February 2016 Award winning supplier of SOLIDWORKS in Australia and New Zealand
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MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY IIoT and design engineers in the future.
EMEX 2016 set to be the biggest in over a decade.
Flawed and cringing NZ foreign policy closes Russia to vital exports New Zealand manufacturers in the food and food processing equipment sector in shutting the door on exports to Russia will find themselves also shutting themselves out of an immense and reliable growth market counsels the managing director of Napier Engineering & Contracting. The company turnkey constructed a string of freezing works in Russia with all the expertise and processing equipment hardware shipped out of the Port of Napier. The experience was both profitable for Napier Engineering and salutary. “Our staff who lived in Russia for months a time were superbly treated. In most contracts of the scope and size of this one there are major problems. But in the Russian project no
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DEVELOPMENTS
problem arose that could not be solved on the spot,” recalled Ken Evans (pictured). Mr Evans warned exporters that the US – invoked embargo that prevented EU members from selling to the Russians meant in practice that the Russians were jump-starting their own food and food processing machinery resources. Mr Evans said that the Russians were not unaware of the inconsistency inherent in New Zealand banning US Navy vessels warships on the one hand. Then “grovelling in meek obeisance” on the other in falling into line with a US embargo on Russia to which it was not even party to.
DEVELOPMENTS Fitzroy Engineering to deliver underwater restaurant to Maldives.
World-Leading robots installed at Smithfield Two robots have been installed at Alliance Group’s lamb processing plant in Smithfield, Timaru as part of a world-first commercial deployment earlier this month. The fully automated brisket cutting and evisceration robots have been developed as part of an extensive portfolio of research and development undertaken by Ovine Automation Limited (OAL), a consortium
continued on page 31
An export economy such as New Zealand’s simply could not eliminate the world’s biggest country, which also happened to be a growth one and an emerging one, insisted Mr Evans. The falling into line of the EU with the United States embargo on Russia was substantially responsible for the world milk surplus. Milk and other agri products that would have been sent to Russia continue to back up into an unmanageable world surplus, noted Mr Evans. The severity of the problem locally was being demonstrated by farmers in regions such as Taranaki being urged to “diversify,” he said, and do so regardless of their investment in processing and handling equipment.
Craven fawning United States orientated policy conflicts with frivolous and irresponsible populist stance to wreck trade
Mr Evans urged the government to propound a sensible and statesmanlike trade policy with the United States “at least midway between the cringing and damaging humiliation of participating unofficially
continued on page 31
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EACH ISSUE INCLUDES
MAGAZINE FEATURES 2016 FEBRUARY
JULY
Manufacturing Technology 3D and 4D Developments
Supply Chain Manufacturing Technology Food Manufacturing FoodTech PackTech 2016 Preview
(additive manufacturing)
New products for Manufacturers Environmental Technology Workshop Tools (including injection moulding and CNC machines)
MARCH Manufacturing Technology
AUGUST Disruptive Technologies Manufacturing Technology (Including robotics)
(including robotics)
3D and 4D Developments
Production and Distribution Disruptive and Future Technologies Export Success EMEX 2016 Preview
Project Management Food Manufacturing FoodTech PackTech 2016 Preview
APRIL Manufacturing Technology Industry 4.0 The Future of Manufacturing (including converging technologies)
Disruptive and Future Technologies EMEX 2016 Preview Iot and Manufacturing
MAY 3D and 4D Developments (additive manufacturing)
Manufacturing Technology New Products for Manufacturers Environmental Technology EMEX 2016 Preview
JUNE Food Manufacturing TPP Update Manufacturing Technology Automation Production and Distribution
(additive manufacturing)
SEPTEMBER
NZ Manufacturer is rich with the latest news and developments from New Zealand manufacturers which can be read about in the following Departments: Business News Developments Analysis Rear View The Interview Export Success Opinion Health and Safety New products for manufacturers
Manufacturing Technology Food Manufacturing Disruptive Technologies FoodTech PackTeck 2016 Preview
Regular sections provide assistance for:
OCTOBER
Manufacturing Technology
Preventative Maintenance Manufacturing Technology (including converging technologies)
The Future of Manufacturing Industry 4.0 Automation
Workshop Tools
Robotics
(Including injection moulding and CNC machines)
Supply Chain
NOVEMBER Manufacturing Technology Production and Distribution
DECEMBER The Year in Review Manufacturing Technology NZM Manufacturers Directory Automation
Additive Manufacturing Composites Nanomaterials Food Manufacturing Environmental Technology The Aviation Industry The Marine Industry NZ Infrastructure Plastics Developments
For further information contact Doug Green
E publisher@xtra.co.nz T 06 870 9029 M O21 625 6166 W www.nzmanufacturer.co.nz
Outsourcing Energy Food Manufacturing The Construction Industry Business Services Industry Training Production Management Preventative Maintenance Forestry Trade Shows and Exhibitions
CONTENTS DEPARTMENTS
ADVISORS
4 5 BUSINESS NEWS 4 EDITORIAL
Foreign investors keep eyeing us up.
7
Construction sector to remain a major economic contributor.
6 MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY
Craig Carlyle
Is Director of Maintenance Transformations Ltd, an executive member of the Maintenance Engineering Societyand the Event Director of the NationalMaintenance Engineering Conference.
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IIoT and design engineers in the future. Delcam’s PartBuilder software for additive manufacturing. Intuitive data management for Process Analytical Technology.
Catherine Beard
9 DEVELOPMENTS
Is Executive Director of Export NZ and Manufacturing, divisions of Business NZ, NewZealand’s largest business advocacy group, representing businesses of all sizes.
European company prove the lean green of steel. Making an apprenticeship work for your manufacturing business. Fitzroy Engineering to deliver underwater restaurant to Maldives.
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13 BUSINESS NEWS
Energy ministers and business leaders to meet at Resilience Summit. New sustainable business leader.
Dieter Adam
Chief Executive, New Zealand Manufacturers and Exporters Association has a Ph.D. in plant biotechnology, consulting and senior management roles in R&D, innovation and international business development.
14 THE FUTURE OF MANUFACTURING
Creating a new era of connected consumer products. ETRI presents a blueprint of the ‘5G future.’ New plastics economy report blueprint for a circular future.
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Lewis Woodward
WORKSHOP TOOLS
Is Managing Director of Connection Technologies Ltd, Wellington and is passionate about industry supporting NZ based companies, which in turn builds local expertise and knowledge, and provides education and employment for future generations.
Battery charger covers all types. Welding product line expanded. Single step process transforms carbon dioxide into star-shaped molecules.
20 SUPPLY CHAIN
22
Series 3 – Sales and Operations Planning. Supply chain transparency not going away.
21 MARKETING
Dr Wolfgang Scholz
How to leverage your 8 hidden assets in your marketing channels.
Is HERA Director and a Fellow of the Institute of Professional Engineers NZ.
22 TOOLS FOR MANUFACTURERS
Tools and parameters still play a key role in machining success.
25 FOOD MANUFACTURING
Thirsty cows pump their own water. Solar innovation a relief for drought-stricken farmers.
Garth Wyllie
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Is EMA’s Executive Officer, Manufacturing & Industry Groups. He is a strong advocate for the manufacturing sector. In his 20-plus years with the organisation Garth has managed a range of sector groups, with manufacturing being a key focus.
26 THE FUTURE OF MANUFACTURING
The Internet of Mining Things delivers the next wave of productivity. Who’s the master?
28 MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY 30 ANALYSIS 31 REAR VIEW
3D surgery and remote viewing for hospital. Insights from Germany. Dieter Adam, NZMEA. Innovation – We Are Not Alone. Nick Inskip, HERA.
28 www.nzmanufacturer.co.nz
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NZ Manufacturer October 2015
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Foreign investors keep eyeing us up
PUBLISHER
Media Hawke’s Bay Ltd,1/121 Russell Street North, Hastings, New Zealand 4122.
MANAGING EDITOR
Back into the swing of things and already 2016 is shaping up as a busy year for NZ Manufacturer.
Doug Green T: +64 6 870 9029 E: publisher@xtra.co.nz
Back into the swing of things and already 2016 is shaping up as a busy year for NZ Manufacturer.
CONTRIBUTORS
As you can see from the Inside Front Cover, we have planned a diverse range of subjects for readers this year as we keep pace with the changing manufacturing environment. No longer do readers rely on word of mouth to be kept in touch with the best of manufacturing technology and equipment, they need to read it in a dedicated publication which prides itself on interesting case studies, analysis and opinion articles to benefit the New Zealand manufacturing effort.
Dieter Adam, Nick Inskip, Diego Tamburini David Frank, Holly Green, Vishnu Rayapeddi www.mscnewswire.co.nz
ADVERTISING
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DESIGN & PRODUCTION Kim Alves, KA Design T: + 64 6 879 5815 E: kim.alves@xtra.co.nz
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Jason Bowerman E: jason.bowerman@gmail.com
PUBLISHING SERVICES On-Line Publisher Media Hawke’s Bay Ltd
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Vol.7 No.1 February 2016 Copyright: NZ Manufacturer is copyright and may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the written permission of the publisher. Neither editorial opinions expressed, nor facts stated in the advertisements, are necessarily agreed to by the editor or publisher of NZ Manufacturer and, whilst all efforts are made to ensure accuracy, no responsibility will be taken by the publishers for inaccurate information, or for any consequences of reliance on this information. NZ Manufacturer welcomes your contributions which may not necessarily be used because of the philosophy of the publication.
Affiliates
As this issue closes off I note the analysis around the foreign investors who have placed takeover offers for NZ companies Nuplex and Diligent. Value is being seen in our NZX-listed companies and as we circle around trade agreements and changing economic times in the world, offers such as these may well become more frequent.
ASIA
MANUFACTURING NEWS
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NZ Manufacturer February 2016
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And who can blame a company for considering a good offer once it comes up, keeping in mind the volatile nature of the market? We have some fairly stimulating subjects to share with you in this issue including the observations of Ken Evans, managing director of Napier Engineering and Contracting (Page 1) who asks our manufacturers of food and food processing equipment not to shut the door on exporting to Russia. This is because they risk shutting themselves out of “an immense and reliable growth market.” An export economy such as New Zealand’s simply could not eliminate the world’s biggest country, which also happened to be a growth one and an emerging one. There are plenty of manufacturers in New Zealand making interesting products. Are you one of them? Because NZ Manufacturer would like to know. Keep me informed of what you are doing and also…if you need assistance with getting your story on paper or email contact me publisher@xtra.co.nz and I’ll give you a hand.
Success Through Innovation
EDITORIAL
Best Wishes, Doug Green, Publisher
Doug Green
BUSINESS NEWS
When I was young I observed that nine out of every ten things I did were failures, so I did ten times more work. - George Bernard Shaw
New Zealand construction sector forecast to remain a major economic contributor over the medium term • New Zealand dwelling building activity to strengthen further post-Christchurch rebuild
(residential and non-residential) is expected to peak in 2016/17, capping off a five-year upturn.
• Driven by strong activity particularly in Auckland
However, following a modest decline in dwelling activity forecast for 2017/18, BIS Shrapnel expects reasonably strong rebounds in the activity level (led by Auckland) over the three years to 2020/21 to lift the value of new dwelling consents to a fresh high of around NZ$6 billion in real terms. The value of non-residential building consents (new, and alterations and additions) is expected to remain at relatively high levels, averaging NZ$3.3 billion per annum in real terms over the five-year outlook period – which is comparable to the level over the preceding five-year period.
• Amid housing demand from its population growth and a shortage in housing supply • Infrastructure construction to be boosted by Accelerated Auckland Transport Programme The construction sector in New Zealand is forecast to continue to contribute positively to the country’s economy over the medium term, according to leading industry analyst and economic forecaster, BIS Shrapnel. While the sector will be led by a renewed surge in dwelling building activity to new highs in the second half of the five-year outlook period, overall non-residential and infrastructure construction activities are likely to remain at relatively high levels. According to the company’s Building and Construction in New Zealand 2016-2021 report, the value of building
Commercial & industrial growth
The next dwelling building upturn is likely to drive consents in New Zealand up to around 32,000 by 2020/21, which is comparable to the peak level during the 2003/04 building boom. “The ‘other’ dwelling segment (apartments, retirement units, town houses and flats) is expected to register strong growth, as high land
and we expect net migration to reach a record high of over 64,000 people in the year ending June 2016,” said Wong. “Over the outlook period, we expect net overseas migration gains to ease back to around 10,000 people by 2019. Typically, a larger portion of overseas migrants are expected to settle in Auckland. This combined with the prevailing pent-up demand amid a chronic housing shortage in the city will underpin the Auckland housing market during the outlook period.
cost especially in the Auckland region and the government’s plan to increase affordable housing supply will result in higher density housing projects in the city’s fringe and suburban areas,” said report author and BIS Shrapnel senior project manager, Adeline Wong. “Furthermore, as Auckland grows to become an international city, demand for inner city and lifestyle apartments is expected to rise, following the trends seen across the Tasman in Sydney, Melbourne and other growing international cities across Asia.”
“We expect Auckland to continue to have a fairly substantial level of housing stock deficiency over the next few years, but for the deficiency to moderate albeit gradually from 2018/19 as rising dwelling completions add to the stock.”
Several factors that are likely to contribute to Auckland’s dwelling building activity during the outlook period. These include strong population growth of 1.7 per cent per annum on average, a housing stock deficiency and strengthening coordination between the central government and Auckland City Council to increase housing supply through the implementation of the Housing Accord and Auckland Unitary Plan.
Non-residential building activity over the outlook period is sustained mainly by new and redevelopment projects in the Christchurch CBD rebuild, and a pick-up in the commercial and industrial building sector in Auckland in particular. Auckland non-residential building activity is likely to run at
“Net overseas migration gains are an important driver for housing demand,
continued on page 26
Employment growth
Economic output
Crime rate East Tamaki is the largest industrial precinct in Auckland with 2000 businesses and a growth rate higher than the regional average.
getba
getba.org.nz
Greater East Tamaki Business Association Inc.
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MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY
Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out. - Robert Collier
IIoT and design engineers in the future processed by the machine, put into a package, and then moved to another machine, with the product cartons eventually taken to a palletizer. Using communication standards, this complete process is simpler than previous practices, where end users would have to reprogram each machine, allowing the machines to work together.
The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is furthering its reach into engineering and design. Connected machines will give plant engineering operations the opportunity to identify points of inefficiency, improve upon those points, and in turn, improve profitability. To further discuss how IIoT is impacting work for design engineers, Mark Duncan, segment manager of material handling and packaging machinery for Schneider Electric’s industry business.
Duncan expects that because of machine language standards (such as those for packaging machines using a language called PACKML) machines will be able to instantaneously communicate information in consistent data sets that could be operated by a central computer that would manage production of an entire product line. Each machine would be able to communicate with another regardless of who it was manufactured by or the control system inside the machine.
In the future, Duncan believes engineers will have to focus on existing machine designs and their communications standards, and monitor those standards as they progress. Some examples of this include Internet protocols such as Ethernet, which promote machine-tomachine connectivity, more plug-and play-use, and a smoother transition into a plant environment. Duncan also believes that, as they look to the future, design engineers must be cognisant of the developing standards in machine-to-machine communication.
“This type of design consideration would need to be made by the engineer as he or she is developing a machine. ‘How’s the machine going to communicate? What language is it going to speak externally?’” Duncan said.
“We have a customer that makes a machine for the coffee industry, and that machine is really built to be modular, connected, and is also built to be self-aware of its own capability and how it’s performing,” he said. “It’s also a safe machine, designed with safety built in. It communicates with other machines in a production line.”
Duncan continued, “They also have to think about the machine itself now that we have the capability to take a lot of the data out of the machine. Then, what data am I going to produce? A servo-motor is going to tell what position it’s in or maybe more data about how long it’s been in service or what type of firmware it’s using at the moment. Those types of things are going to be necessary to
An example of this would be the material and product that comes into the machine, such as the one Duncan describes. That product would be
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define up front when you’re designing a machine.” A variety of engineering disciplines within the design engineering field will be impacted by the continued assimilation of IIoT, particularly mechanical and electrical or programming engineers. Electrical engineers who program will be impacted, according to Duncan, because they will have to decide between a number of communication protocols and data types they will use. An example of such a tool, according to Duncan, is a PLC library with standard functions. Mechanical engineers will also be impacted by the growing number of related tools that will allow them to perform a sort of test run of the machine before the metal is first cut. “I think some of the mechanical models for the layout of the machine—now you can actually simulate the machine and operation,” Duncan said. “You can use all kinds of different libraries to build the mechanics and prototypes before you actually start completing your final design.” As Schneider moves forward with IIoT, Duncan believes the company will work to manufacture all of its products so that they are able to be connected with plug-and-play ease. These changes will allow machines to stay up to date. “We have some developments around what we call ‘dynamic QR codes.’ One of our latest products basically has built in algorithms, and when the product
needs to communicate something it merely publishes a QR code dynamically on a display and then an operator can just scan that with his smart phone to see what is actually happening in the product. We’re seeing a lot of demand for that type of connectivity where an operator can use a smart phone or an iPad to either communicate directly with the machine or to be able to have visibility into the machine.” Duncan said that the company has also embedded web servers in many of its products, such as its latest lineup of PLCs. The server allows users to link the PLCs via an Internet connection, which gives users the opportunity to examine the PLC and the data. This examination can be done remotely from anywhere in the world. “A lot of customers are looking at that as new business models for service and support to be able to essentially log into their machines and do maintenance real-time,” he said. Finally, Schneider has developed a variety of wireless communication products, namely switches and sensors, which Duncan believes will play a large role in “this Internet evolution.” “We’re seeing that from our customers—they want to spend less money on physically wiring the device and they want to have it communicate as well, so we have wireless push buttons and wireless limit switches that are great for discrete manufacturing environments and then we have another division making process instrumentation that’s wireless as well.”
Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal. - Henry Ford
MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY
Delcam’s PartBuilder software for additive manufacturing PartBuilder software, from Delcam’s, will provides quick and easy methods to prepare for production CAD files from both native and neutral formats. PartBuilder covers four main steps in model preparation: 1. Checking the quality of the CAD model and repairing any problems it might have 2. Positioning the part in the optimum orientation for layer-by-layer manufacture 3. Addition of any fixtures, supports and other geometry that might be required to ensure reliable manufacture and easier post-processing 4. Exporting the complete data in a suitable file format for manufacture At the start of the process, PartBuilder undertakes an analysis of the imported CAD model to verify the quality of the incoming design and so give the best possible chance of successful manufacture. Common problems in either solid models or mesh files, such as gaps or overlaps in the data, can be identified and repaired to give a water-tight CAD file that will generate an accurate and successful part.
The CAD model is then positioned within the machine envelope, either for manufacture as a single item or as part of a group of components that will be built simultaneously. Orienting the model on the build platform must consider a number of factors, including production time and cost, fixturing quality, heat effects and any critical areas of the part. PartBuilder allows the user to accept the optimised suggestions made automatically by the software or to try a variety of manually selected orientations.
The final stage is the export the complete model from PartBuilder in a suitable data file format for the 3D Printer or AM equipment.
needs to take account of their removal after the build, both to ease their removal and to minimise any witness marks or scars that may be left on the part.
PartBuilder can output models in a growing range of manufacturers’ proprietary file formats, including CLI data for EOS machines and MTT data for Renishaw equipment, as well as STL mesh data that can be processed directly by most additive machines’ own software.
In addition to fixtures, other geometry types may need to be added, such as spigots to grip the part during polishing and other finishing operations, or datum tabs to provide a known location for finish machining programs.
Fixturing can then be created in PartBuilder that may be required for a number of reasons, the most important being the need to support the mass of the part during the build. Fixtures are also used to transfer heat away from the part so that thermal and mechanical stresses are minimised. PartBuilder is able to analyse the model to identify critical areas that need fixtures to ensure geometric stability during the build and adequate heat management, and to generate the geometry required. As with the part orientation, the user has the ability to edit the suggested results manually if required. The positioning of the fixtures also
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MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY
Growth is never by mere chance; it is the result of forces working together.
- James Cash Penney, founder, JC Penney
Intuitive data management for Process Analytical Technology Siemens is innovating its data management software for Process Analytical Technology (PAT) with Simatic Sipat version 5.0, which allows users to monitor and control the quality of their products in real-time during manufacturing. The latest version features a new configuration concept that further increases user friendliness and shortens implementation time. Moreover, the new Dynamic Data Alignment (DDA) optimizes data management for continuous manufacturing. The main applications of Simatic Sipat 5.0 are in the pharmaceutical, food & beverage and fine chemicals industries.
For continuous manufacturing processes, the ability to combine the right pieces of information when making quality decisions is vital. This means that data collected from different locations along the production line at different time intervals must be combined with each other to arrive at the correct product quality.
With PAT, product development and production processes can be monitored, controlled and optimised by measuring the critical-to-quality attributes (CQA) of raw materials, process materials and procedures.
Furthermore Simatic Sipat 5.0 has integrated data security functionality for secure communication between the different components and protection of customer data integrity.
All linking processes (e.g. between collected data and calculations) can
NZ Manufacturer February 2016
Simatic Sipat is a scalable and modular software solution that enables companies to extend their quality assurance activities on a step-by-step basis within the scope of the PAT initiative.
Simatic Sipat 5.0 enables this by using the Dynamic Data Alignment (DDA) concept. This allows users to make fast, data-driven decisions ensuring quality, right-first-time products. Moreover, it optimizes process control of the production line in real-time during manufacturing.
The new configuration concept offers an immediate graphical insight into the functionality of a Simatic Sipat method. On the instrument level, preconfigured PAT IDs can be applied. These can simply be selected during method creation, allowing fast and easy method setup. Configuring new methods is straightforward and can be done in just a few minutes.
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easily be performed using what are known as “wizards”. These new features allow the end users to work more quickly, reduce the training input required and speed up implementation within the organization.
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This continuous monitoring of product quality can prevent deviations from
specifications and therefore reduce production costs. In addition, it allows for Real Time Release Testing, so quality inspections on final products can be reduced or completely eliminated. The latest version of Simatic Sipat 5.0 features a new configuration concept that further increases user friendliness and
shortens
implementation
time. Moreover, the new Dynamic Data
Alignment
(DDA)
optimizes
data management for continuous manufacturing.
The Digital Twin Is a digital representation of the design and operational performance of a physical equipment in its real state. The physical design of components and their designed-in interactions inside an equipment, its operating life history, maintenance records, unique operating conditions are all “model metadata” that go into creating this unique representation of a digital twin.
collect data relating to process cycles, temperature & pressure, flow-rates, wear and tear, oil-pressure variations from one part of a machine to another, the torque of connected tools during tightening operations, or the status of the individual parts in a hydraulic valve. This flood of data is a new raw material for connected industry.
Additionally, the model updates itself with every change in operational parameters of its underlying physical twin. In other words, the digital twin lives its life as an accurate proxy of the physical self, and lends itself to interrogation for purposes of analysis of its physical state, for performance simulations and for prediction of possible failures.
The other important piece is the availability of machine learning algorithms customised for ingestion of large volumes of equipment data and finding patterns across millions and billions of time-value pairs to infer a “black-box” model that codifies complex statistical relationships among hundreds (or thousands) of operating parameters. With good algorithms and the right software, it can shed light on new correlations.
A base infrastructure required to make the Digital Twin a reality involves a wide array of sensors to capture performance data from each component and transmit them to the data-management platform for transformation and storage. Sensors
Such models allows for projection of future performance and signal probabilities of potential catastrophic equipment failure down the line. The signal becomes a critical decision input for minor unscheduled repair or major scheduled shutdowns.
DEVELOPMENTS
A little more persistence, a little more effort, and what seemed hopeless failure may turn to glorious success. - Elbert Hubbard
European company proves the lean green of steel A 3,290m2 commercial building was disassembled and re-erected on a new site on the Slough trading estate. The project took just 11 months to dismantle and rebuild. The entire steel frame was reused yielding a 25% cost saving and a 56% embodied carbon saving relative to a comparable new build. Segro PLC – a multinational European corporation - owns the warehouse which was dismantled and re-built elsewhere on the Estate to make way for a new bridge. Environmental studies showed that it was viable to dismantle the original, modern building on Leigh Road and to recycle the materials, specifically using the original steel frame. The building was demolished and materials reused in line with Segro’s sustainability targets, making it one of Segro’s greenest buildings. The re-developed 9 Cambridge Avenue is a low carbon warehouse and office
accommodation and is believed to be one of the first building relocations of its kind in the UK. The pioneering nature of the project has already been recognised in the SCI Construction Excellence Awards 2015, with the building Highly Commended in the Sustainability Category for London and the South East. Gareth Osborn, Business Unit Director for Segro in the Thames Valley, said: “The unit is particularly impressive given the work done to move its location
return flights from London to Hong Kong and its carbon footprint is 40% lower than the benchmark as a result.”
on the Trading Estate. The relocation has saved 530 tonnes of carbon which is the equivalent of 2,500 trees or 115
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DEVELOPMENTS
You have all the reason in the world to achieve your grandest dreams. Imagination plus innovation equals realisation. - Denis Waitley
EMEX 2016 set to be the biggest in over a decade Manufacturing and Innovation Excellence will be dominant over the three days through live product demonstrations, special features and a very full schedule of industry led education and learning Seminars.
With still nearly 5 months to go until kick-off, one of New Zealand’s largest industry trade events EMEX (Engineering, Manufacturing and Electronics Exhibition) is well on its way to being a sell-out event making it one of the largest for many years.
The schedule will cover a variety of topics such as ‘Additive Manufacturing’, which also includes a Callaghan Innovation Network event, ‘Robotics’, ‘Workplace Health & Safety’
Over 130 national and international exhibiting companies have already confirmed they’ll be there showcasing the latest technologies, products and services that will Inspire Manufacturing and Innovation Excellence. Add to this plans to further capitalise on a strong 2014 event that achieved over 25% growth in industry visitors, EMEX 2016 is once more shaping up to be the leading event for the engineering, manufacturing, machinery, electronics and technology industries.
and Keynote presentations by Industry leaders from NZMEA, Metals NZ, MESNZ and NEIDA. ‘There is very strong industry support for EMEX 2016’ says EMEX sales manager Aad van der Poel ‘which I believe reflects the current industry and economic sentiment. We see many exhibitors returning after a more challenging period’ as business is gaining confidence and have adopted
a more positive outlook. Every EMEX, the buzz grows. With world-class seminars, the cream of suppliers, a myriad of opportunities to network and do beneficial business this is the not to be missed event for 2016’ EMEX 2016 runs from 31 May to 2 June at the ASB Showgrounds in Auckland. Free registration is now open for Industry Professionals wishing to attend. Simply visit www.emex.co.nz
The latest high tech and innovative equipment, in some cases Southern Hemisphere firsts, will be showcased at the ASB Showgrounds on the 31st of May, 1st & 2nd of June this year. Companies such as AmProm, Plazmax, Haas and many others will be bringing to the event the very latest innovations with cutting edge products and technology. Amprom, for example, will be bringing the latest fibre laser cutting machine which visitors can see in full action. The EMEX 2016 theme of Inspiring
Making an apprenticeship work for your manufacturing business 130 companies share their tips investments. They come from the people who know best how it’s done: employers in 130 companies who train apprentices, including wood, food and beverage, furniture, and general manufacturers.
Competenz, the industry training organisation (ITO) for New Zealand’s manufacturing industries, know that apprenticeships are a practical way to help you build a capable team. They know, too, that manufacturing employers who train apprentices make major investments in time and money.
You can read more in the recent Competenz research report: Getting the best from your investment in training an apprentice (October 2015).
So they thought you’d value some tips to help make the most of these
1. Recruit your apprentices carefully. It’s all about attitude. Does the person have a passion for manufacturing and your industry? Are they keen to learn? Will they fit in with your team? 2. Get your apprentices off to a good start. Explain how your business works and buddy them up with someone who can answer their questions. Set clear expectations: it’s their apprenticeship, not yours. Explain what your apprentices need to do, and how you’ll support them. Then start apprentices on some simple tasks to build their confidence.
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3. Set clear goals for your apprentices’ learning. Explain what they need to learn and by when, and how you’ll measure their progress. 4. Offer your apprentices challenging, varied work. Structure their work and training plans so they build skills in a logical way, work on ‘real life’ issues, and take on increasing responsibility. 5. Support your apprentices on-the-job. Responsive supervision from an experienced, approachable tradesperson is key to a successful apprenticeship. 6. Review apprentices’ progress regularly. This will help you keep their learning on track and resolve issues quickly. 7. Talk about career opportunities early in the apprenticeship. This will motivate your apprentices and help you retain them when they qualify. Career opportunities take many forms other than ‘climbing the ladder’. Involve
apprentices in business activities like budgeting; let them supervise others as they gain experience; give them opportunities to gain complementary skills like management. 8. Reward progress. Raise your apprentices’ pay when they reach a training milestone, or reward them in another way. 9. Celebrate success. Hold a workplace graduation when your apprentices qualify. (Sausage rolls in the tearoom work well too!) 10. Make your company a great place to work. A professional, supportive, safe environment will help your apprentices learn. The Competenz team can help you recruit and train apprentices to support your manufacturing business. They work with you to develop structured training plans, then visit regularly to review progress and support your apprentices. www.competenz.org.nz
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DEVELOPMENTS
Everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you’re climbing it. - Andy Rooney, journalist
Fitzroy Engineering to deliver underwater restaurant to Maldives Pvt Ltd are building a complete new luxury resort. As many scuba divers will attest, the water in the Maldives is especially clear and the corals and fish life astounding.
Over the evening of Tuesday 9th February, the latest big fabrication project to come out of Fitzroy Engineering made its way slowly to Port Taranaki. Following the usual route via Devon Road, Northgate, Hobson Street, Molesworth Street and St Aubyn Street, the 450 tonne Underwater Restaurant went to the port for shipping to its destination in the Maldives, Indian Ocean.
The UWR will sit alongside the steeply descending coral reef, so that all diners can view the corals and the fish they attract. For the deep open ocean side, special concrete platforms have been developed by MJ Murphy upon which the corals from under the UWR have been replanted, and are now waiting in the sea for the arrival of the UWR. These ‘coral garden’ platforms will be lifted off the seabed and bolted to the ocean-side of the UWR once in place, so that diners on the ocean side also get an amazing view of corals and attracted fish life.
Designed by leading aquarium and underwater restaurant design engineers, MJ Murphy Ltd from Auckland, this underwater restaurant (UWR) will be the second only of its type to be deployed anywhere in the world. MJ Murphy Ltd were also the designers of the first UWR (now world famous, called Ithaa… also in the Maldives for a different resort), and have been involved in the design of many major public aquariums around the world, similar to Kelly Tarltons Underwater World in Auckland.
Fitzroy Engineering Project Manager, Adrian Van’t Hof says “the amazing 5m wide x 130mm thick acrylic arches covering the UWR have been designed by M.J. Murphy Ltd and fabricated in Japan, and are optically perfect, so diners will feel ‘immersed’ and surrounded by the ocean and the fish life”. There will also be a large spectacular panoramic underwater acrylic window (190mm thick) in
This new UWR will be delivered to site by heavy lift ship and lowered onto specially prepared piled foundations on the edge of a beautiful coral reef at Huravalhi Island in the Maldives, where the clients, Champalars Holdings
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the end of the UWR which is expected to wow the lucky diners, with amazing long views along the sloping coral reef”. The underwater dining room is accessed by foot down an impressive spiral staircase at one end, complete with two smaller underwater acrylic windows to titivate the patrons as they descend down to the dining room, glass of sparkly wine in hand. There will also be a dumb waiter lift for restaurant staff to bring down all food and drinks from the above-water kitchen.
The restaurant is 18m long x 5.4m wide, and working with MJ Murphy Ltd, Fitzroy established that considerable efficiencies could be achieved by building the floor of the hull from 114mm thick steel in order to add very efficient ballast weight. Procedures to heat, weld and safely rotate the 80 tonne floor were developed and implemented and this proved to be very successful.
Fitzroy Engineering were successful in securing this project in the face of strong international competition, and their ability to fund and coordinate large work-scopes allowed them to manage the bulk of the work required. This included all of the steel fabrication, installation of the acrylic windows and roof, ballasting, installation of air conditioning and electrical systems and all of the internal fit out.
The Underwater Restaurant project has been an extremely successful and exciting project, and Fitzroy Engineering and M J Murphy Ltd are very grateful to the Clients for allowing them to be a part of their fantastic project. All parties are all looking forward to future opportunities to develop the learnings from this development, and build further similar projects.
Play by the rules, but be ferocious.
- Phil Knight, founder, Nike
New sustainable business leader
The Sustainable Business Council has 85 members, including some of New Zealand’s largest companies. Its membership now accounts for about a third of private sector GDP.
In her role, Abbie will champion the interests of businesses who are advancing their sustainability. This includes driving action on climate change, governance, social impact and ecosystem health. She will also continue to grow the organisation’s focus on mainstreaming sustainable
business practices throughout New Zealand. Abbie brings with her a depth of expertise in social, financial and environmental sustainability within business. Previously she has led sustainability and regulatory work at Spark, the UK’s Cable & Wireless and as a resource management/environment solicitor for Bell Gully. She has a proven track record of delivering results in sustainable business development. The current Executive Director, Penny Nelson, is leaving to take up the position of Deputy Secretary, Sector Strategy at the Ministry for the Environment in late February.
Energy ministers and business leaders to meet at Resilience Summit The growing importance of resilience is demonstrated in the calibre of delegates gathering in New Zealand’s capital next month for the Asia-Pacific Energy Leaders’ Summit hosted by the World Energy Council and BusinessNZ Energy Council. Energy resilience is emerging as a clear priority for both the private and public sector. The Asia-Pacific Energy Leaders’ Summit is attracting CEOs and senior executives from across the globe, including Shell, Rosseti Russia, Enersis Chile, Chevron, Honda and Fujitsu, and energy experts from Norway, US, UK, Japan, China, the Philippines and Australia. They will be joining over 50 major corporates and institutions from New Zealand and around the world, including the World Bank, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, Asian Development Bank, APEC Energy Working Group, International Renewable Energy Association and the APEC Sustainable Energy Centre. Energy Ministers and high level officials from across the Asia-Pacific will join New Zealand Ministers Bridges and Bennett to discuss the growing resilience risks and challenges
New innovations for NMW 2016 advice and support for companies looking to leverage new opportunities from this game-changing technology.
National Manufacturing Week, Australia’s largest, longest running manufacturing industry event, returns to Sydney (May 11 – 13), with industry ‘firsts’ to help propel the industry into the future. Key to this year’s program are co-located events, high profile industry figures presenting case studies and new ideas, as well as exhibitors from around the world with innovative products and services.
Abbie Reynolds has been appointed as the Sustainable Business Council’s new Executive Director where she will continue to build its successful work leading sustainable business practices in New Zealand.
Abbie, who currently leads the Vodafone Foundation and is Head of Sustainability at Vodafone says she is looking forward to the challenge: “The Sustainable Business Council’s work has had a significant impact on supporting New Zealand businesses to be more sustainable. It’s a privilege to be able to build on the great work that has been done to date and to ensure we have the right environment to move further and faster in the future.”
BUSINESS NEWS
presented by climate change, emerging technologies, extreme weather events, cyber security, and the energy-water-food nexus. Hon Simon Bridges, NZ Minister of Energy and Resources says, “Energy system resilience is key to supporting and growing a vibrant economy. The Asia-Pacific Energy Leaders’ Summit offers an opportunity for dialogue on transitioning to more sustainable and resilient energy systems, and I look forward to taking part.” The aim is to share insights and lessons about what can be done to address these challenges, including solutions available to the Asia-Pacific region. The World Energy Council will be launching a new report on the energy-water-food nexus at the event. Dr Christoph Frei, Secretary General, World Energy Council says, “Bringing business and policymakers together in this unique fashion is a vital step forward in finding solutions to building resilience in the Asia-Pacific region. I look forward to being part of this leading edge discussion and discovering pathways to the future.”
NMW to showcase innovations across the exhibition floor NMW will be home to over a thousand innovative products and services, from some 200 European, Asian and local companies. Among the new solutions on offer in 2016 will be in the Welding Technology Product Zone - the latest in welding solutions from Kemppi. Kemppi is returning to NMW to showcase its latest range including the FASTMIG family of high end MIG welding packages, as well as welding quality, traceability and documentation management systems.
To enhance the value of attending for industry professionals, NMW2016 will be co-located with headline events showcasing new possibilities for manufacturers, including the Safety First Conference & Expo. Safety First is Australia’s first one-stop safety event that provides a rare opportunity to see safety solutions and talk with leading safety thinkers.
NMW will also see the return of Bector Pumps with new, oil lubricated vacuum pumps that will delight companies looking for medium to high vacuum levels.
NMW will also co-locate with Inside 3D Printing Conference & Expo, the Australian education of the world-leading event that will bring new strategies, stories of success and more to help local companies make the most of game-changing 3D printing technologies.
NMW’s Seminar Theatre program provides free access to new ideas and strategies Alongside the showcase - and right in the heart of the exhibition floor NMW’s Seminar Theatre will provide free access to industry experts sharing strategies and case studies on hot-button manufacturing issues. Topics on the agenda include ‘how tos’ for diversifying into other markets, collaboration and innovation, as well as productivity gains through supply chain efficiencies, digital manufacturing and much more.
Inside 3D Printing will showcase next generation 3D printers and companies that can help businesses open up new worlds of possibility. The showcase will include Konica Minolta Business Solutions’, with 3D technologies that help companies create working prototypes, parts and custom-made products in a fraction of the time currently required, with industry leading service support by Konica Minolta’s national service organisation.
Demonstration program technologies to life
The showcase will also include energetic local businesses - including Bilby 3D and Sydney 3D Printing backing global technologies with
brings
Event Director, John Gorton, comments that NMW 2016 will also offer a full program of product and service demonstrations.
Rockwell Automation appoints new manager Rockwell Automation is pleased to announce the appointment of Darryl Kaufmann to the role of manager, marketing and business management for the South Pacific region. He will work closely with stakeholders including distributors, country and state managers, sales operations and regional pricing to develop and oversee the implementation of the marketing and business strategy for the region.
In this role, Darryl will be responsible for leading the marketing and market access functions for the South Pacific region, including business, product, and initiative management, pricing strategies, commercial programs and channel initiatives.
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THE FUTURE OF MANUFACTURING
The only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking risks. - Mark Zuckerberg, founder, Facebook
Creating a new era of connected consumer products by Diego Tamburini, Manufacturing Industry Strategist at Autodesk Every day, more and more connected devices are coming to market, from phones and home appliances, to cars and buildings. Their potential to make consumers’ everyday lives more efficient, convenient, and easier is endless — but they also present new challenges to the designers, engineers, manufacturers and entrepreneurs who are building these connected products. With its rich heritage of creating powerful design solutions, the technology industry is well positioned to share the experience and knowledge that will help today’s makers tackle those challenges, and shift the way we think about designing consumer devices for the new connected future.
model, like many of the bike share programs already existing today.
Let’s take a look at the current “Era of Connection” and some of the trends at work.
Pionovasion, flair and Floatility are examples of how entrepreneurs all over the world are proving that internet-connected devices can feed data to the cloud and other devices seamlessly. However, imagine if these devices also receive software updates from the manufacturer. The result? Products can actually improve over time rather than becoming increasingly obsolete. For example, a manufacturer can push out an update over Wi-Fi that makes an older dishwasher run as efficiently as the latest model.
Chinese start-up Pionovasion is working with bicycle-sharing scheme Social Bicycles in (SoBi) the United States to design and build a bike. The idea is that the bike will be fitted with GPS, an Internet link, and a tiny computer – all run by solar power.
First and foremost, the lines between hardware and software — and between the physical and digital worlds— continue to blur as the devices that make up the Internet of Things (IoT) become more common. The Nest thermostat might have been the first IoT device to capture the public imagination, but more and more devices will combine a functional purpose with the ability to gather data, analyze it, and act upon it.
The consumer expectation that products will improve over time means that products will increasingly become a way to sell services. Think about when a consumer buys a piece of hardware like a smartphone. That initial purchase is only the beginning of the relationship — the consumer immediately starts customizing and personalizing the phone by downloading and purchasing apps and other software utilities.
Think of flair, whose teams in China and the US have developed a sensor-enabled product that replaces traditional HVAC vents to ensure a comfortable temperature in all rooms of the home throughout the entire day. flair can be controlled on your phone, over the Cloud, or it can be left to optimize climate control on its own. After living in Asia for 9 years, Olivier Risse, the founder of Floatility was inspired to solve the massive transportation problem facing most cities – and he believed that cars weren’t the best solution, especially for short distances.
Designing for the Connected Era. Given the trends above, how do designers build devices that exist both in the physical and digital world and as part of a larger ecosystem? How do they create innovative products that can adapt, while still providing users with a simple, elegant, and meaningful interaction? How do they make products that — in addition to talking and working with each other — are constantly learning from the user, and evolving with
Developed across teams in Hamburg, Stuttgart, Singapore and Jakarta, the answer was the eFloater, a lightweight, solar-powered electric commuter that is network enabled, and easily used in a sharing economy
new features and functionality? Getting these elements right will be key to transforming products like smart locks, smart thermostats, and other connected devices from hype and novelty to essential devices that bring time savings, cost savings, and other benefits to consumers. Admittedly, there is no single tool or solution to solve the problem. But much like designers now use tools to generate things we could never have predicted 20 or 30 years ago, it will be important to empower designers with software optimized for the design of connected devices. Supporting a Connected Future. Already, startups, enterprises, students, and individuals around the world are using innovative tools to design and make the connected devices of today and tomorrow, whether it’s designing a consumer product in cloud-based mechanical engineering software, prototyping circuit boards with a free online app, or confronting the challenges of bringing a new product to market by tapping into next-generation product lifecycle management tools. As the connected future continues to take shape, there are a few key areas to focus on: • Education: Designers must now consider how to build devices for a dynamic environment. They will require the know-how and insight to manage this complexity, and make their products more resilient and valuable. Also important will be community-based learning and knowledge centers that promote sharing of ideas. • Ecosystem: Industry leaders should be encouraged to partner with complementary businesses and technologies to help develop a robust ecosystem of solutions for
the connected future. Combining expertise from multiple sources will accelerate innovation and strengthen the industry as a whole. • Access to Technology: By putting design capabilities in anyone’s hands through programs offering free access for educational institutions and startups, larger organizations can help democratize the creation of tomorrow’s connected devices. For example, helping students and entrepreneurs capture, analyze and utilize data from their products is a necessary step for fueling the development of tech that will bring our connected future to life. The Future Awaits. Connectivity is redefining product design, and the proliferation of connected consumer products will touch many more parts of our lives than it does now — probably in areas we haven’t even thought of yet. It will be exciting to see how compelling software tools help usher in this new era. The connected future awaits. Diego Tamburini Diego Tamburini is the Manufacturing Industry Strategist at Autodesk, where he focuses on defining the vision for Autodesk in manufacturing and evangelising Autodesk as a thought leader in the industry. His passion is to follow what’s going on in manufacturing, identify forces and trends, forecast where the industry is going, and think about the software tools designers and engineers will need.
Affordable 3D design Free upgrade to Full Version & Discounts on Annual Maintenance Renew Annual Maintenance on any version of Alibre or Geomagic Design and receive a free upgrade to the latest full version. It doesn’t maer how out-of-date your license is. Save 10% when you renew Annual Maintenance for 2 years Save 20% when you renew Annual Maintenance for 3 years There is now only 1 professional version of Geomagic Design so everyone gets to use all the features available in the latest 2015 version 17. Receive future new versions, update patches and access to support. This latest version can be installed on as many computers as you want and you can acvate/de-acvate the installaons yourself as you move between locaons.
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Out of your vulnerabilities will come your strength. - Sigmund Freud, neurologist
THE FUTURE OF MANUFACTURING
ETRI presents a blueprint of the ‘5G future’ A 5G future is no longer a distant one, but an upcoming reality. High quality videos of more than 10Mbps can be served simultaneously to 100 users even in a train running at up to 500km/h. People can experience data rates that are 100 times faster than currently available technologies. 5G is the next generation wireless technology that would provide even faster data rates, even lower delays, and even more devices connected than 4G. Accordingly, distinct and differentiated applications are expected in 5G.
-- ZING is a near-field communication technology that enables mass data to be transmitted with 3.5 Gbps data rate between neighboring devices within the radius of 10cm.
-- Millimeter wave (mmWave) beam switching technology provides fast switching of radio beams to mobile users, and therefore allows seamless Gbps-grade service in mobile environments.
-- In-band Full Duplex technology can transmit and receive signals simultaneously over the same frequency band. It can increase spectral efficiency by up to two times.
-- Single-RF-Chain compact MIMO technology enables a single antenna to simulate the effect of multiple antenna. It can reduce antenna volume and cancel inter-antenna interference in a multi-antenna system.
-- Mobile Edge Platform (MEP) is a mobile edge cloud server on vehicles that enables passengers to enjoy customised Gbps-grade content and connects them with neighbours, things and spaces. It provides user-centric services.
-- Small cell SW technology is designed for AP(Access Point)-sized small cell base stations that can reduce communication dead zones and improve data rates per user in a hot-spot area.
ETRI’s “future SNS” is a kind of trial service model to apply 5G technologies that provides dynamic user-centric connection to neighbouring people, things and spaces. It is characterised by instant content-sharing between users, communication with neighboring things, and Giga-bps(Gbps)-grade video applications in vehicles. 5G core technologies demonstrated by ETRI include the following: -- MHN (Mobile Hot-spot Network) is a mobile backhaul technology that provides high-speed Internet access of Gbps in vehicles at speeds of up to 500 km/h (e.g. KTX in Korea). Almost 100 passengers can watch videos of high quality simultaneously.
Amsterdam to get world’s first 3D printed steel bridge 3D printing R&D firm MX3D is hoping to take the construction world by storm when it 3D prints a functional steel bridge across a canal in Amsterdam. A world’s first, MX3D will use multi-axis industrial robots to do the job, who will print their own supports and gradually move across the water, creating the bridge as they go. The project is a collaboration with, among others, design software company Autodesk and construction firm Heijmans and will incorporate robotics, software engineering, craftsmanship and design. Designer Joris Laarman, who has previously worked with MX3D printing free-standing 3D sculptures, is using Autodesk software to design what is described as “an ornate metal bridge.” “I strongly believe in the future of digital production and local production, in the new craft,” says Laarman. “This bridge will show how 3D printing finally enters the world
of large-scale, functional objects and sustainable materials while allowing unprecedented freedom of form.” MX3D says the project is made feasible by its robotic 3D printing technology that effectively makes it possible to draw in mid-air. The multi-axis industrial robots to be used can print metals, plastics and combinations of materials.
signed arms that heat up the metal to 1,500°C (2,732°F) before welding the structure. This approach means structures can be created that are strong, durable and complex.
create rail-supports as they go. They will then be able to gradually slide forward on the supports, literally creating the bridge upon which they are crossing the canal.
What’s more, it is hoped that the entire process will take place on-site. Assuming that is the case, the robots will begin creating the structure on one side of the water and will
Other partners involved in the project include Air Liquide, ABB robotics, STV, Delcam, Lenovo, TU Delft, AMS and the Amsterdam City Council.
“What distinguishes our technology from traditional 3D printing methods is that we work according to the ‘printing outside the box’ principle,” explains CTO of MX3D Tim Geurtjens, “By printing with 6-axis industrial robots, we are no longer limited to a square box in which everything happens.” For the bridge project, the robots will be printing in steel. They will use specially-de-
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THE FUTURE OF MANUFACTURING
Motivation is the catalysing ingredient for every successful innovation.
- Clayton Christensen, economist and Harvard professor
New plastics economy report blueprint for a circular future plastic packaging is used only once; 95% of the value of plastic packaging material, worth $80-120 billion annually, is lost to the economy.
Applying circular economy principles to global plastic packaging flows could transform the plastics economy and drastically reduce negative externalities such as leakage into oceans, according to the latest report by the World Economic Forum and Ellen MacArthur Foundation, with analytical support from McKinsey & Company.
Additionally, plastic packaging generates negative externalities, valued conservatively by UNEP at $40 billion.[1] Given projected growth in consumption, in a business-as-usual scenario, by 2050 oceans are expected to contain more plastics than fish (by weight), and the entire plastics industry will consume 20% of total oil production, and 15% of the annual carbon budget.[2]
The New Plastics Economy: Rethinking the future of plastics provides for the first time a vision of a global economy in which plastics never become waste, and outlines concrete steps towards achieving the systemic shift needed.
In this context, an opportunity beckons for the plastics value chain to deliver better system-wide economic and environmental outcomes, while continuing to harness the benefits of plastic packaging.
The report, financially supported by the MAVA Foundation, was produced as part of Project MainStream, a global, multi-industry initiative that aims to accelerate business-driven innovations to help scale the circular economy. The new report acknowledges that while plastics and plastic packaging are an integral part of the global economy and deliver many benefits, their value chains currently entail significant drawbacks.
The New Plastics Economy, outlined in this report, envisages a new approach based on creating effective after-use pathways for plastics; drastically reducing leakage of plastics into natural systems, in particular oceans; and decoupling plastics from fossil feedstocks.
Assessing global plastic packaging flows comprehensively for the first time, the report finds that most
Achieving such systemic change will require major collaboration efforts between all stakeholders across the
global plastics value chain – consumer goods companies, plastic packaging producers and plastics manufacturers, businesses involved in collection, sorting and reprocessing, cities, policymakers and NGOs.
report provides a model for achieving the systemic shift our economy needs to make in order to work in the long term.
The report proposes the creation of an independent coordinating vehicle to set direction, establish common standards and systems, overcome fragmentation, and foster innovation opportunities at scale. In line with the report’s recommendations, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation will establish an initiative to act as a cross-value-chain global dialogue mechanism and drive the shift towards a New Plastics Economy.
This report demonstrates the importance of triggering a revolution in the plastics industrial ecosystem and is a first step to showing how to transform the way plastics move through our economy. To move from insight to large scale action, it is clear that no one actor can work on this alone; the public, private sector and civil society all need to mobilize in order to capture the opportunity of the new circular plastics economy.
The report’s findings are timely: knowledge and understanding of the circular economy among business leaders and policymakers is growing, as demonstrated by the European Commission’s recent circular economy package and associated funding announcements; new technologies are unlocking opportunities in material design, reprocessing and renewable sourcing; developing countries are investing in after-use infrastructure; and governments are increasingly considering – and implementing – policies around plastic packaging.
- Dominic Waughray, World Economic Forum
The New Plastics Economy: Rethinking the future of plastics provides a fact-base and a vision to inform the choices that need to be made.
- Dr. Martin R. Stuchtey, McKinsey Centre for Business and Environment
Linear models of production and consumption are increasingly challenged by the context within which they operate - and this is particularly true for high volume, low value materials such as plastic packaging. By demonstrating how circular economy principles can be applied to global plastic flows, this
- Dame Ellen MacArthur, MacArthur Foundation
Plastics are the workhorse material of the modern economy – with unbeaten properties. However they are also the ultimate single-use material. Growing volumes of end-of-use plastics are generating costs and destroying value to the industry. After-use plastics could - with circular economy thinking - be turned into valuable feedstock. Our research confirms that applying those circular principles could spark a major wave of innovation with benefits for the entire supply chain.
[1] United Nations Environment Programme, Valuing Plastic: The Business Case for Measuring, Managing and Disclosing Plastic Use in the Consumer Goods Industry (2014). [2] This is the budget that must be adhered to in order to achieve the internationally accepted goal to remain below a 2°C increase in global temperatures
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Every problem is a gift — without problems we would not grow.
- Anthony Robbins, motivational speaker and writer
THE FUTURE OF MANUFACTURING
Mitsubishi’s latest laser innovation the new EX3015SR Continual improvement in cutting quality with improved productivity and increased surface smoothness are just some of the impressive features unique to the new Mitsubishi SR Series laser. Innovative technology such as the new PHXS Cutting Head with a lens cartridge design that facilitates constant and accurate centering, plus a fast graphical user interface leads to faster cutting and lower cost per cut part. New features allow for aggressive-fast mild steel piercing, expanded options for part programming and exceptional control in cutting parameters that contribute to increased performance and energy savings. Overall improvements that are unique to the SR include a 40 percent speed improvement in thick-plate cutting due to the advanced 32XP resonator; and an up to 80 percent improvement in surface-finish quality for stainless steel cutting. All this adds up to a high performance laser cutting system with reduced operation and maintenance costs that make the EX3015-SR an affordable cutting solution. Finance packages are available to suit individual customer needs and ease the costs associated with purchasing high capital value machines. Mitsubishi Lasers sold and serviced in New Zealand by Revolution Precision Machinery. www.rpmcnc.co.nz or sales@rpmcnc.co.nz Phone Phil Robinson or Quentin Rowe 022 653 4817.
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WORKSHOP TOOLS
Recipe for success: Study while others are sleeping; work while others are loafing; prepare while others are playing; and dream while others are wishing. - William A. Ward
Screw compressor energy efficient The new oil-injection cooled screw compressor C 16 F (D) sets new standards in the 11 kW performance class. Its excellent specific characteristics predestine the Boge C 16 F (D) compressors for achieving high energy savings. With its broad control range, it caters for widely fluctuating compressed air demand. A silenced intake filter and sturdy grey cast iron housing afford extremely quiet operation even when working at full capacity – enabling it to operate right at the workstation. The optionally available focus control 2.0 intelligent compressor control can be used with up to four compressors and lends itself to Industry 4.0 applications.
(D) is one of the quietest compressors in its class. The advantages of integrated frequency control are particularly apparent when compressed air demand fluctuates: The frequency converter provides continuous free air delivery in the roughly 25 – 100% control range. The free air delivery is constantly matched to the operating conditions. If the demand for compressed air drops off, compressor energy use also falls. Idling times are virtually eliminated in this way. Customers who use C 16 F (D) screw compressors achieve energy savings of up to 30 percent as a result.
It provides the highest free air delivery in the 11 kW compressor segment – despite its extremely low speed level. This is the result of using the Boge compact compressor aired from the effilence family which trumps with outstandingly low specific power consumption due to its high-efficiency IE3 motor. With this minimal power consumption rating and the extremely low flow losses, these belt-driven BOGE C 16 F (D) compressors achieve record energy efficiency. Their sound pressure levels also get top ratings – the C 16 F
The design of the C series is both intelligent and simple. All maintenance-relevant parts are arranged for easy reach to minimise waiting times. Equipping these compressors with additional options such as a refrigerant dryer or the focus control 2.0 intelligent compressor control makes them into flexible all-rounders. It is not without reason that customers can choose between different versions: Models in the C 16 F (D) series are available with a maximum pressure
of 8, 10 and 13 bar and free air delivery from 0.46 to a maximum of 1.99 m3 per minute. The C 16 F (D) can be optionally fitted with the modular focus control 2.0 control unit, making it ideal for modern integrated production in the age of Industry 4.0. This compressor control allows up to four compressors to be used in combination. Information can be read off comfortably on the high-resolution colour display unit, while the capacitive touchscreen keys make for exceptionally easy use. An RFID interface enables authorised users to log on to the device touch-free. Whether to seek the system status, network pressure, system pressure, utilisation capacity, load operation, idling or the final compression temperature – users can quickly and easily change between screens on the touchpad thanks to
the clear structure of the display unit, featuring symbols for the various compressors and devices.
Battery charger covers all types different battery chargers/managers to suit their unique requirements.
Mechanical workshops have to be versatile these days, able to service a wide assortment of passenger cars, motorcycles, commercial vehicles and even farm machines and boats, particularly if based away from major towns and cities in New Zealand.
Now Projecta has developed one battery charger to serve them all and it has just been released in New Zealand. The new Projecta HDBM4000, 8-stage 6/12/24V 3-40A Workshop Battery Charger caters to all vehicle, equipment and marine battery types in a clever, single unit that provides effective and worry-free testing, charging and maintenance.
And that can lead to issues arising from the variety of different battery types they come across, including Deep Cycle, AGM, Gel, Calcium, Marine, Stop/ Start and Starting, which may require
Unlike conventional 40A workshop chargers, the Projecta unit is light and compact while still featuring a tough housing to meet the demands of tough service centre environments. Simple to use, once connected to the battery the HDBM4000 automatically sets an ideal charge rate (3-40A) which can be manually adjusted, if required. With multi-chemistry battery selection, including a cold temperature mode, the advanced eight-stage charging programme can help rejuvenate sulphated batteries and remove acid stratification from calcium batteries, ensuring a full charge and optimum battery condition. In addition to its superior charging functions, the HDBM4000 analyses overall battery condition, testing charge level and starting capacity, while also checking for alternator faults.
The new Projecta HDBM4000 charger can handle all types of vehicle, equipment and marine batteries.
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As a power source, it can deliver clear and stable power during diagnostic testing, ensuring accurate readings, and if battery replacement is needed, it maintains a constant voltage to ensure vehicle memory settings are retained
until a new battery is hooked up. Another excellent feature of the HDBM4000 is the clever engine start mode for batteries that have gone flat, which delivers a short and powerful charge that can have a vehicle ready to start in five minutes, while a ‘showroom mode’ allows the unit to operate silently if charging at night or in a quiet environment. All functions are controlled via simple three-button operation, with a large and easy-to-read LCD interface displaying all operational information for the technician to see at a glance. The unit comes standard with three-metre leads and battery clamps, but longer leads of six metres and ten metres are available at additional cost. Also available is a docking station bracket that allows fast and efficient mounting of the unit and neat stowage of its leads. Projecta’s new HDBM4000 is ideal for commercial workshops, fleet depots or vehicle dealerships andcan be purchased leading automotive outlets throughout New Zealand.
WORKSHOP TOOLS
Strength and growth come only through continuous effort and struggle. - Napoleon Hill, author
Welding product line expanded BOC has announced the latest addition to its EWM welding product line with the launch of the new EWM Taurus range featuring four welding machines suitable for light engineering projects right through to heavy industrial tasks. As the exclusive supplier of EWM products in New Zealand, BOC brings the latest in German welding technology to New Zealand with the Taurus range offering patented upgrades that will increase welding efficiencies for stainless steel, carbon steel, low alloy steel and aluminium alloy fabrication. The new range has three basic models and one advanced model, all featuring a modular design instead of integrated fixed system, allowing for easy
customisation of the welding packages during their lifecycle. The modular design of the Taurus welding range offers excellent flexibility with the power source, wire feeder and trolley all separate components, making it easier to upgrade or conduct maintenance checks. They are also smaller, lighter and more efficient than previous models. The Multimatrix Taurus 405 Synergic model contains several patented controlled processes, giving the operator more control and better efficiency in the workshop. It is also compatible with the recently launched EWM xNet welding software, giving operators the ability to record and
engineering. All four machines include a 3 year warranty on the power source and an extended warranty period on the rectifier and transformer.
track data from the machine in real-time. The Taurus range caters for a wide range of markets from light to heavy
Single step process transforms carbon dioxide into star-shaped molecules The power of carbon dioxide has been harnessed by Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research researchers to make two symmetrical star-shaped molecules in a single step. These molecules could be used to build complex, functional polymeric materials useful for catalysis, coatings and drug delivery.
materials. They created symmetrical benzene rings with three or six identical arms comprising carbonate groups terminated by carbon–carbon triple bonds, or ‘alkynes’. “We can integrate the carbon dioxide into the molecule without the need for high temperatures or high pressure,” says Luo.
Carbon dioxide is a cheap and accessible base material, explains lead researcher He-Kuan Luo from the Institute of Materials Research and Engineering. “Therefore, many people are searching for efficient methods to transform carbon dioxide into useful molecules,” he explains. “But transforming carbon dioxide is not typically easy.”
The molecules were made in a single step. The team introduced carbon dioxide from dry ice to an alcohol with an alkyne end group and benzene rings decorated with either three or six alkyl bromide groups. “At the beginning, however, only some of the branches reacted so we could not get the desired compound,” Luo explains.
His team has developed a simple route to use carbon dioxide to make aromatic compounds that can be used as building blocks for more complicated
The team fine-tuned the process and found the reactions worked most efficiently at room temperature, with the carbon dioxide at atmospheric
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pressure and with the addition of both a promoter tetrabutylammonium bromide (TBAB) and the base potassium carbonate. “We tried many times and after a few months, we finally got [the bromide groups in] all six branches to react [with the alcohol],” he Carbon dioxide is a useful feedstock gas for synthesis of complex, functional materials. says. two and four days respectively.
Adding the promoter to the mix doubled the product produced. “It is likely that the tetrabutylammonium cation enhances the rate of carbon dioxide incorporation by stabilizing the carbonate anion,” says Luo.
The alkynes on the end of each arm in these molecules should theoretically be able to react with a host of different molecules using simple click chemistry – to produce a range of complex or functional materials. “We are currently trying to use the six-armed branched molecule to build more functional star-shaped molecules, which may find applications in catalysis, coatings and drug delivery,” says Luo.
The reaction time is also vital. “We needed to be patient and let the reaction run to completion to ensure that all the branches reacted.” The synthesis of the three-armed and six-armed star-shaped molecule took
NZ MANUFACTURER • MARCH 2016 Issue • Features
Manufacturing Technology 3D and 4D Development
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Environmental Technology Workshop Tools
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Editorial Copy Deadline – 17 March 2016 Advertising – For bookings and further information contact: Doug Green, P O Box 1109, Hastings 4156, Hawke’s Bay Email: publisher@xtra.co.nz
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At NZ MANUFACTURER our aim is to keep our readers up to date with the latest industry news and manufacturing advances in a tasty paper morsel, ensuring they do not get left behind in the highly competitive and rapidly evolving manufacturing world.
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SUPPLY CHAIN
The greatest thing in this world is not so much where we stand as in what direction we are moving. ―- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, writer/statesman
Supply Chain Excellence: Series 3 – Sales and Operations Planning Do the following represent a typical day in your work life?
department is on the same page. Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) is a powerful decision making tool for business executives as well as line managers. S&OP enables the company’s managers to view the business holistically and gives them “one set of numbers to work with” and a window into the future.
• Nothing goes right • Everything seems to be a mess • Materials are late • Customers are unhappy • Too much inventory • Too many shortages
The value to any company of balancing supply and demand has long been understood. When we add volume and mix to this equation, we get the four fundamentals needed for effective business balance. For those companies grappling with these 4 fundamentals, S&OP can provide excellent benefits. The role of S&OP process is to balance supply and demand at the volume level.
• Too many dumps • Crisis Management is the order of the day! If you answered YES to any of the above, then you need a robust Sales & Operations Planning. A number of businesses do a very good job of having business plan and also day to day production scheduling. But not many realise that, there is a missing link, which is Sales & Operations Planning. S&OP integrates all the different plans for a business and also ensures that every functional
S&OP process engages all business functions, finance, human resources, marketing, materials, operations, product management and sales. Ensure
- Vishnu Rayapeddi
people recognise that S&OP is an integral part of their responsibilities. Management should view the process as an avenue to effectively running the business and determining what levers should be pulled in order to better meet customer expectations.
and Route Food if in FMCG) and get input into the market intelligence, i.e., product promotions both head office and in-store), price points, and competitor activity. The market intelligence should be in terms of volumes;
S&OP runs in monthly cycles. Each month the person (usually an S&OP Manager or a Demand Manager or a Planning Manager) who facilitates the S&OP process has to go through the following ten steps:
5. The input from points 3 & 4 is to be added to the base line forecast derived from historical sales;
1. Import the last month’s actual sales in to the forecasting software; 2. Run the forecasts at the aggregate family level. Note that only the base line forecast needs to be derived at based on historical sales; 3. Liaise with the NPD and marketing staff to get input on any new product launches and expected lift offs on volumes; 4. Liaise with Sales staff (Key Accounts
6. Once the forecasts are finalised, the aggregate family / category level volumes to be forwarded to Operations, Warehousing & Distribution and Finance to work out capacity and resources plan, inventory & transportation plans, and projected sales & profit volumes respectively; 7. Pre-S&OP Meeting – A meeting is called for with all the respective functional leaders to discuss the plans and constraints if any and solutions;
Supply chain transparency not going away Consumers want to know where the products they buy come from. Companies will have to disclose more supply chain information than ever before as consumer pressure and regulations increase. While the demand for transparency in the supply chain increases, most companies are unaware of labor practices, product material contents and/or potential risks past their direct suppliers. Supply chains, in reality, are ten times the number of direct suppliers and require sophisticated data management to be properly maintained.
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Among many pieces of potential supply chain data, regulations in particular require detailed supply chain information to be collected and maintained. The most prevalent regulations affecting the supply chain are Dodd-Frank 1502 (Conflict Minerals
Rule), Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS), Registration, evaluation, authorization and restriction of chemicals (REACH), Supply Chain Transparency Act (SB657), United Kingdom Modern Slavery Act and CA Prop 65. Supply chain regulations do not appear to be decreasing either. Right now, talks about managing and regulating “conflict minerals” in the European Union (EU) as well as monitoring trafficking and slavery in the United States are underway. With so many regulations and supply chain data to manage, companies experience a number of challenges including international supply chains, multiple languages, many suppliers that exist in multiple tiers of their supply chain and a constantly changing profile of products and suppliers.
MARKETING
How to leverage your 8 hidden assets in your marketing channels By David Frank, Spectra-Media Presenting your ‘uncovered gold’ in the right way can advance your business through ads, brochures, white papers, proposals, websites, blog, videos, and social media. In my previous article Find your 8 hidden marketing assets to attract your ideal target audience, I talked about digging for the ‘gold’ right under your nose to tap into the full potential of your engineering, technology, or manufacturing business. This included finding ‘hot buttons’, key benefits, selling points, uniqueness, outside-the-square factors, expertise and knowledge, free offer, case studies and testimonials, credentials, sponsorship or support, and other connecting points. Now we need to put these to use in your marketing channels to build the bridge to your target audience.
Make your ‘billboard’ count Your main headline is critical to grab attention, after creating a good first impression with your images and design. It should touch your target audience hot buttons with ‘empathy’, showing you understand their problem or need, and ‘resonance’ – striking a chord. You also need to convey your most valuable benefits, key selling points, and ‘outside-the-square’ factors. Focus on potential clients who are most likely to buy, and ignore the rest.
If you try to appeal to everyone, you’ll appeal to no-one.
A friendly tone to build rapport
Priorities… first things first
Be personal and use ‘you’ and ‘your’ to build connection, using a natural conversational tone. People generally warm to that more than cold formal language, but it depends on your target audience. A formal professional tone may be required, but still friendly.
We need to get important information across clearly on the front pages and leave details for the deeper pages. Don’t clutter or ‘dilute’ the front pages with unimportant distractions – ‘less is more’. Sub-headings and bullet lists are great to highlight things as they make the content ‘scannable’ to catch impatient readers. This includes touching hot buttons and conveying selling points – continuing on from the main headline – plus presenting key technical features & benefits.
The call to action By utilising all the above marketing assets in the right places, we can use ‘indirect persuasion’ to draw people without pushy trumpet blowing or hype that puts them off.
Build trust – a ‘biggy’ these days
Once you’ve acknowledged their needs, shown what you’ve got for them, and built trust, it’s time to ask for a response – requesting more information, discussing their needs, purchasing a product, or most enticingly… taking up your free offer.
In your ‘About Us’ story, note your credentials, mention any sponsorships or charity support. and use all the ‘connecting points’ that might help your target audience ‘click’ with you.
Don’t bury important points in large blocks of text where they’ll be missed.
Show a few testimonials and case studies to demonstrate your performance.
To the point – but touching all the bases
Fitting with their thought sequence
Body text needs to be concise (saying as much as possible in fewer words as possible) but not necessarily short. Complex technical products and services need plenty of information to satisfy analytical clients and build confidence.
As they say, ‘people want to be communicated with, not sold to’. Shoving a brand or product in a person’s face like a pushy salesman is not the way to win friends and influence people. Businesses do this perhaps out of fear that they won’t be noticed or recognised.
‘The more you tell, the more you sell’ still applies, but not boring repetition or waffle.
their needs and answering their questions at the right points, and build trust before expecting a response.
When you’re asking them to take a big plunge to sign up for something risky or unknown, give them reassurance at that point by a guarantee or testimonial. For specifics on making websites effective, see 7 points to get your website delivering better business results For specifics on making websites effective, see the next article: 7 points... For help with your marketing communications, contact David on 0800 385 1800 or david@spectra-media.net.nz or see www.spectra-technical-media.co.nz”
Sales conversion is a process. We need to engage readers by acknowledging
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TOOLS FOR MANUFACTURERS
Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth.
- John F. Kennedy, 35th president of the United States of America
Tools and parameters still play a key role in machining success Although the parts, workpiece materials and machining processes they work with differ widely, all manufacturers share the goal of machining a certain number workpieces of a desired quality, in a specified amount of time, at an appropriate cost.
material such as steel or aluminium, or carry out a specific operation such as roughing or finishing. A more beneficial approach to tool selection begins with consideration of how the machining operation fits into a manufacturer’s business overall.
Manufacturers typically achieve their goals by following a narrow-perspective model that begins with tool selection and application and solves problems on a reactive basis. Reversing that approach will produce cost reductions and increased efficiency. Instead of waiting for problems to arise and then making adjustments to individual machining operations, manufacturers should focus first on proactive preplanning aimed at eliminating rejected parts and downtime.
The first priority of such an approach is to ensure process reliability and eliminate the occurrence of rejected parts and unplanned downtime. Reliability, generically described, is a question of respecting rules. If a shop does not recognise and respect the effects of cutting, thermal, and chemical forces on the tool, reliability will be replaced with tool failure. After establishing a stable process, tooling characteristics and cutting conditions should be chosen to match the overall goals of the metal working business. For example, maximising output at minimal costs may be the primary consideration in mass production of simple parts. But on the other hand, in high-mix, low-volume manufacturing of valuable complex parts, total reliability and accuracy must be emphasised before addressing manufacturing costs. Flexibility is
After establishing a stable and reliable process, the concepts of production economics may be applied to achieve a balance between production rate and manufacturing costs. Then, through careful selection of cutting tools and machining parameters, manufacturers can fully optimise their operations and fulfill their production goals.
the tooling must be selected based on a low cost per cutting edge, and the choice of cutting conditions must be in balance with that selection. Machining parameters should emphasise long tool life as well as process reliability. If, conversely, workpiece quality is the top priority, high performance precision tooling applied at appropriate cutting conditions will be the correct approach. Whatever the target, each different set of goals leads to the selection of different cutting conditions and tools.
Selecting and adjusting cutting conditions In the initial planning of machining a new part, selection of tooling and cutting conditions should begin with consideration of the machining method, tool geometry and tool material. The part being machined will largely determine those requirements. For instance, a nickel-base aerospace component may dictate profile milling with a positive-geometry solid-carbide end mill. The choice is guided by the shop’s basic goals in terms of production rate, cost and quality of the workpieces, and it is dependent on the depth of cut, feed rate and cutting speed that may be applied to achieve those goals. A different selection process is appropriate for modifying existing part making operations to produce better results in terms of productivity, economy or reliability. In these cases, a step-by-step approach is recommended, beginning with changes in cutting conditions, then geometries, cutting materials, tool concepts and finally machining methods. Notably, most shops work in the opposite sequence and first consider changing tools or machining methods when attempting to improve machining results. A much easier and usually effective initial approach begins with altering cutting parameters. Cutting conditions
a requirement of tooling systems applied in such small-batch scenarios (see sidebar).
Selection of tools and cutting conditions
Metal cutting tool selection usually is application oriented: a shop looks for a tool to machine a certain workpiece
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If cost efficiency is a primary target,
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have a wide range of influence, and changing cutting speed or feed rate by a nominal amount may solve a problem or boost productivity without the expense or time consumed in changing tools. If modifying cutting parameters fails to produce the desired effect, changes can be made in the cutting tool’s geometry. However, this step is more complicated than simply changing parameters, will require application of new tools, and will increase tool and machine time costs. A switch in cutting tool materials is another alternative, but also will involve greater investment in time and money. Changing the cutting tools or holders themselves may be necessary, but this raises the possibility of moving into custom-made tools, all of which can further increase manufacturing costs. If all these steps do not provide the desired result, then a change in the machining method may be necessary. The key is to explore the changes in a deliberate, step-by-step fashion that will make clear what factors actually do produce the desired outcome. Because it appears to be a fast and easy approach, many shops use CAM systems to guide their tool selections. That method is effective in many cases, but may not provide optimum results. A CAM system does not take into account the full range of individual operational characteristics. Applying a milling cutter, for example, is not simply a case of plugging in speed, feed rate, and DOC. Optimal application involves factors ranging from the number of teeth in the cutter, to how well chips are evacuated and the strength of the tool, to the stability of the milling machine. It is necessary to recognise all of those factors to fully attain the goals of a manufacturing operation, be they metal removal rate, tool life, surface roughness or economy.
Mistakes are the growing pains of wisdom. ― - William George Jordan, writer/editor
Speed, feed and depth of cut Many shop managers believe that simply increasing cutting speeds will produce more parts per period of time and thereby reduce manufacturing costs. However, there are more elements of manufacturing costs than output volume alone. An example is an operation where changing a tool in mid-operation would have detrimental effect on part quality and machining time. Increasing cutting speed would result in more rapid production, but tool life would decline. Machining costs would rise due to more frequent tool replacements and greater machine downtime during the changes. Raising cutting speed shortens tool life and may make an operation less stable, while changing depth of cut or feed rate has minimal effect on tool life. Accordingly, the best results come from a balanced approach that involves reduced cutting speeds matched with proportional increases in feed rate and depth of cut. Utilising the largest depth of cut possible decreases the number of cutting passes required and thereby reduces machining time. Feed rate should be maximised as well, although workpiece quality and surface finish can be affected by feed rates that are excessive. In a generalised example, raising the cutting speed from 180 m/min to 200 m/min will increase metal removal rate by only about 10 percent, but will have a negative effect on tool life. Increasing feed rate from 0.2 mm/rev to 0.3 mm/ rev will increase metal removal rate by 50 percent, with minimal, if any, effect on tool life. In most cases, increases in feed rate and depth of cut at the same or lower cutting speeds will raise the metal removal rate of an operation to that achieved by higher cutting speeds alone. Among the benefits of working with a combination of lower cutting speeds with greater feed rates and smaller depth of cut is reduced consumption of energy. The final step in optimisation of cutting conditions is selecting an appropriate criterion in terms of minimum cost or maximum productivity and using cutting speed to fine-tune achievement of that criterion. A model developed at the beginning of the 20th century by American mechanical engineer F.W. Taylor can guide that choice. The model demonstrates that for a given combination of depth of cut and feed, there is a certain window for cutting speeds where tool
TOOLS FOR MANUFACTURERS
deterioration is safe, predictable and controllable. When working in that window, it is possible to qualify and quantify the relation between cutting speed, tool wear and tool life. The target is a higher cutting speed that reduces machine time costs but does not excessively raise cutting tool costs via accelerated tool wear.
Tool substrate and geometry Additional steps in optimising tool application can include fine-tuning of the characteristics of the tool substrate and geometry. Just as adjusting cutting conditions involves dealing with trade-offs dependent on the results desired, maximising productivity through changes in the tool substrate requires a balance of trade-offs among the substrate properties. Because a tool’s cutting edge must be harder than the material it cuts, hardness is a key tool characteristic. High hardness, especially at elevated temperatures generated in high speed machining, will prolong tool life. A harder tool, however, is also more brittle. Uneven cutting forces encountered in roughing, especially in interrupted cuts involving scale or varying depths of cut, can cause a hard cutting tool to fracture. Instability in the machine tool, fixturing, or workpiece can also precipitate failure. Conversely, boosting a tool’s toughness by including a higher percentage of cobalt binder, for example, will enable a tool to resist impact. But at the same time, reduced hardness makes a tool subject to rapid wear and/or deformation in higher-speed operations or when machining abrasive workpieces. The key is to balance tool properties in light of the workpiece material being machined.
Choosing tool geometries also involves trade-offs. A positive cutting geometry and a sharp cutting edge reduce cutting forces and maximise chip flow. However, a sharp edge is not as strong as a rounded one. Geometric features such as T-lands and chamfers can be manipulated to strengthen the cutting edge. A T-land – a reinforcing area behind the cutting edge – set at a positive angle can provide sufficient strength to handle specific operations and workpiece materials and minimise cutting forces as much as possible. A chamfer squares off the weakest part of a sharp cutting edge, at the price of increased cutting forces. “Hard” chip control geometries guide the chips through a relatively
cutting conditions and tools that provide performance that will make achieving those goals possible.
acute angle to curl and break them immediately. These geometries can be effective with long-chipping materials but place extra load on the cutting edge. “Soft” chip control geometries put less load on the cutting edge, but generate longer chips. Different geometric features – as well as tool edge treatments such as hones – can be combined to optimise cutting performance in specific workpiece materials.
Tool versatility for modern production scenarios
Operating costs Models for machining costs can also represent microand macro-perspectives. Micro-models consider cutting processes from a narrow viewpoint, linking cutting conditions directly to cutting costs. Macro-economic models work from a broader perspective, emphasising the overall time required to produce a given workpiece.
Manufacturing is moving from high-volume mass production to high-mix, lower volume machining scenarios as a result of increased utilisation of just-in-time production strategies and the growth of outsourcing. Subcontractors increasingly produce smaller batch sizes on an intermittent but repetitive basis.
Manufacturers’ measure production rate in various ways, from workpieces completed over a period of time to the total length of time required to finish an operation. Many factors affect production rate, including workpiece geometry requirements and material characteristics, product flow throughout a facility, personnel input, maintenance, peripheral equipment and environmental, recycling, and safety issues (see sidebar).
Balancing productivity and tool cost considerations requires tooling that offers versatility and flexibility over a broad application window. Minimising the number of different tools in the workshop reduces tool-handling time and increases the time available for machining operations.
Some elements of manufacturing costs are fixed. Workpiece complexity and material generally dictate the type and number of machining operations required to make a part. The costs of acquiring and maintaining a facility’s machine tools and the power to run them are basically fixed costs.
The traditional way to increase productivity in an individual operation involving long runs of identical parts is to apply tooling specially designed for that specific. Designing and implementing special tooling is worthwhile when the expense can be amortised over a long production run.
Labour costs are somewhat more flexible, but are effectively fixed for at least the short term. These costs must be offset with revenue from the sale of machined components. Raising production rate – the speed at which workpieces are converted into finished products – can offset fixed costs.
However, balancing productivity and tool cost considerations in variable, smaller-batch situations is better accomplished with versatile “universal” tooling that offers flexibility over a broad window of application. These tools reduce downtime by minimising the time needed to switch in a new tool when the workpiece changes. They also eliminate the need to set up and test run new tools.
Conclusion It must be noted that while shop floor personnel and perhaps production engineers are quite concerned with cutting conditions and the productivity they represent, higher level managers are not as concerned with those numbers as they are with the business objectives of the manufacturing operations as a whole.
An example of such tooling is the Seco Turbo milling cutter range. These tools offer versatility in a broad range of applications to provide a combination of cost effectiveness and high performance. The cutters’ positive cutting geometry reduces power consumption, leading to longer tool life and the possibility for increased depths of cut and feeds.
Those who make the choices of cutting conditions and cutting tools should think first about the broader targets of their company’s machining operations and use them to steer selection of
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THE SAFER FARMS PROGRAMME WHY A FARM SAFETY PROGRAMME? Farming kills more people than any other sector in New Zealand – 41 people have died working on farms in the last two years. That’s four times the number of fatalities in either forestry or construction. There are also thousands of serious injuries that lead to a loss of productivity and income for farmers. Farmers, their families and farming communities are directly affected, and bear the emotional and financial cost of deaths and injuries on the farm. This is why WorkSafe New Zealand is partnering with farmers and their families, sector organisations, and the rural community as a whole on Safer Farms, a comprehensive farm safety information and education campaign. WHAT IS SAFER FARMS? Safer Farms is a new way of working. It is a multi-year programme jointly funded by ACC. It aims to increase farmer awareness and understanding of their risks, support farmers to manage their safety, and build local and sector farm safety leadership. It will achieve this by: > Providing an easy-to-use toolkit and a comprehensive online resource - www.saferfarms.org.nz – so that farmers have clear health and safety advice and information. > A widespread media campaign in newspapers, magazines, on radio and online helping farmers identify and manage risks. > A seasonal information and education campaign highlighting the risks and how to manage them when they arise through the year (e.g. calving, shearing, picking). > Working with rural retailers to help them incorporate safety messages when dealings with farmers. > Training programmes to be delivered alongside rural stakeholder groups. > Education and information for rural kids delivered through school programmes and Dairy NZ’s Rosie’s World website. Safer Farms was not developed in isolation. It was built with extensive input from farmers, their
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communities and the sector to ensure the focus was on helping farmers to take ownership of their health and safety. WHERE CAN I GET MORE INFORMATION? Visit www.saferfarms.org.nz or call 0800 030 040.
KEEP SAFE, KEEP FARMING
SAFERFARMS.ORG.NZ
The only way you are going to have success is to have lots of failures first.” — Sergey Brin, co-founder, Google
FOOD MANUFACTURING
Thirsty cows pump their own water Cows grazing on remote New Zealand farms can now pump their own drinking water and be fully fenced off from precious waterways thanks to a Kiwi company’s newest product. Shoof International, a veterinary equipment company which specialises in farm innovations, have just launched their new Grazing Pump. It allows cattle to drink from a trough and pump water at the same time without the need for power or water reticulation systems to be installed. The Grazing Pump would prevent controversial situations where cattle stray into lakes and waterways, as occurred when cattle belonging to Chief Justice Dame Sian Elias and her husband, Hugh Fletcher, were photographed wading in a North Canterbury lake. Shoof International’s group sales manager, John Stubbs, says when cattle drink from the portable trough, they push a lever arm with their nose
which draws more water from the source supply. “Water can be drawn 70m across or 7m upwards from any water source such as streams, ponds, bores, dams, wetlands or troughs,” Stubbs says. “Animals learn very quickly how to operate the pump, as there is always a small amount of water lying in the bottom of the bowl which they try to drink, activating the pump in the process. “There’s even a model that allows a calf to drink at the same time as its mother pumps the water. It’s the perfect solution for remote farming areas.” The pumps supplies enough water for up to 50 dry stock, giving farmers the ability to fence off waterways completely, knowing their stock will always have enough water to drink. “The stock will remain hydrated and healthy, and New Zealand’s
environment will be protected as there’s no longer any need for cows to walk in, and pollute, our waterways.” Shoof International has been in business since the 1970s and has invented or introduced over a dozen game-changing systems that are now common place on New Zealand farms. Their developments include the first group-feeding of calves, first dry washing of udders, the first dairy effluent ponds, the first teat spraying system and the first pasture budgeting system. Their most famous product is the ‘shoof’ – a shoe for the hoof of lame dairy cows.
solutions to common problems for New Zealand farmers,” Stubbs says. “Preventing waterway pollution is an issue facing farmers. When we saw this Grazing Pump in action we knew we had to bring it here – it’s exactly what’s needed on remote farm stations and is a simple, cost-effective answer.”
“We have a track record of finding
Solar innovation a relief for drought-stricken farmers A solar water pump system is helping get much needed water to stock on remote hill country farms and has captured international interest from water-stressed countries. Central Hawke’s Bay electrical and pumping business Isaacs Pumping & Electrical has been developing the technology over the last two years with support from Callaghan Innovation. Isaacs Electrical directors Gavin Streeter and Shane Heaton were continually being asked by farmers what options were available to reliably get water to stock without electricity, especially in remote hill country properties. “Solar was the ideal alternative but we needed to ensure we had a motor and pump that farmers could rely on to keep stock troughs full. “We didn’t need to look too far and we selected a pump with a proven track record and has been servicing farms for over 50 years,” Mr Streeter said. The Callaghan Innovation funding helped developed the controller or the “brain”, which is a circuit board that optimises the use of solar power and monitors water pressure, run times and faults logs. “The system is fully automatic, it operates like a standard pumping system and we have just design some clever features to maximise the pumping time and protect the motor,” he said. The development of the epump has
been a mix of international and Hawke’s Bay suppliers providing equipment and componentry. An Italian company developed the industrial continuous rated motor, Hawke’s Bay engineering firm McLaren Stainless designed and manufactured the outer protective shell and another local firm, some of the Intellectually Protected circuitry. The epump can pump up to 120 metres of head and up to 20 litres per minute in daylight hours and can withstand the harshest environments. It can fill stock troughs on hillsides up to 120 metres on hill country and unlike other options it can draw both clean and dirty water.
as international aid projects.
year. With summer expected to be very dry we can access stock water way out on the farm, whereas before we were relying on systems which were proving unreliable. We would get very dry and we couldn’t carry as much stock.”
“We have ramped up production due to farmers preparing for El Nino drought conditions while we have interest from a South African company that supports community aid projects.
“The epump automatically pumps water without the need for us to travel out to the remotest part of the farm. We don’t need to worry about water all the time. It has enabled us to lift our stocking rates and be more productive.”
“We see significant export potential for the epump but presently we have been inundated with farmer interest, which we’re now fulfilling. Hawke’s Bay farmer Richard Scott is on a property which was one of the first to buy the epump, which he says is a “game changer” for the rural sector.
“We’ve also reduced our carbon footprint by using an environmentally friendly solar system.”
“I can now get water at all times of the
“We’re using the sun’s energy to drive the pump. We can deliver water to parts of the farm where it’s never been seen before.” Although the epump was primarily developed for farms, Mr Streeter says other uses include hunting and tramping huts. There is also interest from the Pacific Islands as they look to access reliable water sources as well
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THE FUTURE OF MANUFACTURING The Internet of Mining Things delivers the next wave of The Internet of Things (IoT) is increasing the connectedness of people and things on a scale that once was unimaginable. The magnitude of this evolution is momentous with more than 80 billion Internet-connected devices projected to be in use in 2024, up from less than 20 billion in 2014.
processes to automate their key functions to gain efficiencies in production, however these initiatives are often focused and restricted within production silos. “We see a significant number of mines that have data locked away in individual systems but now want to federate that data together, instigate new processes, involving their people in new ways to achieve better outcomes. Mining generates big data because the number of sensors are growing rapidly and systems involved are becoming more intelligent, so the challenge ahead is to federate that data to gain insight and optimise operations,” said Boland.
When we then couple the data produced, and processes involved, in the interaction of things-to-things and things with people what results is a powerful model upon which to drive the digitisation and transformation of companies, industries and whole nations. The ability to use standard Internet technologies, such as unmodified Ethernet, throughout, from the enterprise all the way down to individual field devices enables new levels in connectivity for people, processes, data and things, ultimately providing greater productivity, better utilisation of assets, and improved decision-making to industrial companies.
Productivity and safety are two key drivers of the mining industry. Removing people from the mine site and into remote operating centres helps companies achieve both these objectives. By leveraging IoT technologies, the interaction between people, process, data and things can be securely and reliably monitored, modified and maintained remotely.
According to Michael Boland, distinguished systems engineer at Cisco, “The IoT is connecting people in more relevant, valuable, and meaningful ways; delivering the right information to the right person or machine in real time. Data is being leveraged in more useful ways for better decision-making. It has applicability across all markets; private sector and governments.”
Turning big data into meaningful information “The next big boom in mining is going to be connecting a lot more ‘things’. There are going to be more wireless and mobile devices that will be able to be instrumented, sensed and controlled more effectively,” said Boland.
The mining industry has a lot to gain from the connectivity that the IoT delivers. Mining operations around the world are on an automation curve – they are applying technologies
This results in a lot of data being generated that needs to be analysed to generate useful information. Data needs to be intelligently captured, correlated and analysed to optimise
production systems. Not only does this data need to be captured and analysed, but it also needs to be available as useful information in real time so that the mine’s remote operating centre can modify processes, asset utilisation and maintenance to optimise production rates in relation to dynamic market demands. Through IoT, this next level of optimisation can be achieved for a single mine or a federation of mines, rail and ports. IoT enables the digitisation of the entire mining supply chain for optimisation. Centralised control The complete mining operation, from pit to port, involves many functions with many specialist devices and equipment. Centralising control allows mining operations to pool resources to optimise production and reduce costs.
Through IoT, this next level of optimisation can be achieved for a single mine or a federation of mines, rail and ports. “The other trend here is that we are arriving at a point where instead of doing everything ourselves, we are starting to contract out particular roles that require specialist expertise provided it makes commercial and economic sense, and the miner is in full control,” explained Boland.
“However, it is becoming apparent that mining systems that have been implemented to date have not been designed for this concept of integrated but outsourced services. We need to have these roles inside the integrated operations systems, yet others may actually perform them in a secure and controlled way. Through well designed IoT infrastructure, the ability for remote experts to analyse information and real time systems securely from a plant and interact with local staff can be achieved,” he said. The next wave of productivity The IoT is taking the world by storm and opening new and exciting possibilities to businesses, government and industries. The mining sector also has much to gain from the benefits that IoT can provide, particularly in light of the current market challenges. Through IoT, mining operations can save energy, downtime and costs associated with production and transportation of resources. Remote operations remove people from potentially hazardous situations, improving safety and productivity. The IoT provides the platform for the integration and optimisation of the entire mining supply chain. “On a national scale, for Australia, the benefits that the IoT can deliver are most important because as a country we are not going to win on efficiency gains based on cheaper labour to drive down costs. We are going to use our expertise and knowledge of mining and automation systems to continually improve the most efficient and cost effective mining capability in the
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New Zealand construction sector forecast to remain a major economic contributor over the medium term reasonably high levels over the coming years, driven by tight supply in the office, retail and industrial markets amid positive business investment sentiment under more sustainable economic growth.
Christchurch, and also the NZ$1 billion to be spent on the New Schools and Kura Programme to 2022. “Infrastructure construction will follow a relatively subdued trend over most of the forecast period as projects associated with the Christchurch rebuild are being completed and hence may phase down in the near term,” said Wong.
The hotel building sector may surprise to the upside due to the strong tourism sector, while the educational building sector will be supported by the government’s Greater Christchurch Education Renewal Programme with NZ$1.14 billion over a 10-year period allocated to rebuild schools in
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However, construction activity during the period will be underpinned mainly by key road projects under
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the Accelerated Auckland Transport Programme such as the Western Ring Route, East-West connection and Auckland-Manuaku Eastern Transport Initiative. The other major road project is Wellington Transmission Gully Road. There is also potential contribution from the Auckland City Rail Link project, which may be fast-tracked to start work two years earlier than envisaged, in 2018.
“Robots are still not as intelligent as we expect and this is particularly clear when it comes to human–robot interactions.”
And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” ―- Anaïs Nin, writer
productivity world,” said Boland. Leveraging a unique solution Together, Rockwell Automation and Cisco have developed a unique value proposition for mining customers to help bridge the gap between mining operations and business systems through network and security products, Converged Plantwide Ethernet (CPwE) reference architectures, training courses, services and solutions. “By developing reference architectures for mining we are reducing risk for our customers. We are developing full guides on how to facilitate convergence of information technology and operational technology so that our customers do not have to do all the heavy lifting and have all the expertise themselves, yet still inherit the capabilities for safe, compliant and sustainable operations and performance,” explained Boland. “We are unique in that we develop solutions that leverage our expertise in operational technology, through the Rockwell Automation offering, and then combine this with the deep networking, datacentre and security capabilities of Cisco,” he said. Connecting people, process, data and things above and below the ground A mine in Canada has established a new technology benchmark for future mines by applying IoT technologies throughout the site. A detailed evaluation process recognised that the Rockwell Automation and Cisco offering was capable of delivering the complete integrated solution. The
central operations centre utilises IoT technologies and combines systems monitoring and control with remote equipment control and tracking. The mine deployed the latest advances in controls and communications, including comprehensive Wi-Fi communications for surface and underground phone, data, asset and personnel tracking; and a Radio Frequency Identification-based wireless tracking system, used to create ‘ventilation-on-demand’ underground. Combining operational technology with networking and security capabilities provided the inherent
flexibility for the mine to adapt to changing requirements in real time for enhanced optimisation and efficiency.
for monitoring and maintenance, scheduling preventative maintenance procedures and monitoring power usage.
According to Geoff Irvine, mining industry manager at Rockwell Automation, “Using standard Ethernet components really adds significant value in being able to combine control, safety, voice over IP, video, people tracking and also applications such as ventilation on demand.”
“Together with Cisco we help customers leverage technology to better gather and analyse data, and transform it into actionable, real time insightful information. By converging information technology (IT) with operational technology (OT) into a single unified architecture, mines can benefit from establishing a ‘Connected Enterprise’ and leveraging the power of this information to optimise operations and take their productivity to the next level,” explained Irvine.
IoT technologies provide the capability to integrate and analyse data from various processes such as remote sensing of objects and the environment, images from cameras deployed
Who’s the master? A robot’s role in a shared task could be continuously adjusted during the activity, thanks to a new adaptive robot control system that can sense whether a human operator wants to lead or follow. The innovation takes human– robot interactions to a new level of sophistication and opens a range of applications for robots that were previously too difficult to achieve. Humans are assisted by robots in everything from automotive manufacturing through to delicate surgical procedures and even search and rescue operations, but there remains much room for improvement and expansion of their roles. “Robots are still not as intelligent as we expect
and this is particularly clear when it comes to human–robot interactions,” says Li Yanan from the A*STAR Institute for Infocomm Research (I2R). Though extremely useful for performing repetitive or high-precision tasks and for bearing heavy loads, in many applications robots can only be engaged when guided by a human operator to the start location or object. Once engaged, the robot often takes autonomous control of the task. However, as the role of a robot for any task is usually preset and difficult to change during operations, robots are difficult to manage in tasks where its function might switch frequently, such as in high-mix, low-volume applications
like welding, polishing and painting. To extend the utility of robots to improve such nuanced human–robot collaborations, Li and colleagues from the I2R set out to develop a control code that sensed the intent of the human operator, based on the force they exerted on the robot, and adjusted the role of the robot automatically. “In the code, to estimate the human operator’s motion intention so that the robot control strategy could be changed, we used game theory, which provides useful tools for analyzing the interactive behavior of players involved in a game,” says Li. “The main technical hurdle, however, was the next step —
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namely the design and development of an intuitive human-robot interface for experimental validation.” The mathematically derived control algorithm determines the intention of the human operator based on the human–robot interaction force, and changes the proportion of control sharing between the human and the robot accordingly. In the team’s experiments (see image), the role adaptation control scheme gave better performance results than fixed roles schemes in a range of tasks. “Next, we plan to evaluate this control scheme in a real-world application,” says Li.
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MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY
Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go. - T.S. Eliot, author
3D surgery and remote viewing for hospital Remote monitoring of activities in all the hospital’s operating theatres allows senior clinicians to give guidance or diagnostic observations to medical staff, and for resource managers to allocate patients to the most appropriate theatre to maximise efficient use of staff and equipment. through a hospital’s network. The system has the ability to route video feeds to multiple locations such as a lecture room or doctor’s office.
As part of a major upgrade to the surgical imaging suite at St John of God Ballarat Hospital, management and clinical staff looked for a state-of-the-art system that would support the most efficient use of medical staff and equipment resources associated with all the hospital’s operating theatres.
According to Tregilles, extensive consultations took place reviewing the various options available to the hospital. “During the planning process for the renovation we sat down with the project staff at Olympus to decide what we really needed,” he said.
After an extensive search for a new surgical management system— mainly associated with its laproscopic imaging work—the hospital selected ENDOALPHA through Olympus Australia. Troy Tregilles, Peri-Operative Services Manager at St John of God Ballarat Hospital, said “The Olympus solution stood well and truly above all other systems considered.”
“While the project timeframes were tight,” said Wilson Arango, National Projects Consultant - Systems Integration with Olympus’ Medical Instruments Division, “we were still able to supply and install the medical equipment control system, video management software and monitor pendants for four operating rooms.” In addition, Olympus also provided a documentation solution for the endoscopy suite.
ENDOALPHA facilitates image and video management within the OR and procedure room as well as making it available anywhere and at any time
St John of God Ballarat Hospital (SJGBH) is one of the largest not-for-profit regional hospitals in Australia. Opened in 1915 the hospital has 196 beds and provides an extensive range of health care providing city services to residents living in Ballarat and Western Victoria. The hospital is part of St John of God Health Care which is a leading health care provider, with private hospitals along with home nursing, pathology and social outreach services. ENDOALPHA features centralised control of all medical and peripheral equipment via a touch screen panel designed to maximise operating room efficiency. The panel provides intuitive control of devices such as electrosurgical generators, insufflator, camera systems, surgical lights and operating table, in addition to music and ambient lighting in the operating theatre and pre-op rooms.
“Reducing the amount of equipment where a surgeon is working is vital to minimising infection risks,” said Arango. “The capability to create doctor specific configurations that allow the set up of multiple pieces equipment with a single touch of a button enables equipment control from outside the sterile field.” Automation has been enhanced with the development of ‘scene selection’ which allows settings for pre-, intra-, and post-operative procedure steps to be set up and instigated at the touch of a single button in either the sterile and non-sterile areas of the theatre. This helps to standardise procedures, enhance quality standards, decrease turn-around time and improve workflow. Once a surgeon has been trained, the opportunities for continuing professional development are diminished. “We are able to sell the idea that a junior surgeon can show a senior colleague what is occurring during an operation and seek guidance.” The senior surgeon could be on hand to advise several junior doctors performing a number of procedures.” It is important for the hospital to make the most efficient use of all its resources,” Tregilles stated. “The streamlining that has taken place has drastically cut down the amount of downtime.” The St John of God Ballarat Hospital project is still in its implementation phase but the Olympus solution has already reduced the number of extra instruments in the sterile surgical field by two thirds. “The equipment is an all-in-one unit whereas we usually need three separate pieces all with their own cabling,” said Tregilles. “This has the beneficial ‘knock on’ effect of reducing the preparation and sterilisation time for an operation.” Tregilles is wary to use the term “fully integrated” for the operating suite management system he now has. “During the 1990s, every supplier was claiming that they could integrate all systems which seemed to only mean they could put in the infrastructure required for every system they supplied no matter what the customer bought.”
St John of God Ballarat Hospital surgeon David Deutscher (L), with Daniel Hinch from Olympus, demonstrating the 3D view of a procedure in the new operating suite at the hospital.
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SJGBH receives many patients from outside its official catchment area. “We regularly have people come in from virtually any part of western
If you don’t build your dream, someone else will hire you to help them build theirs.” — Dhirubhai Ambani, founder, Reliance Industries
MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY
A recent Olympus ENDOALPHA 3D operating room installation similar to that at St John of God Ballarat Hospital.
Victoria and even over the border into South Australia. In addition to its own private patients, the hospital works closely in conjunction with Ballarat’s public hospital and regularly accepts overflow patients for the general wards as well as emergency cases that might require the particular expertise of a surgeon working in one of SJGBH’s theatres. The operating suites at the hospital have also been refitted with LED lights to reduce running costs and stronger, articulated monitor arms for mounting larger screens. “There are new high-definition display screens being developed which we will be able to accommodate when they become available,” said Tregilles. SJGBH has also reduced the number of types of cabling from eight to two. “We found we no longer needed to have almost obsolete types such as VGA and sVideo,” Tregilles added. SJGBH wanted to “future proof” its systems as much as possible. The basic infrastructure should be suitable for the next seven to ten years but also allows for potential upgrades and expansion with minimal interruption to the work of the medical staff at the hospital. “The ORs have been enabled with the latest technology in medical control, which will last for long time to come and one theatre also has our latest 3D
Imaging platform bringing 3D surgical visualisation to the hospital for the first time,” Arango stated. “They have also been equipped with 4K connectivity should SJGBH decide to upgrade their platform to Olympus 4K imaging.” “Plans are in place to increase the size of the hospital in the coming years,” Tregilles said. “We want a system in place where we know that all our staff are trained on the new equipment and comfortable working with their particular part of the surgical management system. We were confident that Olympus would provide the ongoing assistance required to meet our needs.” Employing more than 10,500 staff, St John of God Health Care is Australia’s largest not-for-profit private health care group. In addition, it is the third largest private hospital system in the country and operates the fourth largest pathology service. The group returns all funds to the communities it serves by updating and expanding facilities and technology as well as expanding, developing and acquiring new services. With more than 120 years of experience in health care, the St John of God Health Care group has earned an excellent reputation for providing quality health services to metropolitan and regional communities across Australia and New Zealand.
Control column for an Olympus ENDOALPHA 3D operating suite.
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ANALYSIS
I do not know the word ‘quit.’ Either I never did, or I have abolished it.
— Susan Butcher, sled dog racer
Insights from Germany Dieter Adam, Chief Executive New Zealand Manufacturers and Exporters Association (NZMEA) represents around 2600 manufacturers, as well as a senior representative of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Stuttgart Region.
Germany is one of the shining lights of modern manufacturing, sustaining an economy that makes manufacturing work and thrive under increasing global pressures. Germany just recorded its biggest ever export surplus in the year ending December 2014, most of it coming from the export of manufactured goods. At USD285bn, the trade surplus is almost twice a big as that of China in number two position at USD150bn.
We discussed the idea of developing connections between our organisations with the aim of connecting New Zealand manufacturers with their members, to share ideas, and learn from each other.
Over the Christmas break I spent some time in the south of Germany, visiting friends and family, but also took the opportunity to meet with some German manufacturing associations and a manufacturer to see what I could learn. I also wanted to explore what opportunities there were to connect New Zealand manufacturers with their counterparts in Germany. As many of you will be aware, Germany’s large manufacturing sector is concentrated in the south (Baden-Wuerttemberg and Bavaria) and while many of Germany’s large, well-known companies like Bosch, Siemens and major car companies have their headquarters there, the sector is still characterised by thousands of (mostly family-owned) SMEs. Most of the latter operate in similar product and service areas to our members and pride themselves of similar virtues – being innovative, agile and responsive on the basis of high-quality product lines. I am convinced that creating connections between New Zealand manufacturers and similar manufacturers there could provide opportunities to learn from each other and might even create new business and access to supply chains.
We discussed the idea of developing connections between our organisations with the aim of connecting New Zealand manufacturers with their members, to share ideas, and learn from each other. They were very open to supporting such an exchange and offered to organise events where their members meet ours. The challenge is now on us to see what support there is within the NZMEA (and beyond) for such an
I met with the Chief Executive of the Bavarian Employers’ Associations for the Metalworking and Electrical Industries (Bayme-VBM), which
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approach. It was interesting to see how these organisations operate to provide value and benefits to their members to support their growth. Despite operating on a larger scale; due to the size of their sectors, we shared a lot of common ground in the work we do in terms of services and priorities. The one major difference is that in Germany organisations like Bayme-VBM also, and quite importantly, represent their members in wage negotiations with the trade unions; who still play a big role in these industries, some contrast to New Zealand depending on the sub-sector. This helps to explain why 88% of manufacturers in their field are members of the organisation. During my discussions with these organisations and local manufacturers, the similarities and differences between German and New Zealand manufacturers started to become a bit clearer – there is definitely room to learn from each others’ strong points. German SME manufacturers tend to have a larger focus on dominating a highly specific niche. One company I visited, for example, makes automatic loading and unloading systems for high-throughput lathes. Unlike most of our members, however, they are
strongly focused on the huge domestic market, followed by the EU, and beyond that North America, with much less interest in, or knowledge of, exporting into other parts of the world. There is perhaps something New Zealand manufacturers could teach them about getting out into wider markets, particularly Asia, and they could share expertise on European markets and becoming vital points within supply chains. Part of what allows them to take this domestically focused approach is the strength of the German manufacturing sector, which contributes close to 30% to the GDP of Baden Wuerttemberg and Bavaria. The figure for all of Germany is 23% of GDP; more than double that of New Zealand. This creates an eco-system of highly interconnected short supply chains and sustains a large and talented workforce. While manufacturing still provides much to the New Zealand economy, we do lag behind in reaching critical mass for having such an effective eco-system of manufacturers. However this is an area we can work to improve together – an explicit government appreciation and focus on this would no doubt help.
REAR VIEW
It’s very easy to be different but very difficult to be better. — Jonathan Ive, Chief Design Officer, Apple
Innovation - We Are Not Alone Nick Inskip Being in New Zealand, it is easy to sometimes think that we are alone in the world – cut off from the mainstream and doing things our own way. And to some extent that is true, we are geographically isolated, we don’t have a multitude of large corporations driving innovation and pulling our smaller companies along in their wake. We lack critical mass in almost every area, from depth of science capability to market access. An example of doing things our way is the Above Ground Geothermal and Allied Technologies (AGGAT) programme, which is an industry initiative that is underpinned by an industry development process that identifies market opportunities, companies that are interested in pursuing them and the research required to support developing a product that can compete in global markets. The process brings together a collaboration of researchers from academia, industry and end users with projects supported from a solid science base breaking down the barriers and reducing the risks inherent in the linear approach of science being thrown over
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the wall to engineers who develop applications for trial and eventual development of products to take to market. Instead, the approach involves a constant iterative feedback loop that speeds up the process and enhances innovation.
if that means increasing R&D in order to hold our place in the world, then we have to do it. While we might like to think we are unique in having done this, a recent article in ‘The Chemical Engineer’ that also claims to be unique tells us we are not alone in having come up with a workable collaborative bridge between science and industry.
Their project called UNIHEAT, which made the shortlists for the IChemE Global Awards 2015, involves a collaboration between universities in Russia and the UK, and industry. It is focused on the oil refining industry, is more significantly resourced and involves over 60 researchers. We are also not alone when it comes to wanting to increase the percentage of investment in R&D, which is a key driver of investment. In New Zealand’s case, the Government’s goal is to increase the R&D investment to 1% of GDP. Japan who had R&D expenditures of 3.45% of GDP in 2008 is aiming at 4% this year, and were recently described as standing still at this level of increase.
competitive global market, we are wholly exposed to what other nations do and if that means increasing R&D in order to hold our place in the world, then we have to do it.
Meanwhile China, who in 2005 accounted for just 5% of global R&D spend, now accounts for over 20% of global R&D spend at around 2% of GDP with a goal of 2.5% by 2020. That is a significant increase for an emerging economy. South Korea’s R&D expenditure grew from 3.74% of GDP in 2011 to 4.15% in 2013, closely approaching Israel at 4.31%.
Holding or even slightly increasing investment in R&D as Japan is doing is still only seen as at best standing still, anything less is going backwards, and in that we might truly be alone unless our industry and economy invests at the level required and learns to compete globally in the innovation race.
What all of this tells us is that we may be isolated geographically but in a
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World-Leading robots installed at Smithfield
Flawed and cringing NZ foreign policy closes Russia to vital exports their boycott of Russia and that of the equally silly and dangerous embargo on their warships here.” According to Mr Evans the conflicting policies in regard to the United States , the “craven” one on the export ban to Russia, and the “frivolously damaging” one of the warships ban here had the effect of “putting New Zealand and its exporters into a dim light” around the world. From the MSCNewsWire reporters’ desk
of New Zealand lamb processors supported with funding from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. As OAL’s research and commercialisation partner, New Zealand-based engineering company Milmeq was responsible for the design, manufacture and installation of the technologies. The robots automate the difficult and potentially dangerous part of livestock processing, resulting in improved product quality, hygiene and productivity. The installation of the robots at Smithfield is the first commercial application of the technology and follows several years of testing as part of OAL’s research and development programme. “Milmeq has a proud history of pioneering technology for the lamb processing industry, and this is another world-first development,” Milmeq Innovation Manager, Ross Clarke said. “We are excited to be installing this cutting-edge
“We see this as being the way of the future for lamb processing throughout New Zealand and globally. I would anticipate that, in time, the automated brisket cutter and evisceration robots will be recognised as setting the industry standard,” said Milmeq CEO, Mike Lightfoot.
technology at Smithfield.” “Seeing the robots successfully operating at Smithfield is a tremendous achievement for all concerned. It’s great to see a tangible success of the research conducted,” added OAL General Manager, Richard McColl. The Smithfield plant installation was completed as the first step of a larger project Alliance Group is undertaking at the plant.
Following the installation at Smithfield, Milmeq has received enquiries from a number of lamb and sheep meat processors requiring automated brisket cutting and evisceration robotic systems, each with their own unique and specific production characteristics.
Alliance Group General Manager Processing, Kerry Stevens said that the co-operative was installing the latest robotic technologies to improve plant efficiency as part of a wider strategy to lift returns for farmers.
“It is fantastic to see the development that has gone into these robots now coming to fruition at a commercial level. We are now seeing interest internationally as well,” added Mike.
“The earlier OAL trial showed a range of benefits of installing the new technology including improvements in productivity and a reduction in food safety risks,” Kerry said. “This type of operational efficiency is a core component of our ongoing investment to ensure our red meat production continues to be competitive on a global scale.”
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Milmeq is currently working with OAL on the development of several other next generation, robotic meat processing solutions, two of which are planned for commercialisation in 2016.
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HEADING
The shortest way to do many things is to do only one thing at once. -Samuel Smiles
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