Y -547-74.--Z44-..5.55008 8 8A -A 41 N39 5A5 Y.5876 Z-4.5 9 X -.9-55.9513 B1 387 X1 Y ZZ Z-44 1.1 008A .4 8 15 9 .5.8 5Z7 37 7 5 257Y 3.1 0 X 0 1.0106 5 5558 8Z7 5 5 5757 -55.5607 B17.7803 F879.41 N39 X15..71 7...5 7Z7-Z-4 9 57857 5772 08 5.55 0A 7 ZZZ-4-.4 35 5 4.0 8 -4 8-8 -55A 7 AA5-A 5.58 5Y.Y5 N38 X 5--.59 8 3 BB1166..44387 8F9839.1 N4 0 X1.30 Y.5839 Z-4 69 85Y 515 85 13 .88 5911..5 531 .9 9 5 5 28Y . 6 Z-4.5461 AMILL 1 5 X . 5 8 . 9 3 B N 7 1 Y 4 . . 9 7 8 9 5 F 8 5 3 2 8 0 . 8 5 8 1 7 3 1 1 . 7 . 1 5 7 F 4 Y Mastercam for 3 1 1 . DESIGN . SWISS . B 6 MILL-TURN ROUTER 4 1 7 6 . MULTIAXIS X B1BB61.1.4 3 Y72 SWISS 3887 F893.1 N WIRE 6633..44 7WIRE 5 LATHE 5Y1.1 Mastercam for® A-55.5607 .0106 DESIGN .44 MILL-TURN ROUTER 388873 879.41 NN3399XYX.11 77 FFF8893.1 N40 X1.3037 Y.58 9 Z-4 . .Y2152572Y FLATHE Z-4.5461 MILL N38 X1 SOLIDWORKS B17.7803 89933..11 N40 X1.303 Y.583 41 379921751.21 X75257.17 Y.5876 SOLIDWORKS® 1 .1 A-55.5607 17.7803 FF887799.4. 1 NN53X N40 X1.3037 1.0106 B 133.91X9.15. X -4.5461 Z 7 4 3 0 . 6 6 N38 X 0 9 5 7 . 8 1 5 7 1NN Y.58 61 A-5 607 B17.7 803 F89.4.41N 3X91X 1.0106 Z-4.54 7 5 939 N38 X B17. 03 FF8877.941N A-55. Y.5876 461 8 3 79 1N3 | 0478 674 970 607 Australia 7 .5Mastercam 5 . . .0106 4 5 7 1 5 0 Z X 1 8 .41 B N 38 .5876 -4.5461 A .5607 17.7803 F8799.4 06 Y 6 Z info@mastercam.com.au 7 B .78 F87 A-55 X1.01 Y.587 461 -55.560 B1778033 F 9. N 38 6 5 . 0 4 1 Z www.mastercam.com.au A 07 7. 0 7 X 1. 0 .5876 4.5461 -55.56 7 B17.78 3F8 N38 06 Y 6 Z 461 A 5.560 B1 .78003 X1.01 587 7 78 . N 38 5 5 . 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PRODUCT NEWS
SLM Solutions – The future floats SLM Solutions has released Free Float, a new additive manufacturing software package that empowers the creation of metal components that were previously impossible to design. People have long discussed the use of structures, methods and processes found in biological systems in the design of metal 3D-printed products. Now users can utilise the full spectrum of nature-inspired design, without the limitations of the manufacturing process. Free Float is being shipped with every new SLM Machine, and can be retrofitted on others for free. “The goal is to be relentless with innovation,” says Sam O’Leary, CEO of SLM Solutions. “It’s free because we want to empower our partners and customer base. Why should this remain an enablement for just a few when it can benefit all?” Additive manufacturing has created new opportunities for innovation in product design, but has always been restricted by the ‘45-degree rule’. If a new part requires printing at anything less than 45 degrees, it isn’t possible without the aid of support structures. Now it’s possible to print overhangs at 10 degrees on long-range geometry and 5 degrees on short-range geometry, depending on the geometry of the individual part design and the thermal capabilities of the material. Several key enablers of Free Float already exist in SLM machines, such as the optimised interaction of the laser beam with the powder bed, the gas flow and management of the gas flow system, and frictionless re-coating mechanism that is bi-directional. This is delivered through the platform to match users’ requirements to the specific part, even allowing you to adapt parameters during the build. Users can also leave out support structures while still delivering part quality, enhancing freedom of design for innovators and creators. Since the 1990s, support structures have been vital in 3D metal builds for various
reasons. They provide support for overhanging sections; they play a vital role in the cooling process, absorbing and distributing excess heat away from the components; and they can help prevent part distortion under high heat conditions. However, they do put constraints on product development. Supports must be removed in post-processing; design freedom is limited as support structures have to be considered in planning; and the build takes longer and uses more material. With Free Float these limitations are reduced. “Today you can design bolder. Design freer. Design with fewer limitations,” says O’Leary. “Today you can work faster. Work more productively. Work better. Today you can go to the place that will take you to the next level.” As well as increased overhang capability, the new technology allows users to increase the diameter of internal cooling channels, create thinner walls and sharper edges with reduced peel-off. The finished surface is improved, reducing post-processing time, while higher density and reduced porosity can be achieved. The space where supports might have been allows for better part orientation, or for more parts to be printed and a great reduction in material usage. Free Float software is now ready to be delivered and shipped with every new laser system, with retrofitting available on most SLM Solutions machines. Builds in titanium and Inconel 718 have been the initial focus of the new software parameters, meaning industries such as aerospace, space and the energy sector will have an early advantage in 3D product design and development, though this will be the first of many more metals to join the portfolio. www.raymax.com.au
Hypertherm – Major update for Robotmaster robotic software Hypertherm has released Robotmaster Version 7.4, an update of its offline robot programming software containing several enhancements designed to further simplify robotic programming. The latest version of Robotmaster includes a range of new features, including: • Major enhancements to Remote Tool Center Point (RTCP) that allow for an improved end user experience and exploit the full capabilities of any robotic cell. • Additions to the surface paths with added strategies and advanced tools for applications such as polishing, grinding, deburring and more. The surface paths are designed to tie-in perfectly with the enhancements to RTCP or traditional configurations for robotic finishing. • Faster processing times when saving, loading, and calculating jobs, plus improved real time feedback during simulation for faster part programming times. • Enhancement to the Robotmaster Interactive Simulation Environment (RISE), delivering a more realistic simulation for external axes, along with tools to better control motion between the robot and external axes. “With Robotmaster V7.4 we’ve responded to our customer base with features and enhancements that we believe take a big step forward,” explains Garen Cakmak, leader of Hypertherm’s Robotic Software team. “Take the RTCP improvements as an example.
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These will allow users to realise more value from their robotic cell investment.” Building upon the redesigned V7 architecture, first introduced in 2018, Robotmaster uses integrated CAD/CAM functionality to make robotic programming easy and intuitive for everyone, even first-time users. The software is used by a wide range of industries to program robots for tasks that include surfacing, 3D milling, additive manufacturing, welding, painting, and more. www.hypertherm.com
PRODUCT NEWS
FARO launches all-new Quantum Max FaroArm FARO Technologies has released its all-new Quantum Max ScanArm, an advanced portable measurement tool that features three purpose-built hot-swappable Laser Line Probes (LLPs). Designed to meet a variety of small and medium-sized measurement needs, the LLPs – xR, xP, and xS – ensure that users are no longer forced to choose between speed, accuracy, or resolution. Value and productivity are enhanced by over 30% with the performance and scanning capabilities of the Quantum Max. Each LLP is enhanced with FARO CLR (Continuous Light Rectification) technology, which provides high-quality scan data on dark, translucent, and reflective surfaces, eliminating the need for sprays, time-consuming surface preparation, and cleanup while avoiding finished product contamination. “With the next-generation Quantum Max ScanArm, getting the inspection job done as fast and precisely as possible has never been easier,” said Ozan Ugurlu, FARO Senior Director of Product Marketing. “Changing probes is quick and easy in just seconds, with no need for recalibration so inspection can continue, virtually uninterrupted.” The new FARO LLP family features: • xR: Suited for high-precision tasks or areas on a part with tight tolerances to capture data with up to 30% better accuracy and resolution • xP: Offers a balance of the xR for resolution and the xS for speed so coverage and accuracy blend together for overall productivity • xS: Best for large parts or expansive surface areas when data collection speed is top priority — extra wide laser stripe delivers double the coverage in a single pass, allowing users to collect data over 65% faster Quantum Max further enhances speed and accessibility with its kinematic mount that allows each LLP to be interchanged with
seamless ease. The portable measurement arm is fitted with a small, light end effector, allowing users to better access hard-toreach confined spaces while reducing operator fatigue. Quantum Max is fully compatible with FARO CAM2 software and its Repeat Part Management feature, which allows guided inspection routines to be pre-programmed. Operators can now perform the exact same inspection routine, minimising variability and maximising repeatability. “The new Quantum Max ScanArm exceeded our expectations,” added Clay Marsh, Managing Partner at Real Street Performance. “In our many years of industry expertise, we have learned that choosing the right LLP is not always a ‘one size fits all’ proposition. There are parts or specific features or areas on a part where you need the most accurate scan possible. For other parts or areas, getting the job done quickly to maintain production speed is most important. The Quantum Max ScanArm solves for both.” www.faro.com
Kennametal HiPACS: Single-step aerospace drilling, countersinking Kennametal has introduced the HiPACS drilling and countersinking system for aerospace fastener holes. Designed to drill and chamfer holes in one operation, the high-precision tool meets the aerospace industry’s stringent accuracy requirements, while delivering increased tool life in machining composite, titanium and aluminium aircraft skins. “Most fastener hole tools used today are complex made-to-order tools with long lead times,” says Georg Roth, Product Manager at Kennametal. “HiPACS uses standard, off-the-shelf components for quick delivery and low cost per hole, by allowing the drill and chamfer insert to be indexed independently from one another. What’s more, it’s the only indexable drilling and countersinking system on the market that can hold the aerospace industry’s required fastener hole chamfer tolerances in just one operation.” Designed to be clamped in a standard hydraulic chuck, the HiPACS modular system consists of three components that are fast and easy to assemble: • A reducer sleeve with a built-in high-precision pocket seat. In conjunction with a standard hydraulic chuck, this component provides ultra-secure clamping and a runout of no more than
3µm, significantly increasing tool life and hole quality. • A PCD countersinking insert. This eliminates the need for expensive custom solution step drills, reducing manufacturing costs while meeting the industry’s accuracy requirements. • The two series of solid carbide drills —both diamond-coated and PCD-tipped—covering all material combinations found in a typical aerospace assembly. In addition, the straight shanked tools allow for length adjustments in increments of 10mm. The new HiPACS drilling and countersinking system can be utilised on all machines typically used for aerospace applications. In less stable conditions such as robot end effectors, the diamond coated carbide drills offer excellent tool life and hole quality. PCD-tipped drills, on the other hand, excel in stable conditions such as gantry machines. With an industry standard interface, HiPACS can be used on any CNC machine, and is suitable for a variety of drilling and countersinking applications. www.kennametal.com
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SAGE launches TilliT digital manufacturing spin-off SAGE Group has announced the launch of TilliT, a new technology business that will deliver Software as a Service (SaaS) and associated Internet of Things (IoT) hardware solutions for customers across the broader manufacturing industry. The move is part of SAGE Group’s strategic expansion aimed at meeting continued demand for agile software solutions and lightweight sensors amid the accelerating transition to Industry 4.0. “SAGE continues to invest in the evolution of our offering to clients, operating across the sectors that are shaping the world, to accelerate their digitalisation journey“ said SAGE Group Managing Director and CEO Adrian Fahey. “TilliT will be a standalone organization within the SAGE Group, bringing together two existing software products – TilliT Digital Operations and the Ailytic AI Scheduler – to enable us to continue focus on the development of smart manufacturing solutions.” The TilliT SaaS and IoT solution is a digital factory suite tailored to manufacturers of all sizes . It provides an integrated way to plan, execute and analyse manufacturing processes. It offers visibility of asset and manufacturing line performance, directs the execution of events, and orchestrates activities necessary to manufacture any finished good. It also handles quality checks, production scheduling and digital workflow with a focus on real-time visibility. Feedback from TilliT customers has been extremely exciting. TilliT was incubated within Nukon, a consulting company within the group. Nukon founders Alec Konynenberg and Rafael Amaral have decades of experience in understanding the challenges facing manufacturers in increasing efficiency, reducing costs and optimisig operations. This hands-on learning drove the development of an entirely new approach to digitalising production and removing paper from the shopfloor. Nukon remains a key implementation partner and represents the first of many distribution and implementation partners TilliT is targeting globally. Amaral moves across to TilliT as the Chief Technology Officer and will drive an accelerated roadmap to build on the current tech platform. SAGE recently announced the acquisition an Adelaide-based software company Ailytic. The Ailytic AI Scheduler is a modern, flexible and powerful tool for optimising detailed schedules in food
TilliT CEO James Balzary and SAGE Group MDand CEO Adrian Fahey.
& beverage, plastics, steel manufacture, electronics and other industries. The tool is already used by diverse range of Australian and global manufacturers. Ailytic founder James Balzary, will head up the TilliT business as Chief Executive Officer. “This is an exciting step for the team which will allow us to enter new markets, build new channel relationships and ultimately service current and future clients with an expanding portfolio of innovative software technologies” says Balzary. According to a 2019 report from LNS Research, 95% of Australian manufacturers are small to medium on a global scale and that 75% of their personnel and manufacturing equipment has no cloudconnectivity or detailed analytics or true performance. For this reason, IoT- and AI-enabled technologies such as TilliT are crucial to enable smart decision making, protect manufacturing profitability, and deliver the opportunity to thrive on a global stage. www.goTilliT.com
Dormer Pramet – True 90° shoulder milling with TNGX Dormer Pramet has expanded its offer for true 90° shoulder milling in various materials, delivering improved cost per edge with its new range of TNGX16 inserts and STN16 cutters. The larger double-sided inserts have sixcutting edges, providing greater depths of cut (up to 10mm) and higher feed compared to its existing TNGX10 range. By offering low cutting resistance, the assortment improves the connection between passes, creating an excellent surface quality. This reduction in forces leads to smooth, quiet machining for additional process security. A positive geometry and through coolant offer improved chip evacuation across a wide range of materials, including steels, stainless steels, cast iron and non-ferrous metals. The TNGX16 assortment is available in radii from 0.4mm to 1.6mm and alongside a wide range of grades. It is supported by three geometries, F, M and FA. F is the first choice for low-to-medium carbon content steel. A highly positive geometry with narrow peripheral land makes it suitable for light to medium machining.
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The M geometry is for machining carbon steel, stainless steel and cast iron. Its positive geometry with medium T-land, makes it ideal for light to medium machining. Suitable for non-ferrous metals, FA is a highly positive geometry with a sharp cutting edge. Its polished insert face reduces sticking of machined material. Meanwhile, the STN16 tool holders provide a higher number of teeth for greater productivity, compared to the original assortment. Its differential pitch offers smooth machining in diameters above 50mm. Manufactured from coated tool steel to better resist corrosion and reduce friction, the cutter features large and strong clamping screws for easier handling and stability. A precision machined pocket design enables performance repeatability and security. www.dormerpramet.com
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Leussink: Storage system complements Demmeler welding table system Leussink has added the Demmeler Smart Toolbox to its large range of accessories for the Demmeler Modular Fixturing system. Leussink Managing Director Jason Leussink says the new storage system is a convenient way to store the many Demmeler accessories: “The Demmeler system includes dozens of accessories like clamps, angles and bolts, and it makes sense to have a dedicated toolbox that fits neatly under the table. It means you always have your clamping accessories at hand.” The Demmeler Smart Toolbox is an under-bench cabinet with drawers made from sheet steel and is available in a two-drawer and a three-drawer model. Its maximum load capacity is 125kg, with each drawer having a recommended load capacity of approximately 50kg. While providing ample storage space, the Demmeler Smart Toolbox also protects tools and small parts from dirt and weld spatters. All drawers are equipped with a rubber mat as an anti-slip insert. This has a noise-dampening effect and protects the drawers from scratches. Additionally, the drawers have a soft-close system for quiet and jerk-free opening and closing, and they are lockable. The Demmeler Smart Toolbox is installed by attaching it to the underside of the Demmeler welding table, putting all the mostused Demmeler accessories within easy reach. It is easily installed using the table’s system bore-holes. The dimensions of the draws are 450mm x 500mm, while the drawer heights are 180mm (twodrawer version) and 80 mm/80 mm/180 mm for the three-drawer version. The Demmeler Smart Toolbox can also be fitted to other modular welding tables, to which Leussink can advise on how they can be fitted.
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Manage Measurement Data Centrally and Wirelessly on a Smartphone, Tablet or PC The new U-Wave Bluetooth transmitter utilizes the popular Bluetooth 4.2 Low Energy Wireless Technology and allows a simple connection to smartphones, tablets and Bluetooth enabled Laptops and PC’s. • A buzzer type and IP67 type with dustproof and waterproof specifications are available. • Up to 7 units can be connected to 1 Bluetooth enabled PC without a receiver. • New U-WavePak BLE for Android, iOS and Windows available at no cost.
German brand Demmeler first developed its 3D clamping system in the 1990s and it has gone on to become an international industrial standard due to the many possible applications and combinations. The Demmeler 3D workbench and welding table is a versatile jigand-fixtures system for all types of welding and fabrication work. Projects such as steel construction, sheet metal processing, robot technology, assembly and measuring equipment, laser welding, laser cutting, prototype construction, body construction, and many others can be set up easily and precisely. It can meet all horizontal and vertical requirements. “At Leussink we don’t just sell tables and walk away,” Jason adds. “We work with our clients to make sure the Demmeler Modular Fixturing System works for them by providing onsite visits and follow-ups.” www.leussink.com.au
Available exclusively from Mitutoyo’s authorised national distributors
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Walter launches micro drills for 12XD When it comes to precision micro-drilling, Walter has established a strong reputation with its high-quality Supreme range of drills; now, the company has introduced two new additions to extend the portfolio for end users. In a programme expansion, the new internally cooled Walter Titex DB133 Supreme micro drills have become successfully established around the world for machining precision parts. The series has been expanded with the DB133 Supreme solid carbide micro drill in dimensions of 5, 8 and 12XD. The through coolant DB133 Supreme features an AlCrN coating. The 5XD offering has WJ30EL full flute length coating applied. However, the longer 8XD and 12XD drills are WJ30ER with the coating only applied to the point of the drill and not the entire flute length, which further aids chip evacuation in deeper holes. The Walter Titex DB133 drills feature a 140-degree point angle to ensure positive engagement in the pilot hole that is produced by DB131. The DB133 Series starts at 0.7mm diameter, and increases in 0.05mm increments to the largest drill in the range, 1.984mm. The overall flute length of the 0.7mm diameter 5XD, 8XD and 12XD drills is 6mm, 8mm and 11mm and 17mm, 23mm and 31mm respectively for the largest 1.984mm diameter 5XD, 8XD and 12XD drills. The entire programme is based upon a 3mm diameter shank with all drills consisting of precision ground flutes and two coolant channels that maximise chip clearance and cooling performance. The new DB131 Supreme drill is a pilot drill for deep hole drilling operations. It features the WJ30EL (AlCrN) coating, which covers the complete flute length and it has a smooth surface offering secure chip evacuation. The point angle on the DB131 pilot drill is 150 degrees making it perfect for pilot holes up to 2XD prior to the deep hole drilling applications with the corresponding DB133 drill. The diameter ranges from 0.5 to 1.984mm with 0.05mm diameter increment increases, with common imperial equivalents also added to the program, and covering some small tap drill sizes. The flute
length of the 0.5mm drill is 3mm and the overall length is 47mm and this proportionately increases to a flute length of 10mm and overall length of 57mm on the 1.984mm diameter drill. The result of a new flute design allows the chips to break, so that they are shorter, guaranteeing reliable evacuation from the work envelope. The new drills also incorporate a special cutting edge preparation that demonstrates outstanding surface finish and overall hole quality on the component whilst significantly improving tool life. With these new products, Walter has further refined the adaptation of the length to diameter (L/D) ratio to the required drilling depth. The result is a range of micro drills that ensures maximum stability when machining thanks to its broad scope and the optimised design. The drill and pilot drill can be used with emulsion or oil and are suitable for all ISO material groups. In addition to the watchmaking and jewellery industry and medical technology, the premium manufacturer cites general mechanical engineering, mwould and die making, the electronics and the energy and automotive industries as other specific areas of application. www.walter-tools.com
‘Manufacturing Mastery’: New podcast for Australian manufacturers Newcastle-based manufacturing growth specialist Graeme Fitzgerald has launched a new podcast aimed at progressive Australian manufacturers who want to be more profitable, more sustainable and drive future growth. The ‘Manufacturing Mastery’ podcast includes special guest speakers and will cover a wide range of industry-relevant topics. The content is intended to offer valuable insights and practical, real-world advice that manufacturers can apply to their business. Topics covered will include how to embed a planning framework into your business, marketing in Australian manufacturing, new approaches to innovation, the importance of culture, how to lead change, and navigating the new normal. “Manufacturing Mastery is my way of doing what I can to help create a forum where we educate and support manufacturers by sharing knowledge, experiences and lessons learnt in a format that’s in snack-sized bites for a busy world,” says Fitzgerald. “The podcast offers a unique opportunity to hear first-hand from practitioners what’s happening in all other areas of manufacturing and to listen to new ideas that may apply to their business, including emerging technologies – all from an Australian perspective”. According to Fitzgerald, the idea behind the podcast is to challenge thinking. Some listeners may not agree with everything that’s said, but that’s the intention. It’s designed to disrupt the status quo and create a forum for discussion.
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The first series of Manufacturing Mastery is anticipated to be released fortnightly and will run for eight to 10 episodes. Episodes will be available on the Graeme Fitzgerald website as well as via listeners’ favourite podcast channels. Recent episodes include ‘The Pursuit of Excellence’ with John Costly, and ‘Marketing and Australian Manufacturing’ with Jacqui Daley. www.graemefitzgerald.com.au
THE CENTREPIECE OF A WEEK-LONG CELEBRATION OF MANUFACTURING AUSTRALIA’S PREMIER MANUFACTURING SOLUTIONS EVENT IN MELBOURNE 8th – 11th March, 2022 Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre MELBOURNE | AUSTRALIA
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MedTech: Healthy outlook for Australian innovators Australian enterprises specialising in innovative medical devices are showing the world what our technology and design have to offer. By Carole Goldsmith. An exciting new R&D facility for innovative medical technology devices, Neo-Bionica will be officially opened in late August in Melbourne. A joint venture between the Bionics Institute and The University of Melbourne, and located in St Vincent’s Hospital, NeoBionica actually already commenced operations in June this year. The purpose-built, highly specialised laboratory is equipped with the latest clean-room technology, cutting-edge robotic equipment, enhanced 3D printing and precision engineering tools that are needed to develop and manufacture prototype medical devices for clinical trials. The driving force behind the new facility, Bionics Institute’s CEO Robert Klupacs, advises that Neo-Bionica will provide Australia with the capability to build clinical-grade medical devices, increasing the speed from initial concept to clinical application. On a site tour of the facility, there’s a cabinet near the entrance displaying a range of medical devices developed by the Bionics Institute in collaboration with other organisations and now by Neo-Bionica researchers. Among the items on display, there are: an electrode designed to stimulate the vagus nerve, for use in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease; a Bionic Eye implanted during clinical trials in 2018; EpiMinder’s Minder device, which monitors seizures related to epilepsy and is now undergoing clinical trials; and a Cochlear ear implant, originally developed by the Bionics Institute team.
The University of Melbourne’s Chair of Medicine and Director of Neurology at St Vincent’s Hospital, Professor Mark Cook’s consulting rooms are adjacent to Neo-Bionica’s entrance. He says that the new facility will enable clinicians, scientists, engineers and industry partners to collaborate closely in the quest to find solutions for people with hard-to-treat diseases like epilepsy. Professor Cook is leading the medical research team behind Epiminder. Klupacs advises that Neo-Bionica is set to fast-track treatments for people with epilepsy, urinary incontinence, Crohn’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, hearing loss, stroke, arthritis and diabetes. He’s been the Institute’s CEO for more than four years and has more than 30 years of international corporate experience in technology development, mainly in the fields of medical technologies and biotechnology. Trained in pharmacology and biochemistry, Klupacs is also an Australian registered patent attorney and the founder of 33 companies in Australia and Singapore. Continued next page
Bionics Institute CEO Robert Klupacs with Neo-Bionica engineer Ross Thomas. Supplied by Bionics Institute
Neo-Bionica has two clean rooms: one with a Coherent laser cutter; and the other a fully equipped manufacturing workshop, with a Modela Pro-ll MDX-540 3D milling machine, a Ryobi EDP 252 drill press and a HAFCO Metal Master drill press among the range of machines. Electronics engineer and Neo-Bionica research fellow Alex Thompson says that he “likes making things” and he is certainly in the right place for it. He points to the 3D printers and the resin printer in the second laboratory workshop. There’s a model of a skull on the wall, which Thompson explains was used to stress test implants in the Bionic Eye.
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MEDICAL Demonstration of the epilepsy Minder implant positioning on a skull. Supplied by Bionics Institute.
Engineers fabricating medical implants in the NeoBionica cleanroom. Supplied by Bionics Institute.
collaborating, on innovative new projects – spurred on in part by the COVID-19 pandemic. Bosch Australia has worked closely on two such projects – one with health technology manufacturer Ellume, and another with Grey Innovation and the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre (AMGC) – that are already delivering successful outcomes.
Ellume: First-of-its-kind automated assembly Queensland health technology manufacturer Ellume’s state-of theart automated assembly lines are being installed at its manufacturing site in Richlands, in south-west Brisbane, this August. Built by Bosch Australia’s Manufacturing Solutions Division (BAMS) team, working closely with Ellume’s engineering team, the two lines were tested at Bosch’s plant in Melbourne, before installation at Ellume’s facility. Continued from previous page
“EpiMinder is one of those companies which has come out of the Bionics Institute,” advises Klupacs. “It’s developing Minder, an ultra-long EEG (electroencephalography ) implant to monitor brain activity to improve the standard of care for epilepsy sufferers. Minder monitors the number of seizures in people with epilepsy. Specialists are able to analyse the device’s readings to assess when and how many seizures their patient has had, to assist in epilepsy seizure management. The device will eventually be able to warn people when they are going to have a seizure. “We were lucky enough to bring Cochlear into the EpiMinder venture as a partner and a major shareholder. EpiMinder is currently undertaking clinical trials for Minder, and we are hoping for FDA (the US Food and Drug Administration) and TGA (Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration) approval in two to three years.” Klupacs adds that in the past, Australia has relied on overseas companies to build prototypes and manufacture the latest medical devices for use in clinical trials. “One example of this was when we developed a vagus nerve stimulator device for inflammatory bowel disease,” he explains. “We designed it and built a prototype but we had to have it manufactured in Minnesota at a cost of over a million dollars in 2018-19. The US plant had facilities we could not find in Australia, including cleanrooms, documentation and quality systems. And that’s why we have set up Neo-Bionica, to provide that service. “If you want to get the next generation of Australian-manufactured medical devices, you need a PhD-trained capability, like we have at Neo-Bionica,” he adds proudly. “Our vision is to create a med-tech manufacturing hub in the future.” While Neo-Bionica will undoubtedly help to lay the foundations for a strong medical devices sector in this country in the years to come, Australian manufacturers have already been moving forward, and
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A further 16 lines will be built at Bosch and bound for Ellume’s new US production plant in Maryland, scheduled to open later this year. The Washington Post reported on 1 February this year that the US Government had awarded a US$231.8m contract to Ellume to supply 8.5m of its Rapid at Home COVID-19 Tests. These products have been produced in Australia to date, and when the Maryland site is running, it will have the capacity to produce over 15m tests per month. Ellume’s founder and CEO, Dr Sean Parsons, told the Post that he believes that scaling up production will allow Ellume to reduce the test’s price (currently at US$30 a test). By manufacturing the tests in the US, Ellume will no longer have to ship them from Australia. To date more than one million tests have been shipped from Ellume’s Brisbane plant to the US between February and July this year. Romulo De Macedo, Head of Engineering at Ellume, is a former project engineer for Bosch, having worked at both its Australian and German plants. Now leading the Ellume assembly team, he explains: “We formed a partnership with Bosch in developing these lines for our Australian and US manufacturing sites, in January last year. Ellume’s Program Manager Steve Carter is overseeing our US site’s build and operations.” Around 60 Bosch employees and around 30 of Ellume’s employees have been working on building and installing the assembly lines, which will increase production capacity. The lines include end-ofline functional testing to ensure reliable product quality. De Macedo adds that the lines use standard automation equipment such as robots, vision systems, active movers and conveyor feeding systems. “What is really unique about our lines and a first-of-its-kind is that we combine assembly of standard electronic and mechanical plastic parts with the biological lateral flow assay,” he says. “This is unique, and we have managed to marry the two technologies together. Ellume is also first in the world in developing the COVID home test.”
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Dr Scott Fry, Ellume Chief Operating Officer in the company's Brisbane HQ.
Steve Carter, Senior Program Manager at Ellume, and Romulo De Macedo, the company’s Head of Engineering.
Ellume’s state-of the-art automated assembly lines are being built by Bosch Australia’s Manufacturing Solutions Division (BAMS) working closely with Ellume’s engineering team.
Dr Scott Fry, Ellume’s Chief Operating Officer, describes the manufacturing process: “The lateral flow assay porous membrane materials, impregnated with biologicals that are produced in-house, are put on reels which are converted to a strip on our automated line. Then it’s assembled onto the electronics and plastics. Everything has to be precisely aligned. Each new line can potentially produce 30,000 to 35,000 Ellume COVID home test kits per day, which will all be bound for the US. According to Dr Fry, one of the unique features about Ellume’s product is its wireless Bluetooth connectivity. It wirelessly connects to the user’s own smartphone when they are running the diagnostics test. The test data from the user can be shared instantly with public health and with the person’s own GP for subsequent telehealth consultations. Contiuned next page
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“The Bosch auto lines have a unique wireless contact-free design for programming and testing the device at high throughput,” he adds. “This includes loading the electronics with its firmware and conducting an electronic self-test.”
Grey Innovation led a consortium to manufacture 2,000 Notus Vivere ventilators to support the fight against COVID-19.
The home test is suitable for ages two years and over. It’s available for non-prescription home use in the US. The product’s technology enables individuals with or without symptoms to test for COVID-19 infection in 15 minutes, anywhere in the country. “It’s approved by the US FDA for emergency use, and it is cheaper for consumers to self-test themselves for COVID than pay to visit their GP and to have a test performed at the point of care, or in a laboratory,” says Dr Fry. “The test’s results identify positive cases, and enable public health to know the COVID hotspots and conduct contact tracing. Australia has no legislation for consumer testing of COVID but it is presently under review. “In the US, it’s about proving safe and effective home tests, which we have done. It’s designed for consumers, and it’s very simple and accurate to use,” adds Dr Fry. “We want to be the global leader for diagnostics home testing for consumers and assist the world to be more prepared for responding to the next pandemic.”
Grey Innovation – Ventilator project leads to 350 jobs Melbourne-based engineering and technology commercialisation company Grey Innovation led an Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre (AMGC) industry consortium, supported by a $500,000 Victorian Government grant, to design and produce 2,000 Notus Vivere emergency invasive ventilators to support the fight against COVID-19.
“Gavin said ‘Yes’, and by 9am the next day, we had arranged a meeting with the Victorian Government. A budget was approved for a working group to make the emergency ventilators around the clock. We then started calling every manufacturer in Victoria that could make ventilator parts.” Harcourt negotiated a licence agreement with Smiths Medical in London for a certified ventilator design based on Smiths’ Pneupac Transport Ventilators. The licence agreement allowed a minimum of 2,000 ventilators to be produced by the Grey Innovation consortium of AMGC manufacturers.
“The project started in June last year and took four months to complete,” advises Jefferson Harcourt, Executive Chairman and Founder of Grey Innovation. “The ventilators were urgently needed for Australian COVID patients and the project retained or created 350 jobs.
At that point, Harcourt advises that the Federal Government came on board with a $32.1m contract for an additional 2,000 ventilators. He says that 2,000 TGA-approved ventilators were sold to the Federal Government, and 200 were sold to the Victorian Government.
“Initially we had approached the Victorian Government with the hypothesis that we would design the ventilators and there would be an overseas manufacturer involved. Then I went to Gavin Smith, President of Bosch Australia, explained the project and asked if Bosch would participate.
The AMGC’s site reveals that it matched the Victorian Government’s $500,000 investment to support Grey Innovation to manufacture sufficient Notus Vivere Emergency Invasive Ventilators, patient circuits and other consumables suitable for TGA approvals. Among the many AMGC companies involved, ANCA and Marand manufactured and assembled thousands of critical parts, while Bosch manufactured the test equipment required to verify the ventilators. Harcourt lists the AMGC’s consortium of companies and organisations participating, revealing many of Australia’s leading manufacturers: • Key Suppliers: ANCA CNC Machines, Bosch, Braemac, Brandwood CKC, Circuitwise, Dolphin, Fairmont Medical, Hosico Engineering, Hydrix, Marand, Markerry Industries, Medmont International, MOR Industries, MO Milling, Planet Innovation, Romar Engineering, Shotton Group, Smiths Medical, Stug Australia, and Swinburne University of Technology. • Support Partners: Abbe Corrugated, Australian Calibrating Services, Brand Services, BOC, Depth Logistics, EMC Technologies, Esco Industries, Gascon Systems, Hydraulic Seals, Jehbco Silicone Specialists, Kenelec Scientific, Laerdal, Luna Nameplate Industries, National Industries, Novaline, Sutton Tools. Harcourt has more than two decades of experience in the development and commercialisation of cutting-edge technology as well as the creation and operation of several technology companies. Although Harcourt describes himself as an energetic business entrepreneur, he also attributes part of his success to having a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering from Swinburne University, before he started the company.
Jefferson Harcourt, Executive Chairman and Founder of Grey Innovation.
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INDUSTRIAL TOOLS The Shinano Industrial range combines, high‑precision nickel‑chromium molybdenum harden & ground transmission components with high tolerance bearings. Offering low noise, vibration levels and superior performance at high speeds.
Grey Innovation is currently working on adapting its GreyScan technology to detect the COVID virus (SARS-CoV-2) rapidly in peoples’ breath.
5” Industrial Angle Grinder
7” Industrial Angle Grinder
Free Speed: 12,000 RPM Output: 800 Watts Weight: 2 .08 Kg
Free Speed: 7,600 RPM Output: 1000 Watts Weight: 3.3 Kg
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Industrial Die Grinder Free Speed: 25,000 RPM Output: 650 Watts Weight: 0 .71 Kg PN: SI-SG60E-6L
High Spec Collet High Spec Collet grips entire length of the burr shank . Ideal for large diameter or extended burrs.
“You couldn’t do this job without engineering qualifications.” Harcourt is a Director of Tali Digital Limited, and Executive Chairman of GreyScan. TALi, a leading, ASX-listed health business, provides digital attention training for early childhood. GreyScan uses capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE), a technique used for the separation of proteins, peptides, and nucleic acids, to create technology within the security, defence, pharmaceutical and medical industries. Both companies were initially developed by Grey Innovation and Harcourt is very proud of their global progress.
Industrial Edge Profilers • Quickly & easily machine consistent radiused or chamfered edges, that meet or exceed IMO’s PSPC regulations . • Suitable for use on aluminium, structural grade steel and most types of stainless steel .
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“TALi recently did a partnership deal with The Times Group in India, which has a readership of 400m,” he says. “We will be building the program into the Times online newspapers which has a potential of 50m families to use the TALi program. “GreyScan was originally designed for explosive detection and we are now pivoting it to see viruses. We are working with CSIRO and the Doherty Institute on a large project where GreyScan can detect the COVID virus (SARS-CoV-2) in people’s breath in just three minutes. This means that we will be able to test people quickly for the COVID virus before they get on the plane, which could be a global break-through for testing COVID and other viruses.” Carole Goldsmith has shares in Cochlear. www.neo-bionica.com www.bosch.com.au www.ellumehealth.com www.greyinnovation.com
Free Speed: 10,000 RPM Output: 900 Watts PN: SI-4010L
See the complete range now at: gamer.com.au/shinano-industrial
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Additive Manufacturing Hub case study: Radetec Diagnostics With assistance from the Additive Manufacturing Hub at AMTIL, Melbourne-based Radetec Diagnostics developed an innovative device to facilitate fast and inexpensive testing of various infectious diseases – including COVID-19. Radetec Diagnostics is a Melbourne-based biotechnology company dedicated to developing a world-leading “platform technology” based on quantum dots – advanced luminescent nanoparticles that can be used as labels for imaging and sensing applications. This has a wide range of clinical applications, particularly in the field of pointof-care rapid diagnostics, portable in-vitro diagnostic (IVDs) devices that are used for fast and inexpensive testing of various infectious diseases such as COVID-19, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) or even cancer and Parkinson’s’ disease biomarkers. Radetec’s IVD product range consist of point-of-care test strips, and an electronic reader that is able to generate quantifiable readings in the diagnostic process. The test strips are based on a lateral flow assay test methodology, where a reagent deposited on the test strip generates a reaction to a targeted biomarker. In this case, this reaction creates a visible florescence response in the reagent when illuminated with a UV light source. The project entails the design and manufacture of such a reader to initially assist with the manufacture of the test strips, and later form a complete set of rapid diagnostic products for clinical use.
The challenge The aim of this project was to develop a multipurpose benchtop reader device that would facilitate the analysis of the point-of-care test strips and other type of samples. During the analysis process, the test strips are illuminated with a UV light source, while being shielded from ambient light. A camera is used to capture the response and allow further analysis within dedicated software The major challenge for this project was the integration of the main elements of the reader that generated results that were of sufficient accuracy and repeatability. This required successful integration of mechanical hardware design, electronics and software, all of which must work seamlessly to create a device that is intuitive and easy to use for the operator. The reader has also been designed to offer flexibility in set-up – to allow analysis of a variety of sample types and sizes. It was identified early that offering the ability to analyse samples from a single test strip through to a standard 96-sample well plate would provide a significant benefit for the product over competitor offerings. This demanded more from the camera module, and specifically the relationship of physical position and lens selection. Time to market was also identified as a major challenge, and this was a major reason why additive manufacturing was selected as a key part of early stage development. The project allowed Radetec to develop the reader just in time for the roll-out of its first product – a COVID-19 antigen point-of-care rapid test.
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The solution A first proof of concept of the reader was developed with the help of Professor Dane McCamey (UNSW Sydney and ARC Centre of Excellence in Exciton Science). Cobalt Design was then engaged to improve the design and the sensitivity of the device, as well as manufacturing a series of benchtop reader prototypes to allow extended testing and evaluation of this new device platform. An initial benchtop system prototype was created using an FDMprinted prototype that allowed for variation of position of key elements such as the camera. This prototype included mounting points for each of the electronics components and an OEM USB camera, and allowed for initial function testing of key elements including: • Sample illumination – both with UV and white light sources. • Light tightness of the enclosure. • Camera optics selection. • Camera positioning. • OEM hardware including USB camera. • Electronics – LED and camera power, communication to control software. • Software development – including camera control, lighting control, image capture and image analysis. This test unit was a critical step in the development process and allowed a number technical risks to be addressed, while also identifying areas for further optimisation and improvement. Filtering of the LED light sources was identified as a definite requirement for the product, which led to a change to the LED configuration along with a hardware change. The test unit was also critical in fast-tracking software development as it provided a working device to test and debug the custom software that was being developed concurrently with the hardware. After a series of design optimisations, a second round of working prototypes were manufactured and delivered to Radetec to allow extended testing and analysis. Five working units were manufactured using FDM printing, and along with functional changes to improve performance, a number of additional features were included for better integration of components, protection and isolation of the fragile electronics, and improved industrial design.
How the Additive Manufacturing Hub helped It was predicated that the project would make full use of a $20,000 Build It Better (BIB) voucher co contribution via the Additive Manufacturing Hub. The estimated breakdown amounts for this project were $60,000 to Cobalt Design, with $20,000 to be contributed bia BIB voucher.
MEDICAL The outcome In the end, a total of $46,047.60 (ex GST) was spent with two registered providers: Cobalt Design ($44,697.35); and GoProto ($1,350.25). Of this amount, $20,000 was contributed by the BIB voucher and the remaining $26,047.60 was paid by Radetec Diagnostics. According to Dr John Li, CEO of Radetec Diagnostics: “The Build it Better program allowed Radetec Diagnostics to design, experiment with and ultimately create a sensitive, multipurpose reader that is easy to use and can be utilised to quantify the fluorescence from a variety of solid and liquid substrates. The additive manufacturing capabilities available in Victoria today enabled a rapid development of a superior benchtop system ideal for R&D and medical applications.”
The project allowed Radetec to develop the reader just in time for the roll-out of its first product – a COVID-19 antigen point-ofcare rapid test. It allowed for a timely delivery of the entire set of diagnostics devices (reader + test strip) to US-based distribution partners for immediate live trial and evaluation. The roll-out of the COVID-10 test was time-critical – the earlier the better. Another significant outcome from the project is that Radetec has accumulated experience in designing and building a “platform technology reader” that can be used in Radetec’s subsequent products – such as STI tests, cancer biomarker tests, or Parkinson’s disease tests. The reader will only require relatively minor modifications to apply to tests on other diseases. www.amhub.net.au www.cobaltdesign.co www.goproto.com.au www.radetecdiagnostics.com
Additive Manufacturing Hub case study: Kesem Health Digital health company Kesem Health sought assistance from AMTIL’s Additive Manufacturing Hub in the development of the iUFlow urinary monitoring device. Melbourne-based Kesem Health develops and commercialises a digital health medical device and develops artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled solutions in the field of urology. Current methods of assessing patients with urinary dysfunction are time-consuming, expensive, and space-intensive. The current standard of care compromises clinical outcomes and increases the costs associated with diagnosing urinary dysfunction. The solution is the iUFlow, a novel, patented, fully automated, and easy to use bladder monitoring device, implemented on a smartphone platform. The iUFlow device is designed and priced to be used over a period of 48-96 hours as required by the patient’s urologist.
The challenge The project entailed the design and manufacturing of multiple components to further tune the design of iUFlow, utilising additive manufacturing principals of multiple parts of the iUFlow product. This is due to the complexity of the design, which is difficult to achieve by going directly to injection moulding. In addition, the costs and processes involved with a typical injection moulding setup presented a significant barrier to entry. Therefore, it was deemed risky, as well as expensive and slow, to move directly to an injection moulding set-up without first exploring how the physical product might look and feel.
The solution In undertaking the project, the Additive Manufacturing Hub engaged the assistance of a registered service provider, X-Product Pty Ltd, an additive manufacturing provider using 3D SLA printing techniques. This was identified as an excellent way to mitigate many of the above concerns. Kesem Health believed that using additive manufacturing it would be able to reduce the design cycle and therefore reduce the time to market. The project allowance was up to three iterations of several parts, with the final aim of having these products ready to be manufactured at production quality, using advance manufacturing and/or additive manufacturing techniques. It would also enable Kesem to conduct small-scale manufacturing utilising the technology for parts supply without committing to expensive tools. During the project, X-Product supplied prototypes, built the prototype units, assisted with testing, measuring and iterations.
In addition, manufacturing of the product took place, entailing hundreds of parts. Once the initial design was completed, the first prototypes were completed the following day after an overnight 3D printing run. This rapid process allowed Kesem to iterate the concept multiple times in a short period and make key decisions related to size, features and aesthetics. Drastic changes could be realised because it was quick and cheap to simply try again with a alternative design.
How the Additive Manufacturing Hub helped It was predicated that the project would make full use of a $20,000 Build It Better (BIB) voucher co-contribution via the Additive Manufacturing Hub. Gil Hidas, Managing Director of Kesem Health, commented: “The BIB program gave us the perfect opportunity to further explore 3D printing for prototyping and utilising additive technology for manufacturing.”
The outcome Over the course of the project, new features could easily be added and adjusted. It would not have been possible to produce these in a plastic mould as a single part and for the cost and in the time of iteration. The additive process that Kesem used for prototyping allowed it to conduct those experiments easily. Therefore, new features were added to the concept and made their way through to the final product, resulting in an improved design. As a result of the project, Kesem will be being using the additive processes employed in the near future and on an ongoing basis, in addition to using it in small-scale manufacturing. The company is also postponing its investment in injection moulding tooling. www.amhub.net.au www.xproduct.com.au www.iuflow.com
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New technique breaks the mould for 3D printing medical implants Researchers have flipped traditional 3D printing to create some of the most intricate biomedical structures yet, advancing the development of new technologies for regrowing bones and tissue. The emerging field of tissue engineering aims to harness the human body’s natural ability to heal itself, to rebuild bone and muscle lost to tumours or injuries. A key focus for biomedical engineers has been the design and development of 3D printed scaffolds that can be implanted in the body to support cell regrowth. But making these structures small and complex enough for cells to thrive remains a significant challenge. Enter a RMIT University-led research team, collaborating with clinicians at St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne, who have overturned the conventional 3D printing approach. Instead of making the bioscaffolds directly, the team 3D printed moulds with intricatelypatterned cavities then filled them with biocompatible materials, before dissolving the moulds away. Using the indirect approach, the team created fingernail-sized bioscaffolds full of elaborate structures that, until now, were considered impossible with standard 3D printers. Lead researcher Dr Cathal O’Connell said the new biofabrication method was costeffective and easily scalable because it relied on widely available technology. “The shapes you can make with a standard 3D printer are constrained by the size of the printing nozzle,” said O’Connell, a Vice-Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellow at RMIT. “The opening needs to be big enough to let material through and ultimately that influences how small you can print. But the gaps in between the printed material can be way smaller, and far more intricate. “By flipping our thinking, we essentially draw the structure we want in the empty space inside our 3D printed mould. This allows us to create the tiny, complex microstructures where cells will flourish.”
Versatile technique O’Connell said other approaches were able to create impressive structures, but only with precisely tailored materials, tuned with particular additives or modified with special chemistry. “Importantly, our technique is versatile enough to use medical grade materials off-the-shelf,” he said. “It’s extraordinary to create such complex shapes using a basic ‘high school’ grade 3D printer. That really lowers the bar for entry into the field, and brings us a significant step closer to making tissue engineering a medical reality.” The research was conducted at BioFab3D@ACMD, a state-of-theart bioengineering research, education and training hub located within the Aikenhead Centre for Medical Discovery (ACMD) at St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne.The research was supported by the St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne Research Endowment Fund, the Victorian Medical Research Acceleration Fund, a NHMRC-MRFF Investigator Grant and the Australian Technology Network of Universities Industry Doctoral Training Centre. ACMD’s collaborative approach brings together leading tertiary institutions including RMIT University, the University of Melbourne, Swinburne University of Technology and the University of Wollongong, research institutes and St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne, where the centre is based, to take on today’s toughest healthcare challenges. Co-author Associate Professor Claudia Di Bella, an orthopedic surgeon at St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne, said the study showcases the possibilities that open up when clinicians, engineers and biomedical scientists come together to address a clinical problem.
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RMIT researchers Stephanie Doyle and Dr Cathal O’Connell. Credit: RMIT University
“A common problem faced by clinicians is the inability to access technological experimental solutions for the problems they face daily,” Di Bella said. “While a clinician is the best professional to recognise a problem and think about potential solutions, biomedical engineers can turn that idea into reality. “Learning how to speak a common language across engineering and medicine is often an initial barrier, but once this is overcome, the possibilities are endless.”
Step-by-step: How to reverse print a bioscaffold The new method – which researchers have dubbed Negative Embodied Sacrificial Template 3D (NEST3D) printing – uses simple polyvinyl acetate (PVA) glue as the basis for the 3D printed mould. Once the biocompatible material injected into the mould has set, the entire structure is placed in water to dissolve the glue, leaving just the cell-nurturing bioscaffold. PhD researcher and the study’s first author Stephanie Doyle said the method enabled researchers to rapidly test combinations of materials to identify those most effective for cell growth. “The advantage of our advanced injection moulding technique is its versatility,” Doyle said. “We can produce dozens of trial bioscaffolds in a range of materials – from biodegradable polymers to hydrogels, silicones and ceramics – without the need for rigorous optimisation or specialist equipment. “We’re able to produce 3D structures that can be just 200 microns across, the width of four human hairs, and with complexity that rivals that achievable by light-based fabrication techniques. It could be a massive accelerator for biofabrication and tissue engineering research.”
Future treatment toolkit Currently there are few treatment options for people who lose a significant amount of bone or tissue due to illness or injury, making amputation or metal implants to fill a gap common outcomes. While a few clinical trials of tissue engineering have been conducted around the world, key bioengineering challenges still need to be addressed for 3D bioprinting technology to become a standard part of a surgeon’s toolkit. In orthopedics, a major sticking point is the development of a bioscaffold that works across both bone and cartilage. Contiuned next page
MEDICAL An ear-shaped bioscaffold made with the indirect 3D printing method. Credit: RMIT University
A tiny and intricate biomedical structure created with the new NEST3D technique. Credit: RMIT University
“Our new method is so precise we’re creating specialised bone and cartilage-growing microstructures in a single bioscaffold,” O’Connell said. “It’s the surgical ideal – one integrated scaffold that can support both types of cells, to better replicate the way the body works.”
Tests with human cells have shown bioscaffolds built using the new method are safe and non-toxic. The next steps for the researchers will be testing designs to optimise cell regeneration and investigating the impact on cell regrowth of different combinations of biocompatible materials. www.rmit.edu.au
Monash DIY oxygen conversion unit supports India’s COVID-19 battle With COVID-19 having a devastating impact in much of India, a group of international researchers led by Monash University have developed an oxygen conversion unit that can be built from local materials, enabling doctors to provide life-saving oxygen treatment. Due to the high numbers of COVID-19 cases in India, the supply of oxygen tanks has not kept up with demand. Oxygen conversion units strip nitrogen from the atmosphere, leaving the oxygen gas behind. India has the capacity to produce liquid oxygen, but providing it for medical use has been difficult to sustain as it needs to be transported on refrigerated tracks, which are in short supply.
Manipal University’s Professor Abishek Sharma with the oxygen conversion unit.
Professor Paul Webley, from Monash University’s Department of Chemical Engineering, recognised the need for an urgent, low-cost solution and designed an oxygen conversion unit that can be built from materials found at local Indian hardware stores. Any technician with the design specifications would be able to build the unit from scratch, load it onto a truck and take it to village hospitals to help COVID-19 patients. The unit is easy to repair, tough, relatively cheap to make and can run on a diesel generator. “The conversion unit which we’ve developed has the capacity to produce oxygen on the spot, wherever it is required,” says Webley. “When I saw the catastrophe unfolding in India, I just knew that I needed to do something.” Dr Tejas Bhatalia, a research fellow at Curtin University, and Professor Abishek Sharma, a chemical engineering professor from Manipal University in Jaipur, joined forces with Webley to develop the unit. After three months of virtual collaboration, Bhatalia built a small test unit in Perth, and Sharma assembled a larger production version at Manipul University, where testing is now underway. Webley’s original design was slightly adapted to suit materials readily available in Jaipur. “We’re currently in the process of ensuring the oxygen purity is sufficient,” says Sharma. “We’re currently getting about 70% purity, and our aim is to get this up to 90%. The team and I are working on changes to make this happen and are confident we’ll be able to do so soon.” The researchers have been in contact with local hospitals to secure a test site for the unit to see whether it will meet the hospital’s specifications and standards. If tests prove successful, the researchers will develop more units. Portable oxygen conversion units already exist for patients with chronic respiratory problems, and can be set up in the home. This
particular DIY conversion unit is different because it is designed to supply oxygen to 10, 20 or 30 patients at a time and has been developed specifically so locals can build the unit from readily available materials. “My main goal was to help Indian engineers do this themselves,” Webley adds. “Can I teach them how to do this so they can duplicate them and make thousands and become completely selfsufficient?” The only specialist ingredient in the unit is the molecular sieve, a form of silicon, which filters out the nitrogen. However, it is inexpensive and relatively easy to obtain. The oxygen unit produces a similar amount of oxygen to that which would be obtained from an oxygen bottle. The researchers have also approached engineers in Brazil, where oxygen is also desperately needed. The unit could also be adapted for other countries. The researchers are looking for collaborators to help promote the design, development and deployment of the technology to India and other countries affected by the pandemic. www.monash.edu
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Additive Manufacturing Hub case study: Vesticam Vesticam is an Australian medtech startup company that has developed an accessible device to help with the diagnosis of causes of dizziness, vertigo and balance disorders. Vesticam evolved from the clinical need for simple, portable and affordable infra-red video goggles to record of eye movements during oculomotor tests. It is an innovative modification of existing trialled and tested equipment, making it portable, fully adjustable and accessible for widespread use. Vesticam’s product records eye movement (nystagmography) during over 15 standard bedside oculomotor tests, including tests that can only be done in the dark (with vision denied). The video and audio recordings can then be reviewed, stored or sent for second opinion. Prior to Vesticam, no existing IR video goggles met all of the required clinical parameters of being fully adjustable, easy to focus, light and comfortable for patients to wear, completely light-tight, and able to switch quickly from vision-denied to with-vision. A large part of the original design (innovation patented) was for an adjustable means of positioning a camera at a target. The design of Vesticam version 1 (V1) allowed the subject/patient to have a frame on their head (goggles) with a camera and illuminator, and for the user/clinician to very easily position the camera manually. The V1 design allows five degrees of movement in a simple configuration of ball and socket combined with slider.
The challenge The V1 3D-printed version of the Vesticam IR video goggles was developed in 2018-19 by the company’s co-founder Burt Nathan with input from Suzanne Douglas, co-founder and Director. The final version of Vesticam V1 was trialled and went into production and sale in 2019. With approximately 150 units in clinical use, feedback from clinicians, production, manufacturing and marketing was collated. While the main clinical parameters had been met, there were significant issues to be addressed. These were: • Difficulty and inefficiency achieving light-tightness in the manufacturing and final testing stages. • A complete reliance on imported swimming goggles as a component. • The need for a simpler, user-friendly final product to meet the challenge of new competition. • The need for reduced manufacturing costs with less wastage. • The need for an ability to scale up and address higher volumes, with a view to meeting an increasing domestic and an export market. • A preference and ethic for on-shore manufacturing. • The need to be a certified medical device with future regulatory approval. • The desire for a more medical/clinical product aesthetic. The next iteration of the product was intended to be designed for higher-volume production utilising injection moulding techniques. Designer Don Silak from View 7 (Victoria) started development of version 2 of Vesticam (V2), with injection moulding as the designfor-manufacturing (DFM) approach. The injection moulded V2 design had ongoing inherent issues with basic parameters of eye spacing adjustment, goggle light tighness and camera adjustment. Followng review of the newly available possibility of multi jet fusion (MJF) additive manufacturing, the relatively small size of the niche market for this product, and the possibility of future modifications (for example, future embodiments may be WiFi-enabled), it was decided to move back to additive manufacturing and explore MJF as a manufacturing process.
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Vesticam sought an additive manufacturing system based in Victoria with increased employees, use of local contractors, and minimal reliance on imported inputs. With this in mind, further research & development was needed to provide a design suitable to more advanced additive manufacturing that met the above requirements.
The solution In undertaking the project, the Additive Manufacturing Hub engaged the assistance of registered service providers Cobalt Design Pty Ltd and GoProto (ANZ) Pty Ltd. An additive manufacturing program using current 3D printing techniques (including the more specialised MJF process) was identified as an excellent way to mitigate many of the above concerns. The project started off with a design concept phase with Cobalt, exploring the clinical needs and requirements of the product. The final product needed to keep within the proven clinical parameters of being fully adjustable to fit different face shapes and sizes; easy to focus; light and comfortable for patients to wear; completely lighttight; and able to switch quickly from vision-denied to with-vision. The product needed to be of medical standard, including having less cavities and being compatible with standard patient hygiene pathways. For marketing purposes, it had to have a medical look and feel. Design for Additive Manufacturing (DFAM) formed an important part of this phase. Initial designs with Cobalt were based upon the previous, incomplete design by View7, with attention to parameters and noted issues. Additive manufacture expedited development considerable flexibility to the design.
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The MJF process was an efficient way to produce high-quality prototypes. Using the MJF process, Vesticam could access prototypes and test them real time. The MJF process also allowed Vesticam to show prototype versions to other team members and customers for feedback about the design concept without undermining their overall opinion regarding the quality of the parts. Final design is yet to be completed and will culminate with a short manufacturing run to produce 5-6 working modules for extended testing. This phase will focus on refinement of the product and preparation for mass production. This will be undertaken after
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completion of the testing/evaluation process and will include feedback from the key stake holders/potential customers. Additive manufacturing will provide a cost-effective low volume manufacture approach that is suited to Vesticam’s assembly set up. MJF suits Vesticam’s current funding arrangements, allowing a staged approach to release of a high-volume product at a future point in time. It will also support the feedback loop required for a certified medical device. Selection and engagement of a manufacturing partner will be an important part of this phase and has already been partially supported by Cobalt.
How the Additive Manufacturing Hub helped It was predicated that the project would make full use of the $20,000 Build It Better (BIB) voucher co contribution via the Additive Manufacturing Hub. The estimated breakdown amounts for this project were: • $33,500 to Cobalt Design ($16,750 to be contributed by BIB voucher) • $12,000 to GoProto ($3,250 to be contributed by BIB voucher) By the end of May 2021, a total of $43,033 (ex GST) has been spent with the two registered providers. Of this amount, $20,000 was contributed by the BIB voucher and the remaining $23,033 was paid by Vesticam Pty Ltd. As of 30 May 2021, the breakdowns per RSP were: • Cobalt Design: $38 408 • GoProto: $4 624 The cost of Cobalt’s services was higher than expected because of increased complexity as the project scope evolved during the development, and as extra prototypes and reviews were required.
The outcome Over the course of this project, using additive manufacturing allowed Vesticam to easily make changes to design and innovate without disruption to deadlines. Final product weights were minimised, reducing logistics costs and emissions into the future. Since MJF technology is available and affordable in Victoria, Vesticam was able to keep more of its production in Australia than if injection molding was used. This has created more opportunity for the local economy, reduced emissions from freighting products back and forth with international partners, and importantly, allowed much faster experimentation. It is assumed that completion of this project will have reduced time to market. Support for local business and employment has been increased by keeping the prototyping and ultimately the manufacturing and assembly in Victoria. As stated, Vesticam is planning to use the MJF additive processes employed in this project on an ongoing basis, and anticipates doubling business growth in the next 12 months. According to Philip Wilson, the V2 project manager from Vesticam: “The Build it Better program gave the perfect opportunity to take advantage of MJF printing technology. The program meant that a small medtech startup like Vesticam could employ quality designers, and experiment with and ultimately create a high-quality base for our medical device. The additive manufacturing capabilities available in Victoria today enabled us to develop of a superior product in the short timeframe we needed.” www.amhub.net.au www.cobaltdesign.co www.goproto.com.au www.vesticam.com
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Promoting Australia as a destination for life science and medtech manufacturing Australian contract manufacturers servicing the medical devices, biotechnology, and pharmaceutical sectors are sought after by global life sciences and medtech organisations looking to Australia for expertise, assured quality, and value for money in drug/device manufacture. The products may be used for clinical trials in Australia or abroad, or may be finished goods (or to form part of a finished good) ready for sale. By Dr Rita Choueiri. Additional benefits for global organisations to manufacture here include access to the generous Research and Development Tax Incentive (RDTI), especially if they plan to commercialise the results of R&D programs in Australia. Promoting their potential access to cash refunds or general tax benefits could help secure work for Australia over rival jurisdictions. Australia’s generosity to companies that undertake business here will in turn bolster its medtech and life sciences manufacturing expertise through promotion of Australia as a destination for R&D and manufacturing. There are several scenarios where Australian manufacturing activities could be subject to an RDTI claim for overseas companies looking to set up an Australian presence to contract with local manufacturers. There could be R&D in the development of the manufacturing process, the product itself, or use of the product in field or clinical trials. The commercial benefit for undertaking R&D here can vary significantly and depends on a company’s structure, commercial intentions, and global aggregated turnover. There are two mechanisms for an overseas entity (OS Co) to claim the RDTI in Australia for expenses incurred on manufacturing here (each through an eligible Australian presence, the most common being a subsidiary company, ‘Aus Co’). 1. Through an Australian-owned RDTI claim, whereby: Aus Co undertakes R&D for itself (independent of OS Co); bears financial risk with regard to the expenditure it incurs (and therefore does not receive any recoupment or reimbursement of R&D expenditure by the parent company or any other company); owns or has rights to exploit IP it develops (note the IP can vest with OS Co); and controls the R&D activities. The entity undertakes R&D for itself in return for receipt of a right to commercialise the product in a specified territory (e.g. within Australia or surrounds), commensurate with its proportionate efforts in getting that product to market. Transfer pricing advice is required to determine and define the territory. Under this scenario, Aus Co can access the maximum RDTI benefit; a 43.5% refundable R&D tax offset if its global aggregated turnover is below $20m
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any other contract service it may utilise. Generally, for Australian-owned R&D, it is preferred that OS Co funds Aus Co through debt funding rather than equity – debt funding is seen as stronger evidence of the requirement to bear financial risk, as Aus Co is liable to repay any amounts borrowed from OS Co within a specified timeframe, whereas equity funding may mean Aus Co fails the requirement to bear the financial risk as it is technically OS Co’s funds being used to pay for Australian R&D activities. in FY21, or the company tax rate plus 18.5% (i.e. either 43.5% or 48.5%) for FY22 and beyond. 2. Through a ‘Foreign-owned’ RDTI claim, which allows Aus Co to undertake R&D in Australia for or on behalf of OS Co. This means that in addition to the IP vesting with OS Co, OS Co can fund the R&D activities Aus Co undertakes. Under this scenario Aus Co usually acts as an ‘agent’ for OS Co, undertaking R&D under OS Co’s instruction and control. However, even if a company can access the refundable R&D tax offset (by having a global aggregated turnover below $20m as well as sufficient tax losses), the overall benefit will be largely reduced by mark-ups for transfer pricing and agency fees, reducing the benefit to approximately 16%-19% of R&D expenditure. In contrast, an additional benefit for conducting Australian-owned R&D activities is that Aus Co can also claim expenditure it incurs on activities outside Australia, if they meet eligibility criteria for Overseas Advance Findings – essentially pre-approvals given by regulators regarding eligibility of R&D undertaken overseas. These Findings must be applied for before the end of the first financial year in which R&D expenditure is incurred on overseas activities. It is essential that appropriate legal agreements (such as funding, IP licencing, service, and agency agreements, depending on the claim pathway chosen) and transfer pricing documents (including a Commercial Rationale for Australianowned R&D) are in place between OS Co and Aus Co. Also, Aus Co must have service agreements in place between it and its Australian contract manufacturer and
Despite significant upfront costs involved in structuring and setting up foreign companies to claim the RDTI through an Australian presence in the first year, the set-up costs are only incurred once, while the benefits can be realised for many years, especially for larger projects spanning multiple years. Overseas companies should consider their long-term goals when deciding where to commercialise products. Generally, the OS Co should model its entire business scenario from start to finish (including its exit) for the R&D structure it chooses. Further icing on the cake for profitable medical and biotechnology companies looking to commercialise Australian IP is that they will be eligible to pay tax at a 17% rate (as opposed to 30% for large businesses and 25% for most SMEs) through Australia’s new ‘patent box’ scheme. This will apply to patents applied for after the federal budget announcement at 7.30pm on 11 May 2021, and the concession will be applied to income years starting on or after 1 July 2022. Overall, the Government is keen to support overseas companies looking to conduct R&D and general business in Australia, to help them and their Australian service providers prosper and ultimately benefit the Australian economy. The generous RDTI that overseas companies can access is a winwin for all. Governments, both federal and state, are also contributing vast amounts of cash to Australian manufacturers to ensure our capabilities are world class, in turn attracting more foreign business to Australia. It is onwards and upwards for Australian manufacturing. Dr Rita Choueiri is a scientist and the head of the Melbourne R&D Incentives division at William Buck. www.williambuck.com
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Vale, Georges Sara An Australian pioneer in the application of advanced manufacturing processes and digital technology in the dental industry, Georges Sara passed away late last year, but in the company he founded, Stoneglass Industries, he leaves a remarkable legacy. Georges Sara began his professional life as a dental technician, but from the very start he was interested in finding ways to use new technologies and innovations in order to improve dentistry by making life easier and the outcomes better, for dentists and for patients. In 1991 he saw a lecture in which it was forecast that a new generation of ceramics was set to radically transform dental practices. The technologies required hadn’t quite matured at that point, but Georges kept the information in the back of his head, and gradually he began formulating a plan: to revolutionise dentistry through the use of state-of-the-art milling technology, CAD-CAM software and advanced materials. By 1999, Georges was ready to take the first step in bringing his plan to fruition. He acquired his first CNC milling machine and got to work researching how the technology could be used to produce crowns, bridges and other restorations for dental implants, using the then-rare ceramic zirconia. While dental laboratories at the time had to send orders for dental restorations overseas, Georges’ vision was to bring the process into Australia, producing the restorations locally. Initially, he encountered some resistance, struggling to win backing as both the dental establishment and the Federal Government expressed scepticism about Georges’s ideas. Instead, however, support came from an unexpected source, the local manufacturing community, and it was Australian manufacturers – with some early assistance from Greg Chalker of AMTIL – who would help to steer him towards the right machinery, software and overseas suppliers that he would need to realise his vision. “Dad’s achievements and successes are proof that dedication, passion, and a ‘can-do’ attitude can lead to extraordinary things,” says his daughter Jessica Mitri. Georges formally launched his company, Stoneglass Industries, in 2005, and from the start it was emphatically a family enterprise, with his wife Sayde, son Lewis, and Jessica, all involved from day one.
Stoneglass specialises in the production of custom dental implants using state-of-the-art CNC milling technology
As well as producing customised dental restorations from its base in Homebush, NSW, the company also developed its own turnkey dental manufacturing system that was succesfully implemented in the USA and Europe. Research & development was a core part of the business, with Stoneglass devoting significant time and effort into investigating new materials and dental appliances, and manufacturing processes. From initially milling zirconia, the company progressed to titanium and cobalt chrome restorations for implant dentistry. Stoneglass also made further developments in manufacturing restorations from advanced polymers and ceramics, such as Peek and lithium disilicate. Alongside its manufacturing activities, Stoneglass also created its own specialised dental CAD software. Developed with consultation and testing with dentists, dental specialists and the University of Sydney, Prosthetic Design Centre (PDC) is a suite of CAD tools that enable a large variety of dental restorations to be planned and designed by the dental specialist. While its development was a major investment – and a big risk – for Stoneglass, PDC proved to be another success for Georges and his company. In the US in particular it found a strong market in the education sector, where it was taken up first by Columbia University, and subsequently by Rutgers University. Pre-doctoral and post-doctoral students today use PDC for simulation and pre-clinical exercises, and for working on patient cases. Soon Georges would be regularly travelling to the US, to teach the next generation of dental practitioners about the PDC system. Today Stoneglass operates an office in New York to service its US clients, but its Homebush facility remains the heart of the business, with all R&D, design and manufacturing taking place there. Sayde and Jessica remain closely involved in the running of the business. Meanwhile the company continues to innovate, both in the form of new products such as the DentaBite Occlusal Splint, and in its adoption of advanced manufacturing technologies and processes such as digital scanning/reverse engineering and 3D printing, as well as in the continued advancement in CNC milling technology.
Georges Sara, 1964-2020.
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In the last few years, Georges brought his interest and expertise to bear on a new area of focus, maxillofacial surgery, researching ways that his company’s technologies could be applied in reconstructive surgery for patients whose jaws had been ravaged by cancer. As Jessica explains, the work became a passion for him.
MEDICAL
Stoneglass has also developed Prosthetic Design Centre (PDC), its own suite of specialised dental CAD software.
“For my dad it was never about money,” she says. “It was always about being able to reach people, about using the innovations he had brought about to help people. That was how he was.” Most recently, the PDC software suite has been adopted by the Chris O’Brien Lifehouse, a specialist cancer treatment centre that explores innovative approaches to the treatment of cancer. Lifehouse sees PDC as the basis for a new model for hospitals and universities in their approach to this aspect of cancer care. In mid-July of last year, Georges Sara left Sydney on yet another of his increasingly frequent trips to the US. On this occasion he was travelling to New Jersey, where he planned to oversee the final stages of the set-up of a new Digital Education Centre based at the Rutgers School of Dental Medicine. However, a few days after arriving in the US, Georges contracted COVID-19, and was soon hospitalised with serious complications from the virus. After a long battle with the disease, Georges Sara passed away on 21 November 2020; he was 56. While Georges’ life came to an end tragically early, he leaves behind a hugely impressive legacy, in the
Stoneglass Industries’ workshop in Homebush, NSW.
family that he raised and the business that he founded, and in so much more besides. He was awarded honorary professorships from several US universities, and both Columbia and Rutgers Universities intend to honour him with commemorative plaques; Rutgers has also completed work on its Digital Education Centre, which opened in September last year. Perhaps most profoundly, there are the numerous people out there wearing the dental prostheses that Georges made over the course of decades, including cancer patients whose lives have been transformed by his innovations. “He was as tough and as stubborn as they came, yet it came with good intention, purpose and reason,” says Jessica. “A human being with a brilliant mind and an even bigger heart. He had this extraordinary talent of seeing the world through a lens that not many could. He thought differently, spoke differently, and dreamt of things not many others could. He had a wonderful sense of humour and always managed to leave a lasting impression on all those who came in to his life.” www.stoneglassinc.com
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Mention your AMTIL membership to receive member discounts with us.
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For more information contact Julia Cameron: E: JCameron@rigbycooke.com.au T: + 61 3 9321 7807
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COMPRESSORS & AIR TECHNOLOGY
Save energy and money: Identifying compressed air efficiency opportunities Operating an energy optimised compressed air system brings a wealth of benefits, from reducing your electricity costs to reducing your carbon emissions and thereby your impact on the environment. But, when it comes to identifying energy saving opportunities within your existing compressed air system, what is the potential and where do you start? “Almost three quarters of the lifetime costs of a compressor are attributed to energy,” says Peter Eckberg, Managing Director at Kaeser Compressors Australia. “If you take the example of a 250kW compressor, running three shifts, seven days a week, and with electricity costs at $0.15/kWh, then over an average 10-year lifecycle that will cost $3.28m to run in electricity costs alone! What’s surprising to many people, is that in most compressed air systems only around 50% of the compressed air produced is actually production demand.” With Eckberg’s example, that means that more than $1.6m is being potentially wasted through issues such as: compressed air leaks (25% to 30%), artificial demand (10% to 15%) and inappropriate uses (5% to 10%). But there is good news. Many existing compressed air systems are hiding an energy savings potential of up to 30%. “Whether you’re looking to optimise the energy efficiency of your existing compressed air system, or upgrade to a new one, understanding your precise compressed air requirements is essential in order to design and subsequently operate a reliable and energy efficient compressed air system,” Eckberg adds.
The path to an energy saving compressed air station The first step in understanding your compressed air requirements is to undergo a compressed air audit. Here, meaningful and accurate performance data should be gathered from your existing compressed air system. This is most effectively carried out by attaching a data logger to your compressed air system for a set period of time (usually a minimum of seven days). This collects data that can then be uploaded and analysed using proprietary software. “With Kaeser’s Air Demand Analysis (ADA) and the Kaeser Energy Saving System (KESS), our compressed air experts can provide compressed air users with the full picture when it comes to their compressed air station, and create the optimum solution for outstanding compressed air supply efficiency and dependability,” Eckberg explains. “Our experts will first visit the plant to gather information about the compressed air system, such as: production parameters, existing components, installation location and plans for the future.
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The Air Demand Analysis (ADA) measuring equipment logs a compressed air system for a fixed period of time.
“Using the Air Demand Analysis (ADA), we then data log the compressed air system over a fixed period of time. The data is then downloaded and analysed, which allows us to generate precise consumption profiles of the compressed air station. This highlights the real compressed air demand. With the ADA we can also identify potential weak points in a compressed air system – as well as the all-important energy savings potential. Utilising the ADA therefore lays the groundwork for an optimum compressed air station.” To determine the optimum solution, all gathered data is analysed using the KESS. With this advanced software, developed by Kaeser, multiple potential compressed air supply system solutions are compared against one another. Kaeser is then able to design the most efficient and economical solution that is precisely tailored to meet the end user’s needs. “Maximum compressed air availability and massively reduced energy costs are often the result of such plant optimisation performed by our engineers,” says Eckberg. “A reduction of energy costs of up to 30% is not uncommon and it has been even more in some cases! The results are often so impressive that they mark a true turning point.” The ADA audit service from Kaeser Compressors was able to identify more than 6,856,250.00kWh of savings potential with some of its customers in 2019 to 2020
in Australia alone. That’s $1,028,437.00 in possible savings (based on $0.15/ kWh). Eckberg adds: “Based on the 2020 estimate that the average medium-sized household’s electricity usage in Australia is 6,570kWh per year, that’s the equivalent of taking 1,000 homes off the grid for one year! “Possibly one of the greatest advantages of using the ADA and KESS is providing the end user with the ability to make informed decisions, based on real data, and by showing them a number of configuration options and their potential efficiency and investment outcomes.”
Investing into the future “Where efficiency gains can be made by upgrading equipment, there may never have been a better time to invest with many financial incentives currently available,” Eckberg concludes. “This includes not least the announcement in the Federal Budget 2021/2022 that the Instant Asset Write-Off scheme has been extended through to 30 June 2023.” The ADA and KESS measurement and evaluation methods used comply with the requirements as per ISO 11011, a standard that establishes rules, methodologies and responsibilities to enable comparability between energy audits in order to achieve enhanced compressed air system efficiency. au.kaeser.com
COMPRESSORS & AIR TECHNOLOGY
Scroll compressed air technology delivers ideal alternative Demands from industry to reduce energy costs, improve reliability and provide a safe working environment have created the need for a viable alternative to the piston-type air compressor. Whilst the piston-type, reciprocating air compressor has been a reliable workhorse for workshops and smaller industry applications, it can be somewhat inefficient, expensive and noisy in operation. Kaishan’s Scroll range of advanced, compact,fixed-orbit, lubricated air compressors offer great benefits over the conventional piston type compressors. Scroll technology has produced a compact air compressor with a direct drive, dynamically 3D-balanced compressor that delivers quiet, stable and energy-efficient performance to far outstrip equivalent piston-type reciprocating machines. With the added benefit of continuous load capability and an integral after cooler to reduce moisture carry over, the Scroll system offers a highly reliable compressed air supply with considerably lower energy bills. The dynamically balanced, noncontact, fixed-orbit technology also results in significantly longer element life.
Unlike old piston technology, the Scroll compressor includes an advanced digital control panel for ease and safety of operation. This provides the operator with monitoring of all key compressor functions, fault detection and protection, and alerts when a service is due. The Scroll OX series of air compressors gives higher output ratios to energy input, and with a fixed-orbit direct drive there are zero transmission losses and no need to oversize the compressor to manage load cycles. The direct-drive configuration also
means that there are no drive belts that will wear out and need to be replaced. The Scroll Integrated Compressed Air System is now available as a fully integrated, tank mounted system complete with large 500-litre receiver tank, and an optional built-in refrigerated dryer and air fllter unit. This plug-in, ready-to-use compressed air system saves on independent component purchase, installation costs and floor space, while efficiently delivering ample clean air for all applicable industry applications. www.kaishan.com.au
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Zip Water boosts its fabrication productivity Prompted by a redesign to one of its core product lines, Zip Water recently invested in an upgrade to its press brake capability, with the acquisition of an Amada HG1003ATC machine. Zip Industries has been manufacturing and marketing Australian designed and made instant water systems since 1947. The company introduced the world’s first boiling water tap in 1970, followed in 1975 by the first on-wall instant boiling water heater. Today, Zip employs 160 people at its factory in Condell Park, in Sydney’s south-west suburbs,where it produces a wide range of hot and chilled, still and sparkling water-dispensing products that are exported to the world’s fastest growing commercial and consumer markets. The company’s flagship product, the Zip Hydrotap is also manufactured at this facility. The Hydrotap is an innovative multifunction touch tap that has revolutionised instant water dispensing and has recently made a successful debut in the huge US market. Michael Conyers, Director of Operations, Asia-Pacific at Zip, explains: “The Hydrotap is an appliance with heating and chilling functions and comprises many diverse parts. While our core competencies include sheet metal fabrication, manufacture of this product includes sub-assembly and final assembly of mechanical and electronic components. “Our second most popular product in the Australian domestic market, as well as the UK, is the Zip Miniboil, which is well known with a long history in the market. We have refreshed the functionality of this product, along with an updated design,” Conyers adds.
Product redesign In deciding to embark on a redesign of the small on-wall boiling unit, the process soon highlighted for Zip a need to upgrade its workshop’s press brake capability. It became clear that the company’s old machine was not up to the task, and a new machine would be required that offered the ability to produce the quality finish that was needed. David Smith, Manufacturing Manager at Zip, explains: “We analysed the performance of a number of press brakes. We needed an improvement in both output and quality. Bending accuracy had to be spot on, as was the ability to maintain the integrity of the powder-coated surface during the bending process. As well as a new machine, we needed special tooling that would let us maintain manufacturing parameters and tolerances that were required of the modern design.” The company investigated a wide range of
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Members of the Zip Water team (from left): operator Charles Duarte; Michael Conyers, Director of Operations – Asia-Pacific; James Martin, Project Manager; and David Smith, Manufacturing Manager.
press brakes before settling on their final choice. James Martin, Project Manager at Zip, says: “Some had a few of the features we needed, others had different features. The Amada HG1003ATC was the machine that gave us all the features and benefits we wanted, along with a complete package of local availability, installation, testing, commissioning and training.”
Full list of features Martin continues: “We particularly liked the press brake’s simulation panel that lets the operator preview the production process, graphically showing the final result that would be completed by the program. However, our decision to purchase the Amada machine was based on a package of reasons. These ranged from performance to very fast automatic tool changing, and – perhaps more importantly – the fact that Amada has a local presence with machines in stock and could provide full technical and engineering support.” Smith adds: “Access to technical staff was important to support the installation to enable us to get the machine up and running quickly. The Amada HG1003ATC ‘ticked all our boxes’ when looking at the parameters on which a decision was based.” According to Smith, the delivery and installation of the new machine took place very smoothly. “Within the first day we had all new programs loaded into the machine and producing parts,” he recalls. “We were
Zip Water manufactures and markets a range of Australian-designed and -made instant water systems.
productive from the first day. The set-up of the machine and the accuracy of the performance is a world away from what we were previously experiencing. Even our most experienced operators on the old machine were not able to achieve the same level of accuracy we are getting from the Amada. “In addition to us achieving the quality level needed, the greatest benefits are fast tool
FORMING & FABRICATION
changing and a significant reduction of waste materials. Tool changes that previously would have taken up to 45 minutes are now performed in a couple of minutes. Automatic tool changes also preserve the quality of the tools, as there is less chance of damage than with manual tool handling.”
Speed and precision The new Amada press brake has overcome many of the problems experienced with Zip’s old machine, such as misalignments, which would result in the staff having to rework parts. In fact, according to Smith, the purchase of the new machine been a “game changer”. “The bending precision of the Amada press brake has enabled us to significantly
The new Amada HG1003ATC press brake has enabled Zip Water to significantly improve the quality finish of its products and improve overall workflow.
improve the quality finish of our product and improve our total workflow, both critical requirements in launching our new product,” says Smith. “Output quality, speed of tool change, rapid machine setup, reduction of effort and time compared with manual tool changes all add up to huge savings in labour costs. We are producing more than 300 different parts on this machine at a rate up to, and in
some cases exceeding, 400 per hour. “Our productivity is vastly better and the quality is super accurate and consistent,” Smith concludes. “The new Amada HG1003ATC press brake has provided a massive improvement in production and a leap forward in technology.” www.amada.com.au www.zipwater.com
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Why the fabricated metals industry needs to integrate business processes, improve visibility of information The fabricated metals industry is a vital element in model manufacturing, but it faces serious challenges in a highly competitive marketplace. By Rob Stummer. in CAD and enabling it to flow seamlessly to the ERP system, helps modernise and simplify the manufacturing process for fabricated metals businesses. By integrating the CAD software with the ERP system, it automatically makes the engineering-to-manufacturing handoff a much smoother and simpler one. This makes better use of available resources, improves the accuracy of the systems, and increases efficiency and profitability, all while ensuring the customers are extremely satisfied.
Supporting the largest industries in the world, including automotive, aerospace and electronics, metal fabrication is one of the most important manufacturing sectors, currently valued at $3.8bn by IBIS World in Australia. Consequently, competition is fierce and most businesses in the fabricated metals sector are facing serious challenges with their complex supply chains, and collaborating with customers to design the most effective products – all while meeting quality, tolerance and material specifications and keeping their customers loyal by delivering exactly what they ordered, on time, every time. The challenge is that the industry needs to maintain flexibility to change capacity requirements while operating effective continuous replenishment systems. Operators need to be able to manage production costs, product quality and ontime delivery by automating and integrating business processes and improving the visibility of management information.
Putting the P in ERP Enterprise resource planning (ERP) software allows metal fabrication companies to manage their businesses from the front office to the factory floor. To maximise the use of their ERP system’s planning capabilities, fabricated metals manufacturers can extract data to measure productivity, determine process efficiencies and troubleshoot any inefficiencies. Accumulating every bit of information that goes into quoting and manufacturing in this sector is not necessarily a big task, but applying this information to all the current orders a typical shop fabricates, and going back several years to account for the orders that are likely to be repeated, can be a mammoth task. Companies that currently create their Bill of Materials (BOM) manually, such as an engineer retyping information into an ERP system, are introducing more time into the process, along with the chance of making costly errors. The complete BOM forms the foundation for material and capacity planning, shopfloor control and costing, and ensures that engineering, production, purchasing and order processing are utilising the same information. This allows organisations to facilitate accurate
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A single version of the truth expected costs against which actual production costs can be tracked. What if costing facilities are provided, as well as the ability to calculate the cumulative and manufacturing lead times of an item, and to update the relevant fields against the stock item. Reducing the manufacturing lead time ensures that customers receive their orders faster. The role an accurate and efficient BOM plays in that, while it may not seem so on the surface, is quite significant once you consider the downstream impact it has throughout the entire manufacturing process.
Integrating CAD and ERP drives improvement The transition between engineering and manufacturing is perhaps the most critical task and Computer Aided Design (CAD) technology has totally revolutionised this process. When companies create a BOM from CAD designs, it can heavily impact the flow of everything that follows. A BOM is designed to ensure a fabricated metals company has complete control over their product’s structure and getting it right is crucial.
Accessing and communicating the right information at the right time has become central to the metal fabrication business but to get the right information, people and machines need to be digitally interconnected. Connectivity is needed to monitor and control every machine, and automation is necessary to initiate and maintain a smooth flow of parts. Until a few years ago, many shopfloors in the sector still worked with some paper drawings, manually entered work orders and entered programs standing by the machine controller. Manufacturers in the supply chain will still email CAD drawings and other files to each other. It is possible for fabricated metals factories to build an industrial cloud, collect data from their machines and this enables them to perform a deep analysis in real time. Creating a digital thread would help the industry use their ERP systems to establish more thorough control over the entire production process, making production data available to customers and supply chain partners in real time.
Despite the obvious benefits of CAD, delays can still occur in manufacturing because of the document change process, which in turn leads to cost overruns and missed due dates. The document change process inevitably involves making sure the BOM is current and correct, which can be a time-consuming and rather tedious task.
A fully integrated Industry 4.0 system can digitise and organise vast volumes of manufacturing data and make it available so that employees can log in from anywhere to review the system’s status, run remote diagnostics and even for troubleshooting. Everyone who needs to should be able to access all the information required on the one ERP platform, allowing them all to work from one single version of the truth for real-time data analysis and comprehensive reporting and decision-making.
Better data management leads to better productivity, because starting the process
Rob Stummer is the CEO – Asia Pacific at SYSPRO. www.au.syspro.com
FORMING & FABRICATION
Prima Power Laser Genius+ - Next-level laser cutting Exclusively supplied by IMTS Machinery in Australia and New Zealand, the new Prima Power Laser Genius+ brings precision and speed with improved reliability and performance like never before. The Laser Genius+ (LG+) benefits from the 30 years of expert knowledge Prima Power has gained from the supply of over 10,000 laser systems to customers worldwide. The machine developments reduce installation time, increases serviceability, and make the overall user experience the best it can be, pushing the boundaries for the manufacturing industry. Built with ease of use and ease of service in mind, the LG+ has a single structure that holds the laser source, chillers, cutting table, and electrical cabinet. Prima Power is one of the only worldwide manufacturers to develop its own electrical components, cutting head, and laser sources. It does all of this from their facilities in Italy and the USA. It is also the only system manufacturer to make its own solid-state diode fiber lasers, with power from 3kW up to 15kW. The Prima Electro subsidiary develops CNC and electrical components, along with the software to drive the machines. The LG+ has any customer requirement covered, with various modular automation systems and up to 15kW of fiber laser power. It is possible to supply the LG+ with cutting table access doors on the back and front of the machine to allow easy operator access. The customer can also flip the machine layout to have the operator console on the opposite side. As a result, Laser Genius+ allows greater flexibility when formalising a design for the client. It’s all about making the lives of our clients and their teams easier. The range of Prima Power of automation is modular, meaning it can grow with your business over the years. The LG+ comes with Industry 4.0 and Internet of Things (IoT) technology giving the most critical real-time feedback for the clients and their technicians. Remote Care condition monitoring provides routine and planned maintenance and speeds up troubleshooting and problem-solving. The Prima Power remote monitoring system collects machine data, records operation history, logs data of component usage and alarms, and stores it in the Prima Power database. LG+ benefits from Prima Power’s ‘Optia’ and ‘Wizard’ onboard technology. Optia is used for scrap sheet digitalisation via HD video camera streaming and further nesting/technology operations. Wizard is a simplified CAM system where there are five simple steps: import the part; nest; spply automatic cutting technology; postprocess; and cut.
A built-in feature regarding Industry 4.0 and IoT is that the LG+ can keep area managers up to date on production progress or messages using Tulus Messenger and Tulus Office software suites. At any time, an operator or manager can log into the machine to see the current status of the cutting cycle, alarms, or messages. In addition, they can even send new jobs straight to the work queue calendar without leaving their office. LG+ highlight features and benefits are: • Best-in-class laser system. Laser Genius+ has a highly compact footprint, with the smallest floor space requirements of all equivalent capacity 2D lasers. • Reversible and flexible layout. The symmetrical and reversible layout increases the ease and flexibility of installing the machine, allowing better placement in any production context.
• Quick installation. LG+ is a plugand-play machine. The fibre laser, chillers, drives, optics are integrated inside the cabin and ensure ease and speed of installation. Just a few days are enough to go from delivery to production in any factory. • High accessibility. Due to optional opening doors available on both sides of the machine, the Laser Genius+ guarantees the highest ergonomic standards and levels of accessibility into the work area. According to IMTS Machinery, Laser Genius+ is one of the most exciting machines Prima has released in many years. As the only agent for Prima in Australia and New Zealand, IMTS has the knowledge and backup from Prima to keep these machines running day after day, year after year. There is also 24/7 support always available from IMTS Machinery and Prima’s headquarters in Turin, Italy. www.imts.com.au
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ipLaser: Cutting quotation software slashes customer response times New cloud-based laser cutting quotation software from ipLaser typically more than halves the time and manual input required by laser cutting companies to prepare precise estimates for world industries using their services. The ipLaser cloud-based technology suite – which can automatically process three-dimensional engineering and production graphics provided by customers – not only automates business processes and saves time, but transforms and expands business opportunities for the huge and rapidly growing number of laser service providers. “It does this by enabling laser cutting businesses to respond to customers’ needs more quickly and to reach many more prospective customers than previously in a given time,” says ipLaser Managing Director, Ivan Cooper. “The new process – which we believe is unique in the global market – goes far beyond saving time and costs, to fundamentally change and improve the way a business built around laser cutting can grow. “This technology is a game-changer across multiple industries, because laser cutting is one of the world’s fastest growing industries, with the machine market alone expected to exceed US$7bn (almost AUD9bn) by 2024, as major industries adopt this fast, accurate technology that flexibly responds to the digital revolution of Industry 4.0.” ipLaser’s new technology differs from conventional 2D-based laser quotation technologies in that it can be fed full 3D schematics of a product and sift out precisely all the 2D sheet metal surfaces required to be cut by a laser workshop of any size and complexity. The new automated 3D process eliminates many previous obstacles to the use of 3D packages encountered by laser cutting companies, whose services are delivered in a 2D sheet metal environment, using surfaces that must be extracted from 3D drawings. Cooper says previous challenges in the conversion included high cost and time demands: “3D packages are expensive, trained operators are expensive and finding the time to train people is hard too.” Simplifying the process makes it more accessible for any operator without 3D experience, in both large and small laser shops. This means businesses can scale up to handling 3D models as a customer-quoting source quickly. The new 3D software complements and extends the success of ipLaser’s time-saving and revenue-growing software, developed from practical laser shop production floor and quotation management experience over more than 30 years. The new technology taps into the experience and needs of thousands of ipLaser software users globally, who have contributed their ideas, catering to the needs of laser cutters servicing the world’s major industries, including automotive, aviation, architectural and construction products, engineering electrical, manufacturing, metals, mining and energy, shipbuilding and textiles.
Seamless transition ipLaser’s latest software ties in seamlessly with a job shop customer’s existing 3D drawings and automatically breaks down their complexity into the myriad of simple 2D shapes that require laser cutting. “No job shop customer wants to be asked to provide differently formatted drawings,” says Cooper. “In most cases, they’ll just seek to work with someone who can more easily meet their needs. With the latest ipLaser software, job shops can automatically extract their customer’s parts from a 3D model, effectively breaking down roadblocks to getting the job done most efficiently.
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“With ipLaser’s product suite, any operator can produce quotes from a 3D drawing, with no 3D experience required, allowing them to meet customer requests efficiently without investing heavily in 3D technology.” The new technology also enhances accuracy and customer service by automatically using rules involved in the job for consistency. Customers get faster, more accurate and more complete quotes. Cooper and his business partner Peter Olle have been involved in profile cutting job shops for more than 30 years. They base their new suite of ipLaser technologies (different parts of which are suitable for different laser shop tasks) on research and practical experience in developing a business management solution to ensure effective control, efficiency and accuracy of the quoting, order processing and reporting aspects of their own laser cutting business and those of their global user base. The result is the ipLaser cloud-based platform, designed to meet the requirements of busy modern laser job shops, by enabling accurate, consistent and timely quotations for complex parts requiring multiple processes. ipLaser seeks to address the following opportunities: • Quote turnaround times, enabling customers to receive instant quotes with the ipLaser online quoting portal. It also enables staff to prepare quotations more efficiently for customers from simple-to-complex parts with quote turnaround times from minutes to hours – not a day or days. • Pricing consistency. The administrator-controlled rules of ipLaser ensure consistent quantity-based pricing to the customer, regardless of which customer service staff member prepared the quote or the location in which it was prepared. • Process improvement. ipLaser promotes business growth by timely delivery of quotes to customers, either via the online store or direct with service staff. The simplicity of the ipLaser system enables a broader selection of company staff to assist with quotes and therefore releases more multi-skilled staff to address wider business opportunities. ipLaser is trusted by job shops in North and South America, the UK and Europe, and Australia and New Zealand. It is expanding into the growing industries of the Asia-Pacific, which are vigorously embracing the laser cutting industry’s role in Industry 4.0. www.iplaser.com
www.tempustools.com
FORMING & FABRICATION
Engineering support for Liverpool Plains growers Based in rural New South Wales, Spring Ridge Engineering recently invested in a Jekran X-MW Series waterjet cutter from Hare & Forbes. The Liverpool Plains area of north-west NSW is highly productive agricultural land. There are crops such as wheat, corn, sorghum and cotton crops, sheep graze the hills surrounding Spring Ridge, and the Caroona and Killara cattle feedlots are significant Spring Ridge Engineering apprentice Cody with the Jekran XM-W waterjet. contributors to the local economy. Machinery plays a vital role. Critical tasks must be performed in narrow timeframes and no farmer can afford to have an unproductive machine creating costly downtime.
Everything you need to start automatically loading & unloading parts – in a couple of hours, not days.
Andrew Holland runs Spring Ridge Engineering with his father Chris, who started the business around 40 years ago, originally manufacturing planting machines. “In recent years growers have adopted new machines with advanced technology,” says Andrew. “The transition to automation has meant Spring Ridge Engineering has moved from manufacturing machines to supplying parts and accessories, fabrication of specialised components, and engineering services to produce replacement parts and make repairs. Harvest time is extremely busy and no one can wait longer than necessary to get a machine back in operation.” The need for specialised fabricated parts has kept Spring Ridge Engineering busy. It needed a solution to quickly manufacture components, specialised implements and high-precision parts. “When it comes to cutting materials, a plasma cutter or oxy acetylene may be fast,” Andrew explains. “However, it’s difficult to get the fine-quality finish needed for many precision components. We found the right solution in a Jekran X-MW series waterjet, which we installed in our factory towards the end of last year. It gives us the flexibility to produce high-precision components.” The Jekran X-MW is a versatile machine capable of cutting virtually any material, including steel up to 100mm thick. The fine finish on machined parts eliminates the need for any secondary finishing. While waterjet cutting may not be the fastest method, is gives the best precision. “The Jekran waterjet is capable of delivering excellent results even for the most challenging jobs,” adds Andrew. “The cold process means there is no molten-edge distortion. When we need to fabricate or replicate a critical part, it’s just a matter copying an existing component or creating a new piece by drawing up the task in SolidWorks and feeding this into the machine’s controller. “The Jekran waterjet provides the critical link between our long experience and resourcefulness and engineering know-how to give us the edge we need. It has enabled us to be creative in delivering the fast turnaround and high-quality solutions our customers demand. The machine is easy to program and can be operated by an apprentice, so our technical support team can spend more time in the field to help producers with their machinery issues. The benefit to our business is a good-quality job that can be charged out at a rate that will deliver us an acceptable profit margin, in a timeframe that makes the customer happy.” www.machineryhouse.com.au www.springridge.engineering
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MTM – Pressing the button on Industry 4.0 Melbourne-based manufactured MTM embarked on an Industry 4.0 journey a few years ago, when faced with the impending departure of a key staff member. The company saw an opportunity to expand its Industry 4.0 strategy to eliminate wasteful activity, and the resulting project could have far-reaching implications for the business. Max Albert founded Melbourne Tooling Co in 1965. Initially based in Huntingdale, in Melbourne’s south-east suburbs, the company started out as a toolmaking operation, and soon made a name for itself providing tooling for the local automotive industry. Within a few years it diversified into the design and manufacture of automotive components, and established itself as a key supplier to the original five Australian car manufacturers Ford, GM Holden, Toyota, Nissan and Mitsubishi. Today the company, now rebranded as MTM Pty Ltd, remains privately owned by the Albert family, with Max’s son Mark Albert now its Managing Director, but the business is a truly global operation. The closure of Australia’s car industry has seen MTM diversify into areas such as rail, water conservation and safety, but automotive components still account for a substantial part of the company’s business. Its customer base amounts to a roll-call of global car brands, including GM, Ford and Cadillac, Toyota and Mazda, MG and JMC. The company has assembly plants in the US and China, but all design and the more advanced manufacturing operations still take place at its 18,900sqm plant in Oakleigh South, which employs a workforce of around 80 staff. MTM’s press shop is equipped with two power presses: a 200-ton machine, and a 160-machine. The tools on these machines would get worn after a certain number of strokes, and regular preventative maintenance is essential. Ensuring that this was undertaken at the right time to keep the machines running was undertaken by three members of staff. Suresh Jayan, Plant Manager at MTM, explains: “We had a press shop operator who would manually record the number of strokes, and then go into the press shop office, where a supervisor sat down and tabulated the data. And then on a weekly basis he had a meeting with the toolroom supervisor, and they planned in the preventive maintenance of tools.” This system obviously represented a fairly mundane task for the three staff involved, and was arguably not very efficient, but nonetheless it was working well enough to meet MTM’s needs. However, the problem really started to arise when it emerged that all three members of staff were planning to leave. “It left us no choice but to automate. We didn’t have the manpower anymore. If we didn’t automate this, guess who’d have
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The press shop at MTM is equipped with two power presses: a 200-ton machine, and a 160-machine.
to do it?” Jayan laughs. “I didn’t want it to have to be me.”
Finding the smart solution In tackling the problem, MTM turned to Balluff, which worked with Jayan and his team to develop a proposed solution. Further support came through AMTIL, whose CEO Shane Infanti and Corporate Services Manager Greg Chalker helped to secure some financial assistance for an Industry 4.0 pilot program via the Federal Government’s Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre (AMGC). “When we initially looked at the project we had the opportunity to involve Greg and Shane in helping us to help MTM to secure some funding,” recalls Jim Wallace, National Sales Manager at Balluff. So that kind of got the ball rolling in getting a couple of installations running.” Balluff’s solution involved fitting the press tool with an RFID (radio-frequency identification) tag, which communicates with a reader inside the machine to count each stroke as the press passes up and down. This enables MTM to accurately count the “shot”, the number of times a tool has been operated since it last underwent preventative maintenance. With that number always available, the tool room can always be informed in real time how close each tool is to needing its next round of maintenance. “Balluff’s system is standalone, and one of the beautiful things about it is it doesn’t need to be integrated
into the machine,” adds Wallace. “And these guys have done a terrific job to really build on that, taking a really general simple system and integrating it further into their production process.” While Balluff’s initial solution was elegant in its simplicity, it was MTM’s in-house team of Darren Symington, Information Systems Manager, and Daniel Zhu, Information Systems Administrator, who took the system to the next level. The project provided the starting point for a much broader upgrade of the way they were handling information from the press shop. “Initially we were just dumping the data from the device onto a spreadsheet,” says Symington. “That file was accessible to the guys in the tool room, who had to update the data. What we’ve done now is we’ve bypassed the file and put it into a SQL database. And we’ve just migrated to Office 365, so we’ve set up a SharePoint departmental site, like an intranet, where everybody can get to this page to see what the preventative maintenance status is.”
MTM’s plant in Oakleigh South
INDUSTRY 4.0 Jim Wallace (left), National Sales Manager at Balluff, with the MTM team: Suresh Jayan, Plant Manager; Darren Symington, Information Systems Manager; and Daniel Zhu, Information Systems Administrator.
Zhu also developed a smartphone app that the toolroom staff can now use to log the completion of each tool’s maintenance job. By simply hovering the phone over the tool’s RFID tag with the app open, the job will disappear and the tool’s shot count will be reset to zero. The team at MTM went to considerable lengths to identify an appropriate trigger for notifying the tool shop that a maintenance job was imminent. The Balluff system used stacklights mounted on the machines themselves, operating a ‘traffic light’ system: if the light was green no action was needed; at 85% of the tool’s lifecycle, the light turned yellow as a warning signal that maintenance would be required soon; at red, the tool had reached its 100% threshold and would need to be shut down. “In the beginning, we started off with just the light,” says Symington. “But the guys weren’t really fixated on that, they weren’t noticing the light, mainly because it was in the wrong area. So next we set it up to send an email, but that wasn’t visible enough. The challenge was making something that just sticks out.” In the end the team settled on the use of a TV screen installed in the toolroom, displaying the same alert signs as on the stacklights: yellow when a job is imminent; and red when it is due. This met MTM’s focus on visual management and is working well.
Next steps Today the new system is running effectively, successfully performing the work once performed by three staff. Indeed, in a way it might be working too well, with the toolroom staff often jumping ahead to perform maintenance on tools that have only just reached their yellow “warning” stage. “The intention was for yellow to forewarn them, and then when it’s red, they go and get the tool,” says Jayan. “But now when they finish the reds, they’ll finish the yellows too. And it’s easy to understand why, because as soon as you walk into the toolroom, [the on-screen alert] is an eyesore. So the boys are fixated on clearing whatever they see out there.” While such enthusiasm is a nice by-product of the new system, it also opens up the possibility for further efficiency savings. By performing maintenance when the yellow alert is triggered, at 85% of the tool’s lifecycle, a further 15% of the tool’s total capacity is lost. However, by tweaking the threshold at which that warning signal is triggered, MTM has the opportunity to improve utilisation rates.
Beyond that, with the press shop having served as a pilot project, the potential for extending the system is enormous. Most notably, MTM’s moulding shop, which is larger than the press shop, operates a similar manual system for maintenance of tools, and could benefit significantly from an upgrade along the same lines. Meanwhile, the transfer of the process to a database accessible through the Cloud opens up options to incorporate a wealth of other data, such as inventory transactions, labour efficiencies or machine overhead costs. There is also the potential to enhance visibility across the organisation, through to departments such as sales or logistics, with remote staff, or even with MTM’s customers. “Because we’ve got that database, if we ever put something else in, we can tie it in with this,” says Symington. “So say, this part was made by this person on this machine. These were the settings. This is how long it took. This is the amount of plastic, how much it cost in labour, parts being booked out. And this is the state of the tool. What’s more, you can trend it historically – you can forecast that in one week and four days, we will be at max on our usage. You can do everything better.” Wallace adds: “And now MTM has developed this, if they wanted to, they could install it in their plants in China and USA. And from here, they’d have complete visibility over everything there.” The MTM installation is an interesting case because it demonstrates that Industry 4.0 does not have to be a huge and expensive undertaking, only really viable for the largest manufacturers. By taking quite small, modest measures, any manufacturing business can start to embrace these emerging technologies and processes.
The new system uses RFID tags from Balluff, which can be accessed and controlled using a smartphone app developed by MTM.
Indeed, even relatively small manufacturers can begin reaping the benefits. For the team at MTM, it is a step that Australian manufacturers need to take. “I think it’s quite critical,” says Symington. “Especially now, where we can’t afford to have tons of admin people entering numbers. And it’s just amazing because once you’ve got your basis, then you can grab data from multiple sites and start to tie it in.” Wallace adds: “There are lots of ways you can do it at very low cost. You can start to collect this data and make a real-life installation. It might be a small first step, but then you start getting those justifications to get bigger and bigger and bigger. What we find at Balluff is that to get over that initial hurdle, keep it small. You can still get value from a small installation.” www.balluff.com www.mtmauto.com
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Why Industry 4.0 is so important at Integra Systems For Broadmeadows-based manufacturer Integra Systems in Melbourne, Industry 4.0 is at the centre of everything it does, as evidenced by the company being named finalist in the category ‘Leader in Industry 4.0’ at the 2019 Victorian Manufacturing Hall of Fame Awards. Since then, the emphasis on Industry 4.0 at Integra has only grown. As a design-focused operation, Integra Systems’ Managing Director Paul Hughes considers Industry 4.0 to be paramount at the company for many reasons: to drive better productivity across the factory; to improve the quality of everything to which the team put their name; to make it easier for designers and manufacturers to collaborate productively with their customers; and to increase staff morale and overall satisfaction for the people who help make Integra stand out from the competition. Paul talks about bringing all of the many varied aspects of the company’s production process together in a new kind of synchronicity, to meet the demands of the next generation in manufacturing. Accordingly, Industry 4.0 has played a pivotal role in making that happen. “Our vision of Industry 4.0 was the ability to be able to link a whole group of subsystems together,’ explains Paul. “In doing that, the vision was to then streamline things from a scheduling and workflow point of view in the factory, to increase productivity, as well as to have the ability to measure your KPIs (key performance indicators) on the spot by comparing live data out of the machines, with data that was quoted through the ERP (enterprise resource planning) systems. “We hired a computer scientist and electronics engineer to write the software and gather the machine data to bring this all together within our own manufacturing environment. All of this was really to ensure that the system delivered high-quality products organically.”
CAD is king One of the main objectives for Paul and his team has been to make CAD (computeraided design) the master of the process, as opposed to other organisations who may rely on their ERP as the driving force.
Industry 4.0 is vital at Integra Systems in driving better factory productivity, improving quality, facilitating collaboration, and increasing staff morale.
We’re a design-led company, so we want everything to start with the CAD, then flow down to the ERP and then into production.” “We’ve also found over the years that in your manufacturing systems and your ERP that you run your business with, it’s not a one-product-fits-all scenario,” he continues. “We started to discover that we needed a certain way of doing things in one area, and a different way of doing it in other areas. “We had a few systems that were good in their own right but they weren’t completely linked together. The principles of Industry 4.0 have helped us design ways to integrate those systems in a much more efficient way. Using IoT (Internet of Things), it has enabled us to pull together the best bits from a lot of different systems into one cohesive interface.” For Paul, the improvements Industry 4.0 delivers in quality make everything worthwhile.
While Paul isn’t denying the importance of a solid ERP system in manufacturing operations, he admits to witnessing too many instances where organisations making ERP-based strategy decisions become limited in what they can and cannot do. For Integra’s dynamic manufacturing environment, maintaining agility is essential and relying on ERP can potentially restrict that agility.
“A lot of manufacturers have a quality system or processes in place where inspection of parts and so on is critical,” he explains. “But our philosophy is to put the best tools in the hands of the operators, and then equip them with the most upto-date information they can possibly get. By doing it this way, quality becomes an inherent thing, rather than an expedited thing.”
“We didn’t want that,” Paul explains. “We just wanted to use the ERP system for what it is — which is a framework — and have the freedom to use the CAD as our master.
What Industry 4.0 looks like at Integra
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The factory floor at Integra looks very different from what most people might
image a traditional manufacturing facility would look like, with every work centre fitted with 42-inch touchscreen kiosks – Integra’s own K4.0 hardware, designed and developed in-house. The K4.0 kiosks streamline operations by enabling personnel to access part schematics, plans, and animations and 3D drawings (as well as allowing staff to manipulate those drawings). The kiosks also capture engineering change requests and directly engage customers in the manufacturing process. Integra’s digitisation outcomes have so impressed clients that the K4.0 kiosks are now available commercially (to find out more, visit www.integratransform. com.au). As well as production efficiencies, Integra’s kiosks provide the opportunity for better collaboration and communication across every stage of the design and manufacture process. Every kiosk is equipped with video conferencing capability. Alongside real-time internal conferences, operators or the design team can link externally, which means clients and suppliers can also be brought into meetings without being physically present. “Prototyping, for example, can be done while having the customer virtually right there at the machine with you,” says Paul. The touchscreen kiosks also house Integra’s CAD, scheduling and ERP systems. “So, all of our engineering data, like CAD and animations, are at the fingertips of our operators in the factory. And we’re feeding live machine data into that as well.
INDUSTRY 4.0 facility, they’re going to be continuously improved and worked on here,” he adds. “It’s about having useful tools that enable our designers and manufacturers to come up with high-quality products. At the end of the day, it’s about having a really strong set of features that actually do something for you, rather than a whole bag of tricks that you never use.”
Designed and developed in house, Integra Systems’ K4.0 touchscreen kiosks streamline operations across the company’s manufacturing processes.
“Outside of work, everyone’s familiar with iPads and smartphones, and how they operate,” Paul continues. “So, we’ve tried to bring that into our operations and what they’re doing as part of their work. That makes it a more fun way of doing things, and a more familiar way of doing things, as opposed to reading a drawing. It’s completely digitising the environment. We’ve basically gone paperless and created a digital manufacturing environment.”
Robotics are also an important aspect of operations at Integra as part of the overall commitment to Industry 4.0. “We’re focusing a lot on COBOT (collaborative robot) systems,” says Paul. “We’ve employed a team whose focus is solely on Industry 4.0, robotics and the design of our K4.0 kiosks: a computer scientist, an electrical engineer and a mechatronics engineer. For us, apart from robotics changing the physical look of our
Most of all, for the team at Integra, Industry 4.0 is important because of the possibilities it opens up. “Committing to Industry 4.0 really gives you a point of difference,” remarks Paul. “It gives your business a level of transparency that people can really see, like a window into the core of how your business operates. We’ve had many quality audits performed on us by defence customers, and when you go through the process with the auditors, it’s quite easy to explain what you do because they can see it all through this transparent interface. “It’s a pretty complicated business because there are a lot of parts that we manufacture,” Paul concludes. “But the process is quite simple. We’ve presented it in a way that simplifies a complicated system. As a system, once the foundation is there, the more you delve into it, the more possibilities open up for what you can do with it.” www.integratransform.com.au
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Business intelligence: Bringing clarity to even the most complex industry Implementing a digital transformation project witihin a manufacturing operation might be a daunting prospect, but manufacturers should be much more concerned with the risk of being left behind with outdated processes, writes Lyra Mackay. Australia has a long and proud history in manufacturing, a sector where it is renowned for its prowess and expertise across the globe. The industry has found itself at a crossroads, though, with manufacturing on the decline over recent years. There is much to gain from digital transformation. However, manufacturing businesses have a reputation for being slow adopters, and coupled with the perceived threat of automation and artificial intelligence (AI), a digital transformation project can start to look daunting. On the contrary, the prospect of being left behind with outdated processes should be much scarier than a digital transformation. In order to not only stay relevant, but to establish itself as a global leader in Industry 4.0, Australian manufacturers must trust in business intelligence (BI), AI and automation, and its collective potential to improve efficiency, provide insight and oversight, and help streamline supply chains – all while reducing costs, time and errors. Having a contemporary, productive and thriving manufacturing industry is a great competitive advantage for any economy, but it’s also a notoriously complex system to navigate, and change doesn’t come quickly. If you’re lost or intimidated by change, you can start your digital transformation journey with small improvements. One of Zoho’s customers, Purolite, did just that when it was forced to move its sales office and administration staff to work-from-home environments due to COVID-19. Due to the nature of Purolite’s resin business, production staff all had to report to work, meaning the company would have to replace some of its processes while ensuring the safety of its staff. Purolite started by adopting a handful of Zoho solutions that helped them; for example, monitoring staff’s own temperatures as required with their mobile phones, and keeping track of additional staff expenses and manage reimbursements. The company also set up two computer stations on-site to facilitate communication between staff on-site and the HR and office teams working from home. All of these may seem like small steps for a global company to make, but for an industry steeped in tradition, even small improvements can make a world of difference in the long run. We’ve found that once our customers start automating some of their processes, they start looking for more areas of their business ripe for digital transformation. Even these small beginnings can offer up insights into your business you may not have otherwise known. Software can identify trends within your own business and make decisions based on those trends with far more accuracy than any human, so giving yourself insight into your own business
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is the easiest advantage to give yourself. With COVID-19 forcing companies to rethink how they do business, there’s no better time than now to get started. If you’re ready to take the next step, adopting analytics can grant you insight into the rest of the business, from sales to production to the office. For example, analysing the performance of your sales team can help you find which ones have the highest conversion rates, or which clients are more likely to buy from you. Having a powerful analytics dashboard like the one provided by Zoho Analytics will allow you to easily break down these insights into tangible actions the team can take. A version of these insights could be gleaned without an analytics solution, but without these insights appearing in real time. BI was previously focused on generating reports relating to IT, but it’s much more than that now. More BI engines have merged with AI, allowing these platforms to “learn on the go”, becoming more sophisticated and offering more relevant insights as more data is analysed. Using an AI-powered BI could even uncover data and provide insights into areas of your business you didn’t realise could be improved. Zoho’s AI was also built with simplicity in mind, meaning customers can use their natural language to “ask” the AI questions to pull up insights. When it comes to the bottom line, Australian manufacturers who haven’t at least already started on their digital transformation journey will struggle immensely to compete with their international counterparts. Analytics, AI and automation will be crucial for the entire economy going forward, and the mandate for Australia’s manufacturers to adopt these technologies has been set. The Gederal Government has even pledged to help the manufacturing sector to scale up and become more competitive by allocating $1.5bn to modernise domestic manufacturing and make supply chains more resilient. As part of the investment, $52.8m has been allocated to helping businesses fast-track their investments in digital technologies. Not only has the Government thrown its weight into reversing the shrinking of Australia’s manufacturing industry, but its mandate for businesses to transform their own operations has sent a strong message to the sector. Manufacturers should look to see if they can access the Government’s stimulus for their own digital projects. It could seem like a small measure for now, but as time goes on, you may see these small steps as the foundations for returning Australia’s manufacturing sector to its former glory. Lyra Mackay is an evangelist at global technology platform Zoho. www.zoho.com
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KUKA joins Open IIoT initiative Robotics giant KUKA has become the latest organisation to join the Open IIoT initiative Open IIoT is an initiative founded with the mission of delivering valuable, efficient and easy-to-understand information on Industry 4.0, the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and other related topics to endusers and the broader manufacturing industry. Its membership includes some of Australia’s most prominent automation brands, including SMC Corporation, Beckhoff Automation, NORD DRIVESYSTEMS, Balluff and ZI-Argus. With the tagline ‘Industrial intelligence 4.0 beyond automation’, KUKA is a natural fit to join Open IIoT. Since its founding over a century ago, the company has stood for ideas and innovations, bringing industrial robotics solutions to more than 40 countries. In addition to being a leading supplier of automotive production systems, KUKA has established itself as a trailblazer in e-commerce, electronics, energy, consumer goods, metal, plastics, healthcare and the entertainment industry. Cameron Fisher, General Manager at KUKA Robotics Australia believes that the company’s vision aligns closely to that of the Open IIoT group: “For over 120 years, KUKA has stood for ideas and innovation. Joining IIoT gives us the opportunity to join fellow prominent brands in promoting the latest technical advances in smart automation. “By joining Open IIoT, we hope be part of the movement to ramp up Industry 4.0 capabilities and acceptance in Australia. There is a definite sense of urgency in this mission, as our country is more in
need of automated solutions than ever before.” The latest Economist and WSJ statistics regarding growth dynamics in industrial robotics reflect the sense of urgency that Fisher raises. The WSJ estimates that 373,000 industrial robots were put to use in 2019, in addition to 173,000 “professional service” robots, equipped with advanced software, sensors and wi-fi. By the end of 2021. It is estimated that the installed base of factory robots worldwide will exceed 3.2m, and the current global market for industrial robotics is currently valued at $45bn dollars. “We believe COVID-19 has changed the way people work and as a result, smart automation is a key to making this efficient,” says Fisher. “From real-time monitoring of factory floors to an increase in social distancing in the workplace, robotics automation can solve many of the issue, companies are facing in the new world.” For those looking to advance their IIoT journey through robotics, Fisher suggests the following guidelines: “We strongly recommend that customers deal only with experts in the field and ensure that integration between suppliers for the best possible results. “The calibre of the members of Open IIoT have definitely helped to cement its footprint as the IIoT group of choice in Australia, and we look forward to incorporating more robotics into the group’s agenda.” www.kuka.com www.openiiot.com.au
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Five reasons why we struggle to leverage Industry 4.0 The Federal Government is investing $1.5bn to resuscitate Australia’s ailing manufacturing sector – mainly through technological advancements. However, most factories are struggling to rise above the daily chaos, let alone applying technological interventions. By Ishan Galapathy. Congratulations. You are taking part in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0) – you are making history. Although you may have heard Industry 4.0 terminology, you may be wondering what it is all about. Well, here’s a quick introduction. The First Industrial Revolution occurred with the discovery of steam power in the late 1700s and early 1800s. This led to the mechanisation of factories, increased productivity and reduced costs – the cost of cotton yarn decreasing by 90%. The Second Industrial Revolution occurred in the early 1900s when the likes of Henry Ford utilised electricity to mass-produce cars via assembly lines. Again, this increased productivity and reduced the cost of manufacturing. The Third Industrial Revolution, in the 1970s and 1980s, was the result of advancements in computers and automation. It is now superseded by the Fourth Revolution, fuelled by advancements in networks, the Internet of Things (IoT) and connectivity. The promise, yet again, is to increase productivity and reduce costs by helping to manage the entire supply chain through data acquisition and by making decisions in real time – the Smart Factory concept. Smart technology has transformed our day-to-day lives. Many of us have become so attached to our devices that we develop heart palpitations if they aren’t within arm’s reach or if we are unable to get a strong wi-fi signal – and God forbid we ever run out of battery. While it is now second nature to use apps to click-and-collect, have dinner delivered or to know what our friends are doing on the other side of the world, the same level of sophistication is not available once we leave home and enter the factory. So here are the top five reasons why Australian manufacturing struggles to leverage Industry 4.0 technology: 1. Hype versus reality: While we may expect our factories to resemble a Hollywood movie scene (think Minority Report, Mission Impossible or the TV series CSI Cyber, with wall-towall 3D holographic digital display units), in reality most of our machines are still being updated from industrial revolutions two and three. Updating a case packer or a wrapping machine with a colour touchscreen that displays various machine data is not Industry 4.0. It’s progress, yes, but it is actually still an Industry 3.0 project. If it makes you feel better, I’m happy to call it a Industry 3.1 project. 2. Implementing technology as a solution looking for a problem: A recent study conducted by University of Technology Sydney (UTS) on behalf of the the Australasian Supply Chain Institute (ASCI) found that in 2018-19 our overall supply chain maturity dropped by six percentage points from 52% to 46%, despite radical advances in automation. Many businesses implement technological solutions without first trying to understand the strategic problem that requires addressing. 3. Poor problem-solving capability: While we are good at firefighting, we are not so good at structured problem-solving. If we don’t have the capability to deal with basic data, how can we deal with ‘big data’ in the Industry 4.0 world?
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4. Going where we haven’t gone before: In an ideal Industry 4.0 world, our equipment would communicate with other equipment, not only within the four walls of the factory but with suppliers and customers. This requires robust IT systems that allow data transfer to occur freely with trusted sources but also to block any threats— it’s an IT security nightmare. Even if we overcome this hurdle, there is another issue: the ‘black box’ logic controller. These ‘black boxes’ are the brains and most suppliers don’t provide access to it. This makes it difficult for equipment to collaborate and communicate. 5. Missing fundamentals: The biggest gap is the lack of fundamental Operational Excellence processes, for example, data to provide useful insights, daily huddles to understand if we are winning or losing, and a process to identify real improvement opportunities. In his bestselling book Atomic Habits, author James Clear writes: ‘You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.’ Exactly. So, what should we do? 1. Connect critical machines to obtain basic machine data. Many solutions can be retrofitted to the oldest of machines. 2. Establish standards in production rates, waste levels, changeover times, number of employees per product etc. to understand the base level. 3. Learn structured problem-solving methodologies. I cannot stress the importance of this enough. 4. Update procurement procedures such that when buying new machines, you have the capability to connect and communicate freely with other machines. 5. First make it effective then make it efficient. This is one of my mantras. You can’t plug process gaps with technological solutions. Solving the day-to-day chaos doesn’t improve year-on-year performance. Industry 4.0 isn’t an ‘out of box solution’ that you can purchase and implement. It is a state of maturity and a way of operating in a connected world. Ishan Galapathy is the author of ADVANCE: 12 Essential Elements to Supercharge Productivity & Profitability (Bison Press). www.ishangalapathy.com
Real Business Real People Real Members Why am I a member of AMTIL? Aside from supporting our industry through membership of our peak body, I find the developed network of like-minded companies and individuals invaluable. As an engineering and manufacturing group we all face similar challenges. Often when issues arise I am able to pick up the phone and discuss a problem or get advice from other members who all share our common values and goals of seeing Australian manufacturing prosper. Peter Sutton, Sutton Tools
Since 1999, AMTIL has been connecting business, informing of opportunities and growing the manufacturing community. To be become an AMTIL member contact our Corporate Services Manager, Greg Chalker on 03 9800 3666 or email gchalker@amtil.com.au
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Simon Dawson is the Director – Industrial Transformation at the Innovative Manufacturing Cooperative Research Centre (IMCRC). He spoke to William Poole. AMT: Firstly, what is the Innovative Manufacturing Cooperative Research Centre (IMCRC), and what does it do? Simon Dawson: IMCRC sits at the intersection between manufacturing and the Australian research community, and works with government funding to energise that space. Australia has a state-of-the-art research sector building capability in cutting-edge technologies, and many manufacturing organisations ready to take advantage of that, so IMCRC’s role is to help bring them together to do great work. At a basic level this is by offering financial support through project funding, but perhaps more importantly, we assist by making the right connections, establishing great research collabrations, and helping the businesses to think through their path forward. We have now run over 50 projects, catalysing more than $200m worth of research & development (R&D) investment in Australian manufacturing, helping businesses to take their ambitions, their projects and their relationships with their partner universities further. In addition to supporting these projects, I lead IMCRC’s Industrial Transformation program. The program focuses on raising awareness and educating manufacturing SMEs about the potential of Industry 4.0 technologies, helping them build momentum as an innovative manufacturer. AMT: What are some of the activities that the IMCRC is currently engaged in? SD: There are two main ways we are supporting industry. One is through direct project support, where we help manufacturers with a specific project in mind. This could be through larger projects like the ones that we have progressed over the last three or four years, or the smaller, 12-month projects we are operating at the moment, called activate projects. What we do is take an organisation’s idea and help them, with financial support and guidance from us, to turn it into a reality. Funding obviously makes it easier, but also the industry experience and support we can offer is important as we guide manufacturers and researchers and challenge them to ‘think outside the box’. The objective is to maximise outcomes for all parties involved; the industry partner, the research teams and for the Commonwealth. Beyond that, I am responsible for IMCRC’s business diagnostic, called futuremap. I always describe futuremap as designed to help raise the level of awareness and enthusiasm for Industry 4.0 – to make the pie bigger. While the projects are for people who are thinking about Industry 4.0 and already have some momentum, futuremap and the related events are about saying to organisations that perhaps aren’t there yet, “This is what is out there. This is what you could be doing.” We all have the ambition to make Australia a more robust manufacturing environment, and in a world where innovation is accelerating, the more we can educate manufacturers, particular small and medium ones, on how digital technologies can contribute to their business and what the journey could be for them, the better. We are helping communicate that opportunity with futuremap.
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We always talk in terms of the ‘What, Why, How’ – What’s available? Why might you adopt these technologies? How would you get started? When it comes to technology advances, there is still a fair bit of inertia in Australian manufacturing, people thinking “I’m not sure what it is yet, or, I haven’t worked out how it works for me.” We seek to break this inertia down and move people into a position where they can see the potential and start to build their own momentum. We also partner with Flinders University, Swinburne University of Technology, University Technology Sydney and the Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing (ARM) Hub in Queensland. I help them connect with small and medium enterprises (SMEs) using futuremap. Universities in general are becoming more engaged with SMEs, supporting Australian manufacturing. We help build their industry relationships, gain manufacturing insights and get the conversation started. Our futuremap events aim to excite people, and, in collaboration with the universities and IMCRC’s project funding, we seek to help them do something with that excitement – make their project happen. AMT: How would you define Industry 4.0 for someone unfamiliar with the concept? SD: I think you have to define it as a suite of opportunity. Industry 4.0 is a combination of accelerated computing power and accelerated technology across a range of themes, such as augmented reality, additive manufacturing, cobotics, advanced materials, and so on. It is almost like a buffet of techniques that are each accelerating and becoming more powerful, whilst at the same time every one of them is also becoming increasingly accessible. My first experience with many of these technologies was when I was working in the automotive sector in the 1980s. The plant I worked at was bringing in increasingly advanced NC machines and connecting them through smart conveyance systems and robots, but of course at the time this was expensive, complicated and required significant planning. Indursty 4.0 is a lot of the same technology. But now it is accessible, and that is fundamental to the way we need to think about it. As a manufacturer, I now have access to tools that allow me to connect with customers in ways I couldn’t before; I can automate key production processes with limited expense; I can use augmented reality to support my customers as they install my products in remote environments. There’s lots of capability. At the same time as this capability has developed, the first steps have become so much more realistic even for the smallest manufacturers. It is an opportunity that manufacturers just need to find a way to grab. The message I’m very passionate about is: you’ve got to open the door. I recently learned a German phrase that I think captures this well: “Eating builds your appetite.” That idea is really powerful, that in order to see the possibility you have to take that first step. This is a huge contrast to the example I mentioned earlier from the 1980s. Before anybody drilled a hole they knew what was going where as the equipment was not expected to move for many years ahead. That is so far from where we are now.
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What we hear from successful manufacturing SMEs now is, “We started, we did something, and we kept going”. Once you have started, the possibilities will become known to you. You shouldn’t be wanting to plan everything. Maybe it can be as simple as buying a cobot, or a 3D printer, and seeing what you end up doing with it. We hear so many great stories of organisations that have just gone into that play period, of “let’s see what happens”, and it has spawned so many more things. So what excites me about Industry 4.0 is the fact that you can just step into it, and that’s what we’re trying to encourage. We focus on SMEs that possibly feel they’re too small. There is one organisation I was introduced to recently, a really small organisation, five people, but they’ve got two cobots in their facility doing a piece of work that otherwise would be distracting and tedious for the team. They bought them, they programmed them themselves, and now the cobots are doing the job quietly in the corner. That is a beautiful example of how Industry 4.0 can work for Australian businesses. It doesn’t have to be a big, complex, whizzbang solution. It’s tailorable to what you need.
AMT: How important is it that Australian manufacturing companies embrace these technologies? SD: There are several ways to answer that. One is that it is not going away. If you are not doing it, your competitors almost certainly are. Particularly when you think about the way Industry 4.0 can change your business model, allowing you to connect with customers in ways that improve strategic lock-in, that makes you a more engaging supplier because of the way you can manage distribution or supply chains or allow servitisation, offering a service on top of the product. So one answer to why you need to be adopting these technologies is the classic “If you don’t do it, then your competitors will”. Also, when you look at what is happening with Industry 4.0 around the world, digital collaboration is becoming more and more important. If you are part of, say, the defence sector, or the food sector, there is an increasing expectation of your ability to engage digitally with your supply chain. That expectation is only going to grow. Contined next page
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It is also worth considering your employees. The reality is that the world will keep accelerating digitally, and it will not be long before the people you are employing will be asking “Where is all the digital technology? Why are we doing it like this?” If manufacturing is going to attract investment and new talent, there will be a point at which high level of digital adoption will be what is expected. We spoke with one organisation that had bought a 3D printer, and the leadership team announced it as a major investment and the next big thing. Instead of the expected reticence, three people in the business said: “Oh I’ve got one of those at home.” That shows us how fast the world is moving. It is going to become the case that, if I want to be in manufacturing, I want to be programming cobots and working with them. I want to be engaging with augmented reality and virtual reality. I want to be thinking about my digital data. I want a product where I can engage with what happens to it after it leaves the business. The expectation of that role is just going to change. So for me there is a combination of Industry 4.0 making so much available to organisations to strengthen their business models, and at the same time, employees and customers starting to expect it as a given. AMT: Moving into this new technological landscape, what strengths can Australian manufacturing draw upon? SD: Compared to many other parts of the world, Australia’s economy thrives due to SMEs. Thus, the smaller you are, the more innovative you need to be to stand out and retain your market position. We see many manufacturers who have done a great job of establishing who they are, why they exist, and how this translates to a strategic advantage. We work with great organisations that have identified innovative solutions or innovative business models and through this have established a sales network across the globe. I also find it interesting when I reflect on the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic and how Australian manufacturers responded. With a need to make swift changes to operating models, processes, factory layouts and more, many organisations had to change at a pace they had never considered possible. When you talk to these businesses, you hear great stories of what they changed. Some of the decision-making around safety, for example: changing shift patterns, moving car parks around, having people come in one door and out via another so that shifts never overlap. Lots of change, often implemented in a day. If COVID-19 taught us anything, it is how creative and adaptive we can be when we need to. So for me, some of the key strengths of Australian manufacturing we can draw upon are the ability to innovate and the openness and willingness to change. Also, we have a very strong and capable university network. I am passionate about helping forward thinking organisations that maybe innovated using traditional techniques in the past to now innovate with new technologies, collaborating with universities to help them accelerate that. AMT: And what do you see as the biggest challenges for the industry? SD: I think, for any industry, particularly at the moment, global supply chain has become a problem. Confidence of supply has taken a real hit this year and become a significant problem for many organisations. I think this is pushing people into a place where they are saying “Okay, so where am I now, how do I re-establish resilience in what I need for my business?” And the positive is that that is encouraging people and government to look at how we put some of the basics back in place on shore in Australia. Moving forward, the challenge is going to be around keeping up with the rate of acceleration. The exponential curve of technological change will continue. Something new will keep coming up. So we just encourage people to get started. As a manufacturer you
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do not want technology to accelerate away from you. You need to be in a position where you are on the journey. What we also need is improved collaboration. We are seeing government and industry bodies looking to bring people closer together to create more collaborative environments, and a combination of things will support that. One is that a digital world supports collaboration in itself. But equally, Australian manufacturers are aware of the need to support each other more robustly. We see that with things like the Tonsley Manufacturing Innovation Hub in Adelaide, where people are using that environment to make better connections, and the university sector is looking to connect with SMEs. Collaboration needs to be a big part of what will happen, either because you are in a supply chain that demands it, such as defence or food, or simply because that is how you can build supply chain resilience or take advantage of the new technologies. AMT: What was your professional background prior to arriving here? SD: I did my apprenticeship in the UK in the mid-1980s with GKN, a large industrial conglomerate, which included a four-year manufacturing degree. I stayed with GKN for ten years, and got a real grounding in manufacturing there, before I was tempted away to help set up a greenfield site delivering interior components just-in-time to BMW. I worked almost exactly 15 years in the UK automotive sector. After completing my MBA I moved into consulting: in the UK with PA Consulting Group and PwC; then over here with Ernst & Young – I relocated to Australia in 2009. I stayed very much in the manufacturing end of consulting and worked with businesses across dairy, defence, automotive and medical products. I always like to apply the manufacturing ways of working. For example, I worked at Heathrow Airport and brought lean thinking to the design of the airport terminals and processes. Before joining IMCRC, I spent two years with HSV – Walkinshaw Automotive Group as it is now – helping set up their new facility in Clayton, where I was Head of Manufacturing, running the teams that were converting the Camaro, the Silverado and the Dodge Ram to right-hand drive. That was a great experience and remains a fantastic business. But then the opportunity to work for IMCRC came up. I could see that manufacturing is going through an uplift in terms of technology and being able to get on board with that has been really rewarding. It is nice being in a role where I can think about the available technologies and how they might work for an Australian SME. I always think of myself as pragmatic, so I like that conversation with businesses around “I get what it is, but how do I use it for me?” AMT: Finally, what’s the most satisfying part of the job? SD: The most satisfying part is when, in the futuremap events we run, you see an SME who has been open and willing to listen, to learn, and wants to hear more. When you see the spark in their eye grow, the twinkle getting a bit bigger. That moment when they think “I could do that. There is something here for me.” I enjoy feeding people’s imagination, so in futuremap events we use a lot of great Australian manufacturing case studies to outline the possibilities and help them understand that the barriers are coming down in terms of accessibility. And we have had people who came out of futuremap events and said, for example, “I need to recruit somebody to focus on digital for me. We need to talk more about our digital strategy.” Or “We’re going to do that next week. I’m just going to go and buy something.” That moment when you see an organisation switching from “I have not quite understood what this is”, to “Actually, I can get started and I will…” That is what I enjoy, just getting people moving forward to strengthen Australian manufacturing. www.imcrc.org
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MATERIAL REMOVAL
Conma Industries – Third-gen family manufacturer confident in the future A third-generation family company manufacturing tooling and components from its base in Edwardstown, South Australia, Conma Industries has successfully focused on alternative market opportunities in advance of the loss of its key automotive business, and today it looks to the future with confidence. “The writing was on the wall some years back that we would ultimately see a dramatic loss of our automotive business,” says Ron Miller, Managing Director of Conma Industries. “With this in mind we diversified our product range, which is now greater than ever. Whilst we have retained some automotive business our product range takes us into many different industries today such as viticulture, food, and the building trades.” Following on from the successful purchase of a Fanuc Robocut wire-cut electric discharge machine (EDM) from Okuma Australia in 2018, Conma Industries has recently invested in the latest Okuma CNC vertical machining centre. This is a positive step towards upgrading its tool room with highly accurate and advanced technologies, building a strong relationship with Okuma Australia as it moves into the future. Ben Miller from the tool room commented that the choice of the Okuma machine was a ‘no brainer’ given the great name that the Okuma brand has in the market for delivering high-end precision and quality machines, along with the outstanding service support that the company provides. “The new machine has 48 tools installed providing great time saving, speed of output, accuracy and much improved efficiency,” said Ben. “It is the largest investment the company has made and it opens up new opportunities for us to undertake work in other areas such as mining and defence in the future, and allows us to further diversify our offering going forward.” Founded in the 1970s, Conma Industries today employs some 18 personnel and has a positive policy of training future tradespeople, with one currently in apprenticeship training and another due to start. The company services a diverse range of customers from its home base of South Australia plus Western Australia and the Eastern Seaboard, along with some
Conma Industries recently invested in latest CNC vertical machining centre from Okuma Australia.
indirect export business via its customers. “There is an air of confidence in the market and we are seeing a number of clients bringing component manufacturing back on-shore,” Ben remarks. “To take advantage of this and enhance manufacturing in Australia we will continue to invest in technology and automation to keep us ahead in component manufacture and metal stamping through quality and efficiency.” The investment in the future has provided the staff at Conma with greater job security, and all the young toolmakers are keen to get some time on the new machine. This young team is also identifying new opportunities for expansion of the company’s product range and with advanced technology attracting new customers, there is a bright future for this family business. “Conma Industries is a relatively new customer with a strong relationship with our company now established,” says Dean McCarroll, Managing Director of Okuma Australia. “It is exciting to see the
Conma Industries successfully diversified away from automotive and now manufactures tooling and components for customers across a diverse range of sectors.
enthusiasm from management and the engineering floor staff on the valuable new opportunities their first Okuma machine is opening up. It is a large commitment for a family business which occupies a brand new facility, and we share their confidence in the future.” www.okumaaustralia.com.au www.conmaindustries.com.au
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ESPRIT CAM improves longpart machining by automating multi-spindle program creation New computer-aided-manufacturing (CAM) technology from ESPRIT CAM provides manufacturers with the control and flexibility to use multi-spindle and multi-channel CNC machinery for the machining of long parts. Machining long parts, such as shafts and axles, is challenging because the workpiece must be supported throughout to maintain cutting speed and surface quality. The main and sub spindles must be synchronised to ensure cutting can be performed while both spindles hold the workpiece for maximum support. Bars are also frequently repositioned in incremental steps to keep workpieces rigid, as well as to account for limited bed length. Because the repeat repositioning of the bar presents a collision risk, it benefits machinists if they are supplied with NC code that tracks machine motion for greater flexibility and readability at the machine control. Without the ability to track machine motion, a significant amount of time is spent handediting NC code and troubleshooting programs before production begins using complex multi-tasking scenarios. ESPRIT TNG CAM software now automatically tracks the location of work offsets regardless of part position by enabling programmers to define the offset and offset translations, or the points at which offset changes occur. In addition to enabling precise simulation, this eliminates the need for custom settings or calculations to the machine post to ensure parts are machined accurately and makes it possible to program a greater number of complex machining scenarios without error. “ESPRIT TNG is ‘the next-generation’ CAM because it provides an exact digital replica of every facet of the machining environment to help manufacturers use the world’s most sophisticated, cutting-edge machine tools with confidence,” says Olivier Thenoz, ESPRIT principal product manager. “The ability to accurately track parts throughout
complex operations means users can make the most of the combined power of software and machinery for advanced multi-tasking, and they have the freedom and flexibility needed to machine exactly the way they want to.” ESPRIT TNG now also enables manufacturers to perform face-milling operations with a unique “roll-in” leadin strategy recommended by Sandvik Coromant to improve surface quality, reduce cycle time, and extend tool life. This lead-in technique positions the cutter for ideal thick-to-thin chip formation, which indicates that the insert engages the material deeply enough at entry to make a significant cut before exiting smoothly to reduce vibration and ensure consistent, high-quality surface finish. In addition to being less damaging to cutter inserts, this strategy eliminates the need to manually calculate face-milling stepovers during the programming process, which automatically ensures a consistent and even surface across the entire workpiece. The new release also offers productivity benefits for three-axis operations. Toolpath creation is now 20 times faster, meaning that toolpath that once took 30 minutes to generate can now be calculated in about two minutes. Furthermore, a new three-axis toolpath can now be created in ESPRIT TNG from an existing operation without recalculating the entire toolpath. Areas in collision can be trimmed from toolpath generated for use with short cutting tools, or re-machining operations can be created with a long tool to cut only areas that cannot be reached with the shorter tool. www.espritcam.com
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Austeng – The Geelong arc of manufacturing advancement Things have never been more interesting for Geelong’s manufacturing community, with the industry in Victoria’s second city currently going through a start-up revolution, and at the forefront is innovative engineering company Austeng. By Brent Balinski.
Geelong... Ford. Alcoa. Shell. If you’re a long-time follower of manufacturing in Australia who just read those words, it’s possible your mind just skipped to a difficult period over the last decade. “But I actually wonder if history will show the departure of these big companies will ultimately provide a better outcome,” offers Ross George. And who is Ross George? Some Productivity Commission type? An ultra-dry economist looking at Geelong from hundreds of kilometres away, convinced that the jobs that were lost at those companuies were just crummy old jobs anyway, part of some inevitable “transition to a service industry”? An academic who has spent too much time reading textbooks by long-dead economists, and too little time looking up close at the very real unhappiness caused by closures and layoffs? No, no, and no again. Ross owns and runs Austeng with his wife Lyn. The boutique engineering company goes back to Ross’ grandfather, who started it after finishing up at International Harvester in the 1950s. And the Georges, aside from their deep ties to and love for Geelong, are not just thinkers but doers. They have a long-term view of both manufacturing and their region, and are confident that it’s a little way into an exciting new chapter. No longer fighting over the same work from the same major players down the road, Ross says the city’s companies are more willing to work together, and towards something that makes much more sense in terms of modern-day manufacturing. “When I first started my career in Geelong, when those companies existed, there was no collaboration and everyone considered everybody else a competitor,” says Ross. “Because, in fact, that’s what they were. Because there are no longer those big customers everybody is fighting over, there’s been a mindshift, where we really needed this collaboration and a willingness to look at new industry sectors.” Lyn points to additional factors such as the Federal Government’s Automotive Industry Package and the State Government’s Skilling the Bay initiative, which have provided
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impetus. She is also of the view that a crucial nudge was provided by nearby Deakin University to turbo-charge academic/industry engagement under the trailblazing approach of then-Vice Chancellor Jane Den Hollander. “This was combined with a realisation that we couldn’t keep doing what we always did,” she explains. “And the availability of highquality engineering and trade resources meant that opportunities were being created from a number of sources that previously weren’t even being considered.” The Georges work with a handful of early-stage Geelong-based manufacturers, each with the potential to transform the categories they operate in, and each based on a high degree of specialisation rather than a focus on undercutting a hometown rival by a couple of bucks on a job. They make everything from waste-to-power heat engines, to origami-like folded sheet metal, to high-value nutraceuticals from wine waste. Then there’s a consortium whose world-first work in fibre-reinforced geopolymer bridges was featured in The Economist in late-2019. All featured Austeng as their technology enabler, and all serve as an example that things have never been more interesting for Geelong’s manufacturing community. The Georges believe there’s a lesson for the rest of Australia there too. If manufacturers, research institutes, governments and investors can work together, great things are possible.
Start-up city Austeng’s role as an enabler and manufacturing partner for hightech start-ups has its origins in the automotive industry’s demise. When Ford announced in 2013 that it would end car assembly in Australia, it was no small deal for Austeng. The company earned more than half its revenues from automotive work, designing and making production equipment. “We had to look at what our value proposition was, which was really in that one-off-type specialised equipment,” remembers Lyn. “Probably a sweet spot for us was working with start-up companies
VICTORIA and universities and taking the concept or idea and turning it into a prototype or commercial production facility to prove to investors that it actually works.” A project developing a nanofibre plant earned Austeng a Victorian Engineering Excellence Award in 2014, but no ongoing revenue or stake in the company. They learned they needed to strike a more collaborative model when working with promising start-ups. “Instead of also simply a fee for service, we offered to provide certain in-kind services, in turn for – depending on how far advanced they were – an equity position in the company and/or an exclusive manufacturing licence,” Lyn explains. “So if it did take off we would share in the benefits and also, in particular of course, keep the jobs in our workshop in Geelong.” Their first project with this approach was with Imagine Intelligent Materials, which opened the country’s first commercial graphene plant in 2016. It earned Austeng another Victorian Engineering Excellence Award. Today Austeng is also a partner to start-ups including Formflow, Capricorn Power, Viridi Innovations, Polymeric Powders and TCI. Lyn is a firm advocate for new, high-tech manufacturing businesses, and believes there are giant opportunities in renewable energy technologies. “It really is important that Australia be at the forefront of this push, by collaborating with our world-class researchers and leveraging existing capabilities we can be at the forefront,” she says. “As I see with our own start-ups that we work with, the more they collaborate and share their successes, the more opportunities become available and the more synergies are created. I think it’s also true that more government support and a change in attitudes can bring a real impetus. “You just look at the change in the discussion around hydrogen that’s happened in the last year and how many people are now working on hydrogen projects. We’re a small company, and we’ve got two projects [already]. It just shows the importance of exploring new areas and how important, I believe, they will be to creating jobs and prosperity in the future. We really can’t continue to rely on selling iron ore to the Chinese.” Lyn’s role helping transform manufacturing in her region earned her an OAM last year. She currently heads the Geelong Manufacturing Council (its first female chair) and is founding board member at the Advanced Fibre Cluster and convenor of the Women In Manufacturing Network. She is a self-confessed mounter of soapboxes when it comes to Australia’s weak appetite for investment in early-stage companies. “We’ll gamble on horse races, but we won’t back our best and brightest innovators, unlike in the US and Europe where there’s a culture of investing in start-ups,” she says. “And of course you’ve got scale-up manufacturing. “This is particularly problematic because the scale-up costs are much more significant than investing in fintech or that sort of thing. But there are obviously huge opportunities, if we do make that investment and change our attitudes. If we did this on a national scale ...” Austeng is a company of only $6m turnover a year and 22 employees, yet it covers a wide scope of work. Every now and then there will be a technically demanding new facility, such as Monash University’s new National Drop Weight Impact Testing Facility, and Austeng’s name will be attached as a key project partner.
081 Ross and Lyn George, Austeng’s Managing Director and Corporate Director, outside the company’s premises in North Geelong.
automatic charge biers, hydraulic transfer vans and a compact burial system. Ross says this work has been helped by recent efforts to improve “soft skills” such as communication with clients, and by responding rapidly. “Back in the good old days, we were a bunch of engineers talking with a bunch of engineers,” he explains. “Now we’re a bunch of engineers talking with people who aren’t engineers, who can’t necessarily read drawings, and don’t necessarily understand the language we’re talking. That’s not necessarily easy for engineers to do, because we found as engineers that customers aren’t always interested in the things that we’re interested in.” He adds that the shift lends itself nicely to the solutions side of the business – for example a random customer showing up with a truck having maintenance problems. “It’s not a long consulting process with 50 reports and all this sort of thing, and that’s got a lot of value to the customers across a whole spectrum,” says Ross. “It might not even need an engineer, it might be just a tradesman to take it on and say ‘This is why it’s cracking, this is the problem, and this is what we’ve got to do.’ It’s the ability to act across a broad spectrum, but act quickly and get customers back up and running again.” Ross says lazy answers are sadly the only ones being given on the issue of manufacturing skills – recently described by the ACCI as in the biggest shortage in 14 years. “One thing I really, really hope for is that we try to train our own tradesmen,” he remarks. “We’ve got a youth unemployment problem, we’ve got a skills shortage problem, and we go and rob some third-world country, so we’re brain-draining a third-world country and not training our own kids. It just seems the most crazy situation.” It is another area where the Georges encourage longer-term thinking rather than quick fixes. For the moment, they see innovation breeding innovation in their city, which Lyn says has an impressive diversity of manufacturers but is small enough to encourage serious networking and collaboration. Their role in it as a manufacturing hub and facilitator shows what’s possible if everyone works together, says Ross. He muses about biochar from Capricorn Power being turned into graphene products and used by Imagine, whose industrial-scale sensors – as with hemp hurd separated by TCI’s decorticators – could be used in FormFlow’s prefabricated houses.
Ross estimates that among its revenues, about a quarter are from start-ups, another quarter from an enduring line of crematorium and cemetery work, and maybe 15% from walk-ins.
“Even in our small-scale situation at Austeng we have all these earlystage start-ups and all of them can be interconnected and all of them are better, potentially, for that,” he says. “Someone’s waste product can turn into someone else’s raw material, somebody’s technology enhances somebody else’s product and service.
The crematorium work dates back to 1989, when the low Australian dollar made a UK provider uncompetitive and Industry Capability Network’s precursor lined Austeng up with servicing subcontracts. From there, Austeng has supplied somewhere between 15 and 20 of their own new products to that industry, including coffin trolleys,
“And we’re a small company in Geelong. If you look at that mini ecosystem that we’re creating and say, ‘Well, look, if we did this on a national scale’, and you connect a whole lot more bits, that potentially makes a really, really good story, and a really strong economy.” www.austeng.net.au
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New Age Caravans – Combining Industry 4.0 and Lean manufacturing New Age Caravans operates out of two closely situated sites in the Northern Melbourne suburb of Epping in Victoria, employing 170 workshop staff manufacturing caravans that are proudly Australian-made. You don’t compete successfully at Bathurst unless you understand performance and reliability. The Walkinshaw Automotive Group, the new owner of New Age Caravans, is famous for its design and production of high-performance and luxury GM Holden vehicles. Walkinshaw is an Australian icon and has integrated its automotive expertise in engineering, design, manufacturing, field testing and quality control to introduce a new level of innovation to New Age Caravans. New Age Caravans uses all of Walkinshaw’s expertise and know-how in rough durability testing, robotic welded chassis and clay modelling for prototype design, resulting in a highly engineered and durable product. New Age Caravans uses the latest in Industry 4.0, digital manufacturing and Lean manufacturing data collection, with tablets on the workshop floor and job, task and individual workshop staff tracking, and scheduling software to drive production. This technology enables New Age Caravans to deliver caravans of the highest quality while at the same time minimising costs to achieve highly competitive caravan pricing for the Australian marketplace. To achieve these gains, New Age Caravans turned to Empower Workshop Productivity & Job Scheduling software. “You need the right software tool to manage your greatest resource: your people,” says David Lawrence, Site Manufacturing Manager at New Age Caravans. “A staggering 90% of Australian joiners and cabinet manufacturers and engineers today still either use paper based manual time sheets to record their workshop staff times on their jobs or no time sheets and no recording of their time on their jobs at all. This results in management knowing little or nothing about any of the key performance indicators (KPIs) of the workshop floor – job times, task times, staff times, downtime time and manufacturing productivity, and they attempt to schedule jobs manually, which is ‘manufacturing blind’. “Manual time sheets produce a single job cost report for labour, total time to each job – this information that is too little, too late, and too inaccurate. And manual time sheets do not in any way motivate workshop staff to work more efficiently. Also, manual time sheets are very costly – they cost approximately $70 of working time per workshop staff member per week, for staff to fill in daily, and administration staff to then enter the times into their costing program daily to produce a ‘single and poor’ report. In contrast using the full technology of Empower Workshop Productivity & Scheduling costs as little approximately $7 per workshop staff member per week, on subscription. “Empower Software is viewable to workshop staff on their workshop floor tablets and allows workshop staff to see their job list, task priorities, budgeted time at job start, and actual time at job end. Using this technology New Age Caravans’ workshop staff have certainly ‘stepped up to the plate’ and are now meeting their job times constantly. There is certainly a new positive culture on our workshop floor – staff meeting job times is the core focus.” For Lawrence and the management team at New Age, not tracking staff time on jobs at all was unacceptable and not an option. Lawrence needed to know exactly what was going on, on the workshop floor. “Using Empower I now know exactly what’s going on the workshop floor without ever leaving my office,” he says. “Even if I am away from the business, I can see what’s going on the workshop floor on my tablet. If we make a change to our processes, we can evaluate
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New Age has invested in 50-inch TV screens on workshop walls and office walls, which display current jobs, tasks and individual staff times actual to budget.
them based on past and current actual performance; there’s never a backward move, it’s all progress and savings.” The Empower software provides Lawrence the ability to fully understand the current and accurate labour cost to manufacture every single part of a caravan. He needed to know the job times, task times and manufacturing productivity of individual workshop staff weekly, which Empower reports comprehensively. Moreover, David uses Empower to schedule all jobs and to track and report all workshop downtime daily and weekly, plus staff reasons for each rework, which enables him to see the magnitude of rework and root causes to employ continuous improvement processes. Using the Empower software, Lawrence expects to achieve a reduction of at least 40% in labour times on jobs, and therefore 40%-plus reduction in labour cost on jobs. “Previously we had no time on jobs information, so we had no technology,” he adds. “Using touchscreens on the workshop floor and the Empower software with real-time reporting of jobs, parts of jobs and individual staff we are now a high-technology business". New Age has invested in 50-inch TV screens on workshop walls and office walls that display key data from Empower detailing current jobs, tasks, and individual staff times actual to budget. This enables all workshop staff, management and administration staff to see all current jobs and staff times from the workshop floor, in real time continuously throughout the day. All management and administration staff now also have a real job times and productivity culture and focus. “There are four major influences on any manufacturing plant,” advises Lawrence. These are your materials, your equipment, your processes, and your labour. Of these four, labour is the most difficult to keep track of and to utilise effectively, that is why you need the help of software like Empower.”
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STATE SPOTLIGHT
Empower allows Lawrence to see what’s going on on the workshop floor. It offers instant feedback and changes can be made based on real-time information that is always accurate and reliable. “I know exactly what’s going on the workshop floor without ever leaving my office,” says Lawrence. “Even if I am away, I can see what’s going on the workshop floor on my tablet. If we make a change to our processes, we can evaluate them based on past and current actual performance; there’s never a backward move, it’s all progress and savings.” In a previous business and role, Lawrence took an Australian cabinetry business with 18 workshop staff down to six workshop staff and achieved the same output. Now the business is profitable and has a long-term future. His work in New Age Caravans’ CNC department and cabinetry assembly areas has yielded such substantial increases in production and productivity, and therefore reductions in labour cost per caravan, that Empower software and tablets have been rolled out on the workshop floor across every New Age Caravans manufacturing department.
New Age Caravans uses the latest in Industry 4.0, digital manufacturing and Lean manufacturing to drive production.
Lawrence uses Empower Scheduling to ensure that forward jobs are scheduled with minimum downtime to optimise and maximise production and to ensure workshop staff work as close-knit teams where each person’s unique skills are utilised to the full advantage of the company. For New Age Caravans, Empower Software delivers additional production, revenue and profit that justifies pay increases for workshop staff and substantial investment in new CNC machinery and other technology. Lawrence has also upgraded the company’s main machinery, including CNC board material stacking and management machine feeding materials into larger CNC high performance routers. Lawrence has reduced CNC routers from six to two to save machine maintenance, floor space and labour cost whilet at same time significantly increasing machining capacity. www.empowersoftware.co.nz www.newagecaravans.com.au
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Dimac’s expertise results in custom workholding solution for AL-KO From its main Australia manufacturing facility in Dandenong South, Victoria, AL-KO International manufactures, markets, and distributes a comprehensive range of products for the trailer, caravan and recreational vehicle (RV) markets in Australia and New Zealand. Like many companies involved in supplying recreational equipment, AL-KO is benefitting from travel restrictions that are seeing Australians holidaying and staying in their own backyards. Sales of RVs and associated products have skyrocketed this year and ALKO is riding that resurgence and the resultant interest in getting out on the road and exploring new destinations. The company is best known for its high-quality running gear range, which includes axles, brakes, and suspension products. ALKO also offers a wide range of accessories, as well as supplying suspension and carriage components to various motorhome and caravan chassis manufacturers. Look under any of the leading RV, caravan and off-road camper trailer brands and chances are that AL-KO parts will be fitted. In addition to the RV market, it produces specialised axles for trailers for a diverse range of agricultural machinery such as transporting combine harvester headers and suspension and running gear for lighting and access towers. The company has a long and proud history in Australia spanning back to 1946, when Hornby Engineering was founded and started to produce axles in South Melbourne; in 1988 the German AL-KO Kober Group acquired the company.
AL-KO opted for Dimac soft jaws and a Kitagawa finger chuck when it recently required a challenging workholding solution.
Strong growth and sales over the past decade have been driven by product range expansion and innovation that has further enhanced its position as the market leader in its field. The company has also acquired several other companies in complementary fields that has seen total employee numbers rise to around 250 across multiple sites. Keen to support other Australian industries, the company uses BHP steel and where possible sources parts from other local suppliers; for example the brake drums are cast in South Australia and machined locally in Melbourne. Dimac Tooling has had a long association with AL-KO and is the primary supplier of its CNC power chucks and Dimac’s own Australian-made soft jaws. “Dimac understands our products and the markets we service,” says AL-KO Production Manager, Rohan Griss. “As the Australian distributor of Kitagawa and other leading brands, they have good relationships with these manufacturers whose products we use. “When we have a special requirement such as the need for extra power and specialist tooling is where our association with Dimac comes into its own, and we call upon their expertise and problemsolving ability.” A recent example of using Dimac’s expertise to solve a problem, related to the need for a workholding solution for a new forged stub component that could not be held with existing set-ups. The forged stub was for the innovative ‘Enduro-X’ trailing arm suspension.
AL-KO International’s Australian head office and main manufacturing facility in Dandenong South, Victoria.
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AL-KO manufactures a range of products for the trailer, caravan and recreational vehicle (RV) markets.
“We consulted with Dimac in relation to this issue and they came back with a couple of design options for a customised work holding solution,” says Griss. “After detailed analysis, we selected one of the bespoke designs and after thorough testing confirmed this option, which incorporated Dimac soft jaws and a Kitagawa finger chuck was indeed the best solution. “The other crucial element of any project like this is ensuring the product is delivered on time. Whilst the pandemic caused unavoidable delays, Dimac kept to their side of the deal and delivered the unit exactly on the day it was due. I was very impressed with that level of service and the workholder is performing just as intended.” AL-KO also entrusts Dimac with all its maintenance needs and servicing of its power chucks at its service centre in Melbourne. Griss concludes: “Given the specialised nature of these chucks, it requires a company with the operator expertise, special tools and OEM seals to ensure the work is completed to the highest standards.” www.dimac.com.au www.alko.com.au
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STATE SPOTLIGHT
ANCA Motion – Boosting productivity with tubular linear motor systems Headquartered in the Melbourne suburb of Bayswater, ANCA Motion is uniquely positioned to benefit from strong growth in the global tubular linear motor market. According to reports by Accurize Research, the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in the tubular linear motor segment worldwide is expected to reach 6.4% by 2026. Growth is particularly strong across the packaging, construction and manufacturing industries. Tubular linear motors are gaining traction in industrial applications, especially in the packaging and medical sectors, since these motors are an ideal replacement for pneumatics as they have a similar form factor but much better efficiency and reliability. Some of the biggest tubular linear motor manufacturers are expanding their product portfolio to offer flexibility in machinery used for sealing and discharge end-use cases. ANCA Motion’s LinX range of tubular linear motors offers improved performance at a competitive cost compared with conventional flat linear motors and rotary motors. Attributes that make LinX an ideal solution are its high speed and acceleration capabilities, modular design, reduced maintenance, standalone thermal stability, and ability to achieve higher IP protection. ANCA Motion primarily focuses on the food & beverage and packaging industries with its range of interfacing products such as LinX tubular linear motors and high-speed servo motors, with low, medium, and high-inertia applications. They meet the required Ingress Protection standards for food & beverage packaging machines. Furthermore, these products have a smaller footprint to reduce the overall size of the machine and can manufacture materials that are compatible with industry requirements. “The recent pandemic has highlighted the importance of manufacturers to remain adaptive to the changing needs of their market,” says Paul Bocchi, General Manager at ANCA Motion. “Modifying needs, ensuring consistent higher quality, reducing unplanned breakdowns, and shortage of skilled labour are some of the key challenges faced by the industry. Our LinX range of tubular linear motors was designed keeping those challenges in mind. They are simple to control, adaptable to needs and have higher IP protection.” Customers today are demanding products with higher speeds and better accuracy. ANCA Motion’s LinX M-Series linear motor replaces pneumatics in applications that require a more complex motion profile. For instance, shifting between two or more set points is easily achieved with a linear motor as pneumatics is more suited for point-to-point applications and can introduce stiffness into the loop. With LinX, this stiffness can be easily overcome, owing to its
servo control. Furthermore, a pneumatic solution typically doesn’t have position feedback but the LinX M-series has an integrated position sensor that provides feedback to the motor, which results in better positioning control. Businesses need to stay adaptive to cater to different market needs for different occasions and to stay ahead of their competitors. In instances where an existing production line requires modification to meet a different need, the settings of LinX can be changed by simply editing parameters within the drive configuration by the operator, thereby saving valuable time and cost. LinX brings increased flexibility to the system and is suitable for applications requiring smoother control or where motion is synchronised to the master shaft. ANCA Motion aims to provide OEMs with the ability to design and develop machines to encourage effective use of resources and minimise environmental impacts. Bocchi says: “Our LinX range of tubular linear motors possesses beneficial features such as zero downforce, standalone thermal stability, simple installation, and strong magnetic flux. These features translate to benefits for customers such as shorter time to install, thereby providing quick turnarounds, efficient cooling mechanisms reducing energy consumption, longer machine life and durable products.” ANCA recently helped one of its OEM customers within the food & beverage industry who wanted to expand their market share by venturing into new market areas. The customer found that its existing motor limited it due to higher IP ratings, wash-down capability, and maintenance. ANCA Motion worked collaboratively with the customer to understand its requirements and developed a suitable motor from scratch. Apart from custom motors, ANCA Motion also provides off-the-shelf products such as LinX S-Series and M-Series tubular linear motors, AMD 2000 servo drives, the Alpha and Gamma series of rotary motors, as well as CNCs and motion controllers. Looking ahead to future plans, Bocchi concludes: “The LinX tubular linear motors offers greater flexibility, speed, accuracy, and the ability to customise and future proof the manufacturing lines. In the future, we will be developing this core competency to further enhance our product offering and applications so that OEMs and the food & beverage industry are ahead of consumer trends.” motion.anca.com
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Laminex – A story of manufacturing innovation Laminex has been an iconic Australian brand for over 85 years, growing from a small tin shed in suburban Melbourne fabricating insulating sheeting for electrical circuit boards, into a large-scale manufacturing operation with plants across Australia. The company is known for its expertise as a manufacturer of top-quality decorative surfaces, and its success can be attributed to an ongoing focus on product and manufacturing innovation. Throughout its history, Laminex has continually adapted, reinvesting in the skills, safety, performance and capacity of its plants through new equipment, training and development. The company’s evolution began following World War II when founder Robert Sykes began to look to adapt his techniques to make new products. He travelled to the US to research the fabrication of decorative laminates and began producing Australia’s first interior décor product range in the late 1940s. With Australia’s cities booming, new house builds burgeoning, and demand for affordable furniture escalating, Sykes’ foresight to innovate was astute. He established the Cheltenham factory in 1952 and installed a cutting-edge hydraulic press to enable quicker production and expansion of the product range to meet market demand and improve returns. The quest to improve and streamline production continues today. Product quality and consistency are paramount, carefully monitored throughout the manufacturing process from raw materials to finished product. These days, production is aided by robotics, and Automated Solutions Australia (ASA) partnered with Biesse Australia to provide Laminex Australia significant benefits through an automated system designed to improve throughput. Laminex was looking for a versatile solution to handle varying load sizes, including a full panel or a steel sheet, smaller panel configurations and all cut panel configurations. ASA installed an automated manufacturing cell employing a Fanuc R2000iC/270F robot complete with a vacuum gripper enabling it to perform multiple operations. To extend the robots along the X axis, the cell includes a floor mounted rail incorporating a servo drive motor controlled by the robot, caterpillar tracks to allow cables and hoses to move with the robot, and a robot carriage plate for mounting the robot. The cell controller incorporates an Allen Bradley PLC, a PILZ safety PLC and Ignition HMI. The PLC is programmed to interface to a highly functional operator control station and diagnostic terminal for the cell, as well as monitoring the cell safety devices and machine access door interlocks using
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specialty safety I/O cards connected to the overall control system. In addition to a long reach of 2,655mm, the Fanuc R2000iC/270F robot also has a large payload of up to 270kg, boosting flexibility and enabling it to handle a full panel or a steel sheet, and also the smaller panel configurations with suction cups. The robot is also able to tilt panels for operator inspection of the underside in the infeed area. Depending upon the stage of operation and the operator’s determination of the panel quality, the robot returns the panel onto the infeed conveyor to head into the trimming facility; it is then either stored as accumulation stock or it can be rejected. This facility allows Laminex to offer cut-tosize panels to the customer, from 600mm by 600mm in 300mm increments up to a size of 1,800mm by 3,600mm. A reject panel is one that, for whatever reason, has been pressed with a visual blemish. By handling the panels with the robot rather than the moving them by conveyor, the boards are inspected firstly on the top surface. prior to being flipped and tilted by the robot for close inspection on the underside of the panel. The robot services the inspection area, a panel storage that can hold many hours of production, and the outfeed area. The storage area can store and retrieve panels from a storage area allowing for storage or rejected panels and incomplete batches. The scheduling software managed by Biesse and Laminex can continue to feed the saw from the incoming production press or from the storage area when the
press is stopped. In the event that the saw is stopped for cleaning and servicing, the press can continue to operate with panels being sent to the storage bays. Panels that have been trimmed in the saw are picked from the outfeed conveyor by the robot and stacked perfectly onto outfeed pallets ready to be strapped and shipped. The saw removes sharp and messy edges from panels prior to handling and the robot removes the challenge of handling panels that weigh up to 180kg – all within the cycle time of the press that produces the panels. The main benefit to Laminex of this automated process is increased quality and throughput. Eliminating manual handling and servicing the inspection area robotically has provided a significant reduction in the time and effort required to process the panels, while improving quality control. The results achieved by this automation has meant the cell is now just another step in the process that delivers world-class decorative surfaces from Australia to the world. As further testament to their success story, in 2018 Laminex was recognised in the Architecture and Design annual survey as the eighth-most “Top Trusted Brand”, as well as being voted the number-one top trusted brand in the Laminates, Solid Surfaces & Veneers category. These accolades reflect how the brand leads the way within the industry, demonstrating social, safety, and environmental responsibility. www.automatedsolutions.com.au www.laminex.com.au
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Optibelt assists development of Australia’s first electric motorbike Savic Motorcycles, the first company in Australia to design and build highperformance electric motorcycles, called on Optibelt engineers in Germany to assist in the development of an exceptional drive for their machines. These exceptional motorcycles required an exceptional drive, and for this Savic called on the engineering expertise of leading international drive belt manufacturer Optibelt, which specified the Optibelt DELTA CHAIN Carbon timing belt for this application. High-torque applications such as superchargers on drag cars and highperformance motorcycle drives demand a high-performance product, which is where the DELTA CHAIN Carbon excels. The DELTA CHAIN timing belt can provide 100% power transmission compared to high-performance rubber timing belts. Compared with a roller chain drive, Optibelt DELTA CHAIN carbon timing belts are cleaner, lighter, smoother and quieter and require no adjustments, resulting in less maintenance and a longer life cycle. All these qualities were essential when designing a drive system for these highperformance motorcycles. The polyurethane construction combined with the carbon fibre cords of the Optibelt DELTA CHAIN Carbon delivers a product that is resistant to contamination by water, a wide range of chemicals, oils and fluids; all important factors in a motorcycle application. At the same time, the wearresistant red-bonded fabric increases the sheer strength of the teeth, meaning that constant and fast acceleration is possible, making the Optibelt DELTA CHAIN Carbon the perfect partner in style and high-end performance. The man behind Savic Motorcycles is 28-year-old engineer Dennis Savic, who together with a rapidly growing team, has developed three different specifications of their electric motorcycles, the C-Series. This follows the launch of their concept prototype at the 2018 Australian Motorcycle
Expo, their second-generation prototype in November 2019, and the production prototype in 2020. The motorcycle prototypes are all direct drive to the rear wheel where the in-house designed rear wheel pulley has three spokes that line up perfectly with the spokes of the rear rim, which is also designed and developed by Savic and his team. The belt width running on the motorcycles is 36mm, which, according to Dennis Savic, is the widest belt in the EV market . The range offered now comprises three models: the Alpha, fitted with an 11kWh battery for a 200km range; the Delta with a 9kWh battery offering a range of 150km; and the commute-focused Omega, with a modest range of 120km. All are expected to be competitively priced, starting from approximately $12,990. With the prototypes now virtually complete, compliance testing underway and the first production run of 50 motorcycles all preordered, the team expect to commence production by mid-2022. With order books for the first production run full, there will be great excitement to see these Australian designed, engineered and fully built electric high-performance motorcycles on our roads.
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BNNTs – Game-changing nanotech PPK Group is one of the top-performing ASX shares in 2021 for a good reason, operating at the cutting edge of hightech nanomaterial manufacturing. The flagship of its success story is undoubtedly its boron nitride nanotubes (BNNT) manufacturing capability, based at Deakin University’s specialised Manufutures Precinct in Waurn Ponds, Victoria. BNNTs are a game-changing technology set to disrupt countless industries. They are around 100 times stronger than steel and 50 times stronger than industrial-grade carbon fibre, while being as light as carbon fibre. They are many times more thermally conductive than copper, yet they do not conduct electricity, making them perfect for electrical heat sinks. They provide excellent radiation shielding, for applications ranging from protecting astronauts in space, to protecting healthy cells during cancer radiation treatments. BNNTs are translucent, meaning they can be mixed with a range of materials - even glass - without greatly affecting the appearance of the final product. They are stable up to 900-1000°C, are superflexible and can be bent over 90° for thousands of times without failure, and they are non-toxic. PPK Group’s suite of businesses includes: • BNNT Technology Limited. Manufacturing the world’s highest-quality BNNTs. • Li-S Energy Limited. Breakthrough lithium-sulphur battery architecture using nanotechnology that can theoretically deliver more than five times the performance of existing lithium-ion batteries. • White Graphene Limited. Producing boron nitride nanosheets (BNNS), creating possibilities in sectors such as paints, resins, electronics, textiles and with potentially hydrogen transportation and containment. • Ballistic Glass Pty Ltd. Developing new lightweight bullet-resistant glass and polymer materials through the incorporation of BNNT and BNNS. • Strategic Alloys Pty Ltd. A joint venture with Amaero International, combining BNNT with aluminium and titanium alloys to create super-strength materials for defence and aerospace applications. • 3D Dental Technology Pty Ltd. Using BNNT to create advanced dental ceramics and polymers for the growing dental implant industry. • BNNT Precious Metals Limited. Adding BNNT to gold, silver and platinum for increased strength, hardness and radiation shielding properties, for uses in aerospace, defence, 3D printing and jewellery. Perhaps the most exciting immediate application for BNNTs is in lithium sulphur (Li-S) batteries, long theorised as the optimal solution for energy storage. The “theoretical maximum energy density” of Li-S batteries is more than five times that of lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries – the current industry standard in most fields. Sulphur is cheap and plentiful, lighter, and less environmentally destructive than the cobalt, nickel and manganese used in lithium-ion batteries. To illustrate the potential, the current Tesla Model S 100kWh longrange battery pack weighs 625kg, and (if driven carefully) the car can achieve a range of up to 640km. With its far higher energy density, a Li-S battery pack of the same weight easily has the potential to more than double this range, enabling distances well over 1,000km between charges. This would eliminate the “range anxiety” that has been a major obstacle to widespread electric vehicle (EV) adoption to date. Drones are another application where lighter, more energy-dense batteries will have enormous value. The flying weight of a drone is critical to the flying times that can be achieved. With Li-S Energy’s technology, battery weights will be significantly reduced, and flying
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times or carrying capacity increased. Then there are the 1.5bn mobile phones constructed annually, 220m laptops, large-scale battery projects, home-scale off-grid batteries, power tools… the list is endless. The global marketplace for Li-ion batteries exceeded US$35bn in 2020, and the volume of battery sales is forecast to more than quadruple (by GWh output) in the next four years, and hit 10 times current levels by 2030. The market is demanding a far more energydense, lighter-weight and environmentally friendly battery, placing Li-S Energy Limited at the forefront of the global transition to clean, renewable energy solutions. Another BNNT opportunity PPK quickly identified was in the bulletresistant glass market, worth around US$7bn per annum. Other military and ballistics applications are multiples of that market size. The range and scale of applications in high-performance metals is breathtaking. Adding just a tiny amount of BNNT to metals can increase strength, hardness, toughness, heat resistance and other key properties several times over. PPK first licensed the BNNT technology from Deakin University on the back of their development of BNNT-titanium, which was seven times as strong as pure titanium. One obvious application for hardened aluminium is in aircraft. Boeing has sold 6,065 aircraft in the past decade and Airbus is now the world’s largest aircraft manufacturer. Other manufacturers, particularly of military aircraft, could adopt the lighter, harder alloys even more swiftly. The use of BNNT in the dental market alone shows its extraordinary potential. There are around five million dental implant procedures per year in the US alone. That number is likely to exceed 50m globally, and is growing rapidly. The failure rate for existing dental implant materials is alarmingly high, but inclusion of BNNT makes these implants virtually indestructible. Nanosheets can be considered the two-dimensional cousin of nanotubes, offering similar material properties but in different applications, such as paints, resins, polymers, textiles, and electronics in the case of BNNS (aka White Graphene). PPK is now in the process of launching several projects and commissioning its first BNNS manufacturing module. As BNNT and BNNS become household terms, dozens of other researchers will be undertaking their own work in finding new applications for these revolutionary products, but PPK is currently leading the way in manufacturing and commercialising these worldchanging nanomaterials. www.ppkgroup.com.au www.bnnt.com.au www.lis.energy
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Up-to-spec at Aero Spec As part of its ongoing focus on utilising the most advanced concepts in machining, tooling, holding devices and techniques, Aero Spec Engineering has recently made a number of significant additions to its world-class machining facility located in Clayton South, Victoria. Aero Spec is a family owned business established by Klaus Linke in 1973, and is now managed by his two sons Nick and Mark, who bought the business in 2000. To help enable their vision of taking the business to new opportunities, the brothers changed the company name, invested in a larger manufacturing facility and established a commitment to continual investment in the latest CNC machine and tooling technology. Aero Spec specialises in supplying complex and difficult to manufacture components to various industries such as medical, defence, infrastructure, transport, aviation and mining. Their expertise in machining, CNC turning, three, four and five-axis CNC milling, and design and turnkey manufacturing has enabled the company to develop a reputation as a one-stop manufacturing facility capable of catering for every requirement, including working with materials such as stainless, inconel, acrylics, PEEK and other plastics. While Aero Spec shines in working with complex and difficult components, they also excel in manufacturing simpler parts and never consider any job too small. The company’s latest investments include a Mazak FJV-60/80 double column CNC vertical machining centre, two Mazak Variaxis j-500/5X multiple surface machining centres, and a Mazak Quick Turn 250MY turning centre with multi-tasking capability – all supplied by John Hart. The Mazak FJV-60/80 is a double-column vertical machining centre with enhanced performance, intelligent functions and rigid machine construction, ideally suited for heavy-duty, high-precision machining. The Mazak FJV’s special design ensures extremely high-precision machining over extended periods of operation by eliminating the spindle overhang often seen in C-frame vertical machining centres. Furthermore, its ergonomic design ensures convenient loading/unloading of large workpieces and overall ease of operation. The Mazak Variaxis j-500/5X vertical machining centres, each equipped with a high-precision rotary/tilt table, are a highperformance solution for those considering simultaneous five-axis technology. The machines handle all processes from raw material input through final machining to provide dramatic reductions in lead times and improve workpiece accuracy through the elimination of multiple setups. Designed to deliver high speed, high-accuracy multiple-surface machining and ease of operation, the Mazak Variaxis j-500/5X defines a new standard for multi-tasking machines. The Mazak Quick Turn 250MY CNC turning centre with multitasking capability brings together advanced technology, productivity and value to deliver exceptional performance in virtually any turning operation. The machine features milling capability and Y-axis functionality along with a standard through-hole chuck package and an integral turning spindle motor to process a wide range of parts in a single setup. The new Mazak machines feature the latest MAZATROL SmoothX and SmoothG CNC controls, contributing to the speed, ease of set-up and operation. “We purchased these new Mazak machines for the extra capability, faster machine cycles, faster set-up times and to cut down on multiple-operations,” explains Nick Linke. “Adding to our workshop productivity in the changing market was an important factor in our decision to purchase these machines. Although a large investment we continually budget to accommodate a growing workload.”
Aero Spec owners Mark and Nick Linke with their brand new Mazak FJV60/80 double-column vertical machining centre.
Aero Spec’s new Mazak Variaxis j-500/5X vertical machining centres.
Mark Linke adds: “These machines best suit the complex highaccuracy work we are manufacturing, which is why we chose the Mazak, because we think they are one of the leading machinery makers in the world. The benefits we have experienced are timesavings in the job set-up, job to job, and also the Mazak controller and machine access helps the operator.” Mark continues: “John Hart accommodates our company and fine-tunes our choices in machine options and machine styles, and has been an important partner in Aero Spec’s growth. John Hart’s service is also an important factor in our decision making as they have an extensive, dependable and responsive support infrastructure.” Nick concludes: “We purchased our first Mazak in 1988, a secondhand lathe. Today we are proud to own 10 state-of-the-art Mazak machines. Over that time, because of the positive impact on our capability and productivity, we have always kept up-to-date with the latest Mazak technology.” www.johnhart.com.auw www.aerospeceng.com.au
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Iscar: Tool craft for aircraft Aerospace components are often produced from materials that are unusually hard to machine, posing significant challenges for cutting tool manufacturers such as Iscar. In machining aerospace components, the main challenges relate to component materials. Titanium, high-temperature superalloys (HTSA), and creep-resisting steel are difficult to cut and machining is a real bottleneck in the whole aircraft supply chain. Poor machinability of these materials results in low cutting speeds, which significantly reduces productivity and shortens tool life. Both these factors are directly connected with cutting tools. In fact, when dealing with hard-to-machine typical aerospace materials, cutting tool functionality defines the existing level of productivity. The truth is, cutting tools in their development lag machine tools, and this development gap limits the capabilities of leading-edge machines in the manufacturing of aerospace components. Modern aircraft, especially unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), feature a considerably increased share of composite materials. Effective machining composites demand specific cutting tools, which is the focus of a technological leap in the aerospace industry. Aircraft-grade aluminium continues to be a widely used material for fuselage elements. It may seem that machining aluminium is simple. However, selecting the right cutting tool is a necessary key to success in high-efficiency machining of aluminium. A complex part shape is a specific feature of the turbine engine technology. Most geometrically complicated parts of aero engines work in highly corrosive environments and are made from hard-tocut materials, such as titanium and HTSA, to ensure the required life cycle. A combination of complex shape, low material machinability, and high accuracy requirements are the main difficulties in producing these parts. Leading multi-axis machining centres enable various chip removal strategies to provide complex profiles in a more effective way. However, a cutting tool, which comes into direct contact with a part, has a strong impact on the success of machining. Intensive tool wear affects surface accuracy, while an unpredictable tool breakage may lead to the discarding of a whole part. Advanced multitasking machines, Swiss-type lathes, and live tooling lathes have profoundly changed the manufacture of small-size parts of various hydraulic and pneumatic systems, actuators and accessories that are used in aircraft. Consequently, the aerospace industry requires more and more cutting tools designed specifically for such machines to achieve maximum machining efficiency. A cutting tool – the smallest element of a manufacturing system – turns into a key pillar for substantially improved performance. Therefore, aerospace part manufacturers and machine tool builders are waiting for innovative solutions for a new level of chip removal processes from their cutting tool producers. The solution targets are evident: more productivity and more tool life. Machining complex shapes of specific aerospace parts and large-sized fuselage components demand a predictable tool life period for reliable process planning and a well-timed replacement of worn tools or their exchangeable cutting components. The cutting tool manufacturer has a limited choice of sources for finding an ideal solution and may only have cutting tool materials, a cutting geometry, and an intelligent robust design as the main instruments to progress. However, despite these limited choices, the cutting tool manufacturer continues efforts to provide a new generation of tools to meet the growing requirements of the aerospace industry. The COVID-19 pandemic has seriously slowed down industry development, but this does not make the industry demands any less actual. The latest tool designs are good evidence of the cutting tool manufacturer’s response to the demand for aerospace component production.
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Coolant jet In machining titanium, HTSA and creep-resisting steel, high-pressure cooling (HPC) is an efficient tool for improving performance and increasing productivity. Pinpointed HPC significantly reduces the temperature at the cutting edge, ensures better chip formation and provides small, segmented chips. This contributes to higher cutting data and better tool life when compared with conventional cooling methods. Increasingly intensive application of HPC to machining difficult-to-cut materials is a clear trend in manufacturing aerospace components. Understandably, cutting tool manufacturers consider HPC tooling an important direction of development. Iscar has a sizeable product range for machining with HPC. In the last year, it has expanded this range by introducing new milling cutters carrying “classical” Heli200 and HeliMill indexable inserts with two cutting edges. This step brings an entire page of history to Iscar’s product line. In the 1990s, Iscar introduced the HeliMill – a family of indexable milling tools, which carried inserts with a helical cutting edge. The new design provides constant rake and relief angles along a mill cutting edge and results in a smooth and light cut with a significant reduction in power consumption. The HeliMill principle turned into a recognised concept in the design of the 90-degree indexable milling cutters. The HeliMill has been modified and undergone changes, which led to additional milling families and inserts with more cutting edges. The excellent performance and its close derivatives of the original tools ensured their popularity in metalworking. The addition of a modern HPC tool design to the proven HeliMill family was a direct response to customer demand and the next logical tool line to develop. In turning, Iscar has considerably expanded its line of assembled modular tools comprising of bars and exchangeable heads with indexable inserts. With the use of a serrated connection, these tools fit a wide range of heads with a range of different insert geometries, including threading and standard ISO turning inserts for different applications for greater flexibility. The bars have both traditional and anti-vibration designs and differ by their adaptation: cylindrical or polygonal taper shank. A common
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feature for the nodular tools is the delivery of internal coolant to be supplied directly to the required insert cutting edge. Depending on the diameter of a cylindrical-shank tool, the maximum coolant pressure varies from 30 to 70 bars, while the tools with polygonal taper shank facilitate ultra HPC at a pressure of up to 300 bars. The efficient distribution of coolant increases the insert’s tool life by reducing the temperature and improving chip control and chip evacuation, substantially increasing this application line in the aerospace industry.
Drilling solutions Machining composite materials is filled with traps and pitfalls. High abrasiveness of composites intensifies wear rate, which shortens tool life and affects the performance. Drilling is the most common cutting operation in machining composites, hence even a small improvement in the functionality of drilling tools is of key importance. Iscar has developed a range of new drills that are intended especially for composite materials. To increase abrasion resistance, these drills have a cutting part made from extra hard polycrystalline diamond (PCD) or diamond coating. Depending on the drill diameter, the PCD cutting part is known as a nib or a wafer; and in both cases is suitable for regrinding up to five times. The CVD diamond-coated solid carbide drills are attractive because of another specific design feature: the wavy shape of the main cutting edges. In machining composite materials, a tool produces more chattering than a cutting effect. The wavy shape of the cutting edge considerably reduces delamination and burrs, especially when drilling carbon fibrereinforced plastics (CFRP) and carbon laminates. In addition to composites, the diamond-coated drills are suitable for machining other high-abrasive engineering materials. If necessary, these drills can be delivered with optional tool through-coolant holes. Drilling deep, small-in-diameter holes is a common operation in manufacturing aerospace components. Iscar’s new solid carbide drills in the diameter range of 3mm to 10mm are intended specifically for such an operation. The combination of a split point geometry, a double-margin design, polished flutes, a multi-layer coating and coolant holes provides a noteworthy tool family for effective onepass drilling holes with a depth of up to 50 hole diameters in difficultto-cut austenitic and creep-resisting steels and ferrum-based alloys.
For any complexity Airfoils of aero-engine turbines and compressors, impellers and integrally bladed rotors (IBR) have a complex shape that is defined by aerodynamic requirements. New developments, which are directed on improving aero-engine efficiency, add to this complexity.
Advancement of technology brought new methods for producing formed parts, in particular 3D printing, which significantly diminishes material stock for chip removal. However, machining remains the most common method for the final shaping method in manufacturing geometrically complex aerospace components. The progress in five-axis machining and CAD/CAM systems has enriched the manufacturer’s solution pool to overcome difficulties in component production. Barrel-shaped milling cutters have good prospects in five-axis machining of aerospace components with complex surfaces. Iscar has developed a series of barrel-shaped cutters of 8mm to 16mm in diameter in two designed configurations: solid carbide endmills and exchangeable heads with a Multi-Master threaded connection. The introduction of these tools into the machining processes is a major advantage of intensifying blade manufacturing.
Promising multitasking Effectiveness of chip-removal processing on compact multi-tasking machines and Swiss-type lathes depends largely on correct tool selection. Demands to increase productivity require maximum tool holding stiffness and limited working space to minimise tool overhang. Recently, Iscar introduced NeoCollet, a new tool holding family, which provides an alternative to clamping tools with spring collets. One of the typical toolholders in this family has a tapered shank that can be mounted in a collet chuck directly, ensuring a rigid and reliable connection to improve tool performance. The new family includes the holders for Iscar T-Slot exchangeable slot and face milling heads from cemented carbide. As mentioned, applying HPC can substantially change machining results, especially when dealing with titanium, HTSA and difficultto-cut stainless steel – the main materials for aircraft hydraulic and pneumatic systems and light-sized accessories. With a square shank and a reliable screw clamping mechanism for 55-degree rhombic insert, the new turning tools facilitate HPC in longitudinal, face and profile turning operations on small-diameter parts. Examples such as these illustrate how the toolmaker tries to find more effective solutions to meet the new requirements of the aerospace industry. A slowdown in the industry growth and a reduction in aircraft production caused by COVID-19 have not diminished this focus . On the contrary, new progressive cutting tools have been developed, and Iscar will find its new and upgraded applications in the restored aircraft production of tomorrow. www.iscar.com.au
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Holistic approach optimises processes and tool life Blaser Swisslube entered a collaboration with Swiss tool and instrument manufacturer PB Swiss Tools with ambitious goals: to optimise processes, increase tool life and reduce production costs. A test phase proved successful, and the collaboration has now been expanded to include further production processes. PB Swiss Tools’ history can be traced all the way back to 1878, starting with the production of nose rings for taming oxen in the village blacksmith’s shop in Wasen in Switzerland’s Emmental region. Since then the company has evolved over the years into an innovative global company synonymous with tools and medical instruments that are unrivalled for their precision and durability. It has been manufacturing tools since 1940, and medical products since 2013.
PB Swiss Tools’ headquarters in Wasen, Switzerland.
Today, specialists in more than 80 countries choose PB Swiss Tools when their work needs to meet the highest quality standards. With 180 employees at its facilities in Wasen and Sumiswald, PB Swiss Tools manufactures 12 million tools and instruments each year. More than two thirds of these are exported all over the world. Blaser Swisslube’s Synergy 735 coolant, along with Blaser brand ambassador Titan Gilroy, caught the attention of PB Swiss Tools representatives at the Prodex exhibition in Basel. PB Swiss Tools Production Manager Patrick Gehrig was particularly interested in the holistic approach taken by Blaser Swisslube, increasing productivity and optimising costs through the use of the “Liquid Tool”. “A visit to PB Swiss Tools’ shop floor was arranged to discuss potential collaboration,” explains Hans-Peter Dubach, Application Engineer at Blaser Swisslube. This visit was entirely consistent with the overall approach adopted by Blaser Swisslube; in addition to talks and discussions, all the production details were closely examined. “This includes an analysis of the water quality, the tools and machines used, as well as the materials processed,” Dubach explains. “We looked at all the upstream and downstream processes and identified potential for optimisation throughout: machine cleanliness could be improved, and the lathes were oily and sticky. We also believed that we would be able to improve tool life.”
The machines have remained clean since the switch to the new coolant solution.
optimum additives,” Dubach says. “Rinsing behaviour is excellent, and the machines and tool surfaces are easy to clean.” Synergy 735 also allows for a clear overview of the machining process and is characterised by a neutral odour and excellent skin compatibility. The minimal foaming means the coolant is also ideally suited to high-pressure systems.
Improved tool life
The experts at PB Swiss Tools set themselves the goal of optimising processes, increasing tool life and reducing overall costs in collaboration with Blaser Swisslube. Following on from the detailed analysis, Dubach recommended using the crystal-clear Synergy 735 coolant with deionised water.
The new coolant was tested initially on a lathe over a period of three months. The results spoke for themselves: tool life was increased by around 10%, with process reliability remaining at the same level. The top-up rate was almost halved, which had a positive impact on overall costs. Both tool and coolant costs could be reduced. All process times have been observed. What’s more, the improved cleanliness of the tools and machines was enough to convince the managers at PB Swiss Tools.
“This water-miscible and oil-free coolant allows for flawless surface quality, thanks to
Following on from collaboration, further
already been tackled, aiming to optimise their results. These include new grinding processes, the use of cutting oils, the introduction of lubrication charts and streamlining of the range of lubricants. PB Swiss Tools and Blaser Swisslube will continue to strengthen their collaboration in future. Patrick Gehrig is already looking to the future: “We rely on our coolant partner, Blaser Swisslube, and are committed to making continuous improvements in other areas.” www.blaser.com www.pbswisstools.com
this successful processes have
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Seco: How sustainability applies to machining Businesses today attach the term “sustainable” to products and activities from fish and furniture to energy consumption and architecture. Their stated focus is on preserving resources and protecting the environment. In a more narrow sense, however, machining in manufacturing has always pursued a form of sustainability. Machining competitively priced, high-quality products enables manufacturers to make profits and thereby sustain their existence as businesses. By Patrick De Vos. Throughout history, manufacturers have sought ways to make their machining processes more efficient and costeffective. Those efforts involve ongoing development of advanced and precise production machinery, improved cutting tools and optimisation of cutting systems overall. Specific strategies include highspeed machining, high-feed machining, high-performance machining and digital machining. The recent initiative called sustainable machining aims at reducing raw material consumption, energy use and generation of waste throughout the product lifecycle to a level that at least is in balance with the carrying capacity of our planet. Often the general discussion of sustainability concentrates on large global environmental issues but overlooks the basic elements of price, cost, customer satisfaction, process knowledge and reliability. When it comes to sustainability in machining, true success starts with simple, straightforward steps and analysis.
Sustainable pricing and customer satisfaction Every business faces the challenge of setting sustainable prices for its goods or services. The price must be high enough to cover costs and produce a profit, but low enough that it doesn’t drive customers to competitors. A manufacturer can set a higher price if the customer perceives that the product provides sufficient value for what is paid. On the other hand, if pressure from customers and competitors results in setting the price too low, profit margins suffer. When the price is below the cost of producing the product, losses result. If competitive pressures push the price too low, those designing and machining the product have to find ways to produce it cheaper, faster and better to cut production costs and support a sustainable profit margin. However, in many businesses the point where costs stop, and profits start is unclear. That is because the real costs themselves also are unclear. Hidden, ignored or unknown factors are not part of the cost calculation. Typical invisible costs include unplanned downtime, rejected workpieces and broken tools. These costs are not considered representative or
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“real.” The attitude or mindset that results in some cost factors becoming invisible is not limited to production staff; it can exist company wide. Achieving a sustainable cost structure requires making the invisible visible. Manufacturing staff must examine and evaluate the machining process as well as the structure and flow of the organisation’s activities overall to uncover hidden costs. Customer satisfaction is a key element of economic sustainability. A customer wants to know when his or her order will arrive. Lead time, in a customer’s mind, begins when they place an order. And lead time is not exclusively production time. If machining a part involves three weeks process time, but administrative activities eventually take another two weeks, a shop must be honest with itself and its customers and state a lead time of five weeks. Metalworking equipment suppliers including Seco Tools provide tool inventory management, tool identification and machine monitoring systems that enable shop personnel to track customer jobs and maximise a shop’s ability to meet lead time goals and maintain customer satisfaction.
Waste and measurement Efficient manufacturing minimises wasted time, energy and raw material. Issues surrounding the waste products of machining such as chips, cutting oils and coolant are complex. Manufacturers traditionally consider the waste products as
an unavoidable result of the process and believe that change is difficult to accomplish and, thus, has been minimal. The attitude in much of the machining world is “that’s how it goes, it’s just something to deal with”. Effectively minimising waste and preserving resources require thorough understanding of workpiece material characteristics and machining processes. Gaining that understanding involves accurate measurement of process factors to determine exactly what is being done and what the results really are. True accuracy avoids the use of round figures; round figures usually indicate incomplete knowledge of the process at hand and hinder valid determination of results when changes are made. If a shop claims its manufacturing efficiency is “above 60%,” is that 61% or 95%? Both are above 60%. Similarly, cutting speed described as “around 200 metres/min” is not trustworthy information. The speed more likely will actually be 195 metres/min or 206 metres/min than an estimated round number. In one case, a shop owner was convinced that his facility utilised 70% (round number) of the time available for machining. Careful measurement determined that actual utilisation was only 34%. In simplified terms, among every three machines in that facility, one would be working, and the other two were idle. So, the shop owner’s undisciplined measurement (guessing) proved basically worthless.
CUTTING TOOLS Patrick De Vos
Salary and sustainability In analysing sustainability in relation to global laboor costs, assessment of labour productivity should exclude salary costs. Labour productivity equals production turnover, minus the costs of purchased goods and services, divided by the number of employees, divided by a unit of time. This formula measures labour productivity without influence of labour costs and enables valid comparisons of labour productivity among countries or businesses with differing salary scales. The salary of a skilled machine operator in a Western nation, for instance, may be ten times that of an operator in a lower-salary country, but that difference doesn’t indicate actual productivity. It is possible that the ten operators in a low-salary country produce fewer parts, at lower quality, than the one operator in the West. However, if actual labour productivity in the lower-salary country is at the same level as the Western country, then achieving economically sustainable productivity in the Western country requires investment in innovative technology and production methods and continuing education of manufacturing staff. High labour productivity indicates that manufacturing personnel possess thorough insight into what they are doing and have comprehensive knowledge and skills. This enables them to work faster, realise their full competence and gain higher job satisfaction. For a skilled operator, machining is frustrating when unanticipated events occur. That happens frequently in today’s high-mix, low-volume production scenarios as the products and small lot sizes change very quickly. However, skilled, multi-disciplined operators can rapidly adjust operations to overcome bottlenecks and other disruptive events.
Process reliability and energy efficiency
for the day is 6.8 units while the machine produces two parts.
A sustainable machining process is reliable and predictable and minimises energy waste. An unreliable process results in reworked or scrapped workpieces, and waste of the raw material, energy and labour used to produce the rejected work.
A second scenario follows analysis of the process with special attention to eliminating wasted time. The analysis enables idle time to be reduced to five hours, a cutback of 16.5%. Now three hours of cutting time are available, permitting the production of three parts. Total energy consumption per day is seven units, or 3% more than in scenario one.
Similarly, from a sustainability perspective, work in process (WIP) is essentially waste. From an economic point of view, WIP represents lost money, lost time and wasted floor space. In addition, there is always the possibility that a stored semi-finished workpiece can be damaged as it moves through the logistics system. Accordingly, a shop should have as little WIP as possible. Throughout history, manufacturing has found ways to accomplish greater results with less energy. For example, in the beginning of the 1980s many workshops had machines with 70 or more kilowatts of power. Today, milling machines with seven kilowatts of power provide productivity that can be higher than that of those machines ten times more powerful. A sustainable machining process minimises energy consumed per cubic millimetre of material removed. Minimising energy consumption automatically results in less wasted energy, making machining a more environmentally friendly operation. Efficient use of energy can significantly boost product output with minimal increase in overall energy usage. In one scenario, actual machining of a part takes one hour. If programming, set-up and waiting time require six hours, the machine will produce two parts in an eight-hour day. When the machine is cutting, energy consumption can be considered to be 100%, or nominally one unit. The cutting operation uses 20% of the energy, so when the machine is not cutting it consumes 80% of an energy unit. Therefore, total energy consumption
Producing one workpiece in scenario one requires 3.4 energy units, while in scenario two, production of each workpiece requires 2.2 units of energy. Energy consumption per workpiece in scenario two decreases 36% on only a 3% increase in daily energy consumption. Producing three workpieces in scenario one would require the machine to run longer and consume more energy. Sustainable machining is not necessarily about consuming less energy, but it is about doing more with the energy consumed.
Maximising sustainability Manufacturers have long pursued economic sustainability through the machining of competitively priced, high-quality products that enable them to support and maintain their businesses. Economic sustainability consists of many components, but in general, the components are basic and straightforward. Most of all they involve realistic, honest and accurate evaluation and elimination of occasions of waste in all aspects of the production process. In achieving economic sustainability, manufacturers deal with issues that enable them to also address and reduce the impact of their operations on the environment and achieve sustainability in the global sense. Patrick de Vos is a Business Development Manager and Technical Education Manager at Seco Consultancy. www.secotools.com
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The next step to unmanned production A recent study by China’s Beihang University in the International Journal of Production Research directly linked predictive maintenance with the quality of products. But how can manufacturers combine predictiveness and excellence in steel turning operations with fewer workers on the shop floor, or even unmanned production? Rolf Olofsson, Product Manager at Sandvik Coromant, explains why the right tooling, plus fail-safe processes, are essential for component quality. While Beihang University’s research highlights “the strong relationship among maintenance strategy, production planning and quality”, Sandvik Coromant is seeing a growing trend where machine tool manufacturers are incorporating process monitoring systems within modern CNC machines. The recent Digital Factories 2020 report by Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC) recommends that “Companies must make smarter decisions using predictive analytics and machine learning”, while 98% of manufacturers surveyed in the report said they expect to increase their efficiency through use of predictive maintenance. Meanwhile, the global production monitoring market is expected to grow from $4.0bn in 2018 to $6.4bn by 2023, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.8%, according to Markets and Markets. In line with these trends, predictability has also become increasingly important in the modern turning of steel components. This coincides with increasingly limited human supervision in light of new requirements for social distancing in factories. It’s clear that unmanned production is the way forward – but this cannot be achieved without the ability to detect tool wear and avoid sudden breakages.
Without human input Frequent insert changes, production interruptions and not finding the right insert for each application or material are all time-killers in modern production. Several factors can stop manufacturers of steel components from reaching the desired number of workpieces per shift – not least the wear-resistant properties of the tool. This particularly applies in the ISO P15 and P25 application area. ISO P15 and P25 refer to the demands that different working conditions impose on machining parameters. They include cutting data, surface finish, depth of cut, machined or rough surfaces and continuous or interrupted cuts. It’s in this application area that carbide inserts with superior wear resistance are vital for supporting unmanned, or even lights-out, production. But what do we mean by wear resistance? There are different types. For instance, fracture resistance is paramount, as is a cutting edge capable of resisting plastic deformation induced by extreme
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temperatures. Also, the insert coating must be able to prevent flank wear, crater wear and edge build-up. Crucially, the coating must also adhere to the substrate. If the coating fails to stick, the substrate is exposed and this can lead to rapid failure. To avoid these wear phenomena, the key is to limit continuous, controllable wear and eliminate discontinuous, uncontrollable wear. This isn’t easy, given the current trend for machining with limited, or no, human supervision – but several technologies can be advantageous. Predictive and preventative maintenance are often talked about, like intelligent software and sensors that can be the ‘virtual eyes and ears’ of a machine and support with optimal recommendations to match deteriorating tool performance. So, we can achieve better wear through sensors – but what about through better tooling?
Avoiding breakages When choosing a better-performing insert, the ideal grade is one that limits the development of wear and, in some operations, prevents it from developing at all. Predictable wear is especially useful for unmanned and lights-out production. To achieve minimal wear, it’s vital to select the right carbide insert that can deliver consistent and predictable performance. This is why Sandvik Coromant has launched a pair of new ISO P-turning carbide grades in its range, GC4415 and GC4425, which are each designed to deliver improved wear resistance, heat resistance and toughness.
In particular, both grades are ideal for use with low-alloyed and unalloyed steel. They can machine a larger number of workpieces and contribute towards extended tool life – in both mass and batch production setups. The GC4415 and GC4425 grades – which, as the names suggest, refer to P15 and P25 – each contain the second-generation Inveio technology. Inveio is a uni-directional crystal orientation in the alumina coating layer, with unique properties that can be seen by examining the material at a microscopic level. Every crystal in the alumina coating is linedup in the same direction, which creates a strong barrier towards the cutting zone. The crystal orientation has been improved substantially in the second-generation Inveio coating. This gives the insert even higher wear resistance and longer tool life – and can support with predictable wear.
Aligned goals GC4415 and GC4425 have already delivered impressive benefits for Sandvik Coromant’s customers. In fact, when compared to a competitor’s insert, the GC4425 achieved an increased tool life for 270 pieces, compared to 150 pieces. Another comparison test was performed by a general engineering customer in the US, measuring the performance of GC4415 against a competing carbide insert. Both inserts were used for batch-production turning and finishing processes on a 330HB steel workpiece, and the tool was changed when it exhibited a bad surface finish. Emulsion coolant was used in each case.
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The portable, affordable solution to improve quality, reduce scrap, and increase the productivity of any workshop.
The Master3DGage from Verisurf Software is a versatile 3D measuring CMM ideal for shop-floor measurements and use in the workshop.
The end results were clear. With the GC4415 insert, the customer was able to almost double its cutting data parameters. This included a cutting speed (vc) of 280 metres/min with the GC4415 versus 200 metres/min with the competing tool; and a feed rate (fn) of 0.15mm/rev versus 0.1mm/ rev. The customer was able to significantly increase its tool life and productivity. Overall, the Sandvik Coromant GC4415 insert with Inveio technology produced twice the number of pieces, a total of 80, before showing signs of wear, against just 40 pieces with the other tool. This equates to a 100% productivity increase and twice the insert tool life.
Enhanced by digital Aside from enhanced tooling with the GC4415 and GC4425 grade inserts, Sandvik Coromant has also advanced its digitalisation offering. To do so, its specialists worked closely with machine tool builders, cloud suppliers and network companies to develop its CoroPlus, a digital platform of connected tools and software. The software reflects how times have changed. It used to be the case that operators had to rely on experience and
instinct to improve processes, and detect wear in tools. Today, with the use of sensorequipped tools, production managers can adjust, control and monitor their machining performance automatically in real-time. The CoroPlus platform already has already proven valuable in monitoring and controlling sensor-equipped tools. The platform helps to optimise processes by eliminating the aforementioned ‘timekillers’ of modern production, minimising the number of production stops needed to replace worn tooling – including carbide turning inserts – and reducing waste. Moreover, in combination with the GC4415 and GC4425 grade inserts, or other enhanced Sandvik Coromant tools, CoroPlus is integral to supporting predictive maintenance. It is through a combination of the right software systems that manufacturers can predictively detect tool wear and avoid sudden breakages. This not only opens the benefits of unmanned production – increased process security, reduced downtime and protected investments. It does so in ways that, as in Beihang University’s study, links predictive maintenance directly to consistent product quality. www.sandvik.coromant.com
The system is both easy to use and produces accurate and repeatable results when coupled with Verisurf CAD/Measure inspection software for inspection and reverse engineering tasks. A complimentary 3D laser scanner is available for the Master3DGage, making this one of the lowest entry-cost laser scanning systems available on the market.
For full sales, support, installation and training of all your metrology needs contact Met Optix:
1300 363 409 info@metoptix.com.au www.metoptix.com.au
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Older cranes deliver new gains as industry prepares for rising production demands Nearly all industries depend on electric overhead travelling cranes (EOTs) for their heavyweight maintenance, manufacturing and process needs. EOT fleets have experienced exponential growth over the last 20 years, until the COVID-19 pandemic mothballed some sectors of industry and cut production in others. Now EOT fleet growth is poised to resume, as Asia-Pacific nations focus on renewed export drives and extensive infrastructure and industry projects to stimulate growth domestically. We are already seeing activity growth in a number of countries. Sectors such as manufacturing, metals, automotive, steel, mining and energy, construction, public and private infrastructure, logistics, waste-to-energy and utilities projects are among major sectors earmarked for expansion – in areas extending from China and India, down through South-East Asia-Pacific, to Australasia, according to Konecranes. With this resurgence in demand for EOT cranes, will come a renewed focus on achieving the highest standards of reliability, cost-efficiency and safety – a process driven not only by technology innovations in new cranes, but also by modernisations among the existing fleets of EOT cranes as the region has experienced the largest and longest economic expansion in its collective history. “As thousands of new cranes have entered service over the past 20 years, the countries of the region have built up a massive and maturing pool of existing cranes,” says Mark Beckwith, Operations Manager at Konecranes and Demag (a member of the Konecranes Group). “Many of these have been under-utilised in recent times, but are substantially sound and can achieve strong cost-efficiency, lifespan and safety gains by being modernised rather than replaced. “Some older cranes just won’t be able to compete with the efficiency of new crane technologies, but, for others, overhead crane modernisation can present a cost-saving alternative to buying new equipment. This will assist a wider range of business to benefit from the more efficient, updated technology that is available in brand-new cranes tailored to particular industries.”
Less weight, increased productivity, enhanced safety Crane modernisation increases operational productivity and profitability, as operators of upgraded equipment see a decrease in maintenance costs and control capital expenditures in highly competitive industries. “If you haven’t looked into crane modernisation, you’ll likely be surprised by the range of safety and productivity enhancements possible through updating older cranes,” says Beckwith. As well as being a leading global supplier of new cranes and the most advanced crane technologies, Konecranes is the world’s largest crane service organisation, with more than 600,000 assets of all major brands under service contract worldwide. This experience offers a unique combination of insights into the needs and economic lifespans of different cranes of all brands, the different needs in different industries, and how to achieve the best safety, reliability and cost-efficiency outcomes for the optimum investment.
Modernisations can extend the service life of overhead canes while meeting regulatory, safety, maintenance, and production requirements. They can also encompass automation and increased capacity.
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Modernisation substantially reduces the weight of older cranes, since new motors, trolleys, hoists and other components are significantly lighter than original equipment. Reduction of dead weight like this can often increase the capacity of an overhead crane – an important consideration, as the load demands on equipment have often increased over the years. The objectives of any crane modernisation should be more efficient operation and improved productivity, both of which lead to increased profitability. Enhanced safety also is a key consideration. Sway control technology, one of the more popular safety upgrades in crane modernisation projects, prevents loads from swinging, while enabling operators to move loads faster and position them more accurately. A variety of automated features can be added in crane modernisation projects. For instance, cranes in busy, congested facilities can be automated to run on selected safe travel paths. And automated zone control allows a crane to be programmed to operate only in certain areas, to protect personnel and property. Another high-tech upgrade is distance-detection control, which senses proximity of other cranes on a runway to prevent collisions. Updated cabs also enhance safety and productivity. They provide operators a better view of their surroundings and feature ergonomically designed seats with built-in controls. These features promote operator comfort, reducing back and neck strain, and making the crane easier and less tiring to operate. Konecranes crane modernisation services encompass a progressive range of cost-efficient modernisations, extending up to TRUCONNECT Remote Monitoring – one of the biggest advances in crane safety and cost-efficient management over the past decade. TRUCONNECT Remote Monitoring can be added to Konecranes equipment as well as cranes made by other manufacturers. TRUCONNECT Remote Monitoring collects condition, usage and operating data from control systems and sensors on an asset and provides alerts of certain anomalies. Remote Monitoring data is used in maintenance planning and in predicting possible component or equipment failure.
MATERIALS HANDLING “Crane modernisation offers more possibilities than you might imagine for updating old equipment to new standards of productivity and safety,” says Beckwith. Key considerations include: • Prolonging the economic service life of the crane. • Establishing when critical components are reaching the end of their economic service life and/or design life. • Increasing production demands. • Changing application needs. • Changing statutory requirements. • Rising costs and time spent maintaining your aged crane, with increased downtime in essential processes.
Are your cranes fit for the future? Companies considering whether a modernisation is a valid option can use tools such as a Konecranes Crane Reliability Study (CRS) or a Steel Structure Analysis. These tools offer deeper insights into the condition, safety and efficiency of lifting equipment, thus delivering valuable information to better predict and control the total cost of ownership.
Updated cabs and sway control technologies enhance safety and productivity
Steel Structure Analysis: This service has been designed to calculate the remaining fatigue life in the steel structure of a crane and inspect it for any defects. The analysis provides detailed information of the condition and remaining fatigue life of a crane steel structure and can also help determine if the steel structure is suitable for modernisations.
Crane Reliability Study: A CRS is an engineering assessment that evaluates the current condition of a crane and provides a theoretical estimate of its remaining design life and recommendations for next steps. The study looks at structures, mechanical components “Sometimes the best option may be a new crane,” says Beckwith. and electrical systems, and highlights possible maintenance and “But the number of existing cranes out there is huge, and many modernisation needs. A CRS provides an exhaustive analysis properly maintained cranes can be cost-efficiently modernised. and comprehensive report for all makes and models of overhead “Modernising a good existing crane to the best global standards lifting equipment, outlining the condition of the crane and its can be a very attractive option where the machinery is assessed current operating capacity. In addition, a CRS report contains as fundamentally sound after thorough compliance, condition and recommendations for the future actions needed to maximise audits, to help to establish which is the best choice for each AMTIL-ADVERT-MAIN-2020-OUTLINED(FA).pdf 1 17/1/20 10:49 safety am the use of the equipment, thereby enhancing safety, improving operation and industry.” www.konecranes.com.au performance and increasing reliability.
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Verton Australia: Making offshore lifting a breeze Have you ever tried to thread a needle while jumping on a trampoline? Now imagine trying to install a 60m-long, 20-tonne wind turbine blade, 100m above sea level while floating several kilometres out at sea. Verton, an Australian manufacturer behind world-leading lifting and load orientation products is developing a solution for this seemingly impossible task, where precision handling of heavy loads in strong winds and from unstable working conditions creates a challenging work environment. Estimated to be worth up to a trillion US dollars by 2040, the offshore wind-generation market presents Verton with a prime opportunity to address growing safety and productivity concerns relating to installation and maintenance with its Windmaster project. The Windmaster project leverages Verton’s experience in construction and load lifting environments to develop a solution for wind turbine installations in challenging environments, with $178,000 in co-funding from the Federal Government’s Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre (AMGC) assisting the company’s commercialisation plans. Core to Verton’s solution is a patented, remote-controlled, gyroscope-enabled product, which delivers simpler and safer lifting, rotation and orientation of heavy loads. The Verton solution allows for the removal of ‘taglines’ (supporting lines running from the load to ground level) and ‘dogmen’ (who operate the taglines from the ground). These elements are particularly important when installing motors and blades to wind-turbines in off-shore environments, where space and safety are paramount. In user testing and field deployment, Verton’s technology has been proven to reduce equipment downtime by 25%, and hook-time (time of loads in the air) by up to 50%, resulting in significant productivity and safety gains, while also reducing equipment downtime and potential for damage – benefits which are unparalleled in the sector. Dr Jens Goennemann, Managing Director for the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre (AMGC), says that Verton is a prime example of an Australian manufacturer developing innovative solutions for global customers. “The winds of change are blowing in global energy generation and Verton is a role model for other companies looking to leverage its experience in new sectors both here and abroad, while tapping into opportunities in the growing renewable energy market,” says Goennemann. “By collaborating with best of breed researchers and industry partners to identify business opportunities, Verton is set to export locally developed craning and lifting solutions into numerous international markets.” As a result of the project, Verton has linked with multinational companies Mammoet, a heavy lifting and transport specialist, marine engineers Van Oord, and wind power specialist Vestas, as well as Australian SME suppliers, all of which are financial contributors to the project alongside AMGC. “Through the AMGC-backed project, we scaled up the loads we can handle with the Everest system, from 25-tonne capacity to deploying a proof-of-concept for our Windmaster solution for testing at Brisbane Airport which will be capable of significantly higher loads,” explains Patrick Taylor, Project Manager at Verton. “The proof-of-concept test will help us develop the best product for high-wind environments, where we use the wind against itself, rather, than try to fight it.” Based on a concept by Verton founder and Chief Technical Officer (CTO) Stanley Thomson, a lifting industry professional with nearly four decades’ experience, the project greatly benefited from input from Queensland University of Technology academics. The deep collaborative links are demonstrated in the integration of Verton’s Windmaster system to Vestas’ multi-blade installer yoke technology. Combined, the system can be used to help lift
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blades, nacelles, turbines and other large components. Verton’s willingness to collaborate has been key to its success so far, said Esna Louwrens, the company’s global Business Development and Marketing Manager. “When we started, we needed calculations for the moment of inertia, and then to take that and integrate it into our software and to make our products work like they are working today,” Louwrens adds. “There is a vast amount of physical and computational complexity involved in getting it right.” Verton is continuing its engagement with QUT roboticists and other specialists on other projects, as well as with industrial field experts. The company is growing its headcount from 11 at the start of the year to 25 in the next three months. Louwrens said the team has a heavy representation of engineers in software, firmware, mechatronics, mechanical and other disciplines. Goennemann says it is pleasing to see Australian manufacturers creating complex solutions for global markets by embracing the entire manufacturing value-chain while demonstrating where Australian manufacturers can thrive. “It has been proven time and time again that manufacturers, like Verton, who invest in all seven-steps of the manufacturing valuechain develop products which are better, not cheaper and have global relevance,” says Goennemann. “They are proof positive of Australia’s manufacturing potential.” www.amgc.org.au www.verton.com.au
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Alspec elevates efficiency with Hänel vertical storage Alspec Aluminium Systems Specialists recently invested in a Hänel Lean-Lift vertical storage system from Headland Machinery. Clinton Matthews, Alspec’s National Operations Manager, discussed the recent purchase. AMT: What prompted you to invest in the Hänel system? Clinton Matthews: Our main problem was capacity within an existing facility, in conjunction with labour productivity – the time it was taking to fulfil orders through the picking process. Traditionally we would store small components in traditional key lock racking systems, and we were looking for a way to increase productivity and the storage capacity of our facility. We have not had the system long and we have already seen a reduction in excess of 22% in the time is takes to fulfil our orders. It also enabled us to pivot operations, with an increase in storage capacity by 25%. The introduction of the towers enabled us to store small components to almost 10m high, while recovering floor space for additional storage in our lineal based product. AMT: What parts are stored in the Hänel system? CM: We store components for the windows and door frames we supply. Security is not a concern with our product line; it’s more about bringing goods to man, rather than man to goods. We focused primarily on improving our motion ways in the warehouse and increasing usable floor space. AMT: Did you review the competitor offerings in the vertical lift space? CM: Yes, in detail. We reviewed not only the acquisition costs, but also the total costs of ownership, from depreciation to regular maintenance and support. We modelled our costing plan across
a 15-year lifespan encompassing servicing and operating costs. We also reviewed the technical support located around Australia in conjunction with the positioning and quantity of spare part support. AMT: What can you say about the service you creceived from Headland? CM: We worked with Headland over a period of time to find the right solution for our business. The Headland team was knowledgeable and helpful in finding the right product fit, and they were focused on meeting our expectations as agreed prior to the sale. In terms of service we’ve received prompt support and the installation process went well with all Covid-19-induced challenges overcome with nil disruption to the installation and commissioning plan. www.headland.com.au www.alspec.com.au
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Worker hearing challenges rise as NVH takes toll More than one in six Australians suffers hearing loss, a number expected to rise to one in four in coming decades, thanks to an ageing population and an increasing number of people being exposed to noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) in the workplace. The resulting productivity losses, according to Australian hearing care and professional services groups, total more than $16.2bn, or $4,109 per person with hearing loss, mostly due to reduced employment of people with hearing loss ($12.6bn). Workers in their 50s and 60s are hit disproportionately hard, and are the most prone to further damage from workplace NVH. These numbers will be further swelled as the government pension qualification age rises to 67. Air Springs Supply is the distributor for some of the world’s most effective NVH isolators. James Maslin, Technical Product Manager at Air Springs Supply, says: “The hearing loss figures don’t surprise us, because it has been known for a long time that continual exposure to loud noise is the most common preventable cause of sensorineural hearing loss. This is the permanent type of hearing loss, which accounts for more than 90% of hearing loss in adults. “It is important to note that there are many causes for deafness besides loud noise in the workplace – such as natural ageing and genetic factors – and much of industry is very much aware of the problem as its workforce ages. The use of personal protective equipment has expanded radically in recent decades, for example.” Currently the issues affect men more than women, but this may change as more women join traditionally male-dominated industries such as manufacturing, construction, civil engineering, and mining and energy. These are all industries that are seeking to manage their NVH issues, both in the workplace, and in some cases in surrounding residential and business districts. “So it is important not only to provide PPE to try to stop noise getting through to the ear, but also to cut off the noise at source – like crashing metal springs and unsuspended stamping, conveying, compressor, generator and HVAC equipment,” says Maslin. “As we all work longer, the risk issue expands further, with lost hearing posing communication issues and, ultimately, the loss of major skills because of a preventable problem. “We are already getting people dropping out of the workforce because of problems with hearing and communicating, and this is costing both the individual and our skills base. It is one of the reasons why a person with untreated hearing loss earns an average of $10K less than people with no hearing loss or treated hearing loss.” Air Springs Supply has decades of first-hand experience of the issue – its Firestone Airmount pneumatic isolators are proven to be a highly effective solution to NVH. These ultimate actuators, which support up to 40 tons per unit, not only silence intrusive NVH from machinery and plant, but also are suitable for suspending and protecting entire structures – including building and electronic facilities – against ambient NVH. Super-silent Airmounts – either permanently sealed or fed by standard industrial compressor equipment – range from palm-sized to nearly a metre across, individually supporting weights extending from a few dozen kilograms up to more than 40,000kg. They are available in single, double and triple-convoluted types as well as rolling sleeve models, distributed nationally by Air Springs Supply’s supply and technical advice network. Engineered from tough fabric-reinforced rubber, Airmounts are identical in construction to the air springs used in the suspensions of heavy trucks. They are also used beneath passenger railway locomotives and rolling stock, where they withstand grime and shock while providing the outstanding ride and isolation properties
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required. Examples of applications include: crushing and stamping equipment in heavy industry; vibrating screens, conveyors and elevators; compressors and generators; sorters, sizers and vibrating bins; garbage compactors and waste-to-energy equipment; bulk handling and minerals processing equipment; HVAC and refrigeration equipment; and complete structures up to 500 tons or more Firestone’s fabric-reinforced solid rubber Marsh Mellow isolators provide a complementary low-maintenance alternative for quiet isolation of machinery vibration and for general shock absorption throughout industry. Marsh Mellows are constructed of a solid rubber core with a hollow centre and several plies of fabricreinforced rubber as an outer cover. The plies provide the springs with stability as well as a consistent cylindrical shape, delivering consistent performance regardless of changing loads, while offering high lateral stability and compact size. The low natural frequencies of Marsh Mellow springs mean they provide excellent isolation of forced frequencies in the range of 800-1,200 cycles per minute (13-20Hz). Marsh Mellow springs are quiet in operation, unlike steel springs which readily transmit high frequency structural noise and often suffer from coil chatter. A failing coil spring may crack, causing fragments of the coil to damage equipment, resulting in expensive downtime. There is no silver bullet to this issue, says Maslin. Rather, individual approaches are needed for a multi-layered, expanding problem. “Overall, we need to recognise that industry’s duty of care to its workers is changing,” he adds. “Australia currently has about two million people aged over 55 in the workforce – and the proportion of such workers is expanding. As Australia’s population and retirement age rises, there is a real and growing workplace hazard and risk management issue here, as OHS people know that one in three people in this group suffer hearing loss and one in two after the age of 60. And hearing protection needs to start as early as possible because the later effects of age and noise exposure are additive, so noise exposure may cause hearing loss in middle age that would not otherwise occur until old age. The problem is major, ongoing, predictable and, in many cases, preventable.” www.airsprings.com.au
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X-CYCLONE – Achieving a clean, healthy workspace Air cleaners are designed to clean air contaminated with oil, emulsion mists and fine particles emitted by machine tools.
“The issue of removal of superfine particles in the air has perhaps been overlooked when it comes to general air filtering,” says Dimac Managing Director Paul Fowler. “But only highly efficient air cleaners such as Reven can remove a complete spectrum of pollutants such as mists and smoke, including of course superfine particles. Using a Reven air cleaner will ensure workers breathe fresh air and are protected from these particles. A Reven air cleaner provides a costefficient solution, putting an end to polluted workshops with greasedripping exhaust air ducts and oily steel beams and windows.” Designed and produced in Germany, the compact floor-standing RJ Series is made of rust-proof, flame-retardant stainless steel. The fan impeller and the electric motor have a sustainable design that saves on energy costs compared to conventional air cleaners and
oil mist separators. The Reven X-CYCLONE system is entirely mechanical with no auxiliary energy required, and contains no disposable products or filters that need to be replaced. The X-CYCLONE’s metal profile provides reliable ejection of mist particles due to multiple deflections of the airflow. The latest version’s new arrow geometry provides a further 20% increase in separating efficiency. The X-CYCLONE is self-cleaning – oil is not collected but flows off the polished blades into the collection channel. “X-CYCLONE technology is a sustainable aircleaning concept thanks to the use of cleanable separators,” Fowler adds. “As a result, operating and maintenance costs are considerably lower than conventional air cleaners that require filters to be cleaned or replaced on a regular basis. Simply wash it down once a year and the X-CYCLONE system will happily and quietly keep your workspace free of dust, mist, superfine particles and water-based aerosol. “Another benefit of Reven air cleaners relates to their flame-arresting capacity compared to traditional air cleaners that use filters. Filters involve a considerably higher risk of fire and must be washed out or replaced at regular intervals. Reven air cleaners drain the oil off into a collection channel over their polished surfaces and are self cleaning.” www.dimac.com.au
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However, many air cleaners cannot extract the invisible, superfine particles that constitute the greatest health threat: mist particles with a diameter below 3-5μm. These particles can get into the lungs and then the blood, potentially causing health issues. Available from Dimac Tooling, Reven air cleaners feature Reven’s patented X-CYCLONE separating system, developed for separation of air-borne substances including fluid and superfine particles. X-CYCLONE air cleaners attain a separation efficiency of 98% with critical particle sizes below 3-5 μm.
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Good questions get better results for critical seals and gasket solutions Pumps and valves are one of the technologies at the heart of many new process and automation innovations that depend closely on the efficiency of optimum seals and gaskets. Sometimes they may look pretty familiar and insignificant – but seals and gaskets are rapidly advancing fields of technology that perform functions vital to safety, testing, machine-building and manufacturing operations. They play a key role in ensuring the efficacy and longevity of valves, pumps, reticulation systems, machinery and automation solutions, where they are essential in avoiding leaks of fuel, fluid power mediums, harmful emissions, vapours and chemical and aggressive process solutions. And because they may look so simple and familiar, users may assume that what has done a job previously will continue to meet a whole host of issues that may arise in the future, including new challenges where they are essential to the integrity of process automation, materials-handling, machine construction and maintenance and safety, hygiene and export compliance. Sometimes this approach may be right. Proven can be good – if the application is the same, or very similar. But trusting old solutions with new tasks may also be wrong. New machinery technologies (faster, higher pressure, more automated) may demand new seal and gasket capabilities. And new seal and gasket material capabilities may themselves have advanced considerably since material selection was last addressed. “With advancing material innovation there may already be a better solution that will give a better and safer sealing performance for a considerably longer time,” says seal and gasket engineering specialist Vinh Lam, General Manager of CSGtech. “Familiarity may have lulled the specifier into missing out on increased efficiencies, reliabilities, service life and avoidance of downtime. “Certainly the developer of a new machine or process cannot afford to go down an old path until it comes to a dead-end in terms of performance required. Also, with fault troubleshooting and reliability issues, companies need to focus very carefully, because there is great upside in getting the choice right for optimum reliability, cost efficiency and speed of a new and improved product to market. Conversely, there is potentially a high price for failure in terms of spills, leaks, product and safety hazards and reputational damage if the job is not done right the first time.”
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Material selection isn’t always just a simple matter of reading a compatibility chart or accepting a component manufacturers’ headline statement, such as “foodcompatible” or “purpose-compatible”, at face value. Sometimes such statements are perfectly true in relation to one particular part of a range, but may not be intended to apply to the entire range. “Obviously, the best approach is proactive rather than reactive,” Lam explains. “We suggest you pose yourself some simple questions so you can clearly brief specialist suppliers in this specialist field, instead of moving down a path of old solutions to new problems, or a series of dead-end trials or less-than-optimum solutions. Seal and gasket technology is a fast-moving field and even the best professionals just may not have the time to know it all. There are a lot of good and bad options out there, especially when working with composites and raw materials, where capabilities and performance continue to advance.” Preliminary questions to be addressed in briefing a seal or gasket supplier include: • What range of applications are we looking at? • What range of materials do we need to seal? • What are the operating conditions, including temperatures, chemicals and pressure loads? • What are the particular traceability, compliance and Standards criteria you must meet or exceed? • What do you like/not like about what is currently being used/proposed? • What are the seal/flange conditions? Is there sufficient engineering/load capacity/space available?
• What is the design life of the joint? • What is the target price range? Are we basing on price or performance? “The more detailed answers you can give the seals and gasket specialist you are briefing, the easier and quicker it will be to take a look at your needs and establish the best and most cost-efficient design solution to meet them (which may involve a tailored solution or even technology that already exists, but that some fields of industry was not familiar with),” Lam adds. CSGtech partners with clients in diverse industries throughout Australia to customise high-performance solutions for complex problems where seals and interfacing components must achieve durability, reliability and precision. It specialises in bespoke rubber, plastic and metal products addressing fabrication, assembly, production and in-service requirements as well as conformity to local and global quality and traceability standards. Its remit includes understanding of design, production, hazard and specified harsh working environments and ambient conditions. CSGtech’s key strengths include the ability to quickly stage customer designs from prototype to product in a short time frame and at very reasonable cost. CSGtech is an ISO9001:2015 certified company with a national technical support network. CSGtech has expanded into larger national headquarters in Rydalmere, where Lam heads a team that brings together under one roof decades of experience in process engineering, problem-solving, product development, proving and production. www.csgtech.com.au
Explore your unlimited possibilities additively The Additive Manufacturing Hub is a $1.85m programme that will grow and develop additive manufacturing capability and investment in Victoria. The vision of the AM Hub is to provide an industry-driven network of users, suppliers and supporters that will foster and grow the use of Additive Manufacturing technology in Australia. + Promote and market additive manufacturing sector capabilities. + Expand the knowledge base of additive manufacturing technologies. + Support the creation of high quality additive manufacturing jobs. + Be a voice to Government on additive manufacturing sector development. Companies looking to explore the potential of additive manufacturing, or further expand their use of the technology should register interest via email at amhub@amtil.com.au
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Cyber threats and “double-extortion” in the manufacturing sector In recent times, ransomware has become an alarming threat across the globe. Like many other industries, the manufacturing industry is also a major target of cybercriminals, as explained by Scott Mathrick. According to a November 2020 report by security company Dragos, the number of ransomware attacks in the manufacturing industry tripled during the year. Although a large part of manufacturing industry relies on information technology, it also relies largely on Industrial Control Systems for mass production of goods. This is the area that cyber criminals actively seek to target. With the recent ransomware attack on one of the largest oil pipelines in the US, many gas stations had no choice but to shut down – causing national gas prices on average to rise above $3. To resolve the matter, Colonial Pipeline had to pay $5m ransom within a few hours. Though, earlier the opposite of this was reported by CNN and Reuters, the ransom payment news was also later confirmed by the Wall Street Journal. This news is worrisome, since the success of a large-scale ransomware attack can be encouraging for the hackers to launch future attacks. Particularly for the manufacturing supply chain, if one element is affected due to a cyberattack, it can lead to a chain of consequences. For instance, if a manufacturing facility producing medicines or health products is hit by ransomware, it can have negative impact on the whole healthcare sector. In another recent incident, the world’s largest meat processing company – JBS - was targeted by a well-planned ransomware attack, where computer networks were hacked and operations were shut down across Australia, US and Canada. JBS has 47 facilities in Australia. It has the largest production facility network in the country. Though the operations were restored, the incident raises a very important question about preparedness against cyber attacks in the manufacturing industry. Threat researcher John Hultquist of security company FireEye says, "The supply chains, logistics, and transportation that keep our society moving are especially vulnerable to ransomware, where attacks on choke points can have outsized effects and encourage hasty payments."
Double-extortion ransomware attacks According to a report by the research team at ThreatLabZ in May 2021, companies in the manufacturing industry are the biggest targets of double-extortion ransomware attacks. In a doubleextortion attack, criminals steal data alongside encrypting it. ThreatLabZ indicates that 12.7% of the companies affected by double-extortion attacks worked in the manufacturing sector, followed by the services, transport, technology, and retail industries. In another 2021 Global Threat Intelligence Report by NTT, the manufacturing industry saw 300% increase in worldwide cyber attacks.
Why are Hackers Targeting Manufacturers? The industry makes a profitable target for cybercriminals particularly because it involves operations that cannot be kept out of action for longer time periods. Hence, the affected organisation tends to give in easily to the demands of the attackers and pay huge amounts as ransomware compensation, mostly in the form of cryptocurrency. Another reason for quick response is that the losses a company can incur as a result of downtime are sometimes more than the ransom amount. Hence, the manufacturers may be more inclined towards paying the attackers. What makes this even further attractive to the
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cyber criminals is the fact that the industry does not primarily focus on cybersecurity operations - which makes it easy and profitable target for hackers. Due to the nature of manufacturing processes, often the networking and industrial assets are exposed to the internet. This provides opportunities to cyber gangs to access the network remotely via technologies such as VPN and Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP), or unpatched vulnerabilities in a system.
How can manufacturers adopt a secure approach? Considering the statistics of increased attacks, it’s still not late for industrial manufacturers to take necessary steps against future attacks. For this, we need to adopt three basic measures such as: 1. Adopting a Cybersecurity framework
By adopting best cybersecurity practices and complying with standards, manufacturers can control their production and reputation. Manufacturers can follow any of the cybersecurity frameworks such as NIST, IEC 72443, or NIS. These frameworks provide best practices to facilitate security by keeping all manufacturing process in line such as inventory asset management and threat identification.
2. Improving network and operational visibility
Your IT team must be updated about your inventory. If they are not aware of the exact number of devices on the network, it’s not possible to provide better resiliency. When all the assets are correctly identified on the network, it provides visibility in real-time to all the devices, their communication, connections, and protocols. This allows for continuous monitoring and troubleshooting issues, since system deviation often indicates network attacks.
3. Integrating IT and OT Network Security
Operational Technology helps meet production targets while Information Technology addresses networking and cybersecurity issues. By integrating IT and OT, operations can become more resilient by reducing security risks around tightly connected Industrial Control Systems.
Preparing for an attack Apart from taking steps to decrease the likelihood of an attack, manufacturers also need to be prepared for a time an actual attack occurs. For a company in the manufacturing industry, a ransomware incidence response plan should answer these questions: • How much downtime is acceptable and what impact will downtime have on operations? • What are the available resources for investigating and mitigating a threat after it has already occurred? • What is the insurance coverage to help deal with the impact of ransomware attack, including the payment and operational interruption? If you have any enquiries on how to protect your business from a cyber threat, please contact: Kaine Mathrick Tech T: 1300 174 391 E: info@kmtech.com.au W: www.kmtech.com.au
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Employer receives jail time for workplace death A company director in Western Australia has received the longest jail sentence in Australia for a Workplace Health & Safety (WHS) violation following gross negligence which led to a worker’s death. Kate Neilson explains. The Director of MT Sheds in WA, has become the first employer to be sentenced to jail for a workplace health and safety incident under WA’s workplace health and safety laws. The term of imprisonment of two years and two months is the longest term of imprisonment ever imposed for a work safety and health offence in Australia. The Director was convicted after pleading guilty to a charge of gross negligence that resulted in the death of a 25-year-old worker, and seriously injured another, in March 2020. In October 2018, the WA government bolstered its occupational safety and laws. Under these laws, MT Sheds faced a maximum penalty of $2.7m and the Director faced a maximum penalty of a term of imprisonment for five years. In May the Esperance Magistrates Court made a first-of-its-kind decision in sentencing the Director to two years and two months in jail. He has to serve the first eight months immediately – the remaining sentence is suspended for 12 months. He will be eligible for parole at the four-month mark. His company has been fined $605,000 for safety breaches and the Director has also been instructed to pay a personal fine of $2,350 for operating a crane without a licence. According to Worksafe WA Commissioner Darren Kavanagh, this penalty should act as a “significant deterrent” and be a “moment of awakening” for employers who don’t prioritise health and safety.
What happened? In March last year, two workers were installing a roof on a building near Esperance, WA. A strong wind picked up and a roofing sheet came loose, knocking both workers off the roof. One fell 9m to the ground, resulting in his death. The other fell 7m, resulting in serious injuries. Why is the Director liable? He wasn’t on the roof. He didn’t loosen the roofing sheet. He didn’t summon the strong winds. But he didn’t do everything reasonably practicable to ensure the workers were not exposed to harm due to the hazard of working at heights. Neither the employees or the Director held the relevant high risk work licences to operate the mobile plant, and the worker who died didn’t hold a construction induction training certificate. As WHS Lawyer Sue Bottrell puts it, this work was MT Sheds’ “bread and butter”. This, paired with the lack of licensing, was likely the reason behind the substantial sentence. Bottrell notes that a lack of licensing can be administratively difficult to track and “employers probably rely on employees to update their licence ... It’s not administered properly; their licenses expire and they just don’t get them renewed, and no one is checking. Eight months is no small stint. This man’s life is ruined. He won’t be able to be a Director of a company again and he’ll have a criminal record. His life is absolutely ruined, as is the family of the boy.” Bottrell isn’t out to demonise MT Sheds. She understands there are often other factors at play. However, there are also well-known actions to control risk when working at heights. “There are easy [preventative] measures available: roof perimeter protection, edge protection, travel restraints etc. There’s also a code of practice for working at heights.
How will the states and territories respond? Five Australian states and territories (ACT, QLD, NT, WA and VIC) have passed industrial manslaughter legislation, and a bill was introduced in the SA parliament in 2019 which is yet to be passed.
Tasmania is the only state with no legislation. In WA, new industrial manslaughter legislation was introduced in November 2020 as part of the WHS Act 2020 (WA), but this has not commenced operation. Under the industrial manslaughter provisions, company officers will face up to 20 years in jail and $5m fines when safety breaches in circumstances of gross negligence result in the death of a worker. Companies will face fines of up to $10m. These instances aren’t isolated to the construction industry. Any workplace death that could have been prevented will be examined under the same legislation. So how can you protect your business? Keep the following things in mind, says Bottrell: • Do a risk assessment. Ensure you have processes in place to mitigate that risk. • This legislation is targeted at people who own and run companies, not frontline workers. However, everyone has a duty of care to ensure workplaces are safe. • Each state regulator offers support, information and free advice. In Victoria there’s a free resource called ‘OHS essentials program’ offered by WorkSafe Victoria. • There are safety professionals through the Australian Institute of Health and Safety who offer advice. • When you see a lawyer, make sure they have a strong background in health and safety. The Australian Human Resource Institute (AHRI) is the national association representing human resource and people management professionals, with more than 20,000 members from Australia and around the world. It provides HR certification; formal education and training services in HR, people management and business skills and holds conferences, seminars and networking opportunities. Kate Neilson is the editor of HRM magazine and HRM Online, the publications of the Australian HR Institute. A version of this article was first published on HRMOnline. www.ahri.com.au Full article here: www.hrmonline.com.au/hr/section/legal
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Manufacturing: An opportunity through international expansion The importance and the challenges of supply chain-diversification in the Post-COVID world is explained in this article by Altios. The manufacturing sector has been one of the most impacted industries during the ongoing COVID-19 global outbreaks. However, as the world recovers from the pandemic’s effect and global economy improves, sectors including manufacturing have regained resilience and have begun to invest in third-party solutions. Whilst improvements have been witnessed in the global manufacturing industry, in comparison to other industries which have equally been impacted, it is important to note that continuous development and persistence is required for manufacturing to fully recover and to move forward. The Australian manufacturing industry in 2020 contributed around $100bn to Australian GDP annually* (7.69 %). It also subsidised 26.4% of business expenditure on research and development (R&D). To say the least, the manufacturing industry is an important sector within the Australian economy. On a global scale, manufacturing is often attributed to Asian countries, specifically China. In fact, China has been labelled as the world’s factory. With the recent rise of economic tensions and negative relationships between Australia and China, a shift in the manufacturing trade focus from Australia is imminent (less reliance on China and more domestic manufacturing). Diversification of supply chains has been recognised as a major trend and opportunity for manufacturing in the (post) COVID-19 era. Amongst other changes and the impact of globalisation, it is essential for Australian companies to recognise the potential of internationalisation. This includes diversifying your supply chain to optimise your business and operations. Nevertheless, internationalisation brings forward a myriad of challenges prior to deriving exponential benefits, amongst them, cultural and communication differences, choices of partner, and trade war effects.
Trade war effects The relationship between Australia and China was once very positive and businesses from both countries were able to generate profit from a variety of benefits. China represents more than 40% of Australian exports. However, since late 2019/early 2020, the relationship between the two countries deteriorated for political reasons. For some crucial industries like Iron Ore where China is still dependent on Australian supplies, business still goes on. From businesses struggling to get access to their Chinese partners due to travel restrictions, to the trade war generating tax and trade barriers, Australian businesses have faced one too many struggles. Needless to say, the Australian Government has advocated for a change and a reduction of reliance on China. This advice was followed by Australian enterprises, as well as other countries, which used to rely heavily on China as a primary source for manufacturing activities.
meanings. This often leads to messages being “lost in translation”. Additionally, problems can also arise from managerial power distance between countries. For instance, business etiquette and business methodologies can diverge between East and West, leading to unsatisfactory results. Misunderstandings and unfulfilled expectations are often the results to cultural and communications difficulties.
Choosing the right partner The success of overseas manufacturing involves a combination of management and experience. Partners with the right skillset and experience can fast-track businesses’ supply chains. Hence, it is important to align your goals and find the right synergies with your current or future business partner. Furthermore, finding the right partner is not the only step to a successful market growth. Building and nurturing local relationships is another significant factor contributing to successful overseas manufacturing in the long-term. Thus, prospection missions and qualifying potential partnering companies is essential.
The solution Option 1: Whilst there are no one-size-fits-all solution for all the problematics mentioned above, Australian companies still have a few options to overcome them. As COVID-19’s pandemic continues and limitations on travel remains, it would be optimal for companies to employ a locally-based representative on their chosen market ground. Having an agent with market expertise, qualified to manage your business operations in the country where the manufacture is localised, could be a remedy to travel restrictions. Not only the latter would be the company’s one point of contact to grow the local network and opportunities, but also conduct business as an onground company’s representative. Option 2: In order to build resilience and gain competitive advantage, businesses would benefit from investing in new manufacturing partners. South-East Asia (especially Vietnam and Malaysia) has been labelled as the New China, its countries members have started to open their door to foreign companies, including Australia. Hence conducting an in-depth search of partners or investing in an export strategic roadmap could be profitable to seek new manufacturing partners with attractive prices.
Cultural and communication differences
ALTIOS International is a Global Business Development Firm focused on helping small to medium companies grow through international expansion and cross-border investments into the world’s leading markets. Successfully combining a wide range of market entry services and a powerful global and well positioned network of 28 offices in the most attractive markets, Altios has the resources and capabilities to be a partner in success to international enterprises. With 100 additional partners in 50 countries, we have operations in the world’s major economic centres, in key regional locations and emerging market hubs.
Cultural and communication issues often occur between partners in different countries due to language barriers. Languages can vary from place to place and words themselves can have different
Ph: +61 0409 310 790 E-mail: r.delvallee@altios.com www.altios.com * Industry.gov.au Australian Manufacturing Performance report
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Protecting your innovation Rob Jackson explains what businesses must do to ensure workers do not exploit their ideas or their intellectual property (IP). Forward-looking businesses know innovation is vital to securing a competitive advantage within their chosen industry. But how does a business ensure that it retains the intellectual property (IP) rights in their innovation?
Innovation to commercialisation in years, losing your IP in minutes A business may develop a strategic approach, or just strike it lucky in finding an unexpected technological breakthrough. To progress from this point, requires further research and development, securing government grants and tax breaks, and maybe applying for patents in Australia and overseas, with an eye on potential overseas markets. Hopefully before too long commercialisation creates further growth and opportunities. Many start-ups and established corporations alike strive to achieve success, after the ‘sweat and tears’ of enduring many late nights of endless research and experimentation. The creators of innovation might work in an informal setting, like a start-up, made of a collection of friends and family members with a shared vision of making that imagined product a reality. Or in a large corporation, with the formal procedures, protocols, sign offs and KPIs. Finally, the Eureka moment arrives, figuring out what works, and importantly what sells. But there is a vulnerability shared by small and large organisations alike: somebody leaves the organisation and takes not only that great idea with them, but the whole ecosystem of suppliers, investors and customers’ data – which is then gone in one little USB.
What can you do to make a difference? A small organisation might be too informal with no safeguards in place. Large business might be too formal, lost in a myriad of policies, and repeatedly amended contracts that have long lost all sensible meaning – and nobody dares to alter the company employment contract template without a signed memo from head office! Whatever your size, it is important to consider these seven things to protect your company’s innovation: 1. List your key workers, (employees and contractors) with valuable technical or sales knowledge. Who has key relationships with suppliers and customers? Can they be replaced within a week, a month, maybe a year? Consider not only those with specialist technical qualifications but also those who have a key understanding of the product. For example, a tradesperson who has maintained and upgraded a key piece of machinery might be the only one who knows how to fix it. 2. What makes your business unique? A technical formula or a process? Is it protected by means of confidential information, or a patent? Or is it the ability to source a particular specialist product at a price generally not known in the rest of your market? 3. Who are your key customers? For many start-ups there isn’t a known customer base. Finding private investors willing to invest may be more important than customers at the present time. If a departing employee canvassed your investors for scarce funds, is that a problem?
4. Conduct an intellectual property audit to identify what assets are capable of copyright protection, patent protection or other specialist means of IP protection, and identify which workers have created those rights. Engage IP experts to ensure the appropriate legal protections and registrations are in place for your product. 5. Have up to date employment contracts for every employee and review them regularly. Make it easy to read, especially the post-employment restraint clause, which must be reasonable. Length and complexity do not make an employment contact stronger and in fact, it may have the opposite effect. Importantly, do not download a template off the internet, there is no ‘one size fits all’. Ensure the employment contract clearly asserts ownership of all (IP) rights. 6. Be clear as to what constitutes confidential information. If an employer cannot articulate what is truly confidential as opposed to the know-how a skilled worker in the industry would ordinarily possess, then a judge cannot work it out for you. This exercise can be complex. Disclose confidential information to only those employees who need to know it and obtain a signed acknowledgement that they will protect its integrity. 7. Make sure contractors have a written agreement giving your organisation ownership of all IP rights to anything they may create during their engagement with your business. Otherwise, the default position is that the contractor will own all IP rights in their creations and ultimate commercial benefit.
The final word: Workplace culture You may have every IP right registered and the most effective employment contracts signed and in place for your employees. However, if your employees dislike your workplace culture for whatever reason, you will find it difficult to retain them as soon as a new competitor enters the industry. This dislike or unhappiness may provide your competitor with the opportunity to hire your employees and use their knowledge and experience to move into your area of business. It is important to note that some employees place a high value on workplace culture and may take reduced salaries to work for an organisation with a more respectful culture. If an employee believes they already have a strong workplace culture and enjoy coming to work, where all staff are treated respectfully, the employee may never be tempted to leave your employment. A positive, respectful and inclusive workplace with clear and fair leadership is just as essential as registering an IP right. Rob Jackson is Partner – Workplace Relations at Rigby Cooke Lawyers. Rigby Cooke Lawyers has extensive experience working with clients in the manufacturing industry to ensure employment contracts and confidentiality agreements are up to date and to protect intellectual property assets. T: +61 3 9321 7808 E: RJackson@rigbycooke.com.au Rigbycooke.com.au
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AMTIL on the move AMTIL recently purchased a new office and is in the process of moving premises. Boy oh boy, the work involved is not as simple as anticipated. I take my hat off to other businesses larger than us that have gone through relocations or upgrades because we are only a small office of 14 staff and 300sqm of space. Firstly there was the process of finding the right office building to start with, with the right access, number of car spaces, and location. That was a two-year exercise in itself! Once the decision was made, there were contracts to sign and finance consent forms to arrange (with eight Directors’ signatures required), bank loan documentation back and forth, commercial valuations and conveyancing. We had to confirm an IT and services plan, which involved a number of meetings on site between electricians, our IT team and security company to get that plan together. Arranging insurance alongside this as well. We had to notify our current landlord (we are leasing at present) that we were planning to move, appoint an agent to hopefully sub-let our existing building so we don’t have another lease liability, and look at a marketing campaign for this process. Then there are decisions about what furniture to take, what to sell off, and how to get rid of the rest. Removal of office signage and branding, appointing a removalist, packing, and cancelling services such as electricity, security services, internet, cleaning and telephones. We haven’t even fitted out the new office yet! The development of a brief for tender to fit out the new office was an exercise involving the staff and our Board. Getting 20 ideas into one briefing document is no easy feat. Getting designs drawn up and quotations where we could compare apples with apples was also time-consuming. We finally got through that and appointed a contractor to conduct the fit-out over a five-week period, including the building permit approval. Ordering furniture, once we decided on height-adjustable desks and large screen monitors, wasn’t difficult, and our other furniture requirements were met after a few visits to showrooms. We were lucky the kitchenette and toilets were already in place so there were minimal requirements for plumbing and electrical, although we did need to install powerpoints, an exhaust fan, hand dryers, CCTV and internal security. New signage was drawn out by the opportunity for us to redesign our logo – another exercise in democratic diplomacy. I want everybody to have their say and then we do it my way! We have purchased a new storage system, kitchen appliances, crockery and cutlery. Getting the NBN connected involved three attempts, putting in an AV system and the IT infrastructure such as ethernet cabling and server requirements was a good process. The relocation of our Smart whiteboard & projector and printers has needed to be done professionally, causing a few headaches. Ensuring all computers and technical equipment were set up for a transparent move, while going cloud-based at the same time, was bold but the right direction. Ordering the other new services such as cleaning, AC servicing and council bins almost went by the wayside. Small matters such as car park signage, plants, office artwork, keys being cut, security codes, press releases and forwarding mail and organising blinds that met the agent’s mandate were finalised. The redevelopment of all office collateral and material made us realise how much material has our logo and address on them. It’s a huge task. Finally, we are nearly ready to get staff from one location to the other with their personal belongings, and then enjoy an office-warming party. We look forward to welcoming our members for a visit when they are in the area.
Shane Infanti, CEO AMTIL
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AMTIL HEADING INSIDE
Maximise Your Membership – Time for another round AMTIL is gearing up for another round of its Maximise Your Membership networking events series, taking place around the country in August and October. Offering an opportunity to learn about AMTIL’s latest initiatives as well as mingle with contacts from across the industry, Maximise Your Membership events are free to members and include finger food and drinks. The next round of events will be taking place as follows: • Brisbane, QLD: Thursday 19 August • Adelaide, SA:
Tuesday 24 August
• Perth, WA:
Wednesday 25 August
• Sydney, NSW:
Thursday 14 October
• Melbourne, VIC: Thursday 21 October The latest round of events take place amid ongoing concerns regarding the most recent outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, which in July prompted the cancellation of AMTIL’s Christmas in July celebration in Sydney and Melbourne. At the time of going to press, lockdowns are being enforced in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.
AMTIL is monitoring these developments closely and may be forced to make changes to scheduled events at short notice. At present AMTIL is proceeding on the basis that these events will be able to take place safely. Nonetheless, anyone planning to attend should always register in advance and should be on the lookout for updates from AMTIL. “It’s a difficult climate in which to be organising any kind of public gatherings right now, but we feel it’s important to be optimistic,” said Sarah McCormick, Events Coordinator at AMTIL. “These events are important to our members and they’re important to us, so we’re working on the hope the latest outbreak will be contained and we can get back out there. If all goes well, rest assured that rigorous measures will be implemented at all these events to ensure they are are conducted in a COVID-safe way.” To book your place at any of AMTIL’s upcoming events, please visit the Events page on the AMTIL website. For more information, please call 03 9800 3666, or email Events Coordinator Sarah McCormick on events@amtil.com.au. www.amtil.com.au/Events 1382V3AMTIL
AMTIL gratefully acknowledges the support of its Corporate Partners. AMTIL’s corporate partners offer a selection of products and services that will benefit our members in their business. For any enquiries about our Corporate Partnerships, and how they can benefit you, contact Anne Samuelsson on 03 9800 3666 or email asamuelsson@amtil.com.au
Our Partners. Our Members. Your Benefits.
www.amtil.com.au
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Life membership of AMTIL for Pat Boland Pat Boland received an award in July to mark his confirmation as a life member of AMTIL. Pat Boland is the co-founder with Pat McCluskey of ANCA CNC Machines, established in Melbourne in 1974, and remains the company’s joint Managing Director. ANCA is one of AMTIL’s foundation members and Boland served as the association’s President from 2010 to 2012. Boland’s life membership was first announced at AMTIL’s AGM back in October 2020, along with that of Paul Fowler of Dimac Tooling, who succeeded Boland as AMTIL President. Boland was
presented the award last month at ANCA’s headquarters in Bayswater, Victoria, which was hosting the most recent meeting of the AMTIL Board. “It’s taken a long time to get this award to Pat since it was first announced last year, and it’s a pleasure to be able to finally hand it over,” said AMTIL CEO Shane Infanti. “On behalf of AMTIL and its members I would like to thank Pat for his contribution to our association, and to Australian manufacturing more broadly.”
AMW 2022: Getting the most out of exhibiting With floor space for next year’s inaugural Australian Manufacturing Week (AMW) exhibition selling out fast, organisations will now be getting to work preparing to maximise the return on that investment. For some of the companies which have booked space at AMW, it may be their first time ever exhibiting at a trade show. Others may be returning after not exhibiting for a long time, and may be a bit “rusty”. And others still may be seasoned exhibitors who take stands at several trade shows a year. But for every business or organisation that takes part in an industry exhibition, that handful of days on the stand itself are only a part of the process. It could be a missed opportunity if you haven’t put in the work of preparing in advance. As the old quote goes, “The person who fails to plan, plans to fail.” So what steps can you take ahead of a show like AMW? Here are some handy tips.
Consider what you want to achieve There are many reasons to exhibit in a show like AMW, and it’s important to establish exactly what outcomes you’re hoping to see. For example, you may be trying to: • Generate leads. • Close sales. • Introduce a new product or product features. • Solicit new distribution channels. • Gather competitive intelligence. • Enhance existing customer relationships. • Demonstrate a technically complex product. • Develop product awareness. • Penetrate a new market or industry.
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• Outshine the competition. • Establish staff expertise in the industry. • Increase market share. Whatever you’re trying to achieve, establishing what you want from a show like AMW means you can start setting things in place to hit those goals. So when the show finally opens on the first day, you know exactly what you need to be doing.
Set specific objectives Once you know what you want to achieve, there are all sorts of ways you can start getting ready. • Define your criteria for success by setting realistic goals. • Plan a strategy and a budget. • Determine what resources are needed. • Integrate publicity and promotion plans. • Train staff. • Use AMTIL and its resources effectively. • Establish methods for evaluating results. • Prepare post-show strategy to follow up leads after the show. Importantly, all these activities are things you can start doing right now. There’s no point waiting till it’s too late.
Take advantage of pre-show promotion and publicity Organisers of big exhibitions put a lot of resources into publicising the event well in advance – you may have noticed how active AMTIL has already been in promoting AMW. That helps all of the organisations
exhibiting by bringing in the crowds, but there is a lot more you can do to stand out. Using your own marketing resources to promote your participation can: • Encourage visitors to put you on their list of companies to see. • Provide a reason for sales contact and a timeframe for response. • Help pre-sell prospects. • Differentiate your company, the products you will be launching at the show, new features, applications and so on. • Enhance existing client relationships and loyalty. • Attract media coverage. • Generate enthusiasm and anticipation for the event. • Create awareness for your company. It might seem like there’s a lot of time between now and the opening of AMW in March, but those months are going to tick by fast. By making the right choices and putting in the effort now, you can ensure you can get great results when the big day itself comes around. So what are you waiting for? Australian Manufacturing Week (AMW), Australia’s premier manufacturing solutions event, will take place at Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre (MCEC) from 8-11 March 2022. For more information on exhibiting, please contact Anne Samuelsson, Head of Sales at AMTIL on 0400 115 225 or at asamuelsson@ amtil.com.au. www.australianmanufacturingweek. com.au
AMTIL INSIDE
New Members AMTIL would like to welcome the following companies who have signed up as new members of our association.
3D METALFORGE LTD
J TECH LASERS PTY LTD
NDZ ENGINEERING
16 Ord Street WEST PERTH WA 6005
12 Vantage Avenue CLYDE NORTH VIC 3978
22 Colbert Road CAMPBELLFIELD VIC 3061
www.3dmetalforge.com
www.jtechlasers.com.au
www.ndz.com.au
BOMAC ENGINEERING PTY LTD
JIM'S MACHINES AND ACCESSORIES
PLAZMAX PTY LTD
Unit 1, 153 Wedgewood Road HALLAM VIC 3803
10 Kennedy Grove APPIN NSW 2560
www.bomac.com.au
www.jimsmachines.com.au
92 Tallyho Street ROTARUA 3015 NEW ZEALAND
COREGAS PTY LTD
KRAFTECH AUSTRALIA
3 Milne Street THOMASTOWN VIC 3074
1/89 Gow Street PADSTOW NSW 2211
www.coregas.com.au
www.kraftech.com.au
www.plazmax.com.au
PROJECT 3D
6 Legacy Court BOTANIC RIDGE VIC 3977 www.project3d.com.au
DIGITAL MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGIES
28/260 Wickham Road HIGHETT VIC 3190
LIFERAY AUSTRALIA PTY LTD
Level 18, 227 Elizabeth Street SYDNEY NSW 2000 www.liferay.com
www.dmt.com.au
12 Kembla Way WILLETTON WA 6155
Unit 1/281 Foleys Road DEER PARK VIC 3023 www.prytec.com.au
MEGA ENGINEERING AUSTRALIA DIVERSECO
PRYTEC SOLUTIONS PTY LTD
Suite 1001, L10, Little Collins St MELBOURNE VIC 3000 www.www.megaengineering.com.au
STUDIO KITE PTY LTD
71 Walkers Lane THE POCKET NSW 2483 www.studiokite.com
www.diverseco.com.au
METAL CUTTING TECHNOLOGY FANUC OCEANIA PTY LTD
10 Healey Court HUNTINGWOOD NSW 2148
10B Coongie Avenue EDWARDSTOWN SA 5039 www.mct-pl.com.au
TRANSTECH ELECTRONIC CONTROLS
Level 3, 2 Brandon Park WHEELERS HILL VIC 3150 www.transtech.com.au
www.fanucoceania.com.au
MOSS PRODUCTS PTY LTD
26 Villas Road DANDENONG SOUTH VIC 3175 IFM EFECTOR
Suite 3, 745 Springvale Road MULGRAVE VIC 3170
www.mossproducts.com.au
X-FORM PTY LTD
4 Brett Drive CARRUM DOWNS VIC 3201 www.sasmetalsolutions.com.au
www.ifm.com
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Site visits for AMTIL team AMTIL’s staff had a day out of the office on 6 July, with two of Melbourne’s most highly regarded manufacturers AW Bell Australia and Marand Precision Engineering very kindly opening their doors to take the team on a tour of their respective sites. The day started at AW Bell’s facility in Dandenong South. Established in 1952 by Alan Bell, the company has grown steadily from its origins as a patternmaker for the Australian foundry industry. Now led by a third generation of the Bell family, AW Bell today has evolved into a high-end specialist in casting solutions, playing an integral part in several global defence, automotive, aerospace, space and biomedical device supply chains. AMTIL’s team enjoyed an extensive and informative tour of AW Bell’s plant, gaining fascinating insights into the casting process and the innovative technologies the company uses to maintain its competitive edge. Vinesh Karan, AW Bell’s Commercial Director, also gave an interesting presentation about the company’s history and its plans for the future. Next it was on to Marand’s headquarters in Moorrabin, where the AMTIL staff first enjoyed lunch with the company’s Managing Director Rohan Stocker and Sales Manager Rob Kusters. Founded in 1969, Marand
is a leading global supplier of precision engineered solutions to industries including aerospace, defence, rail, automotive and mining, with a comprehensive range of capabilities. Kusters led the AMTIL group on a full tour of Marand’s state-of-the-art facility as well as giving a detailed presentation about the company. Along the way he provided insights into some of the projects the company has been involved in, from manufacturing aircraft components for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, to participating in a consortium to produce ventilators last year in the fight against COVID-19. “At AMTIL we think it’s important that all our staff get to see how our industry works up close,” said Shane Infanti, CEO of AMTIL. “These are two of the most innovative advanced manufacturers out there, so this has been an invaluable experience for the team. I’d like to thank AW Bell and Marand for their generosity in letting us come and see what they do.” www.awbell.com.au www.marand.com.au
THE RACE IS ON!
Round 19 completed and five teams are separated by two premiership points, all jostling for the precious last place in the Top 8. Smack bang in the middle are the Tiggies who still could cause some damage but without Dusty may have run their race. There's no real genuine excitement from the other teams. BUT, let us turn to the AMTIL Footy Tipping Ladder – you want excitement, and excitement you shall have! ESPNFAN-Blah-BlahBlah (surely you could've made an effort with the name), is now one point clear on top. Five tips are separating the Top 10 and really, it could go down to the wire with any of the group having a weekend out – margin points will definitely play a part as to who might claim the chocolates. Good luck to those still in contention – the others… well not much to say really. Till next time… Sanchez ROUND 19 1 ESPNFAN872729… 112 (564) 2 Gava66 111 (622) 3 BSTWJ 110 (532) 4 BJC-CNC 109 (529) 5 Eytan Epstein 109 (562) 6 Shane Infanti 109 (566) 7 LemmyK 109 (612) 8 Aust Mobile Tools 108 (464) 9 Lou AMTIL 108 (499) 10 Mottdiggitydog 107 (457)
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Hotspots is proudly owned and managed by AMTIL
Press our buttons and we’ll be there to help you •
You need a specific component made, but don’t have the capabilities in house.
•
Your company has landed a major project, but your workshop or your workforce just aren’t big enough to handle the volume required.
•
Your business is diversifying into an area where the expertise available within the company is not sufficient.
HotSpots is a service designed to connect AMTIL members with opportunities to help their businesses grow. That piece of work that you need done might be just the sort of opportunity they’re looking for. And by featuring that opportunity as a HotSpot, you gain access to a wealth of Australian manufacturing capability and expertise.
Our regular AMTIL HotSpots email goes out to over 1,000 people every month, making HotSpots an incredibly powerful way to reach large numbers of key decision-makers from across the manufacturing sector. Provided your opportunity meets our criteria for listing, inclusion in AMTIL HotSpots is free. If you have something you feel will meet our criteria, please forward it to AMTIL for assessment by emailing info@amtil.com.au with the subject line HOTSPOT. www.amtil.com.au/Membership/Hotspots
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INDUSTRY CALENDAR Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, many industry events world-wide have been postponed, rescheduled or cancelled, while both domestic and international travel has been severely disrupted, with many countries’ borders still closed at time of going to print. Readers are advised to check direct with all event organisers for the latest information. For up-to-date advice on coronavirus, visit: www.health. gov.au/health-topics/novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov For more events, please visit www.amtil.com.au INTERNATIONAL KOREA METAL WEEK South Korea, Goyang 1-3 September 2021
INTERPLAS UK, Birmingham 28-30 September 2021
EASTEC USA, Springfield 19-21 October 2021
www.korea-metal.com
www.interplasuk.com
www.easteconline.com
TECH INDIA India, Bombay 3-5 September 2021
ALUMINIUM DUSSELDORF Germany, Dusseldorf 28-30 September
LASER & PHOTONICS Taiwan, Taipei 21-23 October 2021
www.techindiaexpo.com
www.aluminium-exhibition.com
www.chanchao.com.tw/laserexpo/en
INDUSTRIE LYON France, Lyon 6-9 September 2021
SMART FACTORY KOREA South Korea, Busan 29 September – 1 October 2021
AI EXPO Japan, Tokyo 27-29 October 2021
www.global-industrie.com/en/industrie
www.smartfactorykorea.com
www.ai-expo-at.jp/en
MACHINEERING Belgium, Brussels 8-10 September 2021
CANADIAN MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY SHOW Canada, Toronto 4-7 October 2021
MANUFACTURING EXPO 2021 Thailand, Bangkok 1-4 November 2021
www.machineering.eu/nl
VIETNAM INDUSTRIAL & MANUFACTURING FAIR Vietnam, Binh Duong 8-10 September 2021
www.cmts.ca
www.assemblytechexpo.com
EMO 2021 Italy, Milan 4-9 October 2021
PLASTEC USA, Minneapolis 3-4 November 2021 Plastics Industry trade fair/conference
www.vietnamindustrialfiesta.com/vimf-2021
www.emo-milano.com
http://plastecminn.com
FABTECH USA, Chicago 13-16 September 2021
HI TECH & INDUSTRY SCANDINAVIA Denmark, Herning 5-7 October 2021
www.fabtech-chicago-exhibition.com
www.hi-industri.dk
ADVANCED DESIGN & MANUFACTURING EXPO Canada, Toronto 9-11 November 2021
EUROSURFAS Spain, Barcelona 14-17 September 2021
MOTEK Germany, Stuttgart 5-8 October 2021
www.eurosurfas.com
www.motek-messe.de/en
WESTERN MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY SHOW Canada, Edmonton 14-16 September 2021
METAVAK Netherlands, Gorinchem 5-7 October 2021
www.wmts.ca
SWISS MEDTECH EXPO Switzerland, Lucerne 14-15 September 2021 www.medtech.plus/en/p/swiss-medtechexpo
INTERMACH Brazil, Joinville 14-17 September 2021 www.intermach.com.br
CHINA INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRY FAIR China, Shanghai 14-18 September 2021 www.ciif-expo.com
STAINLESS Czech Republic 15-16 September 2021 www.stainless2021.com/2
DESIGN & MANUFACTURING/ BIOMEDEVICE USA, Boston 21-22 September 2021 www.biomedboston.com
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www.metavak.nl/en
MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY SERIES – USA 2021 HOUSTEX: 5-7 Oct, Houston, Texas EASTEC: 19-21 Oct, West Springfield, MA SOUTHTEC: 26-28 Oct, Greenville, SC WESTEC: 16-18 Nov, Long Beach, CA https://westeconline.com
MANUFACTURING WORLD Japan, Osaka 6-8 October 2021 Jwww.japan-mfg-kansai.jp/en-gb.html
VIETNAM INTL. INDUSTRIAL FAIR Vietnam, Hanoi 6-8 October 2021 www.viif.vn/en
WELDING Poland 19-21 October 2021 www.targikielce.pl/en/welding
TOOL TECH South Korea, Goyang 19-22 October 2021 www.tooltechkorea.com
www.admtoronto.com
METAL SHOW & TIB Romania, Bucharest 10-13 November 2021 www.metalshow-tib.ro
WESTEC USA, California 16-18 November 2021 https://westeconline.com
FORMNEXT Germany, Frankfurt 16-19 November 2021 Additive Manufacturing exhibition https://formnext.mesago.com/events/en.html
BURSA TECH Turkey, Bursa 24-27 November 2021 www.bursamakinefuari.com
2022 MACH UK, Birmingham 4-8 April 2022 www.machexhibition.com
HANNOVER MESSE Germany, Hannover 25-29 April 2022 www.hannovermesse.de/en
EUROBLECH 2022 Germany, Hanover 25-28 October 2022 www.euroblech.com
INDUSTRY CALENDAR HEADING LOCAL AUSTRALASIAN WASTE & RECYCLING SYDNEY, ICC 25-26 AUGUST 2021 Showcases full circle innovative products and sustainable solutions to collect, process and recycle waste more smartly.
IRON ORE CONFERENCE PERTH EXHIBITION CENTRE 8-10 NOVEMBER 2021 Mining innovations in the iron ore industry.
Advertiser Index Adfoam
59
Alfex Laser
65
Applied Machinery
15
www.ausimm.com/conferences-and-events/ iron-ore
Bank of Queensland
31
AIMEX SYDNEY SHOWGROUND 16-18 NOVEMBER 2021 Showcases the latest mining technology, equipment and services.
Bilby 3D
SAFETY IN ACTION SYDNEY, ROYAL RANDWICK RACECOURSE 29-30 SEPTEMBER 2021 www.safetyinaction.net.au
www.aimex.com.au
DESIGNBUILD MELBOURNE, MCEC 11-13 OCTOBER 2021 Trends and strategies shaping the architecture, building, construction and design sector.
AVALON 2021 AVALON AIRPORT, GEELONG, VIC 30 NOVEMBER-5 DECEMBER 2021 Aviation, aerospace and defence for Australia and Asia Pacific region. Co-located with the Australian International Aerospace Congress series.
Dimac 19
www.airshow.com.au/airshow2021
Intermach 61
AUSRAIL PLUS BRISBANE 30 NOVEMBER-2 DECEMBER 2021 Showcasing transformative rail projects across Australia and NZ.
IMTS 120
www.awre.com.au
www.designbuildexpo.com.au
INTERNATIONAL MINING & RESOURCES CONFERENCE MELBOURNE, MECC 25-27 OCTOBER 2021 Includes global mining leaders from over 100 countries in Australia’s largest mining event.
Bestech 69 53
BMS 103 BNNT Technology
1
Bystronic 11 CMTS
77
Complete Machine Tools
21
Hare & Forbes
4-5
HiTech 45 Iscar
2-3
Integra Systems
23
Interlease 99
KAISHAN 55 Laser Machines
13
LaserThings
87
M Gamer
47
www.imarcmelbourne.com
www.ausrail.com
AUSBIOTECH (ONLINE) 25-29 OCTOBER 2021 Largest life sciences conference in Australia for therapeutics, medical technology (devices and diagnostics), digital health, and agri-biotech sectors.
2022
Mastercam 35
AMW INCORPORATING AUSTECH MELBOURNE, MCEC 8-11 MARCH 2022 Australian Manufacturing Week incorporating Austech
Metoptix
97
MTI Qualos
39
www.ausbiotechnc.org
www.amtil.com.au/Austech
CLEANTECH QLD, BRISBANE CONVENTION & EXHIBITION CENTRE 1-2 NOVEMBER 2021 The theme will be: Cleantech: From disruption to transition - focussing on the economic recovery and achievement of a net-zero future.
www.autoaftermarketexpo.com.au
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AUSTRALIA’S NO. 1 ADVANCED MANUFACTURING MAGAZINE
ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING QUALITY & INSPECTION SOFTWARE WELDING CUTTING TOOLS FORMING & FABRICATION MATERIAL REMOVAL
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HISTORY
Big wheels & little wheels – the story of UK-born Australian Sir Laurence John Hartnett (1898 – 1986) Australia’s “Father of the Holden” and much more
PART 44
“GEN. MacARTHUR WANTS TO SEE YOU”
World War II: May 1942 was Australia's most desperate hour – and Sir Laurence with heightened desperation agrees to board a “harzardous” flight from Australia to Honolulu with no established air-routes between the two countries. The mission was to change America’s negative perception about Australia’s ability to make war equipment and not just grow food and supply troops. Additional American aid, particularly in the supply of machine-tools, was urgently needed to increase our output of munitions. To this end, Australia needed access to America’s “Lend Lease” program*
T
The trip had to be made in circumstances which would have meant curtains for all on board if anything went wrong. But first some background: May 1942 was Australia's most desperate hour. Malaya, the East Indies and the Philippines had fallen. General MacArthur and a handful of his picked men had arrived in Australia from the Philippines to organize and join our pitifully inadequate forces. Another American had reached Australia about the same time, straight from the U.S. - a man whose name is unknown to the public, but who, from Australia's point of view, ranked almost equally in importance with Gen. MacArthur. He was William ("Stix") Wasserman, a very tall, extraordinary, adventurous, wealthy, young man - the leader of the American LendLease Mission. Wasserman was the man whose recommendations to Washington would decide what war supplies Australia would or would not get, and it was of the utmost importance to us that Wasserman got the right slant on Australia and her needs from the first moment of his arrival. John Curtin, who was then Prime Minister, briefed me on this: “You run GM-H, a big American organization. You're doing a great job in Ordnance. You understand Americans, and I know you as a good Australian. We would like you to get alongside this fellow Wasserman and give him the Australian angle on all things, as they occur. Make sure he understands just what we want from Lend-Lease." I soon became very friendly with Bill Wasserman. He was a most interesting character, and I liked him immediately. I would rush him up to Puckapunyal to show him our Australian-made two-pounders being fired and our first twenty-fivepounders out on the range putting on a mock battle. He thought it was wonderful. I took him from factory to factory, and just about wore him into the ground showing him how we were getting our industry on a war footing, trying frantically to turn out stuff for the Services. I tried to "sell" him, on the various projects we had under way. It soon became evident that Washington
An image of Gen. MacArthur being hung outside the Myer Emporium in Melbourne in preparation for American Independence Day in 1943. It suggests the adulation MacArthur enjoyed. (AWM)
could not comprehend why we wanted to make guns and ammunition and war equipment of all kinds. After all, they considered, that was their task, and they'd be content to see us getting about our business of growing food and supplying troops. I had a job indeed to change their thinking through Bill Wasserman. I think I turned him into quite a fanatical pro-Australian. I know his cables and communiques had got him into quite a lot of trouble because Washington felt he had become too Australian too quickly. This had an effect on our supplies of industrial equipment from the U.S. We desperately needed machine-tools, but we weren't getting them. Other equipment we wanted was not being sent. There was a general feeling we were not getting far with the Americans under Lend-Lease.
presentation of what's what. And to do that you and I ought to get over to Washington. I said, ''Yes, Bill, if that's going to achieve the objective, let's do it. But the sixty-fourdollar question is, how the hell do we get over there?"
Bill Wasserman felt as frustrated as we were. He came into my office one morning and said, "Look, Larry, I'm in the pooh with the guys back in Washington, and you 're not getting what I think you should get. MacArthur has the idea that the only way to put this over - and, incidentally, he's got the bug like me - is to go and make a personal
To be continued…
"Well, I think there might be a plot hatching on that one, but I can't talk about it. All I want to know now is: will you come over with me?" "Sure," I told him. Off Bill went, and a couple of days later I got a call from Gen. MacArthur's office. The General wanted to see me. His plan involved a fairly “hazardous” trip to the US to state our case. “There's no airway between here and the States yet, and we have no established routes. But if you feel inclined to take the chance, I think it would be an excellent idea." I said I'd do anything that was required.
*The Lend-Lease policy, enacted during WW2 was a program under which the US supplied many Allied nations with food, oil, and materiel between 1941 and 1945. In return, the U.S. was given leases on army and naval bases in Allied territory during the war.
This is an extract from ‘Big Wheels & Little Wheels’, by Sir Laurence Hartnett as told to John Veitch, 1964. © Deirdre Barnett.
AMT AUG/SEP 2021
PERFORMANCE
L5 SPEED COMBINED WITH 10 KW POWER MAKES A FORMIDABLE PERFORMANCE MACHINE Up to 5g accelerations to use the power at its fullest extent Machine designed for high power Aircut speeds comparable with nitrogen Turn key solution available for air supply
HIGH POWER AND SHORT CUTTING TIMES HIGH SPEED AUTOMATION KEEPING THE PACE
MACHINERY FORUM (NSW) Pty Ltd 33 Brodie Street, Rydalmere NSW 2116 Ref. Mr. Heino Windhorst T. +61 (02) 96389600 E. heino@mafosyd.com.au
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Introducing the new Prima Power Laser Genius+ High power - Up to 15kW energy-efficient fiber laser Compact and modular footprint with the largest available cutting area Industry 4.0 and IoT built-in Quick installation - A few days from delivery to ready to cut Reversible design for maximum flexibility Installation of modular automation can occur at any time, now or in the future.
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