AMT FEB/MAR 2017

Australian Manufacturing Technology

Your Industry. Your Magazine.

FEB MAR

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008

Contents

Volume 17 Number 01 February/March 2017 ISSN 1832-6080

FEATURES DEFENCE & AEROSPACE Avalon 2017 – Ready for take-off Thales in Australia – Positive outlook for defence SA sets sights on defence and aerospace

46 50 52

ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING Will 3D printing provide solutions for defence?

AM used for customised mountain bikes Liquid metal 3D printing A licence to print: risk posed by 3D printed guns

56 58 60 62

CUTTING TOOLS APT – Advancing through partnerships KM4X: Setup-time reduction war Data sparks the fourth industrial revolution

64 66 68

INDUSTRY 4.0 Industry 4.0 – An introduction Harnessing the possibilities of sensor intelligence Connect and optimise Embracing Industry 4.0 means embracing change

72 74 76 78

FORMING & FABRICATION M1 helps Elsum meet customers’ expectations

80

STATE SPOTLIGHT: TASMANIA Manufacturing in Tasmania – Full speed ahead Tasmanian manufacturers invest in future Productivity Improvers – Tassie tradies make good

85 86 88

MATERIAL REMOVAL Power package – Maximising productivity & accuracy Embracing CNC for unrivalled haulage innovation Achieving a mirror finish with CARB-I-TOOL

90 92 93

COMPRESSORS & AIR TECHNOLOGY

94

QUALITY & INSPECTION

67

REGULARS

46 Avalon 2017 – Ready for take-off Key players in the international aerospace and defence industries are getting into gear for Avalon 2017.

70 Albins delivering a competitive edge Albins Performance Transmissions survived the global financial crisis by building on its expertise and applying it in new areas such as defence.

82

From the Editor From the CEO From the Industry From the Union

10 12 16 18

INDUSTRY NEWS Current news from the industry

22

VOICEBOX Opinions from across the manufacturing industry

32

One on One - Jeremy Rockliff MP

PRODUCT NEWS Our selection of new and interesting products

38

COMPANY FOCUS Albins Performance Transmissions

Tasmania Deputy Premier Jeremy Rockliff discusses the current situation for manufacturing in Tasmania and the big trends affecting the sector.

70

ONE ON ONE Jeremy Rockliff MP

82

AMTIL FORUM Forum Business Management Forum Import Forum Law Forum OHS

98 99 100 101

MANUFACTURERS’ PAVILION

102

AMTIL INSIDE The latest news from AMTIL

106

MANUFACTURING HISTORY – A look back in time

114

AMT Feb/Mar 2017

85 State Spotlight: Tasmania Manufacturers contributed $1.7bn (7%) to the state gross product of Tasmania in 2014-15. The state’s capacity for innovation is reflected in the variety of products it generates.

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010

From the Editor William Poole

Will the real Industry 4.0 please stand up?

We’ve been hearing a lot about Industry 4.0 these days, but often it isn’t exactly clear what it actually means. Definitions for the term vary.

Deloitte, for example, equates Industry 4.0 with the Fourth Industrial Revolution, defining it as the fourth in a series of upheavals that began in 1784 with the first mechanical weaving loom:

“The term Industry 4.0 refers to a further developmental stage in the organisation and management of the entire value chain process in the manufacturing industry. Another term for this process is the ‘fourth Industrial Revolution’.”

And yet here, on the other hand, is McKinsey & Company’s take:

“This is the fourth major upheaval in modern manufacturing, following the Lean revolution of the 1970s, the outsourcing phenomenon of the 1990s, and the automation that took off in the 2000s.”

So which one is it: the 1780s or the 1970s? Steam or Lean? And are Industry 4.0 and the Fourth Industrial Revolution the same thing, or not? (Not, according to Wikipedia). One thing’s for sure: there’s a lot of confusion out there at the moment. And the situation is compounded when you read further and find yourself swimming in jargon such as “cyberphysical systems”, “enriching digital plant models” or “cryptographic methods”.

It’s perhaps understandable that some people are a little wary of the whole thing. As one Finnish gentleman who visited the AMTIL stand at JIMTOF, in Tokyo last November, put it:

“I think it’s just something they came up with in Germany to attract young people into manufacturing, rather than IT. If you put a point-O on something it just sounds techie and cool.”

Of course that was a joke, as he was quick to emphasise. But that joke does contain an interesting grain of truth. We’ve lived in a time where a lot of very bright young people have been drawn to the tech sector on the promise of making a fortune with the next killer app or social media craze. Yet it’s possible that that wave has run its course, that everything’s been done, and that actually the real excitement, the real frontline of innovation can now be found in the world of actually making things, in manufacturing.

And regardless of how you choose to define Industry 4.0, there’s no denying the fact it attempts to describe something that’s very real and significant. Many of the technologies underpinning the current wave of change – robotics & automation, digital networking, Big Data processing, sensors technology – have been with us for a while now, but their respective evolutions are converging now in a way that will cause major upheavals across manufacturing and throughout society in general.

So there’s definitely something going on. You could see it at JIMTOF, where Industry 4.0 was being discussed everywhere you turned, and it will no doubt be in evidence at Austech in May. And of course, you can see it in our special feature in this edition of AMT. I’m not sure how far we’ve gone in allaying the confusion surrounding Industry 4.0, but then, this is the future we’re talking about. It’s never clear.

Your Industry. Your Magazine.

Australian Manufacturing Technology

Editor William Poole wpoole@amtil.com.au Contributor Carole Goldsmith Sales Manager Anne Samuelsson asamuelsson@amtil.com.au Publications Co-ordinator Gabriele Richter grichter@amtil.com.au Publisher Shane Infanti sinfanti@amtil.com.au Designer Franco Schena fschena@amtil.com.au Prepress & Print Printgraphics Australia AMT Magazine is printed in Australia using FSC® mix of paper from responsible sources FSC® C007821 Contact Details AMT Magazine AMTIL Suite 1, 673 Boronia Rd Wantirna VIC 3152 AUSTRALIA T 03 9800 3666 F 03 9800 3436 E info@amtil.com.au W www.amtil.com.au Copyright © Australian Manufacturing Technology (AMT).

All rights reserved. AMT Magazine may not be copied or reproduced in whole or part thereof without written permission from the publisher.

Contained specifications and claims are those supplied by the manufacturer (contributor)

Disclaimer The opinions expressed within AMT Magazine from editorial staff, contributors or advertisers are not necessarily those of AMTIL. The publisher reserves the right to amend the listed editorial features published in the AMT Magazine Media Kit for content or production purposes.

AMT Magazine is dedicated to Australia’s machining, tooling and sheet-metal working industries and is published monthly.

Subscription to AMT Magazine (and other benefits) is available through AMTIL Associate Membership at $165 (inc GST) per annum.

Contact AMTIL on 03 9800 3666 for further information.

1333AMTFebMar2017

AMT Feb/Mar 2017

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014

From the CEO Shane Infanti – Chief Executive Officer AMTIL

Halt the ministerial merry-go-round and encourage investment This article has no point other than to highlight the ever-changing political landscape, the challenges that this presents to stability and long-term vision for our Federal Government, and the need for a revision of our capital investment strategies.

From 21 October 1998 until 14 December 2011, a period of just over 13 years, we had three Federal Industry Ministers – Nick Minchin, Ian Macfarlane and Kim Carr. Notwithstanding the fact that this was a time before the global financial crisis and the automotive closures, this era saw growth in our manufacturing outputs, and full-time employment in the industry was constant at around $1m employees.

On 24 June 2010, when Julia Gillard took over as Prime Minister from Kevin Rudd, Kim Carr was Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research. In December that year, Greg Combet replaced Carr in the revised Industry and Innovation portfolio. When Rudd came back into power, so did Carr, and the portfolio reverted back to Innovation, Industry, Science & Research.

With the change to the Liberals in September 2013, the incoming Prime Minister Tony Abbott appointed Macfarlane to another revised portfolio – Macfarlane was simply the Minister for Industry.

In December 2014 the portfolio changed again, this time to Minister for Industry & Science. Then when Malcolm Turnbull became Prime Minister on 15 September 2015, it changed yet again, to Minister for Industry, Innovation & Science, and Christopher Pyne was appointed to the role.

In cabinet reshuffles over the past six months we have seen Pyne replaced with Greg Hunt, who held the portfolio for 183 days, and now Arthur Sinodinos is our current Minister for Industry, Innovation & Science.

I’m not pointing out these changes to be inflammatory or dramatic.

But we have now had seven Ministers and six changes of portfolio in the past six-and-a-half years. At some point, our Federal politicians need to understand the impact that this will have on our ability to make good, sound, long-term decisions.

I cannot imagine what a change of name and a department restructure would cost, but I expect it would be significant. To do this five times in five years has to be questioned. These tax-payer dollars surely could be better spent addressing some of the issues that affect our industry.

One of these issues is the age of our technology in Australia. We are falling behind parity in our investment in new technology by comparison with other countries. If this continues, we will become less and less globally competitive in the area that we identify as our strength – niche, value-added, customised, highly engineered products.

We need to encourage investment. The Government can assist this, but I am not talking about merit-based grant applications

“We have now had seven Ministers and six changes of portfolio in the past six-anda-half years. At some point, our Federal politicians need to understand the impact that this will have on our ability to make good, sound, long-term decisions.” where one in five companies are successful. We need a structured, tax-based, long-term incentive program that will encourage investment in technology and innovation and lead to business growth and job creation.

Arthur Sinodinos, Minister for Industry, Innovation & Science.

Accelerated depreciation has proven to be an effective investment incentive strategy around the world. I think it is time we had a good look at this concept for supporting major purchases of capital equipment.

We currently have a $20,000 limit for which small businesses can claim an immediate deduction and these arrangements continue until the end of June 2017. While this is a sound benefit to small businesses, is does not help major capital purchases.

I propose a $200,000 depreciation limit for all businesses, to be put in place for the next five years as a minimum. We would need to have some structure around what can be claimed but the intent is that investment in manufacturing technology and equipment that improves the production process is what we are aiming to achieve.

Minister Sinodonis is now the man best placed to make significant change to our industry. I look forward to meeting with him soon and continuing to push for an Investment Program that will reinvigorate our manufacturing sector.

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AMT & AMTIL Digital Media Kit 2016 Call Anne Samuelsson at AMTIL on 03 9800 3666, mobile on 0400 115 525 or email asamuelsson@amtil.com.au

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016

From the industry Innes Willox – Chief Executive Australian Industry Group

Cautious optimism for 2017

Despite 2016 turning out to be a tougher year than they generally expected, Australia’s CEOs are looking to 2017 with cautious optimism.

This is the view reflected by Ai Group’s latest annual Business Outlook report, which is based on survey responses from the CEOs of 285 businesses from all Australian states and territories and all major non-primary private-sector industries. Our survey suggests CEOs are more likely to see themselves steering their businesses along expansionary paths than has been the case in recent years.

Australian manufacturing is very much a part of this positive outlook.

Certainly, manufacturing CEOs are more optimistic regarding business conditions for 2017 than they were at the same time a year ago, when they were more divided regarding expectations for 2016 business conditions.

This year, 36% of manufacturing CEOs expect general business conditions to improve, while 24% expect a deterioration (+13% net balance). This represents an important lift in confidence for manufacturers, with previous expectations having being quite pessimistic (net negative) for a number of years.

In light of the recent trends in Ai Group’s own Australian Performance of Manufacturing index (Australian PMI), a little optimism should perhaps not come as a surprise. The Australian PMI indicated stable or expanding activity in every month from July 2015 to July 2016, and then again following a brief slump in August and September 2016. This has been the longest positive run of results since 2008.

Subsectors such as food, beverages & tobacco, petroleum & chemical products and non-metallic mineral products were growing well during this period.

However, other sub-sectors such as machinery & equipment and textiles & clothing continued to struggle. This highlights some changing dynamics within manufacturing, with manufacturers of consumable products benefitting from the lower dollar and from growing demand from Asia (partly facilitated by free-trade agreements recently put in place).

Meanwhile, sub-sectors exposed to residential construction activity benefitted from stronger activity locally. Yet more traditional ‘heavy’ manufacturers (machinery, equipment and metals manufacturers) faced tougher conditions in 2016, especially those in or exposed to the automotive industry.

The lower Australian dollar was probably the single most significant swing factor in the broader industry’s small but extremely welcome comeback. Our Business Prospects survey also tells us that export revenue should continue to play a key role in manufacturers growth: an encouraging 33% of CEOs expect an increase in export income in 2017, while 11% expect a decrease (+22% net balance).

The key to this ongoing export growth for a large chunk of manufacturing will no doubt be the dollar’s future trajectory. But while the lower dollar and export revenue (or import replacement) opportunities have provided much needed growth, manufacturers seem to have revised down the exchange rates where they expect to remain competitive in 2017, compared with previous years.

For export markets, nearly all manufacturers expect to be competitive below US 70 cents, while 89% expect to be competitive at or below US 80 cents. However, above this point, most manufacturers expect to be uncompetitive in export revenue, with only 38% expecting to be competitive in the US 81-90 cent range and only 10% in the over US 91 cent range. Previous CEO surveys haven’t seen significantly more manufacturers expecting to remain competitive above the US 80 cent level.

AMT Feb/Mar 2017

“In terms of the challenges facing manufacturing, it is the lack of customer demand that remains the primary concern for business growth in 2017 – as it has for the past few years – with 33% of businesses considering it their main inhibitor.”

Manufacturers competing with imports generally require a lower exchange rate, with the majority of these manufacturers competitive up to US 80 cents (70%), but significantly fewer remain competitive past this point. The proportion of manufacturers competitive past this point in 2017 is also significantly lower than in previous years.

However, in terms of the challenges facing manufacturing in 2017, it is the lack of customer demand that remains the primary concern for business growth in 2017 – as it has for the past few years – with 33% of businesses considering it their main inhibitor.

Competition from imports and internet sellers has increased quite substantially as a concern, with 28% of manufacturers considering it their foremost impediment to growth. This increase, up from 11% in 2016 and 9% in 2015, reflects the development of online trade and the increasing ease with which businesses are able to source inputs from overseas.

The level of wages paid to Australian employees also remains a large hindrance in the manufacturing sector, particularly as the ability to operate globally increases and Australian wages remain uncompetitive against those in more cost-effective manufacturing locations.

From a strategic point of view, manufacturing businesses expect their growth in 2017 to come primarily from improving sales of current products and services, with 42% of businesses listing it as their primary strategy, up from 34% in 2016 and 30% in 2015.

By comparison, 25% of businesses rank the introduction of new products and services as their first priority, down from 39% in 2016 and 34% in 2015.

Together these two strategies account for two thirds of the primary focus of manufacturing businesses across 2017.

Overall, Australian CEOs are well short of exuberance, with expectations tempered by the failure of 2016 to live up to expectations and by the wide array of local and global challenges on the horizon.

But the more expansionary plans of business leaders looking to 2017, if realised, will greatly assist in building business and employment opportunities and lifting incomes across the community.

018

From The Union Paul Bastian – National Secretary Australian Manufacturing Workers Union

Apprenticeships and TAFE: building our skills for the future.

Apprenticeships are again the political flavour of the month, as they tend to be every once in a while. It seems it’s easier to talk about these things than actually do anything about them.

The Commonwealth recently released yet another report prepared by another group of well-meaning people who have produced – again – a range of observations about what could be changed in the apprenticeship space without outlining what problem they are purporting to solve, and how their observations are going to solve it. On top of this, the NSW Government has released a Consultation Paper asking if we need apprenticeships at all!

For more than 600 years now, young and not-so-young people have learned their craft from those around them, in a workplace where they can contextualise their learning to develop the capability they need to be functioning, productive workers. In days gone by, that learning would have taken place entirely in the workplace under the guidance of the Master, and woe betide the apprentice who failed to heed the direction of their instructor. Indentured as they were from a very young age, apprentices spent many years learning and honing their skills in the hope that they too could become the ‘journeyman’ tradesperson, ply their trade and perhaps make a living along the way.

Thankfully, we have moved on from what was essentially indentured servitude into a more sophisticated employment-based relationship between apprentices and their more contemporary ‘masters’.

Gone is the indenture that was signed as a 17-year-old, at which ‘it was expected’ that parents would attend, and at which apprentices ‘were expected’ to be suitably attired, complete with tie. Gone also is the notion that training for the skilled trades could take place entirely in the workplace, as technological advancements and evolutions in systems and processes have demanded ever more knowledge to underpin productive performance.

A partnership between industry and professional VET teachers, almost exclusively TAFE, evolved and trade training found its groove. We had, for many years, a proper balance between highquality formal trade training based on sound pedagogy, integrated with good work and learning experiences, effective mentoring and above all else, an understanding that while new skills can be taught, it takes time and practice for them to be learnt and perfected.

From a purely manufacturing and engineering point of view, we have $60bn-$70bn of capability-building projects on the go, and they will simply not happen without a substantial investment in skills and skill building infrastructure.

It will certainly not happen if it is left to the market.

An old anecdote springs to mind about the CEO who asks another CEO, “What if I train my workforce and they leave?” And the reply: “What if you don’t train them and they stay?”

Federal Occupational Standards, in-company training standards, Vocational Training Framework Curriculum and independent assessment regimes are all the subject of collaboration between both the social partners and the Government and the publicly funded Vocational Colleges.

Notwithstanding the criticisms of the German system – that it is too rigid, that it forces young people to make choices at far too young an age – I wonder if there is a middle ground between the obsession that Australian governments have with ‘markets’, and maximising flexibility in the system, often at the expense of quality and coherence, and what appears to be certainty and rigidity on the part of the German system.

According to the German Office for International Co-operation in Vocational Education and Training, the system works in Germany because the following conditions are met: • Long-standing history of Dual VET. • Strong small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

• Interest, commitment and capability of companies to train.

• Strong and competent representation of employer and employee interests (chambers / labour unions).

• Broad-based acceptance of VET standards through strong involvement of social partners in VET and a culture of cooperative engagement.

• Strong regulatory capacity of government.

• Competent TVET teachers and trainers.

When I hear of yet another government-sponsored review charged with reforming apprenticeships, I often wonder if the people involved were ever apprentices themselves. It seems clear to me that the so-called reforms governments are looking for are simply ways to make trade training cheaper and quicker. More often than not they are based on an assumption that sophisticated trade skills can be taught quickly up front and ‘practised’ later. But as we know, good skills aren’t cheap, and cheap skills aren’t good.

Meanwhile, here in Australia we have the myopic NSW Government questioning whether we need apprenticeships at all. And we have the Apprenticeships Reform Advisory Group (ARAG) report proposing a review conducted by the Productivity Commission, more co-contributions by students, more employer incentives, and exploring the potential for integrating pre-employment and preapprenticeship programs with ‘work-based welfare programs’ – oh, and more commercial brokers!

The challenges that the Australian economy confronts will not be overcome by a workforce that is trained on the basis of a handful of down-and-dirty ‘skill sets’ added to an institutionally based preemployment program. I cannot think of a time in Australia’s history when great reforms and nation-building feats have been attempted without skills being at the forefront. There will be no building the Australian economy, or the society it is meant to serve, without first rebuilding our skilled workforce, and as we know, that starts with defending and rebuilding TAFE!

And of course we are tearing down the only institution that could hope to give us the high-quality, leading-edge skills we need. Rather than more reviews and reforms, why don’t we remember that the problem we are trying to solve is not how to make skills cheaper, or to subsidise the bottom line of employers, it is the production of the skilled workers we need to build the future we want?

AMT Feb/Mar 2017

TAFE is central to that. It’s worth fighting for.

022

industry news

Ai Group – CEOs cautiously optimistic about 2017

Australian CEOs are cautiously optimistic about their business prospects in 2017 according to the latest Ai Group CEO Business Outlook survey. However, expectations were tempered by the failure of 2016 to live up to expectations and by a wide array of local and global challenges on the horizon.

The survey report – Foundations for Growth – is based on responses from the CEOs of 285 businesses from all Australian states and territories and all major non-primary privatesector industries. One third (33%) of CEOs expect to see an improvement in business conditions in 2017. This is lower than the proportion of CEOs who had expected better conditions for 2016 (39%), but well up from only a quarter who had expected better conditions in 2015 and 2014. Around half of CEOs expect their sales revenue to improve and 42% expect their profitability to improve in 2017.

“Despite 2016 turning out to be a tougher year than they generally expected, Australia’s CEOs are looking to 2017 with cautious optimism,” said Ai Group Chief Executive, Innes Willox. “They are more likely to see themselves steering their businesses along expansionary paths than has been the case in recent years.”

Under half (44%) of CEOs expect business conditions to remain stable in 2017, compared with 2016. This is up from 37% of CEOs who had expected stable conditions in 2016 and 34% who had expected stable conditions for 2015. Around one third of CEOs expect their own sales revenue to be stable and one third expect their profitability to remain unchanged in 2017.

“This outlook comes after an extended period of only very gradual recovery from the global financial crisis and amid the major transitions underway in the wake of the recent mining investment and commodity price booms,” continued Willox.

“In many respects the mantra of ‘slower for longer’, which has become the accepted outlook for both the global and Australian economies, is now built into the expectations of much of the local business community as it weighs up the opportunities and challenges in the current business environment.”

About one quarter (23%) of CEOs expect their business conditions to deteriorate in 2017. This will be felt in the form of deteriorating profit margins, with 15% expecting their sales revenue to fall as well. This is the same as the proportion of CEOs who were expecting a deterioration one year earlier, but a significant improvement from the 41% who felt pessimistic about their own outlook two years ago. Expectations regarding business investment and employment are in line with this mood with modest rises or no change in levels planned by the majority of CEOs for 2017.

Input prices are expected to rise for 38% of businesses in 2017 and a whopping 51% expect their energy costs to rise. Around 36% will attempt to recover their costs in selling prices, while 10.6% are planning a price cut “The more expansionary plans of business leaders looking to 2017, if realised, will greatly assist in building business and employment opportunities and lifting incomes across the community,” Willox added. “Any momentum for growth would be further supported through bipartisan support for the Government’s business tax reform measures which will boost employment and investment.”

Arthur Sinodinos takes over as Industry Minister Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on 18 January named Senator Arthur Sinodinos as Federal Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science.

The appointment of Sinodinos was one of a number of ministerial changes announced

by Turnbull as the Prime Minister reshuffled his Cabinet. Sinodinos succeeds Greg Hunt who had been at the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science since July 2016.

Hunt will now take over as the Minister for Health and Minister for Sport following the departure of Sussan Ley, who resigned from the frontbench in the midst of an investigation into her travel expenses and entitlements.

In a statement, Turnbull said: “Senator Arthur Sinodinos will take over as Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science. This portfolio is critical to generating the jobs of the future and Senator Sinodinos’ extensive public policy experience gives him a strong understanding of the key drivers of new sources of economic growth.

“As Cabinet Secretary, Arthur restored traditional cabinet processes. That being done, he can now turn his talents to a front line portfolio and the Cabinet Secretary

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function can return to the Prime Minister’s Office as has been the practice of Coalition Governments.”

Sinodinos entered the Senate in October 2011, representing New South Wales. He was sworn in as the Cabinet Secretary under the Turnbull Government in September 2015. He was previously appointed Shadow Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition in September 2012, a position he held until the election of September 2013.

He was Assistant Treasurer from September 2013 to December 2014.

“I would like to thank the Prime Minister for recommending me for appointment as the Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science,” said Sinodinos. “I am very optimistic about the future of high value manufacturing in Australia, including its role in global supply chains. We want to build confident and outward looking Australian businesses that generate jobs and give us more control over our economic destiny.”

industry news

Surdex Steel expands operations

Surdex Steel Pty Ltd has made a major investment with the installation of the latest state-of-the-art Kinetic K5000 plasma processor, equipping it with a broader range of options for profiling steel plate, plus drilling heads for tapping and counter sinking.

At the same time a K2500 plasma machine has been upgraded to provide even greater capacity with the addition of more plasma cutting heads. Two oxy machines have also been installed and two large Lumsden rotary wash grinders of 1.5metres and 2.5metres diameter have been extensively refurbished, providing unprecedented service in accurate plate surface grinding and cleaning to specific tolerances and flatness for Victorian customers.

Three beam lines are now operating, cutting and drilling structural steel up to 1350mm wide and a cambering line, capable of precambering steel beams is meeting the demands of high rise construction and heavy transport customers.

Part of the Southern Steel Group based in Sydney, with distribution in all Australian mainland states, the Victorian-based Surdex Steel has nine sites in Victoria with its central operations based in Victoria’s manufacturing heartland of Dandenong South and has been servicing the steel industry for more than 60 years.

In recent times Surdex Steel has diversified into more processing of plate, structural steel and coil to service fabricators, manufacturers, heavy transport, leisure vehicle, air conditioning manufacturers and roll forming industry clients. With more than 10,000 steel products in stock and quality certified to ISO9001, the company also has a strong retail presence to service the individual demands of builders, home handymen and small business with a broad range of steel products.

Surdex Steel’s new K5000 plasma processor in operation.

Surdex Steel range includes Structural Steel such as welded beams and columns, universal beams, columns, channels and angles; Merchant Bar steel in channels, rounds, squares, billets, flats and angles; Steel pipe and line pipe, RHS, SHS; Steel Plate in mild steel grade 250 and 350, boiler plate, laser plate, coil plate, Q&T and much more.

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industry news

Sandvik Coromant becomes DMG MORI Premium Partner

Cutting tool and tooling systems specialist Sandvik Coromant has signed an agreement to become a Premium Partner of leading machine tool manufacturer DMG MORI. The deal makes Sandvik Coromant the only tooling manufacturer to be named as a DMG MORI Premium Partner, and will serve to further strengthen the relationship between the companies on a global scale. Machine shops around the world will now benefit from the combined knowledge and experience of two market leaders.

As a DMG MORI Premium Partner, Sandvik Coromant will work together with the machine tool builder on initiatives such as open house events, trade show appearances, technical seminars, website collaboration and the DMG MORI Journal. Specifically, the agreement will give users of DMG MORI machines access to turning, parting and grooving, threading, milling, drilling, boring and reaming tools from Sandvik Coromant, as well as tooling systems and the company’s extensive range of knowledge, industry solutions and services.

“This agreement confirms our position as one of our industry’s true premium and forward-looking companies,” says Klas Forsström, Global President of Sandvik Coromant. “As we join forces with a leading machine tool builder, for example on turnkey projects, we take an active role in advancing technology for the industry.”

Sandvik Coromant will equip DMG MORI machines right from the start of each project with a wide range of products, services and know-how. For instance, a customised start-up tool kit and service will be supplied with each NLX series universal lathe and NT turn-mill centre.

An example of the successful collaboration between Sandvik Coromant and DMG MORI can be seen when the pair recently partnered with Rota Metal, a distributor in Turkey, and its customer, Polat Makina. Polat, a producer of decanter and separator technologies utilised for wastewater treatment, industrial, mineral and food applications, was ready to make the switch from individual machining to multi-tasking machines.

Dr Masahiko Mori, CEO at DMG MORI; Klas Forsström, President at Sandvik Coromant; Christian Thönes, Chairman of the Executive Board of DMG MORI; Björn Roodzant, VP Marketing Communication at Sandvik Coromant; and Sean Holt, General Manager Sales Area Americas at Sandvik Coromant.

Sandvik Coromant was able to recommend a complete new tooling package based upon the company’s Coromant Capto modular quick-change tooling concept. The DMG MORI machines included an NTX 2000 with Capto C6 spindle, an NT 5400 with Capto C8 spindle, and an NT 6600 with Capto C8 spindle. Further Sandvik Coromant tools specified to help complete the switch included Silent Tools, CoroTurn HP, CoroCut SL, CoroDrill 860, CoroTap 300, CoroChuck 970 and CoroChuck 930. The end result was reduced machining time, from 2500 to 500 minutes for a finished Duplex stainless steel product. This 80% saving is helping ensure rapid return on the company’s investment.

“Sandvik Coromant did not just supply the tools, they supplied the solution,” says Volkan Polat, Deputy General Manager of Polat Makina.

Australian Export Awards win for ANCA ANCA has been inducted into the Australian Export Awards Hall of Fame, joining the ‘best of the best’ exporting enterprises in Australia.

The Hall of Fame celebrates businesses who have achieved sustained export growth through innovation and commitment. Steven Ciobo, Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, presented the certificate of achievement as an Australian Export Award Hall of Fame to Pat Boland, ANCA Joint Managing Director, at a ceremony on 24 November to celebrate and recognise the outstanding achievements of Australia’s top exporters.

the global market leader in its field of CNC machines. At our core ANCA has a highly talented workforce who are fascinated in technology and our ongoing commitment to innovation has enabled us to continue to grow and succeed in our field.

“We don’t just work with technology; we create technology that’s so advanced it deals with dimensions and tolerances measured in nanometres. I am truly proud that ANCA has been operating from its base in Melbourne for 42 years now and we look forward to an exciting future ahead.”

Patrick Boland, Joint Managing Director at ANCA, with Steven Ciobo, Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment.

“Being recognised as one of Australia’s top ever exporting businesses is a real honour,” said Boland. “I never imagined when I founded ANCA with my business partner Pat McCluskey that our company would grow to become

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ANCA sells to a wide range of industries including aerospace, medical, automotive, electronics and tool manufacturers. The company exports 99% of the machines produced at its Melbourne headquarters and has a global network of offices. The company was inducted into the Australian Exporter of the Year Hall of Fame after winning the top accolade three times in 1995, 2012, and 2015.

Judges highlighted ANCA’s dedication to innovation and growth, and the company’s strong risk management strategy for intellectual property and skills maintenance.

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industry news

Aus manufacturers planning to invest in automation

A new survey has revealed that three quarters of Australian manufacturers are looking to invest in automation in the future, suggesting an increasing focus on innovation within the Australian manufacturing industry backed by continued growth and business confidence.

The survey, from Danish robotics company Universal Robots, canvassed the views of members of various online groups dedicated to communicating with the Australian manufacturing community. These groups included: the Australian Manufacturers Forum; the Australian Furniture Association Industry Forum; the First 500 group of SME business owners; the Australian Advanced Manufacturing Council; and The AiG Australian Manufacturing LinkedIn group.

Amongst those respondents looking to invest in automation, an overwhelming majority (57%) plan to invest in robotic solutions in the future, while 36% plan to invest in automation via materials handling. A quarter of respondents plan to spend on Internet of Things solutions, while just over one-fifth will invest in on logistics.

The results reinforce recent research from Telsyte, which found that one in three organisations intend to use robotics and 25% of large organisations are already using Robotic Process Automation. According to the findings, the top reasons for Australian manufacturers to automate processes include: improving business efficiency; reducing production time; improving quality; reducing staff costs and freeing up staff to work on value add tasks; as well as to satisfy growing orders.

While the vast majority of Australian manufacturers are confident in their business growth and plan to invest in automation, the research also indicated that a lack of funds and information

available continue to be a barrier to achieving innovation. The top five barriers to innovation were identified as a lack of budget, inability to raise funds, lack of knowledge of what products are available, unsure where to start and too busy with day-to-day operations.

“The uptake of automation in the ANZ market has not yet reached the scale of adoption of Asian neighbours,” said Shermine Gotfredsen, General Manager, Universal Robots, South-East Asia & Oceania. “As our research shows, a lack of information and awareness of available automation options is still a significant hindrance to Australian and New Zealand manufacturers achieving greater levels of innovation. Local industry players are not widely informed of where they can find information and help with their automation and business needs.”

The survey also found that 80% of businesses are either confident or extremely confident about sales in the coming year. This is despite of a lack of confidence in the Federal Government’s management of the manufacturing sector of the economy, with 83% of respondents identifying it as being either managed either poorly or not very well. To fund automation, the majority of manufacturers (63%) rely on cash reserves, followed by asset finance (29%) and either a business growth fund or state aid/ grant (23% cent). Some 95% of organisations expect a full return on investment on an automation solution after 12-24 months.

Quickstep, Micro-X contract

Quickstep Holdings has entered a contract to manufacture a range of advanced carbon fibre composite components for a new portable, ultra-lightweight X-ray device being developed by Adelaide-based Micro-X Limited.

Micro-X is an ASX-listed company focused on the design, development and manufacturing of ultra-lightweight X-ray imaging products for global healthcare and security markets. Its first device, the DRX Revolution Nano, is an 85kg portable X-ray machine, significantly lighter than the cumbersome 500kg-600kg machines used traditionally in hospitals today. Its small size provides superior flexibility for radiographers when positioning the device for x-ray examinations.

Micro-X has a relationship with Carestream Health, formerly Kodak Medical Imaging, which will sell and distribute the DRX Revolution Nano globally.

Micro-X expects to launch production in Q1 2017 at its new production facility in the Tonsley precinct in South Australia, where it is setting up a plant with a capacity of around 1,000 units per annum. Each X-ray unit contains nine composite assemblies.

“We are delighted to be working on Micro-X’s gamechanging medical device technology,” said Quickstep’s CEO and Managing Director, David Marino. “This demonstrates the flexibility of Quickstep’s composite manufacturing solution.

“The Micro-X contract opens up a new sector opportunity for Quickstep’s composite technologies, whilst delivering the next step in production rates applicable to our automotive and aerospace aspirations at potentially 9,000 composite assemblies per annum.”

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Managing Director of Micro-X, Peter Rowland added: “Quickstep’s advanced composites manufacturing capabilities provide us with a higher production rate than traditional autoclave solutions. Their technology has already demonstrated the ability to manufacture lightweight carbon fibre composite parts that meet the highlevel quality and part performance required for the advanced medical device sector globally. As our volumes increase, the flexibility and cost efficiency of Quickstep’s processing technologies allows us to consider lineside manufacturing next to our assembly facility in South Australia, providing an optimised supply chain and enhancing customer value for these highly visual components.”

Micro-X has completed regulatory testing of preproduction units. The global mobile medical X-ray market was valued at US$500m in 2016.

Quickstep is also engaged in a number of other New Technology development projects through its Waurn Ponds and German facilities, including projects with Tier-1 industry suppliers, including two leading vehicle manufacturers and a global aircraft manufacturer. These projects are co-funded by Quickstep and its collaboration partners and expected to lead to further volume production contracts.

Real Business Real People Real Members I have been associated with AMITL as a member since its inception and have known most of the AMTIL staff for considerable years therefore I feel that I can say the organisation is of the quality the members should be very proud of. AMTIL conducts its activities with the enthusiasm and direction needed to promote Australia’s manufacturing industry across all appropriate sectors of government and industry alike. Their methods are generally of a consultative nature as they seek out inputs from all concerned and then having done so their feedback is informative. Most certainly confidentiality of matters discussed is paramount for the competitive industry we are in and there is never a concern with regards to such matters where AMTIL is involved. Anyone who has ever attended or participated in a AUSTECH exhibition could only attest to the quality of the exhibition and this is as a direct result of AMTIL’s overall co-ordination of the event and their methods of working closely with all involved.

Dean McCarroll, OKUMA Australia Pty Ltd

Since 1999, AMTIL has been connecting business, informing of opportunities and growing the manufacturing community.

To be become an AMTIL member contact our Corporate Servcies Manager, Greg Chalker on 03 9800 3666 or email gchalker@amtil.com.au

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Industry news

Sutton Tools inducted into FBA’s Victorian Hall of Fame

Sutton Tools was inducted into Family Business Australia (FBA)’s Victorian Hall of Fame on 30 November.

At an award ceremony designed to recognise and celebrate the outstanding contribution that family businesses make to the state’s economy, community and culture, Sutton Tools and Scalzo Food Industries were commended for the demonstration of family business best practices and excellence in their industries. FBA VIC Chairman Jeremy Manford said the annual awards provide an opportunity for family businesses to recognise the achievements and hard work of the Inductees, be inspired by these outstanding companies as well as celebrate the successes in their own family businesses.

Sutton Tools was founded in 1917 by William Sutton at the age of 54 after emigrating from England with his family. Back in England William was recognised as one of the country’s leading tool engineers, and to this day the company maintains its reputation for manufacturing quality tools with a strong focus on customer service and employee engagement. Even as early as the 1950s the company was exporting to countries such as New Zealand, Singapore Thailand, Philippians and Malaysia recognising that exporting was a critical aspect of the business, not only due to the sales revenue generated, but more importantly the exposure to international markets and competitors.

ABB Australia names Tauno Heinola as MD

Tauno Heinola has assumed the role of Managing Director of ABB in Australia, taking over from Axel Kuhr who steps into the position of Managing Director for ABB in Japan.

According to ABB, this change in leadership the signals a new growth phase for its Australian operations, targeting opportunities for expansion in areas such as industrial digitalisation, renewable energy and transportation.

“The Fourth Industrial Revolution is driving seismic changes in industry, where we see global connectivity and machine learning will drive ever greater industrial efficiency and optimisation,” said Heinola. “ABB is at the heart of these industry developments, having been at the forefront of the digital revolution in industry for 40 years, developing and enhancing systems, sensors and software for the Internet of Things, Services and People. In Australia, providing intelligent solutions for energy transformation is a significant opportunity.”

Heinola has been a leader within ABB for more than 30 years, having founded ABB’s Beijing Drive Systems in 1994, before being given responsibility for its drives business – ABB’s largest profit centre – in 1998 based in Finland. He returned to China to lead the drives organisation in 2003, and in 2011 was appointed Managing Director of ABB Finland.

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Greg Griffith, CEO of Family Business Australia (FBA); Robert Sutton, Commercial Director of Sutton Tools; Peter Sutton, Managing Director of Sutton Tools; and Jeremy Manford, FBA VIC Committee Chair.

Peter Sutton, Managing Director of Sutton Tools, said one of the aspects they are most proud of is their commitment to maintaining a local manufacturing base, adding that the Hall of Fame “provides an opportunity to be recognised for this commitment to the Australian economy and community.

“We hope this will inspire other family businesses to disregard the easy option of offshoring and chasing short-term gains,” added Peter. “As with many family businesses we take a longer-term approach, reinvesting, working hard and smart and never being complacent.”

Dow Chemical Joins AMGC

Dow Chemical Australia has joined the Australian Manufacturing Growth Centre (AMGC) as part of an ongoing commitment to supporting Australia’s advanced manufacturing sector.

AMGC Managing Director Dr Jens Goennemann said Dow’s involvement will help to firmly establish the Australian sector as world-leading, now and into the future. “Partnering with Dow gives AMCG the opportunity to drive innovation between business, industry and the science and research community,” Dr Goennemann said. “We have access to leading experts and innovators at Dow including local manufacturers, scientists and innovators, which will contribute to a stronger sector in Australia.” Tony Frencham, Dow ANZ Managing Director and Regional President, said: “At Dow, we’re proud to partner with AMGC and welcome the opportunity to collaborate on its Sector Competitiveness Plan, which will contribute to the longterm strategy for advanced manufacturing in Australia.

“By becoming a member of the AMGC, we’re able to formalise our relationship and begin working together on real sector outcomes, for advancements both in the Australian market and internationally.”

The AMGC aims to increase the competitiveness, productivity and innovation of Australia’s advanced manufacturing system through strategic partnerships, identifying opportunities to reduce regulatory burden, increasing engagement with international markets and global supply chains, and by enhancing management and workforce skills.

Commonwealth Government Entrepreneurs’ Programme partnering with AMTIL

It’s all about you.

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The Entrepreneurs’ Programme (EP) is a Commonwealth Government flagship initiative focused on raising the competitiveness and productivity of eligible companies at an individual level. AMTIL is a partner organisation working with the Department of Industry in the delivery of the EP. The Programme forms a part of the Australian Government’s Economic Action Strategy and will deploy over 100 experienced Advisers and Facilitators, offering support to businesses through three key elements: 1. Business Management a. Business Evaluations – A detailed assessment and action report b. Supply Chain Facilitation – Practical assistance to interact and supply into new markets c. Business Growth Services – Access to specialist advisers and services to accelerate growth d. Business Growth Grants – Co-funded grants to implement actions of the Business Evaluations 2. Innovation Connections a. Identify research needs and opportunities b. Support to connect with sources of expertise, technology and advise c. Make available pathways to collaborative research 3. Accelerating Commercialisation a. Guidance, connection and grants to advance commercialisation

Every business has different needs.

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Government news

Queensland launches Advanced Manufacturing Roadmap

The Queensland Government has committed $7.6m as part of an Advanced Manufacturing Roadmap to protect and transform the state’s $20bn manufacturing sector.

Treasurer Curtis Pitt and Minister for State Development Dr Anthony Lynham announced the extra funding on 14 December, while touring electrical manufacturer NOJA Power. The Advanced Manufacturing Roadmap is designed to help traditional manufacturers develop the job-generating advanced techniques required for future growth. The announcement came a day after Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s Government announced it would invest $20m over two years for the new Made in Queensland program, providing support to Queensland’s manufacturing sector through grants supplementing industry contributions.

Measures in the Advanced Manufacturing Roadmap include: • A $1.5m program of workshops on robotics and digital business capability.

• $550,000 for hacker/maker spaces to connect manufacturers with ideas and innovations.

• $700,000 for workshops to encourage manufacturers to use design and engineering analysis software, new materials and advanced manufacturing techniques .

• $900,000 to improve manufacturers’ energy efficiency and produce stronger environmental outcomes.

• $250,000 to get more young people into manufacturing careers.

“This is more good news for Queensland’s manufacturing sector,” said Pitt. “Just yesterday, I announced the Palaszczuk Government would allocate $20m over two years to the Made in Queensland Manufacturing Program, to help protecting traditional manufacturing jobs and lifting international competitiveness.”

Dr Lynham said grants between $50,000 and $2.5m will be offered to Queensland-based manufacturers, with case management support and contributions from companies. “Manufacturers employed more than 169,700 workers in Queensland in the December quarter 2015 and contributed $20.3bn to our economy in 2015-16,”

said Dr Lynham. “Manufacturing is one of our traditional strengths that we want to expand to create new jobs and new products that can be sold into both local and export markets.

“Labor’s strategy is to make the state’s existing $20.3bn sector more internationally competitive to create high-skill, highly-paid jobs of the future. We want to see Queenslanders working in internationally competitive businesses that build on potentially disruptive technologies. More Queensland businesses can use advanced materials, 3D printing, artificial intelligence, sensors, advanced automation and embedded electronics to produce customised products for the world.” Manufacturing is the fifth biggest contributor to the state’s economy and employs about 167,400 Queenslanders – 88% of whom are full-time. The Advanced Manufacturing Roadmap is one of the six roadmaps being prepared under the Government’s $405m Advance Queensland program.

The Roadmap and Action plan targets three key areas to position Queensland as a leader in advanced manufacturing technologies, products, systems and services: • Increasing productivity and international competitiveness by encouraging businesses to use new management and technical skills and new ways of developing products.

• Increasing innovative technologies and processes by raising manufacturers’ digital capability, and boosting collaboration between business and research organisations.

• Marketing Queensland’s advanced manufacturing expertise to open new markets and secure investment.

Dr Lynham said the Made in Queensland initiative would operate in tandem with the action plan. “The business improvement programs will identify how companies can make improvements. They may then be able to apply for matching Made in Queensland funding to upgrade employees’ skills, their technology or processes,” he said. www.statedevelopment.qld.gov.au

SA unveils Rapid Commercialisation Initiative The South Australian government plans to appoint commercialisation experts in a four-year project to rapidly increase commercial use of research undertaken in the state.

The $2.4m South Australian Rapid Commercialisation Initiative (SARCI) will work with universities and research organisations to connect them with industry, develop a pool of successful startup technology companies and export technology. SARCI aims to significantly increase the number of license deals and startup companies coming from the state’s universities and research organisations by appointing specialist, in-market research and technology experts to drive outcomes. The State Government has committed $80m to support innovative SA businesses, entrepreneurs and researchers through programs and initiatives to drive economic growth and job creation.

Through SARCI, the Government will appoint commercialisation experts to drive the creation of at least 14 start-up companies, generate technologies that can be owned, operated and exported from the state in a push to create sustainable high-value jobs based in South Australia. They will provide a holistic service to drive deals between the research sector and industry, including mentoring,

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market research and analysis, providing intellectual property advice, industrial design and prototype development services. “”This initiative will ensure the incredible work being achieved in the South Australia’s research sector is harnessed to drive economic growth and job creation,” said Manufacturing and Innovation Minister Kyam Maher. “Our universities and research organisations are among the best in the country and the South Australian Government is committed to giving them the best opportunity to showcase their work internationally to gain the maximum economic benefit for the state.

“The Rapid Commercialisation Initiative will help to drive the research sector’s connection with industry partners to maximise the value of their research and create jobs. Our ability to innovate and quickly adopt new ways of doing things by using advanced technologies is central to the state’s future prosperity, job creation and quality of life.”

Government news

CSIRO fund to supercharge innovation

Australia’s innovations will grow into successful businesses with help from the CSIRO Innovation Fund, a $200m fund to commercialise early-stage innovations from CSIRO, universities and other publicly-funded research bodies.

The CSIRO Innovation Fund will support co-investment in new spinout and start-up companies, and SMEs engaged in the translation of research generated in the publicly-funded research sector. The fund, established as part of the Australian Government’s National Innovation and Science Agenda, will comprise a commitment of $70m in government funding, $30m revenue from CSIRO’s WLAN program and additional private sector investment, with a target total value of $200m.

CSIRO Chief Executive Dr Larry Marshall said the Innovation Fund was the “final piece in the puzzle”, revealing the vision set out in the organisation’s Strategy 2020, saying: “We have aligned all the pieces: from market roadmaps that guide our science to address the most critical needs; to the ON sci-tech accelerator to help Australia’s scientists apply their science for national benefit; and now we have the Innovation Fund to invest in those ideas and reap the rewards of their success. It’s a virtuous cycle of investment in

taking our best ideas from bench-top to beta to buyer. This clears the pathway for science and technology to navigate Australia’s future.”

The CSIRO Innovation Fund will be managed by an experienced team led by veteran venture capitalist Bill Bartee, who was appointed following an extensive recruitment process. Bartee has an impressive track record in the venture industry, assisting disruptive, innovative companies grow. Additional management team members are currently being recruited and will join Bartee in the first quarter of 2017.

“To ensure the best ideas have the greatest impact, we will back the most ambitious entrepreneurs who want to build important, enduring companies,” Bartee said. “The Innovation Fund provides a fantastic opportunity to help ideas coming from accelerators and elsewhere realise their potential in the commercial market.”

Veteran venture capitalist Bill Bartee will manage the CSIRO Innovation Fund.

The CSIRO Innovation Fund, along with ON, Australia’s national scitech accelerator, are key initiatives under CSIRO’s Strategy 2020.

Early-stage innovations supported by ON include a non-invasive diagnostic test that can detect the presence of endometrial cancer; ultra-low gluten Kebari barley for the food and beverage industry; and a natural animal feed additive called FutureFeed that reduces methane emissions from cattle. www.csiro.au/Innovation-fund

Vic Manufacturing Hall Of Fame nominations open Nominations have opened for the 2017 Victorian Manufacturing Hall of Fame Awards, which recognise outstanding achievements by local businesses and individuals.

This year’s theme is Growing Advanced Manufacturing, which highlights the opportunities for innovation in Victorian manufacturing.

Award categories include Young Manufacturer of the Year, Manufacturer of the Year, Company Induction and addition to the Honour Roll.

Awards will also be given to companies operating in high-growth future industries sectors, such as medical technology and pharmaceuticals, transport, defence and construction technologies, food and fibre, new energy technologies, professional services and international education.

The nominations will be judged across a range of criteria indicative of best practice manufacturing, including innovation, adoption of advanced manufacturing technologies, business and environmental sustainability, and skills development.

“The Andrews Labor Government is working with industry to create jobs, support growth and promote forward thinking in manufacturing, we want to recognise and acknowledge the achievements made across the sector,” said Acting Minister for Industry and Employment Philip Dalidakis. “Manufacturing is growing from strength to strength in Victoria, in the last 12 months the workforce has grown by 42,500 workers to employing more than 305,000 people.”

The Hall of Fame Awards, which were established in 2001, recognise individuals and companies who embrace new technologies and manufacturing techniques, are export-focused and excel in business innovation.

Nominations close 15 February and the awards will be announced at the 2017 Victorian Manufacturing Hall of Fame Gala Dinner on 9 May. Nominations for the awards can be made by visiting the Business Victoria website. www.business.vic.gov.au/halloffame

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voice box Opinions from across the manufacturing industry

Australian manufacturing is not dying, it’s evolving

Despite some well-publicised closures, manufacturing in Australia isn’t dying. Instead, like industry around the world, it’s undergoing a period of significant change. By Cathy Foley and Keith McLean.

There is a role for the manufacturing sector in Australia. Through interviews with 56 stakeholders, three workshops and a survey of industry and government organisations, as well as leading researchers, CSIRO identified major growth opportunities and what the manufacturing sector needs to do to achieve them.

These two companies combined hardware from one company and software from the other to provide mobile Wi-Fi coverage for mine sites. It allows miners to monitor worker safety, fleet optimisation, machine performance and also allows autonomous mining and productivity improvements.

Currently Australian manufacturing contributes 6.05% of GDP, exports $96.1bn of goods and employs 856,000 people. This has fallen from a high in 1995, when it contributed to 14% of GDP and employed more than a million people. High wages, geographical remoteness and a small dispersed local market are some of the reasons for these changes. However consumers are also changing what products they buy which impacts the type of products made.

Major companies like Boeing and General Electric now look to the world using global supply chains for components for their final product, so Australia has to compete globally. The innovation resulting from science and technology, such as automation, digitisation and new materials, has changed what it means to be a manufacturer. Manufacturing is no longer a basic industry that employs low-skilled workers. Over the next 20 years, Australia’s manufacturing industry must transform into a highly-integrated, collaborative and export-focused “ecosystem” that provides highvalue customised solutions contributing to global supply chains.

Our research brought up some exciting examples of Australian companies that have embraced this evolution, setting a standard to follow.

Global supply chain integration

Customised high-margin solutions We found that demand for more expensive bespoke products is replacing mass-produced products relying on value from producing a lot for the market. New materials, automation, biotechnology and new chemical processes have driven this innovation in manufacturing. These new technologies enable a new level of customisation. Products like personalised medical implants and functional foods and clothing are already possible thanks to the combination of design services and superior components (such as 3D printing). SMEs make up 97% of Australia. Customisation is an ideal recipe to achieve global reach without producing more goods than their competitors. One Australian company doing this well is Oventus. They produce an O2Vent mouthpiece for those that suffer sleep apnoea. Oventus uses a 3D scanner to map a patient’s mouth, then 3D prints a custom-made mouthpiece that helps stop dangerous pauses in sleep at night. Its custom fit and relative comfort attract a price premium. The company recently listed on the Australian stock exchange and is about to go global.

Collaboration Too often Australian manufacturers focus on the rival across the street, rather than the looming competition over the horizon. Our research shows manufacturers need to partner among themselves, either through business partnerships or increased collaboration.

Nautitech and Northern Light Technologies Australia, for example, were brought together by a mining company to improve underground communications.

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In a global marketplace, Australia cannot stand on its own. The Australian market alone is too small – our population is the size of Shanghai. Australia has few multinationals manufacturing here.

However multinationals do source components from the best suppliers globally and herein lies the opportunity for Australia.

For example, ANCA Tools delivers specifically designed parts to Japan, made using the company’s multi-axis grinding machines.

These machines, designed and built in Australia, are automated and wired up for flexible precision manufacturing. The components are integrated into Japanese customers’ unmanned, factory-wide automated production systems. Manufacturers need to integrate into international supply chains, using Australia’s advanced technology industry and research sector, to stand out. One example of this highlighted from our research is Carbon Revolution, a company that pioneered the commercial production of carbon composite car wheels. These wheels are made from a single piece of material. Carbon Revolution is supplying Ford with wheels for the Mustang Shelby GT350R, making it the first company in the world to supply mass produced carbon fibre wheels on standard equipment for a major automaker. The wheels weigh up to 50% less than conventional aluminium equivalents and reduce carbon emissions by up to 6%. Carbon Revolution is now investigating opportunities in aerospace and industrial markets.

Increased role for the research sector Australia’s research sector can play a critical role in the future of Australian manufacturing, providing the significant technological innovation needed to drive future prosperity. Publicly funded research agencies are already building stronger industry engagement. In our research, Australian manufacturers have identified the science and technology gaps that need filling. These companies want to use research results to differentiate, make manufacturing processes more efficient, monitor in real time, and drive decision making with data. Research institutions need to adapt to these demands. The establishment of open-access hubs such as Lab22, the Australian National Fabrication Facilities (ANFF), industry collaboration spaces in research organisations, researchers in business, industry PhDs and internships are all examples of initiatives to link the research and manufacturing sectors.

Australia has a high level of education, an excellent research sector, vast natural resources, a reputation for quality, keen SMEs and close proximity to a burgeoning Asia. The strengths far outweigh the weaknesses.

Cathy Foley is the Deputy Director and Science Director at CSIRO’s Manufacturing Flagship. Keith McLean is the Director of CSIRO’s Manufacturing Flagship. This article was originally published by The Conversation. www.theconversation.com www.csiro.au

The great USB shortage.

It was a Wednesday morning. We had a capabilities presentation to a new client at 3pm.

As office manager I’d chosen the presentation binders with help from my Officeworks Business Specialist, and was almost finished binding all 20 of them, when my boss had a brain wave.

He decided we were going to put the presentation onto USBs instead.

Needless to say, 20 USBs were NOT lying around in my stationery cupboard.

But I was all over it.

I jumped online, placed the order and hit send. I was early enough to make same-day delivery and the clients walked away with the presentation in their pockets.

Get all over it.

Visit officeworks.com.au/business-solutions

Printed Prin ted e for ed or 15/0 15 15/02/2017.

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voice box Opinions from across the manufacturing industry

History suggests Australia could be left behind by the next industrial revolution

When the Industrial Revolution hit in the 1800s, certain countries were left behind. With a new industrial revolution just around the corner, Australia may be one of the countries left behind this time. By Warwick Smith.

One way to anticipate the future is to look to the past. British economist Angus Maddison has estimated that in the year 0, the population of Western Europe was 24.7m. A millennium later it was 25.4m, an increase of just 700,000. Total global population increased by only 37.3m in 1,000 years. Had we continued at this pace, in 2015 there would have been 312m people on Earth. Gross domestic product fared even worse. Between the year 0 and 1,000 - GDP per capita was stagnant or fell globally.

Over the next 800 years, the pace quickened a little. World population quadrupled to crack the billion for the first time. By 1819, the Eastern European population of 91.2m generated some $60.9bn worth of stuff (1990 International $) or $665 per person.

Then in 1820 everything changed, sort of. Fuelled by a potent mix of technology, ideas, appropriated resources, and a distressing number of slaves, the Great European powers began to make themselves Great. Certain colonies prospered as well. Countries like the US and Australia increased output markedly, quickly distancing themselves from other colonies.

There are two key explanations for the changing fortunes of different colonies: factor endowments; or institutions (or some combination of the two). In Guns, Germs and Steel, Jared Diamond proposed an entertaining version of the former, where the ability to grow nutritious grains, the presence of draft animals, and immunity-inducing epidemics saw Europe come to dominate the world. Others have argued that, while factor endowments were important, it was the institutions that they gave rise to that really made the difference. MIT Professor Daron Acemoglu and his colleagues have argued that the presence of disease in certain colonies led to the development of “extractive” economies. Low settlement rates saw small elites seek to concentrate power, appropriating as much wealth as possible and exporting resources back home.

Conversely, places without tropical diseases became “settler colonies”. When Europeans settled these places, their institutional arrangements mimicked those of the home country. Land and livestock were privately owned by new migrants, incentivising productivity increases. Once the Industrial Revolution came, these colonies dramatically increased output. Without the hope of social mobility or the pressure of competition, extractive economies failed to take advantage of new opportunities and were left standing at the station while the Industrial Revolution brought wealth to the rest of the world. While the “private property prescription” is a temptingly simple answer, evidence suggests a more crucial factor appears to be whether a country developed institutions with a broad franchise (equality and equal opportunity) or narrow franchise (inequality and low social mobility). Private property has a role, but only as part of a wider suite of institutional arrangements.

Characteristics of success When we look across those countries that did well, a number of key factors stand out.

Suffrage: Countries that broke from the pack in the 1800s were those where citizens could vote. This makes sense; the more people have a say in government, the more inclusive government policy should be. The rapid growth of the US and Australia coincided with a high proportion of the population able to vote. In the US, 79.2%

AMT Feb/Mar 2017

of adult males voted in the 1844 presidential election. In Australia, economic qualifications for voters were removed in South Australia, Victoria and NSW in the 1850s. Conversely, colonies that were left behind often saw a vast proportion of the population excluded from elections. It was not until the very late 1800s that a number of Latin American countries saw more than 1% or 2% of people voting.

Education: Educated people are more productive, flexible and able to take advantage of technological change. Australia’s egalitarian society saw educational opportunities extended to a broad spectrum of the populace. By 1844, approximately half its non-Indigenous children were receiving a formal education. By 1901, literacy rates were around 80%. This occurred in stark contrast to other colonies (including British colonies such as in the Caribbean). Despite immense wealth being generated, basic schooling infrastructure was not established on a broad scale – elites sent their children to private schools while other children went without. Up to 1900, literacy rates remained at or below 30% in Bolivia, Brazil, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and Paraguay, and was likely below 30% in Columbia, Peru, Puerto Rico and Venezuela.

Land policy: Epitomised by the encomienda system popularised by the Spanish Crown (whereby conquerors were rewarded with the labour of certain groups of people), land policy in countries that were left behind attempted to shut people out of the property market. Land was selectively offered in large chunks at prices only the wealthiest could afford. In Australia, land policy was designed to encourage new migrants and sought to break down the class privilege that calcified Mother England. Country lands were sold for as little as £1 per acre, payable over time, and acreages were limited to prevent large holdings.

Future consequences?

Australia is becoming a more unequal country. Institutions that had previously fostered greater equality now do the opposite. This is a problem because it was Australia’s relatively low levels of inequality that put us in an advantageous position during the last industrial revolution. Rapid advances in robotics, automation and AI suggest a new industrial revolution is just around the corner, but Australia’s key institutions have been so badly eroded we may be disadvantaged when the full force of this technological change hits.

Home ownership rates are falling and many are shut out of the market. There are substantial funding gaps between private and public schools, and we are slipping in global education rankings.

Australia still has universal suffrage, though only 43% of us believe it makes any difference whether the Liberal-National Coalition or Labor are in the top spot. Societies with these characteristics performed particularly badly during the last period of rapid technological change. Many have never recovered. We should be concerned that the institutions that once allowed us to pull ahead may soon be the reason we fall behind.

Warwick Smith is a research economist at the University of Melbourne and a Research Fellow at progressive think tank Per Capita. This article was originally published by The Conversation. www.theconversation.com www.unimelb.edu.au

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Provided your opportunity meets our criteria for listing, inclusion in AMTIL HotSpots is free. If you have something you feel will meet our criteria, please forward it to AMTIL for assessment by emailing info@amtil.com.au with the subject line HOTSPOT. www.amtil.com.au/Membership/Hotspots

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Tech News

Australia: Manufacturing ‘revival’ - 3D metal printing Aurora Labs - a Perth startup - is advancing a 3D metal printer for on-site manufacturing with attributes of great speed, complexity and affordability. According to Aurora, it will be able to print parts around about 100 times faster than existing 3D printers and utilising more metal materials than any other machine currently on the market. It will allow the printing of parts on site by the next day instead of waiting many weeks for parts’ arrival from overseas. (WA mining operations keep billions of dollars worth of parts on their inventories for this reason.) “This will enable a lot of manufacturing to be brought back home” says Aurora Managing Director David Budge. The company’s S-Titanium printer, which features a 200W laser, is extremely affordable for its class (just under $40,000).

The printer has reportedly attracted the interest of several large companies, including NASA.

China: Faster than Tesla?

Chinese unknown startup - NextEV - launched what it claims is the world’s fastest electric car – the 313kph NIO EP9 - late last year.

Tesla will still out-accelerate the EP9 up to a point, but the EP9’s pace has been judged over more than just a quarter-mile drag race. This one-megawatt (1,341bhp) car has proven itself around the famed Nürburgring in Germany, a 21km race circuit where supercars are vetted, known as ‘The Green Hell.’ The company reported that its car lapped the track in 7min 5.12seconds (around 17 seconds faster than the previous electric car record.) To put this in context, the EP9’s time is only beaten in the all-time list by four road-legal cars, two of them thinly disguised racers, and the other two supercars from Porsche and Lamborghini CNN

Science Network WA and mixed

Spain: Laser hardening for steel Hardening is a surface heat treatment applied to steel parts which increases their hardness. Researchers have developed an innovative laser-based technology to carry out this process. But unlike the traditional system, it uses scanning optics, which gives the thickness of the part to be treated great capacity for adaptation.

Laser, since it is a highly localised heat source, enables only the surface to be hardened, leaving the core in its original state. In the end, the heat deforms the part, requiring it to be finished using other methods. In order to make the technology more flexible, the research group assessed the viability of incorporating moving, scanning optics into this process. The optics (a galvanometric scanner) moves a very small laser at great speed, sweeping the surface line by line. That way, the hardening width can be adapted simply by changing the program parameters.

University of the Basque Country

Laser-hardened test part using scanning optics

Singapore: Sand absorbs impact better than steel

Australia: Nano ‘breakthrough’ could add 50% to battery life Australian battery technology firm Nano-Nouvelle, has successfully trialled a nanotechnology process that coats a highly porous polymer sheet with a thin layer of copper to make battery current collectors up to 70% lighter than solid copper collectors. The technology could add 50% to the capacity of lithium ion batteries. Potentially giving electric vehicles the driving range of petrol-driven cars and allowing drones to fly for 50% longer. The company completed its first roll-to-roll production trial with UK manufacturing company Cemco where it successfully ran a roll of raw membrane through a chemical plating process to produce a roll of copper-plated Lumafoil, one of several products designed by Nano-Nouvelle “We have seen many 3D material concepts but you are the first to demonstrate roll-to-roll processing,” said one Asian battery manufacturer. There has been strong interest from customers globally Nano-Nouvelle & AFR

UK: Nano-modified aerospace composites

Researchers found that sand can absorb more than 85% of the energy exerted against it, and its ability to resist the impact increases with the speed of the projectile, even at high velocities. In contrast, steel plates have poorer energy absorption capacity. The impact also results in an extreme frictional force that could potentially break the projectile into pieces. This is due to the pressure and friction offered by the sand grains, which dilate and resist continual penetration of the incoming projectile. These unique characteristics of sand may open up exciting new everyday applications, as well as in defence.

For instance, steel can be partially replaced with sand as a costeffective, environmentally friendly, and lightweight sacrificial layer.

Sand could also be used as a complementary building material to steel to enhance protection of critical infrastructures.

New technology – previously lacking - has been developed that could enhance both the electrical and thermal conductivity of conventional composite materials. Novel functionality including sensors, energy harvesting lighting and communication antennae will now be integrated into the structure of the composite material.

Carbon fibre composites have revolutionised industries that demand strong, yet light materials. However, their application has been hindered by inherently poor electrical and thermal conductivities. However it is possible to impart these properties by growing high quality carbon nanomaterials at a high density on the surface of the carbon fibres, allowing electrical transport throughout the composite material. This research shows the potential of a carbon fibre reinforced plastic to be made multifunctional, while still maintaining its structural integrity.

National University of Singapore

University of Surrey

AMT Feb/Mar 2017

Tech News

USA: Imaging material defects For the first time ever, researchers using X-ray imaging have captured a material defect process at the atomic scale and in nearreal-time. These images are of the creation of structural defects in palladium when the metal is exposed to hydrogen at high pressure; then exposing the sample to powerful X-rays. This imaging capability will help researchers validate models that predict the behaviour of materials and how they form defects. This knowledge is key to engineering better, stronger and more reliable materials for buildings, semiconductors, batteries and many other items.

Argonne National Laboratory

Australia: ‘Revolutionising’ modern medicine A biofabrication institute at the Herston Health Precinct in Brisbane will image, model and manufacture 3D patient-specific tissues, in a partnership between QUT, Metro North Hospital and Health Service partnership. This will be the first time a biomanufacturing institute will be co-located with a high-level hospital. “Our vision for healthcare is that the biofabrication institute will pave the way for 3D printers to sit in operating theatres, ready to print tissue as needed, in our hospitals of the future” said Qld State Minister for Health Cameron Dick. It is anticipated that within the next five years, the institute will be attracting $10-15m in investment each year.

USA: Most vertically-agile jumping robot Roboticists have designed a small robot (100 grams, 26cm tall) that can leap into the air and then spring off a wall, or perform multiple vertical jumps in a row, resulting in the highest robotic vertical jumping agility ever recorded. Named Salto, the engineers studied the animal kingdom’s most vertically agile creature, the galago, which can jump five times in four seconds to gain a combined height of 8.5m. The galago stores energy in its tendons so that it can jump to heights not achievable by its muscles alone. Salto’s robotic vertical jumping agility is 1.75m per second. Salto’s design is based on the galago which increases the power for jumping by storing muscular energy in stretchy tendons. Inside Salto, a motor drives a spring, which loads via a leg mechanism to create the kind of crouch seen in the galago. By using power modulation, Salto doesn’t need to wind up before a jump; as soon as it jumps, Salto is ready to jump again.

University of California - Berkeley

Brisbane Times

USA: Improving machining, milling processes Fixing flaws introduced during the machining of large components can be time-consuming and costly if the flawed parts must be scrapped. A new approach is helping manufacturers eliminate those flaws before the parts are created. Five-axis machine tools are known to have 41 basic geometric errors and manufacturers must make adjustments in calibrating their CNC machines. Several approaches exist to compensate, but none of them provides a complete picture. Manufacturers must combine various methods to get the best sense of a milling problem. The result is a piecemeal approach that makes calibration a time-consuming and expensive process. A way was sought to eliminate that piecemeal approach and develop a new model for capturing complicated geometric errors while also automatically generating compensation tables for those errors. A laser tracker was used to quickly measure the motion of all axes over the entire workspace of a five-axis machine.

Based on these measurements, a set of compensating tables was generated that could be used to improve the accuracy on a variety of machine tools and related platforms.

Missouri University of Science and Technology

South Korea: Kia crossover sets hybrid car record Arriving at New York City, the 2017 Kia Niro officially received a Guinness World Record title for the lowest fuel consumption driving across the USA from coast to coast for a hybrid car. The new record-setting mark is 76.6 mpg (3715.4 miles on only 4.1 tanks of gas) and outputting 104 horsepower. Efficiency and emissions are further improved via an exhaust heat recovery system, which speeds engine warm-up by routing coolant to a heat exchanger in the exhaust system. Electric energy and power for the whole system is provided by a compact and lightweight 1.56-kWh Lithium Ion Polymer battery located underneath the rear seat Kia & The Engineer

“This institute will catapult Queensland onto the global stage as a leader in medical innovation and technology that will change the face of healthcare” Qld State Minister for Health Cameron Dick on the Australian-first Biofabrication Research Institute at the Herston Health Precinct, Brisbane, to be opened this year and which is set to ‘revolutionise’ modern medicine, both in Australia and globally. Biofabrication is the manufacture of patient-specific tissue to replace or patch broken bones and cartilage and ultimately new organs for transplantation.

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product news

Dormer Pramet – A helping hand in a tough spot Dormer Pramet has developed a new range of tools for drilling spot welds and sheet metal.

The new spot weld drills have been specifically designed for drilling out spot welds to release steel panels and sheets. A number of standard sizes are available to suit common spot welds found in the automotive and trailer repair industry.

Manufactured from high speed cobalt (HSS-E), the A723 drill, which has a bronze surface finish, offers high hot hardness to retain a sharp cutting edge under extreme conditions. A special lip and spur point geometry provides positive centring, while the sharp outercorners cut the softer material around the spot weld.

The drills, launched under the company’s Dormer brand, feature a strong web for additional strength and improved penetration in tough conditions. Their short flute also gives stability when hand held drilling thin panels and sheet.

Dormer’s High Speed Steel (HSS) sheet metal drills are available in a number of standard sizes to suit common rivets, screws and bolts.

Suitable for drilling thin sheet steel and panels, the A123 range features a 120-degree point geometry with a short flute to provide easy penetration and rigidity in portable applications. No body clearance further increases stability during drilling and breakthrough to give superior hole quality.

Its thin web at the point provides excellent self-centring properties, while its steam-tempered surface improves performance and reduces the chance of built-up edge. A double ended version (A119) is also available. As part of the launch, several new sets have been added. This includes a ‘compact drill’ set (A087) featuring 19 popular sizes of its TiN coated A002 jobber drill for general purpose drilling, as well as a 19 and 25 piece set containing the A108 HSS quick spiral jobber drill for stainless steel (A188).

Meanwhile, to complement its existing range of centre drills, Dormer Pramet has introduced several new designs to further expand the applications covered. These include a HSS-E range of centre drills for tougher materials and environments, a flatted shank version for

improved clamping, a long series option for increased reach and a line of solid carbide centre drills for hard and abrasive materials.

The new Dormer assortment has been manufactured with a flatted shank for use in custom centring heads specifically to support machining the ends of shafts. Their radius form increases cross sectional strength and therefore reduces the risk of breakage. www.dormerpramet.com

Linx releases fastest scribing laser system Product manufacturers who face counterfeiting challenges can now achieve permanent codes on a range of materials delivered efficiently at high speed.

Linx Printing Technologies UK has just released its fastest coders ever, the Linx CSL10 and Linx CSL30. These powerful lasers systems can now print complex codes into a large marking field of 600mm x 440mm that previously would have required two lasers to complete. Unique codes can be entered, stored and changed when required using LinxVision unique software on the smart new touch screen that accompanies each laser.

Coding orientations can be adjusted to meet the needs of each product range with the option of multiple beam delivery.

The robust, future-proofed Linx CSL10 and Linx CSL30 are available with either an IP54 or IP65 rating suitable for wet and dusty environments making this small C02 laser system suitable for a range of industries.

A new feature is ease of integration into the production line.

AMT Feb/Mar 2017

With a detachable marking head and cables that are easy to disconnect the laser can be squeezed into tight spaces or mounted above fast paced production lines when required.

The release of the new CSL10 and CSL30 reflects Linx’s intention to meet user needs. Based on feedback from its user base, Linx has responded with features requested by actual users of Linx laser coders, making this a coding system highly suited to manufacturers who require permanent coded company marks on their products. Linx lasers are available from Australian distributor Raymax Applications Pty Ltd. www.raymax.com.au

Product news

Boge S-4 – whisper-quiet, efficient screw compressor With the S-4, Boge Compressors claims to have set a technological milestone in the screw compressor sector.

Following a redesign, the compressed air system is not only extremely efficient, but also whisper-quiet at 69 dB(A). This also makes it suitable for environments that are sensitive to noise. The enclosed direct drive provides for low-maintenance continuous operation, even with high dust volumes. The control system, focus control 2.0, supports interconnected operation with up to four units without the use of additional higher-level control.

To cater for growing demands from customers for compressed air systems with minimum power consumption in the performance range from 110kW to 160kW, Boge sought to turn the design principle of the oillubricated screw compressor on its head. It owes its gain in efficiency to its first airend to feature integrated gears, effilence IntegrateDrive.

The large-scale design of the compressor provides high delivery rates with low power consumption. The energy consumed by the S-4 thus falls by as much as 8%. The integrated gears are hermetically enclosed. The drive has optimum protection from high levels of dust in the ambient air, which occur, for example, when flour is used in the food industry. The result is a low-maintenance, extremely long service life of over 35,000 operating hours.

A machine unit isolated from vibrations is the key to low noise. At 69 dB(A) the new generation is 7dB(A) quieter than the previous model.

To achieve this, Boge isolated the oil separator from the base frame and the soundhood to prevent the transmission of any vibrations. To accomplish isolation, Boge designed a vertical oil separator with a new pre-separation system. Other benefits are a low residual oil content in the compressed air, minimal pressure losses and a long service life for the separating element. As the machine is so quiet, it can also be used in environments that are sensitive to noise, such as next to workstations, with no additional sound insulation required. The focus control 2.0 control system is designed to anticipate operating states and automatically adjusts to the temperatures and pressure levels that occur. The new Boge system makes it possible to simultaneously monitor the operating states and maintenance intervals of up to four compressors. This extends service life, and allows the user to take full advantage of the potential offered by the system, making S4 screw compressors suitable for three-shift operation. When maintenance is required, there is easy access to components via the removable service doors on two sides of the screw compressor. www.boge.com.au

THE HYDRAFEED BARFEEDER SHUTS THE LID ON THE COMPETITION. The Hydrafeed Barfeeder takes Barfeeder productivity to a new level.

Once you’ve set a bar size and saved the setup, you never have to open the cover again. Simply call up the program from the touch screen and the Hydrafeed will set itself on centreline automatically thanks to the servo drive bar lifter mechanism.

And with the expertise of overseas factory-trained Dimac staff, you’re guaranteed the easiest of installations and smooth interfacing. Plus Dimac will be there for all ongoing support and technical requirements.

What are you waiting for? Call Dimac on (03) 9771 6121 or visit www.dimac.com.au

DESIGNED IN THE UK

AMT Feb/Mar 2017

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product news

TaeguTec – T-Burst holder for Swiss turning TaeguTec has introduced the T-Burst high-pressure coolant holder for Swiss turning applications.

As with the current T-Burst holder, the T-Burst holder for Swiss turning applications applies high-pressure coolant from dual holes directly between the metal chip and the insert’s rake face; a feature that optimises control, extends tool life as well as increasing productivity through higher cutting speeds and feed rates.

It is capable of handling coolant pressure up to 140 bar maximum and is designed to machine miniature products generally found in the automotive, medical and aerospace sectors. The new T-Burst holder is ideally suited for machining difficult-to-cut materials such as stainless steel, titanium, Inconel and other heat resistant alloys.

For added convenience, a simple coupling (one-touch exchange) system has been introduced. The hose connecting the machine to the holder can be easily and quickly attached or detached for replacement. The coupling system’s hoses are available in two lengths: 200mm and 300mm depending on the machine’s specifications.

During product testing, be it on medical or automotive parts, the new T-Burst for Swiss turning applications increased tool life by a minimum of 100% over the competition.

In one test on a mission core workpiece made from steel magnetic iron, the new addition to the T-Burst line increased tool

life by 300% over the competition. In other tests on different materials such as steel magnetic iron and chrome cobalt molybden steel, the new T-Burst raised the bar by increasing tool life by 100%. www.taegutec.com

Hypertherm Introduces SilverPlus for plasma cutting at 80 amps

Hypertherm has added a lower-amp model to its SilverPlus electrode range for its HyPerformance family of plasma cutting systems, designed for cutting at 80 amps.

Like all SilverPlus electrodes, the new 80 amp electrode has been proven in laboratory testing to last more than twice as long as a standard copper electrode.

Instead of replacing the electrode at a pit depth of 1mm, as recommended with standard electrodes, SilverPlus electrodes are designed to last to a pit depth of 2mm.

In addition, the electrode delivers a very consistent performance throughout its life, allowing owners to lower their operating cost, with no impact on cut quality or speed.

The electrodes, protected by patent, are created by fusing a completely solid silver tip on to a copper electrode base. A hafnium pin is then inserted into the tip. This serves to dramatically slow the wear rate for both the electrode and nozzle as silver disperses heat better than copper. Hypertherm’s electrodes are further differentiated from competitive and after-market consumables by a superior bond between the copper and silver. This results in more consistent

AMT Feb/Mar 2017

wear rates, deeper pit depths, and more robustness to ramp down errors and hard failures.

“The proven performance of SilverPlus makes these electrodes a popular and cost-effective choice since it allows HyPerformance Plasma owners to cut their electrode and nozzle costs in half,” says Martin Geheran, a consumables product

manager at Hypertherm. “These electrodes are a perfect example of Hypertherm’s commitment to lowering the cost of cutting for people who own our products.”

In addition to the new 80 amp electrode, Hypertherm also offers 130, 200, 260, and 400 amp versions with similar performance. www.hypertherm.com

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Cost Effective Being a fibre laser keeps the cost down

Affordable Owning a VTop fibre laser is suprisingly achievable

Increase Profits Dont pay other people to do it for you

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Save Time Don’t wait for other people and their delays

Service In house service with excellent response times

The reality was that only a select few could own a fibre laser cutting machine, the reality has changed! CMT is now stocking and selling Vtop fibre laser cutting machines at very affordable prices that enables the small / medium business to bring laser cutting in house and better control their production.

Fibre lasers are virtually maintenance free and have very low running costs. Send us your DXF cutting file and we’ll not only do a time/cost analysis for you but also cut your actual part for you on our demo machine we have in stock. Let us show you that you CAN afford a Vtop fibre laser cutting machine

Complete Machine Tools, Your Partner in Innovation.

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product news

Productivity and process reliability to the power of three

The new Walter T2711/T2712 indexable insert thread milling cutter combines all of the benefits of thread milling and thread tapping.

With the T2711/T2712 cutter, Walter has launched a completely new tool for machining larger threads with nominal diameters of 24mm and above, with multiple cutting rows and an adjustable coolant supply with selectable radial or axial coolant outlets.

Combining high productivity, process reliability and cost-effectiveness, the T2711/T2712 cutter will be of interest to customers from the general mechanical engineering, energy and automotive sectors, among others.

The new milling cutter is equipped with specifically developed thread milling inserts having three cutting edges apiece, soft-cutting geometry and a special chip breaker designed for thread milling. It can be used universally for thread depths of up to 2.5 × DN and a pitch range of 1.5mm to 6mm or 18-4 TPI, and is suitable for all

materials from the ISO material groups P, M, K, S and H up to 55 HRC. Multiple thread sections can be machined simultaneously with high cutting parameters, enabling machining times comparable to those of thread tapping and forming to be achieved. However, in addition to quick machining, users also benefit from the high process reliability of the thread milling process and the cost benefits of an indexable insert tool. Alongside ease of handling and excellent thread quality, the high level of productivity at low cost per thread is the greatest benefit of this tool for its users. In a test involving large-scale crankshaft machining, the new thread milling cutter reduced costs by 60%. www.walter-tools.com

Rockwell Automation expands modular MES offerings

New and expanded applications from Rockwell Automation help reduce the cost and time-to-value of a manufacturing execution system (MES). An MES allows companies to connect, manage, validate and optimise production to help achieve smart manufacturing. However, a traditional MES is cost-prohibitive for many manufacturers.

Now, manufacturers can tap into scalable FactoryTalk ProductionCentre MES applications from Rockwell Automation that address specific manufacturing challenges, like quality, machine performance, track/trace and genealogy. Solutions can start at the machine or work-area level with a single application and with minimal infrastructure requirements, and scale to an integrated MES solution as ROI is realised.

Rockwell Automation has released the following applications, with more to come in the future: • FactoryTalk Production Application – Manufacturers are challenged to optimise production processes, lower structured costs, improve productivity and achieve a near zero-inventory system. The FactoryTalk Production application is a scalable MES solution that addresses the challenges associated with enforcing processes in manufacturing. This application integrates with ERP, and tracks the order and recipe parameters necessary for production. The Production application supports end-toend production management within a facility, offering a vital platform for continuous improvement.

• FactoryTalk Quality Application – Facilities relying on disparate systems and antiquated paper processes cannot guarantee consistent production quality. The newly expanded Quality application allows manufacturers to easily and efficiently model and enforce their plant’s in-process quality regimens at a scalable rate. The application supports

AMT Feb/Mar 2017

a facility’s efforts to deliver a timely, quality product and react quickly to quality issues. Manufacturers can use the Quality application on a project basis and scale up when value is proven. The application can be expanded to include other functionality within the FactoryTalk ProductionCentre MES system or run as a standalone.

• FactoryTalk Performance Application – Manufacturing companies today lack visibility into real-time production performance and productivity data. Performance is a modular application that assists manufacturing companies with factory efficiency and production improvement. By providing visibility into the operations performance, this application allows for lean and continuous improvement, preventive manufacturing, improved asset utilisation and operational intelligence.

Each expanded MES application is implemented on thin clients for a modern user experience and reduced, IT infrastructure cost.

Users can add on each application to their current framework, helping protect their current investments while realising these additional benefits. Rockwell Automation has long recognised the importance of connecting independent automation systems in production environments. This modular framework will continue to be built out with applications for warehouse management and process integration throughout 2017. www.rockwellautomation.com

Product news

Konecranes gives Park Engineering a productivity lift Konecranes has increased the productivity of CNC machining specialist Park Engineering, providing the company with a brand new five-ton CXT overhead crane for its workshop.

SISMA MYSINT– 3D Laser Metal Fusion

Based in Unanderra, New South Wales, Park Engineering is a family-owned and run business offering precision machining, manufacturing and light fabrication at a competitive price. The primary services the company offers are : precision CNC machining, fitting, component checking and overhaul, full engineering drawing capabilities, and light fabrication from one-off prototypes to full production runs.

CXT wire rope hoists are staple lifting devices used widely throughout Australasia and globally in maintenance tasks, production lines, engineering and processing plants and industrial warehouses and factories. Their strength, compact size, speed, reliability and safety make them indispensable in production facilities where time is money and space is limited.

Park Engineering Director Jarrod van Elsland praised Konecranes for its seamless supply and installation, which is vital to a small business where downtime simply isn’t an option.

“The installation of this crane increases our productivity and efficiency in workpiece handling and workshop movement,” he said. “Inward and outbound material handling activities are also proving to be more economical than past operations.”

The relationship between Park Engineering and Konecranes is mutually beneficial, as Konecranes uses the company’s expertise in machining.

“Park Engineering’s reliability and professional work has enabled Konecranes to provide a high-quality service to our customers and meet some demanding deadlines, especially during breakdown situations,” said Wayne Alexander, Project Manager at Konecranes.

“It’s highly rewarding to be able to provide the same level of highquality service to an SME like Park Engineering that has worked with us so professionally over the past five years.”

“We’re a company with over 11,400 employees in 48 countries, so it’s really important that we continue to support SMEs and give them a high level of customer service. Park Engineering’s company ethos of quality, safety, delivery and customer service matches Konecranes perfectly.”

Konecranes CXT wire rope hoists are designed to be industry benchmarks of safety and ergonomics, with easy and effective load handling and optimum dimensions for space saving solutions.

CXT hoists utilise the latest technology for improved load accuracy, versatility and ease of use – making them the industry leader in medium-heavy indoor cranes. www.konecranes.com

for more information contact us NOW or vist our website

Sisma MYSINT100 rewriting the rules in the production of metal prototypes.

Industrial Laser together with Sisma offer a wide range of products from Laser Metal Fusion, Additive Manufacturing and Marking and Engraving systems, to Welding & Moulds repair systems.

This affordable, high-class machinery produces consistent metal printing time and time again giving you the competitive edge you are looking for.

Aerospace – Medical – Dental - Manufacturing • Simple and robust design • Enhanced productivity • Perfect fusion / low gas consumption • High efficiency filter • High flexibility • Effective powder management • Open system

For more information, contact Industrial Laser on +61 (0)3 9796 3055.

Lasers • CNC’s • Special Projects Machine Upgrades • Spares • Service Support Laser Optics • Nozzles etc – all brands.

www.industriallaser.com.au

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Factory 8, 17 Keppel Drive, Hallam VIC 3803 AUSTRALIA T: (03) 9796 3055 • E: sales@industriallaser.com.au

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ANCA MNS – Extending the life of your CNC grinder

ANCA’s new Maintenance Notification Software uses the principle of preventative maintenance rather than breakdown maintenance to reduce machine downtime.

As with a high-performing vehicle, a regular program of preventative maintenance is essential for maximising the performance of your CNC tool and cutter grinder and reducing down-time. Over the long term this also ensures the longevity and return on investment for the customer by extending the lifecycle of the machine. However, in today’s busy production environment even the most organised business may fall behind in their maintenance schedule.

“To make it as easy as possible for our customers, ANCA has developed a new software product called Maintenance Notification Software (MNS), available as an additional capability to our ToolRoom software suite at no extra cost,” says Simon Richardson, ANCA Product Manager.

“MNS uses the principle of preventative maintenance rather than breakdown maintenance. Just like we service our automobiles regularly to avoid unexpected breakdowns, the MNS preventative maintenance program follows the same principle by avoiding those unexpected and disruptive unplanned machine issues.”

To notify the user that maintenance is required, a pop-up screen automatically appears days in advance of a specific task.

Notifications contain a link to instruction manuals to make it easy to access the information the user needs, and to ensure the tasks are completed, the user logs into the system to record that the work has been done. The MNS software is simple and easy to follow, enabling real-time

In MNS a pop-up screen automatically notifies the user days in advance of a specific maintenance task.

maintenance planning to reduce machine downtime and provide a more robust method of monitoring and recording past maintenance work. MNS offers several key benefits for the customer, including: • The software ensures that preventative maintenance occurs at required intervals.

• Machine performance is sustained.

• Machine lifecycle is extended through regular maintenance.

• The efficiency and level of service from the machine is enhanced.

• Machine uptime is increased.

• User notifications are provided to assist in the planning or service work and ordering spare parts.

• The possibility of costly breakdowns is significantly reduced.

MNS supports English, German and Chinese languages (other languages will be available in the future). When using MNS, log files are created and stored from the user’s input of maintenance tasks for reference purposes. www.anca.com

New DC servo gear motor combinations from maxon

Complex processing applications requiring human interaction need absolute precision to ensure operator safety.

The solution, according to maxon motor, is its new zero-backlash brushless DC servo gear motors with absolute encoder combinations.

When a mineral-processing company required an automation process involving high torque levels in close proximity to the machinery operator, new product thinking was required. The heavy equipment being moved generates considerable inertia that would need to hold under brake tension. Position control of the load requires encoder feedback on the brushless DC motor to complement absolute encoder feedback on the load and zero backlash on the gearhead to ensure the unit is in the exact position that the control system thinks it is.

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The solution was the first assembled combination of a maxon 60mm, 48V, 400w, brushless DC motor, a three-channel digital incremental encoder, a 24V holding brake and a 160:1 zero backlash gearhead. This new motor solution can hold a 400Nm load continuously and withstand shock loading on the output of up to 2200Nm. Speeds of up to 30rpm are capable from the unit and it is easily configured for use with servo amplifiers or position controllers having zero cogging or mechanical detents. www.maxonmotor.com.au

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Key players in the international aerospace and defence industries are getting into gear for Avalon 2017, the Australian International Airshow and Aerospace and Defence Exposition. Carole Goldsmith spoke to the event’s organisers, as well as two of the Australian manufacturing companies that will be exhibiting.

Held biennially, Avalon 2017 will be held from 28 February to 5 March at Avalon Airport, near Geelong, in Victoria’s west. Avalon 2017’s CEO Ian Honnery expects that this year’s event will be even bigger than the last one in 2015.

“The pulling power of our event, both as an aviation spectacular and as a world-class trade show, remains extremely strong,” he says. “The fact that we continue to attract people from across the globe reflects our prestige and international standing.

“During the Airshow’s planning and operation, we work very closely with the RAAF, which deploys several hundred people and several aircraft to Avalon. This is a valuable training activity for the RAAF in the deployment and sustainment of a composite squadron. We also work together with the Victorian Government and statutory authorities including the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CAA), AirServices Australia, the Australian Federal Police, the Victorian Police and emergency services, plus with the City of Greater Geelong and Avalon Airport’s owner, the Linfox Group.”

Two years ago Avalon 2015 delivered a multi-million dollar economic and tourist bonanza to Victoria. The National Institute of Economic and Industry Research revealed that Victoria received a gross economic benefit of $146.2m from the 2015 Airshow. Of a total of 169,251 visitations during the six-day event, more than 38,000 were from interstate, and more than 13,000 were from overseas.

Avalon 2017 CEO Ian Honnery.

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Defence & Aerospace Two RAAF FA-18F Super Hornets take off for their flying display.

“Business deals worth more than $1.25bn were announced during and after the last Airshow,” Honnery advises. “Also 2,000 full-year equivalent employment positions were created.”

While the air displays are the big draw for the general public, it is in the exhibition that much of the real business is done. Avalon 2017 will open for trade visitors from 28 February to 5 March, with members of the public admitted as of 3 March. Honnery discusses some of the things that will be in store at the exhibition.

“We will be showcasing innovative businesses, general and business aviation, air traffic management, modern airports, RAAF’s Plan Jericho, community service aviation, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) or drones. Also, we’ll have a new drone zone promoting drone technology to hobbyists as well as professional users.”

Among the exhibitors will be a significant number of Australian organisations. These include companies such as Aerosonde (the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) builder, now part of US giant Textron), Thales Australia, Marand Precision Engineering, Quickstep Technologies, Ronson Gears, CEA Technology, Mincham Aviation, BAE Systems Australia, Levett Engineering and Lovitt Technologies, many of which are doing a lot of advanced manufacturing work for US export customers. In addition, there will also be a number of universities and research centres such as Monash, UniNSW, UTS, Swinburne, RMIT and the Defence Materials Technology Centre (DMTC). Global exhibitors include Airbus, BAE Systems, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, GE, Pratt & Whitney, Rolls-Royce, Thales, Embraer, Bombardier, SAFRAN and Dassault.

“Many of these companies already have quite substantial subsidiaries located in Australia,” Honnery adds proudly.

Alongside the event there are a total of 18 planned conferences.

These include the Chief of Air Force symposium, on 27 February in Melbourne; and the 17th Australian International Aerospace Congress, organised by Engineers Australia and the Royal Aeronautical Society, in Melbourne on 27-28 February, then at Avalon Conference Centre on 1-2 March.

“Avalon 2017 is very much an international event,” says Honnery.

“We take Australian industry to the world by bringing the world to Australia. The 2015 show played host to no less than 148 official delegations from 28 countries. We saw 34 air force chiefs, or their official representatives. That’s more than a major UK show like Farnborough would expect. We had a total attendance over the four industry-only trade days of more than 33,000. That’s the benchmark we’ve set ourselves for 2017.”

Levett Engineering – Showcasing at Avalon South Australian manufacturer Levett Engineering is one of the aerospace and defence manufacturers that will be present at Avalon 2017. It will be exhibiting with the Lockheed Martin Pavillion, alongside other suppliers to the Lockheed Martin F35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF). Based in Elizabeth in Adelaide’s northern suburbs, the company has a long history of engineering precision components for the aerospace sector.

Continued next page

Levett Engineering CEO and founder Paul Levett.

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Avalon 2017 will open for trade visitors from 28 February to 5 March, with the general public admitted as of 3 March.

Levett’s advanced manufacturing plant in Elizabeth.

Continued from previous page

“When the Australian Government invested in the fifth-generation F-35 JSF project 14 years ago, the Levett Engineering management team became an active participant in this project,” says CEO and founder Paul Levett. “This decision has helped shape our company’s success and established it as a respected member of the elite group of organisations that comprise the Lockheed Martin F35 JSF manufacturing team.

“We supply a wide range of components to major Australian and global aerospace companies, with the ultimate end-user, being Lockheed Martin, for its F35 JSF production. The jets are produced at its Fort Worth Texas manufacturing facilities.”

Levett has grown extensively since Paul first set up a small engineering plant 28 years ago. He had already gained extensive experience in precision engineering prior to starting his business, having worked at several Department of Defence organisations, initially as a fitting and turning apprentice and later as a qualified engineer.

“After outgrowing three commercial premises, the company and its staff moved in 2004 to its current site, a 2,000sqm premises at Elizabeth,” he says. “Levett Engineering now employs 45 people, and we manufacture over 350 components.”

The advanced manufacturing plant in Elizabeth is quality system AS 9100 C (aerospace) accredited and ISO 9001 2008 compliant. The business is also ITAR (International Traffic and Arms Regulations) compliant as required by exporters and importers of defencerelated products and services on the US Munitions List (USML).

Levett Engineering supplies a vast array of components, including: titanium, aluminium, stainless steel airframe components for Lockheed Martin; and aluminium, titanium, tungsten components and assemblies for BAE Systems. It produces super-alloy “hot end” jet engine parts for Pratt & Whitney; aluminium electronic housings for Northrup Grumman; aluminium and titanium electronic enclosures and brackets for Harris Corp; and aluminium electronic enclosures for Amphenol Corp. The company also supplies defence clients including BAE Systems’ global supply chain, the Department of Defence, and ASC, Australia’s largest defence shipbuilding organisation. It has been a certified defence-recognised supplier to the Australian Army, Navy and Air Force since 2007.

When asked how other Australian manufacturers can break into the international aerospace and defence industry, Paul recommends participation in the Global Supply Chain Program, which is now managed by the Centre for Defence Industry Capability (CDIC).

The CDIC, an initiative established under the Federal Government’s 2016 Defence Industry Policy Statement, is a collaboration between the Department of Defence and the Department of Innovation and Science.

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Aerospace components manufactured by Levett Engineering.

According to the CDIC site, eligible Australian SMEs seeking to enter global value chains or to export their products and services will be provided with a comprehensive package of defence export advice, export development and promotion, supply chain facilitation and business development. This assistance will include (where eligible) access to defence trade missions and exhibitions overseas, export readiness training, and facilitated access to the defence Primes.

Avalon 2017 looming, is getting set for a year of ambitious expansion plans.

“In the next 12 months, we hope to expand and acquire a second factory nearby,” says Paul. “Our head office will remain here at Elizabeth.

“We employ talented people who are great individuals,” he adds proudly. “Our philosophy is based on trust, integrity, honesty and a genuine desire to build strategic partnerships with our customers and suppliers.”

Ronson Gears – Getting in gear Another company making preparations for Avalon 2017 is Ronson Gears, which will be showcasing its products and services alongside around 16 other companies within the Victorian Government Pavillion. According to the company’s Sales and Marketing Manager, Gavin New, Avalon is a very good branding exercise with the excellent networking opportunities.

“The knowledge gained is invaluable,” says Gavin. “This is our third airshow at Avalon and it is very important for our company to be seen, whilst further developing the relationships made over the years.”

Ronson’s experience and technology plays a key role in supplying precision machined components, gears and assemblies to the aerospace and defence industries. Among its end customers are Primes such as Boeing Defence Systems, Raytheon and Lockheed Martin.

Defence & Aerospace Ronson Gears supplies precision machined components, gears and assemblies to the aerospace and defence industries.

The company has certainly grown since engineer Ronald Charles New, Gavin’s grandfather, started the business in 1954 with just a lathe, a gear hobbing machine and a small workshop. Gavin explains that Ronald always wanted his sons in the business, so he called the company Ronson, after Ron and son. Gavin’s father Gordon is Ronson’s Managing Director and has been with the company since 1975. Today the company employs 32 staff at its factory in Highett, in Melbourne’s South East.

“We have plans in place to increase turnover dramatically in the next five years, which will result in further employment opportunities,” adds Gavin. “Every year we at least try and put on a new apprentice.”

With a passion for precision, the company has flourished and earned a reputation for innovation and excellence in manufacturing components, gears and assemblies. As well as the aerospace and defence industry, Ronson supplies the mining and rail industries, and other sectors such as construction, waste and agriculture. The company works to quality systems AS9100C and ISO 9001:2008 as required by the aerospace and defence industries.

“Currently our main aerospace and defence industry customers are BAE Systems, Marand Precision Engineering and Ferra Engineering,” says Gavin. “As well as the Primes and Tier 1 suppliers, we also supply gears to Martin Aircraft in New Zealand, the personal jetpack company. They initially came to us as we are the only dedicated Australian gear manufacturer with the AS9100C aerospace accreditation.

“We produce gears from 4mm in diameter for medical applications to 900mm for mining or rail. A typical aerospace gear is under 300mm and made of aerospace-grade stainless steel amongst other alloy steels. We do gearing for a few aerospace and defence suppliers that provide ground support applications to the JSF. This includes numerous gear types for the F35 JSF Engine Removal and Installation (R&I) Mobility Trailer for Marand Precision Engineering.”

At Ronson’s factory, a Mega Machine bandsaw is used to cut up steel into small gear blanks at the start the manufacturing process. The workshop also features a variety of CNC lathes and milling machinery, including brand names like Okuma and DMG MORI SEKI, as well as a Studer grinding machine, commissioned

in 2015 to support its precision work in aerospace and defence.

The company’s quality control centre includes gear measuring equipment from Wenzel.

“The lathes and mills machine the blanks and our high-end CNC gear cutting and gear grinding machines produce the tooth form,” Gavin explains. “For every gear manufacturing job we do, we measure every ‘first off’ on our gear measuring machine, and complete numerous other checks throughout the manufacturing process.”

Ronson is an active member of various international industry associations, including Eurotrans and the American Gear Manufacturers Association (AGMA). This has helped the company promote its brand and expertise globally. Gordon was also on the AGMA’s Board for many years.

“Being members of these bodies, and relationships with associate companies in Europe, UK, Japan, NZ and USA, gives Ronson a global focus and is paramount to our success,” says Gavin. “It has also alleviated a lot of risks in relation to machine purchases internationally. For the other part of our business (outside aerospace and defence), we export to Hong Kong, South America, USA and UK.” Regarding the company’s future, Gavin says: “We are setting goals to increase the business by 50% in the next five years, and it will be tough as the Australian gear market is diminishing.

“Aerospace and defence will play a large role in our plans and our agents are currently targeting the UK for gearing opportunities in both the commercial and aerospace and defence sectors. We have recently signed a Memo of Understanding to provide gears to a UK machining company that supplies the aerospace and defence industries. “There will also be many international marketing opportunities for Ronson at Avalon 2017.” www.airshow.com.au www.business.gov.au/centre-for-defence-industry-capability www.levett.com.au www.ronsongears.com.au

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Thales in Australia – Positive outlook for defence Chris Jenkins became the CEO of Thales Australia in 2008, during which time the company has been transformed from five separate businesses into one of Australia’s biggest defence suppliers. Here he discusses the work his company is engaged in, the state of the industry in Australia, and the opportunities it can offer for manufacturers.

The defence sector in Australia is changing, and it’s a very positive outlook – that’s the short story. And Thales in Australia is changing too. It’s changing to be more agile and competitive, and some of our key projects offer evidence of that.

Thales is a global organisation with 3,200 people in Australia and more than 60,000 worldwide. We draw on that expertise to manage complex risks, working together in integrated teams. We’re also a long-term investor in Australia, having been here for 30 years.

we fail as an industry to manage these risks and deliver well, then the positive policies supporting local spending will fall away and more equipment will be bought from overseas. We must never fail on delivering quality products on time to our customer.

Thales’ approach is to innovate: to share knowledge and create a collective enterprise between Primes like us and our

Our business model has changed since I became CEO in 2008.

When we acquired ADI Limited back in 1999 it was a vertically integrated organisation that was trying to do everything itself. That just doesn’t make sense. It’s not competitive, efficient or agile, so we’ve moved more work into our supply chain. The Hawkei protected mobility vehicle is the best example, with around 80% of the work done outside of Thales. We increasingly rely on our supply chain as a fundamental contributor to our business.

We are planning to invest more than $100m in our selffunded Research & Development program over the next three years. That will generate solid revenue growth, not just for us but also for our supply chain. In fact, most of the workforce increase will occur in our supply chain.

The defence environment today benefits from an alignment between the Government and Defence policymakers around: how can we create a stronger capability proposition for our soldiers, our servicemen and servicewomen?

How can we do it more rapidly and more costeffectively? Defence needs superior capability, to be at the cutting edge of technology while properly managing risk and availability. They’re willing to invest in these outcomes, and the Government is driving to invest more in Australian industry.

The one absolute challenge is not to fail. I’ve been in the industry for 35 years and seen fluctuating policies towards local industry.

When big projects hit Australia, they bring opportunity and risk. If

The Hawkei protected mobility vehicle from Thales in Australia.

An Australian Acoustic Generator (AAG), from Thales’ underwater systems business at Rydalmere.

supply chain. The key is to bring our partners into the design phase of a project as early as possible. This is not about us doing the design and handing it over; it’s about a sophisticated level of integration.

That shift with Hawkei, with 80% of the work undertaken outside the company, is significant compared to Bushmaster, Hawkei’s predecessor, where only something like 40% of the work was performed externally.

Innovation is key. We need the engineering skills in Australia to support the know-how, and the know-why. We have to invest, and in Hawkei we invested $55m of company money. In our ordnance business, we made a multi-million dollar investment to produce mining boosters in Benalla for a local customer, replacing Chinese imports. We won that contract on cost and reliability. We’ve also put $35m into our Melbourne air traffic management business to develop Australia’s next air traffic control system. Investing in capability, and above all building that capability through an enterprise with our supply chain, is fundamental to this approach.

All these innovations must be globally competitive or they will not be sustainable. What Australian industry does exceptionally well is produce high-quality products that we can sell into the world market based on performance discrimination and cost-competitiveness.

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Defence & Aerospace Bushmaster, Hawkei’s predecessor.

It’s not a race to the bottom in terms of price, but a race to the top in terms of performance and quality.

Building supply chain strength Our supply chain enterprise is growing steadily. We are increasingly reliant on Australian industry, and as a consequence I’ve seen our product offerings into Defence reduce in price. The reduction across several of our projects is around 25%. These supply chain relationships are working, and we want to form very long-term relationships with our partners.

In the Hawkei project, we’ve got key companies that put their own time, money and knowledge into creating the vehicle. Albins Performance Transmissions, the makers of the cross-drive and steering gear, help make that vehicle a success. Companies like RPC and Cablex are involved, as are several others across Australia. We depend on these companies to be successful.

Lives depend on our protected vehicles. Our work on Bushmaster and Hawkei has consequences that go beyond business. Our soldiers are asked to do the hardest possible task that any country can ask of any person, so we have an obligation to deliver the highest possible personnel protection. We have a moral duty, and our supply chain partners have to be ready for that commitment. I’ve met with the families of soldiers that have been in Bushmasters in Afghanistan, and their stories bring home the realities of their work.

Hawkei is currently going through its reliability test phase and is achieving all its objectives extremely well. It’s a $1.3bn contract for the ADF. This is world-beating, world-competitive technology.

We’ve exported $250m worth of Bushmasters, and we hope Hawkei will also be an export success bringing significant revenue into Australia.

Australia is a world leader. If we innovate, invest and stay globally competitive, there is an extremely bright future for Australian manufacturing. www.thalesgroup.com.au

Thales’ ordnance business has made a multi-million dollar investment to produce mining boosters in Benalla.

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SA sets sights on defence and aerospace South Australia is fast positioning itself as a defence and aerospace hub, with innovative manufacturers in the state breaking new ground in the industry, and exciting new initiatives taking shape.

“The combined solutions we develop are applicable in the C4ISR environment, and the systems can operate independently or as part of a network-centric environment,” Begbie says. “This is the culmination of independent Australian development that enables us to collectively compete with anyone in the arena.”

SA company Supashock has used its expertise in active damping control to design high-quality shock absorbers for the defence industry. Previously used in race cars, its shock absorption technology is being used to increase the safety and stability of tactical military trucks.

A well-known name in motorsport, Supashock launched its first product in Germany at the 2013 ADAC GT Masters, taking on racing royalty including BMW, Audi and Mercedes Benz. The new product is being trialled by Rheinmetall Defence Australia, which has installed the shock absorbers in one of its HX series trucks.

Supashock Managing Director Oscar Fiorinotto says the company’s background in motorsport dynamics was a key factor in helping it transition from race cars to mining vehicles and now military trucks.

“After Formula E we ventured into 4WDs and then progressed into mining and developed an underground system that helps to prevent back injuries,” says Fiorinotto. “It increases productivity but most importantly prevents rollovers, which is a real safety issue. In defence, rollover mitigation is a big thing as well and our passive system is extremely responsive – it enables the user to have better ride quality without the extreme damping force.”

The new shock absorbers use a unique air-spring system and active damping control that allows greater flexibility in larger vehicles. This flexibility increases the stability of loading and unloading cargo – especially on steep slopes – reducing rollover potential and decreasing load time. The military version of the damping technology is a complete retrofit and there are no modification requirements for the chassis. Fiorinotto said it was important to keep the installation process simple so a vehicle could be fitted in a day. “We were able to tailor the system and developed an active product for the defence force,” he explains. “It has the same productivity that you’d find in our other products but with the reliability that defence needs to have.”

Fiorinotto says the company is gearing up to expand its global network in the fields of mining and military damping technology.

Supashock is also involved with Flinders University’s Nanoconnect program in the field of Improvised Explosive Device (IED) mitigation on the back of damping analysis.

Nanoconnect is a government-supported program that aims to give companies access to advanced analytical equipment for research and design purposes.

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Rheinmetall Defence Australia has installed Supashock’s technology in one of its HX series trucks.

Combining forces for stronger land vehicles Rugged hardware developer APC Technology has teamed up with mission software designer Acacia Research to help develop the future of Australia’s land defence force. The two companies have won a contract to develop systems for the national LAND 400 initiative to build Australia’s next generation of armoured fighting vehicles. Scott Begbie, Managing Director of APC, says the joint effort would allow both companies to build upon each other’s strengths.

“APC has extensive experience supplying hardware solutions into the defence area, and Acacia has very efficient software that requires minimal computer resources,” says Begbie. “Therefore, combined solutions can be provided that minimise heat generation, volume and weight in systems, which are always important issues in military applications. This is an example of what can be achieved by the use of innovative Australian technology.”

The two companies will jointly develop hardware and software for the new mission systems, intended to serve all needs in terms of command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C4ISR). While the system is being designed specifically for LAND 400, once complete, it will be suitable for a variety of defence projects.

Supashock’s shock absorption technology is well known in motorsport.

The combined forces approach of APC and Acacia is the newest addition to a growing number of South Australian technology partnerships. South Australian aviation services company Cobham similarly won a national contract by partnering with other local companies. In recent years, the Defence Teaming Centre (DTC), the state’s peak defence industry body, has also pushed core businesses to utilise each other’s skills to secure contracts, with Cobham one such success story.

According to Callista Redmond, president of open technical community OpenPower, this is indicative of a shift towards more open boundaries between businesses.

Overseeing an international collaborative effort between both tech giants and smaller companies, she says she’d seen the benefits partnerships could bring.

“Small nimble companies can jump into new opportunities via collaboration and an open approach,” says Redmond. “With this, we’ve seen a shift in mindset toward collaboration. Taking an independent, noncollaborative approach is no longer a viable option.”

Co-operation in space The SA State Government has signed an agreement with Italy’s Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI) to pursue joint research & development, academic exchange and industry collaboration in the space sector.

The agreement establishes a collaborative partnership to pursue space-related industries. Martin Hamilton-Smith, State Minister for Defence Industries, says SA has led the way in the development of Australia’s space economy.

“Our vision is to position SA as a vibrant hub for future space activity and industry development,” says Hamilton-Smith.

SA is home to the Woomera Test Range and 60 space-related organisations. It has also recently launched a space innovation and growth strategy. SA’s place in the international space industry was cemented last May after a successful test flight of an experimental rocket in the HIFiRE (Hypersonic International Flight Research Experimentation) program.

Defence & Aerospace

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impact “The success of this test launch takes us one step closer to the realisation of hypersonic flight,” Australia’s Chief Defence Scientist Dr Alex Zelinsky said after the launch.

SA is home to many space industry programs and businesses. Each year space experts from across the world meet at the University of South Australia’s Southern Hemisphere Space Studies Program to discuss challenges and opportunities on offer in the space industry. Adelaide will also host more than 3,000 delegates from around the world at the 68th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in September.

Adelaide set for defence and security start-up accelerator The first start-up accelerator focused on developing and commercialising technologies for the defence and security sectors in the Asia Pacific will be established in SA this year. Leading entrepreneurial mentorship program Techstars will launch in Adelaide in July with the aim to build upon the local start-up ecosystem. Adelaide hosts world-leading defence companies such as BAE Systems, Thales, Lockheed Martin, ASC, SAAB, Rheinmetall and DCNS. Techstars Adelaide is designed to support early-stage companies advancing stateof-the-art applications that revolve around the Internet of things (IoT), big data as well as sensors and robotics. It will connect 10 start-up teams from all over the world to an established network of community leaders, founders, mentors, investors and representatives from the locally-based defence companies.

Techstars co-founder and co-CEO David Cohen.

Picture: Kacey Wherley.

founders, but also had all the hallmarks of a successful Techstars host city,” he says.

“Defence research has driven some of the most transformative consumer innovation the world has seen, from the internet and GPS to superglue and digital photography.

We are excited to invite entrepreneurs to join a program that will help them develop and commercialise cutting-edge products in collaboration with the defence industry.”

Techstars was founded in Boulder, Colorado, in 2007 and is known for holding smaller programs to give companies and entrepreneurs more concentrated development than other contemporary programs. The incubator is continuing its international expansion after the success of its first African program last year. According to Forbes, the incubator has invested in 828 companies who have collectively raised more than US$2.2bn in funding. About 90% of Techstars’ graduate companies are still active or have been acquired.

Adelaide is poised to become a global centre of excellence for the defence sector with more than $100bn worth of major industry projects in the pipeline. Recent investment in innovation in SA includes an $230m Centre for Defence Industry Capability backed by the Federal Government.

State Manufacturing and Innovation Minister Kyam Maher says the new accelerator would not only help showcase local entrepreneurs to a global audience but also attract more talent to the state.

“On the back of our Gig City and Commercialisation Funding initiatives, it shows we are succeeding in our mission to position SA as the default place for smart new businesses to start and grow,” says Maher.

“When we were scouting Asia Pacific for potential locations for our first accelerator in the region, we knew we wanted to find a place that would not only attract terrific

www.supashock.com www.apctechnology.com.au www.acres.com.au www.techstars.com

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Techstars co-founder and co-CEO David Cohen says Adelaide is perfectly designed to be the centre of its first accelerator in the region because of its infrastructure and support for entrepreneurship and start-up communities.

20.02%

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Defence & Aerospace

Stratasys and NTU create 3D-printed aerospace-grade drone Researchers at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have 3D-printed a ready-to-fly drone with embedded electronics using aerospace-grade material.

The drone – a quadcopter with four rotors – was designed, 3D-printed and flown by Phillip Keane, an NTU PhD candidate from the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering who is engaged in research at NTU’s Singapore Centre for 3D Printing (SC3DP). The drone was jointly developed by the SC3DP and Stratasys Asia Pacific.

The drone was printed from Stratasys ULTEM 9085 resin using the fused deposition modelling (FDM) process.

The electronics were incorporated in the drone during the 3D printing process, which employed the fused deposition modelling (FDM) process using Stratasys ULTEM 9085 – a high-strength, lightweight material certified for use in commercial aircrafts. In 3D printing, objects are created digitally layer by layer until completion.

However, embedding electronics can be a challenge, as most will not survive the high temperatures of the 3D printing process.

Commercial-grade electronics were therefore modified and placed within the drone at the various stages of the printing process. They survived the hightemperature printing, which reached over 160 deg.C, compared to the usual 80 to 100 deg. Only the motors and the propellers were mounted after the entire chassis was completed.

“One of the toughest challenges was to find electronic components that could theoretically survive the high temperature printing process,” says Keane. “We had to add some heat-proofing modifications to the components to ensure they could last. This involved adding new components to the printed circuit boards and also designing custom housings.”

The drone was completed in under 14 hours. During the printing, there were just three pauses for the electronics to be placed within the chassis.

“The housings, which were pre-printed in ULTEM 9085, also provide a flat surface for the 3D printer to continue printing over them,” added Keane. “I also had to deal with tight time constraints as some of the components could not survive in the heat for more than 20 minutes.”

In addition to being extremely rugged, the drone is capable of supporting over 60kg of weight suspended from its structure.

Moving forward, Keane says that he is currently working on the next version of the drone, which will feature better durability, lighter weight and improved flight dynamics.

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Professor Chua Chee Kai, Executive Director of NTU’s SC3DP, said that this is a successful example of disruptive innovation that can be achieved when researchers from academia work with industry partners.

Professor Chua himself is the world’s most cited scientist in the field of 3D printing according to the Web of Science, a research database maintained by Thomson Reuters “At NTU, we have world-leading researchers with vast knowledge of materials and 3D printing processes, who have invented innovative techniques to overcome the limitations of existing technologies,” explained Prof Chua. “Together with Stratasys’ engineers and their intimate knowledge of 3D printing, we were able to push the limits of today’s technology and print a drone that is incredibly durable and can withstand high heat.”

“This project exemplifies the power of Stratasys’ flagship FDM 3D printing technology and perfectly demonstrates the strength of the ULTEM resin,” commented Fred Fischer, Director – Applications and Products, Stratasys Asia Pacific. “We look forward to researching, developing and unveiling more possibilities with 3D printing and materials as we work with industry partners and academia.”

ULTEM 9085 is a production-grade thermoplastic that can be 3D printed and is prized for its high strength-to-weight ratio and its FST (flame, smoke and toxicity)

NTU researcher Philip Keane pictured with the 3D printed drone.

rating, making it ideal for the commercial transportation industry, especially aerospace.

Professor Louis Phee, Chair of the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at NTU, said that unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are a major research thrust at the school : “Being the first university in Singapore to offer an Aerospace Engineering degree programme, we have been successful in attracting the brightest students to work with our professors to push the frontiers of drone technologies to cater to Singapore’s unique needs and requirements. In the near future, I expect to see more exciting new drone technologies from NTU that will be translated into real applications.” www.ntu.edu.sg www.stratasys.com

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Additive manufacturing

Will 3D printing provide solutions for defence?

Additive manufacturing of metals, also known as 3D printing, is fast finding its way into the aerospace and defence sectors. The reasons for this fast uptake is the realisation of benefits derived from prototyping and optimising parameters, enabling the examination of weight properties and improvement in part design. Another dimension can be added to these opportunities: replication at third-party sites via integrated networks, making part production possible anywhere in the world.

To gain a better understanding and appreciation of the opportunities involved, each of these ideas is explored below.

1. The value of weight properties Today, the metal of choice in the 3D printing of parts is titanium.

Its particular lightweight properties are important to the aviation and space industry. In a recent report by the US Department of Energy Advanced Manufacturing Office it was demonstrated that a 7% reduction could be achieved in overall aircraft weight simply by installing titanium parts produced using 3D processes. A 7% weight reduction is a highly significant figure; where most weight efficiencies only achieve one or two percentage points, a 7% saving will have a substantial impact on fuel costs, thereby reducing overall operational costs.

The ability to prototype critical parts provides insights into not just what is possible but into the best practices for additive manufacturing. By way of example, SLM Solutions, headquartered in Lübeck, Germany, recently produced a single titanium aerospace component measuring 221mm x 310mm x 219mm. Using the SLM280HL laser system, with a standard build plate of 280mm x 280mm x 365mm, it became possible for the production of this large-sized valve body. The SLM280HL is equipped with multi-

A completed part in the 280mm x 280mm x 365mm build chamber of the SLM 280HL.

beam technology utilising dual 400W lasers, making it possible to build a part this size in a relatively short time-frame when compared to conventional manufacturing such as machining it out of a billet, which would have taken several weeks. Casting a part would have taken even longer as the tooling would have to be built first.

With the 3D-printing process only one initial ‘set-up’ was required, a significant reduction to the four or five set-ups the same part would have required using conventional processes. Additionally, no operational interruptions were experienced during the six-anda-half days of the build reinforcing the reliability of the SLM280HL laser system.

2. A designing revolution CAD programs are noted for producing complex designs that can then be built with 3D-printing processes. The large spacecraft valve body printed on the SLM280HL laser system was not particularly complex, but the use of titanium, which is a very hard material, could subject a large part to cracking due to high residual stresses.

The SLM280HL uses a pair of lasers working simultaneously, and while this increased the speed of production, questions were raised regarding the reliability of the sections of ‘overlap’.

Upon completion of the build the part emerges from the lowered bed of powder to reveal the printed geometry.

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These were subjected to testing, resulting in no differences in quality between of the area built by one laser and the overlap of the build from the other laser. This finding was important for 3D-printed components, as all parts are required to meet stringent testing

Additive manufacturing

Everyday examples of embedded systems are the ABS brakes in our cars or the smartphones we carry with us daily. Each operates as an information-processing system, embedded within an enclosed product, performing a set range of device-specific applications. This intelligent processing provides a further opportunity if we consider incorporating it into the global network, in other words uploading the CAD program to the internet for use in a distant location where 3D printing technology is available.

This procedure could overcome problems surrounding the timecritical supply of parts. For example, if a fuel nozzle from an Airbus A380 needs replacing when it lands in Australia, the design can be transferred to a local manufacturer. The turnaround would be reduced to hours, as opposed to days, providing a significant reduction in time and costs. This situation allows not only for a rethink regarding the location of part manufacturing; while it does raise issues of copyright and ownership, it also provides opportunities for the cost-effective entry into global markets. This consideration is important given the climate of change in Europe, and the German government’s push towards Industry 4.0.

4. Industry 4.0 – The opportunities The German government is very serious about Industry 4.0, providing billions of euros in funding as one of 10 future projects it has identified as opportunities for Germany to establish itself as an industry leader and provider of relevant products.

Building on embedded processes and incorporating global networks forms the base of Industry 4.0, or the technological evolution from embedded systems to cyber-physical systems. This paradigm shift is from centralised to decentralised production, as demonstrated in the example of supplying a part for the Airbus A380. It is simply building on what we already have – computerised design and the internet – which are enabling technologies that have the potential for building a global business in a whole new way.

The completed build of the spacecraft valve body.

in the highly regulated industry of aerospace. Metals parts may need to undergo computed tomography to check for porosity or internal voids, or they can even be subjected to destructive testing where the product is simply pulled apart, such are the standards of regulation.

Reliability of production was a key achievement, but upon realising the opportunities, the aerospace industry then sought to uncover further benefits beyond the weight of titanium. In 2016, GE Aviation was able to produce fuel nozzles for CFM International’s LEAP highbypass turbofan engine, used in the Airbus A380 as a single part, reducing the normal complex production process of making and joining 18 different parts together that performed one operation. By exploring and testing part functionality, the company has reduced part count, a real cost efficiency gain and a significant step forward.

This single, lightweight, 3D-printed fuel nozzle has now been put into service, revealing a degree of durability five times that of the conventionally manufactured part, a further testament to the reliability of 3D part production. GE engineers have broken new ground by producing a part that could not have been made before, opening the way for the re-examination of part counts in all industries where mechanical properties are critical to functionality.

3. Replication options – Local or distant CAD programs are used for the initial product design. Once it is computerised, the computer that is controlling the 3D build process interprets the specifications of the design. This process can be described as an embedded system using intelligent controls.

How can 3D printing on an SLM Solutions laser meet the challenges of Industry 4.0? One solution lies in the already existing demand in the aerospace and defence sector that continues to lead the development and production in additive manufacturing worldwide.

Australian manufacturers should not feel they are in an exclusion zone – quite the contrary. Defence procurement focuses on highly specialised products, often constrained by quantities, like the two Canberra Class Amphibious Assault Ships (LHD) currently in service in the Royal Australian Navy, and the planned commission of the 12 Barracuda Shortfin submarines to be manufactured in South Australia. The initial build of these items requires a limited number of specialist parts that are often designed and constructed by third parties, but as products age, parts will need to be replaced and due to their specificity, issues can arise if the original supplier is unable to supply on time or cost. It opens the door for part manufacture in Australia.

Already SLM Solutions lasers systems are being used to prototype and test parts for the Australian defence sector, but the doors are not closed to third-party suppliers with in-house technological capability. The practice of Defence in strategic procurement will always result in this ‘limited’ supply line that can be penetrated by 3D-printed part production highly suited to unique designs and oneoff or small-run solutions, easily undertaken by local manufacturers.

SLM Solutions is in a strong position to take advantage of Germany’s push to lead the market in the development from embedded systems to cyber-physical systems, providing an ideal solution for effective manufacture right here in Australia. Raymax Applications Pty Ltd is the Australian distributor for SLM Solutions. www.raymax.com.au

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Additive manufacturing used for customised mountain bikes

Metal additive manufacturing technology from Renishaw has enabled British bicycle manufacturer Robot Bike Co. to produce a novel design of mountain bike that can be customised to match the size and riding style of the rider.

The Robot Bike Co. story started in the late 1990s when Ed Haythornwaite, now the company’s CEO, met two other bike-mad students, Ben Farmer and Ben Arnold, at Bath University in the UK. “We spent far too much time riding bikes,” says Haythornwaite.

“When we weren’t riding bikes, we were talking about bikes and how they could be made better than anything then on the market.”

In 2012, Farmer had the ‘lightbulb’ moment, when he came up with the basis for the novel design that Robot Bike Co. is now producing.

He took ideas from his background in the composites industry and from the world of additive manufacturing, and came up with the concept of using the two technologies to make the ‘ultimate’ bike that the friends had talked about when they were students.

The new design uses a series of carbon fibre-reinforced tubes for the frames, which are joined by titanium lugs. This approach takes full advantage of the capabilities of both materials. Carbon fibrereinforced tubing is well suited to simple loads and shapes, while titanium performs well in complex areas with complex loads.

While Farmer had gained some background in additive manufacturing, he knew that he needed someone with more indepth knowledge to bring the project to reality. He invited Andy Hawkins, who he had met while he had been working at Airbus, to become the fourth partner in the company.

The challenge Most high-end mountain bikes have frames made from carbon fibre-reinforced resins. Because the frames have to be moulded, even the most expensive mountain bikes are normally available in only two or three sizes. Unless the rider is very lucky, they have to compromise on the size of their bike, one of the most important aspects determining its performance and the quality of the ride.

In contrast, Robot Bike Co. produces every one of its mountain bikes specifically for a customer. The angles used in the design of the titanium joints are varied, together with changes in the lengths of the sections of tubing, to produce a unique bike configuration to match the size of the individual customer.

It was clear that additive manufacturing would be the only way to produce the wide variety of unique parts needed for each of the bespoke mountain bikes. However, the titanium components needed to be robust enough to withstand the demands of extended use under constantly varying loads, be as light as possible to give the optimum ride, and be able to be bonded reliably to the tubing.

The solution To turn the new design concept into reality, Robot Bike Co. entered into partnerships with Altair, HiETA and Renishaw. Work with Altair allowed the design approach to be finalised using the company’s expertise in topology optimisation, a mathematical approach that optimises material layout within a given space, for a given set of loads and boundary conditions, to provide the lightest weight design possible. Topology optimisation is a perfect fit with additive manufacturing as, for the first time, many of the extreme design concepts generated by the software can actually be manufactured.

At the same time as the frame design was being optimised, Robot Bike Co. used its relationship with HiETA to develop the methodology needed to create the optimum bike design for each customer.

Together the companies used advanced CAD and simulation tools to produce a parametric CAD engine for mountain bike design. This

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The customised carbon fibre and titanium mountain bike frame in action.

now sits behind the Robot Bike Co. website, allowing customers to input quickly the required body measurements, and then to generate a bespoke design matching their needs in a quick, easy and automated process.

The parts generated by the software are then manufactured on Renishaw’s advanced metal additive manufacturing systems at one of Renishaw’s Additive Manufacturing Solutions Centres.

These centres provide a pre-production workspace where users of additive manufacturing can prove out processes and buy time on dedicated Renishaw additive manufacturing systems, with support from Renishaw expert engineers and technicians.

The production process starts with bespoke CAD geometries produced from bike design software on the Robot Bike Co. website.

These are imported into Renishaw’s QuantAM build-preparation software, where the optimum orientation for each part is selected and the support structures required for a successful build are added. Within the software the 11 lugs required for each bike can be grouped together, along with their supports, to be produced in a single build.

Once the process is complete, the build plate with the 11 parts attached is removed from the laser powder bed fusion system and heat-treated. Then, the individual parts are separated from the plate and from each other. Some of the lugs require finish machining to produce precision bearing features. These machining processes, which are also completed at the Renishaw Solutions Centre, are set up and controlled using on-machine probing systems from Renishaw.

Finally, the production process is completed with inspection of each part on a co-ordinate measuring machine, again using Renishaw probes.

Continued next page

Additive manufacturing The final stage in the production of the titanium parts is inspection using Renishaw probes.

The novel frame design is made up from carbon fibre-reinforced tunes connected with titanium joints.

The results The customised approach to each bike made possible with additive manufacturing, has prompted Haythornthwaite to describe Robot Bike Co. as the Saville Row of the bike industry. The novel design methodology has received extensive coverage in the bike media, including the accolade of ‘most important bike of the decade’ on PinkBike, the biggest mountain bike website in the world.

More recently, a sample mountain bike from Robot Bike Co. has been put through a new European EN test regulation that has just been introduced. EN 14766 accreditation comprises a set of stringent tests that each manufacturer should put their bike or frame through in order to show compliance with the latest regulations.

The demanding nature of the tests means that production bike companies often submit four frames, one for each test.

With a limited supply of frames, Robot Bike Co. submitted a single frame for the complete series. The frame passed them all, providing yet more evidence of the success of the design concept and of the strength and quality of the parts produced with Renishaw’s additive manufacturing technology.

The complete set of titanium joints are produced on a single build plate on Renishaw’s additive manufacturing system.

As well as giving the robustness required, producing the titanium parts with additive manufacturing also allows double-lap shear joints to be used to bond the metal to the tubing, with the tubing bonded both on the outside and on the inside. The use of Renishaw’s additive manufacturing equipment means that thinner walls with much greater control over wall thickness tapering can be achieved than if the parts were machined or cast. For the rider, this translates into a strong, lightweight, customised and reliable frame. www.robotbike.co

www.renishaw.com

BAAM – High-volume 3D printing

BAAM is an industrial-sized additive-manufacturing machine produced by Cincinnati Incorporated, available in Australia through Industrial Laser.

An acronym for Big Area Additive Manufacturing, BAAM uses the proven design and technology from Cincinnati’s laser platform, including the machine frame, linear drive motion system and control, and has been adapted with an extruder and feeding system. BAAM was designed to allow 3D printing to be used for production manufacturing. The size and speed allows large parts to be made quickly. The ability to use commodity thermoplastic materials helps to keep the cost per part down. By designing a system with an open architecture for material vendors, material costs are kept lower and offer more options.

BAAM does not use filament as the feed stock, instead using better-priced plastic pellets commonly used for plastic extrusions or injection moulding. The material deposit rate is an impressive 40kg per hour using a proprietary extruder for 3D printing via a 5mm or 7mm diameter nozzle. Dynamic flow control, coupled with a unique automatic tamping system, ensures consistent results over an impressive 6m x 2m x 1.75m-high build area.

Cincinnati has tested BAAM with ABS, PPS, PEKK and Ultem. By adding carbon fibre and glass fibre, strength and thermal stability is improved. Users are welcome to develop their own proprietary materials and parameters. BAAM comes with a customised open source software package for programming from a .stl file.

Cincinnati is a US-based, build-to order machine tool manufacturer, which has shipped more than 50,000 machines in more than 100 years of operation. From its 46,450sq.metre plant and technical centre near Cincinnati, Ohio, the company engineers and builds machines to a high standard of ruggedness. Other Cincinnati products include laser cutters, press brakes, shears, powdered metal compacting presses and automation systems. www.industriallaser.com.au

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Liquid metal 3D printing – “A quantum leap in manufacturing”

A father and son team in the US have invented a liquid metal 3D printing machine that could represent a significant transformation in additive manufacturing. By Grove Potter.

A breakthrough idea five years ago by Zack Vader, then a 19-year-old student at the University of Buffalo, has resulted in the creation of a machine that prints threedimensional objects using liquid metal.

Today his company - Vader Systems - is innovating and building the machines in a factory in Getzville, New York State. Zack’s father Scott, a mechanical engineer, is the CEO, while Zack is the chief technology officer. His mother, Pat Roche, is controller.

The machine is so novel it could represent a quantum leap in the ability to print threedimensional objects in metal. Other metal printers exist, but most use a process of laying down powdered metal and melting it with a laser or electron beam. In that process, some particles of the powder do not get melted, creating weakened spots.

Several manufacturers have begun to voice their interest in the Vader machine, with one automotive parts maker expressing an intention to eventually buy at least 50 of them. A printer with multiple nozzles could cost more than $1m.

Continued collaboration The University of Buffalo has continued to work with the Vader team, acting as a source of intellectual assistance, grants and personnel for the start-up as it transforms from a promising idea into an established business. The Vaders were working on their invention in the basement of their home in Amherst when Scott decided to reach out to the University for help. “We were working alone in our basement and tackling some pretty deep technical problems,” says Scott. “We knocked at the door of the University and they welcomed us in. They set up an impressive first meeting with faculty experts the University of Buffalo, and they said, ‘What are you trying to do? What are your problems and how can we help?’”

The Vaders now have three faculty advisors; in addition, they are part of the START-UP NY tax-free entrepreneurial program, and have won grants from the University’s Center for Industrial Effectiveness (UB TCIE), its Center for Advanced Biomedical and Bioengineering Technology (UB CAT) grant, and a National Grid grant through the University. Morever, and perhaps most importantly, Scott believes that access to university students for internships has helped the company grow. Vader Systems has already hired three mechanical engineering graduates.

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“This is what makes really good young engineers, to go from the theory and being able to mix in an internship with a local industry,” says Scott. “They realise that the lab they took is something a company really needs.”

Inspiration born from disappointment Now 24 years old, Zack first started focusing on metal printing when his plans to hire a company to produce 3D-printed parts for a microturbine generator were stymied. No company could print the parts that he needed, so he decided to make his own metal printer. The breakthrough came when he had the idea to expose molten metal in a confined chamber with an orifice to a pulsed magnetic field. The transient field induces a pressure with the metal that ejects a droplet. That was the key to making droplets of liquid metal eject from a nozzle.

Edward P Furlani PhD, a professor at the University of Buffalo’s Chemical and Biological Engineering and Electrical Engineering departments, said that Vader’s process mimics drop-on-demand inkjet printing and is based on the principles of magnetohydrodynamics – the manipulation of conductive fluids using a magnetic field.

In Vader’s device, an electrically pulsed magnetic field permeates liquid metal in an ejection chamber and creates circulating electrical currents. These currents interact with the magnetic field to produce a pressure that squeezes a droplet out of the ejector nozzle.

“It’s a transformative technology,” says Furlani. “It’s very exciting interdisciplinary engineering. I think its application base will continue to broaden and expand for the foreseeable future.”

Ciprian N Ionita, PhD, a research assistant professor in the Biomedical Engineering Department (a joint venture between of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University) foresees the Vader Systems printer ultimately printing out custom stents and other surgical devices right in the hospital.

“This is a game changer,” says Professor Ionita. “The metal powder used in the current metal printing processes is a contaminant that is difficult to clean up and can be toxic inside the body. The Vader printer also will be valuable making custom knee and hip replacements.”

Additive manufacturing

3D Printing High Strength Composite Carbon Fibre

Zach and Scott Vader inside their Amherst, New York, factory.

Credit: Douglas Levere.

Cheaper, faster, better

=Continuous Carbon Fibre

The third University of Buffalo advisor providing support to the Vaders, Chi Zhou, is an assistant professor in the Industrial Systems Engineering Department and a 3D printing expert. He says that another advantage of the Vader system is that it is “much, much cheaper” than using powered metal.

“I can see at this stage that it can complement traditional metal printing,” says Professor Zhou. “But later, maybe 10 years later, it can dominate the metal printing market because it can print better quality, cheaper and faster.

Professor Zhou has helped write original open-source software to control the printer.

“If they want to add functionality, we can.

We have the source code,” he says.

One of the most fascinating qualities of a 3D printer is that a complex part is just as cheap to make as a simple part. This is the opposite of traditional manufacturing, which makes the machines very attractive to companies that are engaged in making large numbers complex parts.

“Complexity does not add cost,” says Zack.

Steel printing on the horizon On a Vader machine, a strand of aluminium is fed into a heat element that melts it at 750 degC. The liquefied metal is then passed on to a ceramic tube with a sub-millimetre orifice, forming an ejection chamber. A magnetic coil that surrounds the tube delivers a short-lived electrical pulse to create a pressure within the tube, which as a result ejects a droplet of liquid metal through the orifice. The ejected droplet is projected downward onto a heated platform

“Markforged Print Amazing High Strength Parts” Reinforcement With The Strength of Metal

=Micro-Carbon Fibre With Twice the Strength of Plastics Tools, Jigs & Fixtures

Two products printed with Vader Systems machine.

Credit: Douglas Levere.

End Use Products that is then manoeuvred to create solid 3D shapes based on layer-by-layer deposition and the coalescence of the droplets.

Zack says plans are to modify the device, adding more nozzles to make it faster.

Eventually the machines will be able to melt and print steel at 1,400 deg.C. As the machine evolves, the Vaders plan to expand their operation into an assemblyline manufacturing facility.

Possible applications for the device run the gamut. Scott says that the automotive industry may be interested in making parts that are now solid metal into hollow and honeycombed structures. The hollow parts would be lighter, stronger and much cheaper. As for the tiny generator that Zack was hoping to print, it may emerge again someday, now that the technology to make it is advancing.

“That’s just been put on the shelf for a while,” he says. www.buffalo.edu www.vadersystems.com

Prototypes

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A licence to print: how real is the risk posed by 3D printed guns?

Queensland Police reported in November that they had discovered a 3D printer in a raid on what appeared to be a “large-scale” weapons production facility as a part of Operation Oscar Quantum. By Thomas Birtchnell.

According to police, the raid uncovered homemade weapons and ammunition in a workshop manufacturing facility “containing equipment used in the production of fully automatic machine guns, including a 3D printer, lathes, drill presses and other tools”. The Gold Coast Bulletin reported that Detective Superintendent Jon Wacker, of the Drug and Serious Crime Group, said the “Uzi”-style guns, thought to be made with the help of a 3D printer, were “fairly close” to factory quality. One of the home-made weapons was captioned in one media report as being a “3D-printed submachine gun”.

This could certainly raise alarm and hint at a new era of disorganised and decentralised weapons production, and a burgeoning “reshoring” of weapon manufacturing as an alternative to importation from overseas. But the fact is that 3D printing technology is not yet at the stage where it can readily produce weapons. Although it can be used to help rogue gunsmiths work their shady trade.

Impracticalities The fact is that today’s home- or consumer-grade 3D printers are not able to produce durable metal objects, such as would be required to print a gun. The standard nozzles used in the process of fused deposition modelling (FDM) simply do not get hot enough to melt pure metals. There are certainly efforts to bring metal FDM 3D printers to market. One future contender for mass adoption is a prototype open source FDM metal 3D printer, much like a home welder. At the moment this does not really compare to the resolution of plastic printers, though the concept is claimed to be at least proven.

However, there is constant innovation with 3D printer materials.

There are currently efforts to make metal-infused filaments in bronze and copper. These are certainly a promising development for budding home jewellery designers and makers, but not gunsmiths, as firearms require stronger and purer metal feedstocks.

One of the key hurdles for gunsmiths is the extremely high temperatures needed to melt or sinter metals. For example, iron sinters at between 1,100 and 1,300 degrees Celsius, whereas a general FDM 3D printer can reach 195-220 degrees. Another hurdle is the cost of “powderised” metals found in direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) or selective laser sintering (SLS) printers.

Powdered metals also require safe facilities to use them: finely divided metal powders, such as titanium and aluminium, can spontaneously combust causing fires. It is possible to see limited runs of critical metal parts for automobiles and other specialist objects made on 3D printers in many research and industry facilities.

Indeed, for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) around the world, additive manufacturing using 3D printers is a game changer for supply chains. Many SMEs are investing in their own high end metal 3D printers or utilising facilities in universities and incubators.

But one catch is the cost. For example, the EOS EOSINT M 100 is a relatively “entry level” DMLS 3D printer and costs between US$100,000 and US$250,000. Such machines are unlikely to turn up in the Christmas stockings of criminal gangs.

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Prototypes What makes me sceptical that the guns recovered from Operation Oscar Quantum were 3D-printed in their entirety is not only the prohibitive cost of 3D printing in metals, but the presence of typical gunsmith production machines at the facility. Nonetheless, a 3D printer could have certainly been used to manufacture many nonor near- critical parts, such as grips or the outer framework. A 3D printer may have also been used for “rapid prototyping” for mockups to test the final design in plastic. This is where a 3D printer can quickly produce a prototype part for testing before the final part is produced using more conventional means. This is one of the most common uses of 3D printers in industry today.

It should be noted that this is not the first time that police have flagged 3D printing as playing a role in weapons production.

On 10 December 2015, Queensland Police reported that Taskforce Maxima found methamphetamine and steroids, drug paraphernalia and “a loaded handgun allegedly created by a 3D printer” in a raid on a meth lab. The handgun from Picture courtesy of Taskforce Maxima certainly appears to Blackstar Arms/Flickr. be made on a 3D printer, featuring the characteristic surface ribbing you see from 3D-printed items. It also appears to conform to the design parameters of a 3D-printed gun, the “Liberator”, produced by American organisation, Defense Distributed. However, the critical part – the barrel – appears to be a conventional non-printed piece, most likely metal. Whether it would have actually worked safely or simply been used for intimidation is another question entirely.

NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione’s team was also reported to have bought a 3D printer for A$1,700 and made a polymer Liberator handgun from a design file downloaded from the internet.

Backyard gunsmiths We shouldn’t really be surprised that 3D printers are now an integral part of illicit gunsmiths’ repertoires. 3D printing is a nearessential element of any pre-production suite, particularly for rapid prototyping. Metal 3D printing will no doubt be a part of the suite too, if it is not already. 3D printing offers tremendous advantages and perhaps even a new industrial future. Other local industries could benefit from 3D printing boutique, custom and novelty objects. This would buck the trend of offshoring that has ailed Australian manufacturing over the 21st century.

And we should remember that it’s not only 3D printing that enables people to build illicit firearms. With the right tools, a skilled gunsmith can make a weapon in their back shed. However, 3D printing can make that process easier and more accessible to less skilled individuals.

Dr Thomas Birtchnell is currently a Senior Lecturer in Geography and Sustainable Communities at the University of Wollongong. This article was originally published in The Conversation. www.theconversation.com www.uow.edu.au

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Cutting Tools

Australian Precision Technologies – Advancing through partnerships

Established in 1992, Australian Precision Technologies (APT) has undergone repeated transformations over its quartercentury in business, placing it today at the forefront of advanced manufacturing in Australia, with a focus on zero defects (quality management system) and on-time delivery (scheduling & communication), with an open book costing policy to ensure globally competitive pricing and value.

As a company formed from a partnership between a manufacturer and an equipment supplier, it’s no surprise that APT places a strong emphasis on forging strong relationships, particularly in the area of technology. It has close partnerships with Okuma, which provides many of its CNC machines, and Iscar, which supplies its cutting tools. Iscar is currently closely involved in APT’s latest investment, with the adoption of M1 material requirements planning (MRP) software.

“Because we’re busy it’s great, but when you’re busy, you want to make sure you’ve got data to show how you’re doing day to day,” says Ron Weinzierl, APT’s Business Director. “So we’ll have a system that will drive APT’s efficiency based on data: customer satisfaction, on-time deliveries, quality, and so on.”

“And that would be our involvement,” adds Jason Allen, Managing Director of Iscar Australia. “Creating metrics around our Matrix tool management system, making sure they achieve performance efficiencies.

Everything’s measurable, right down to walkaround time: if an operator needs to walk from one machine to another, we can determine exactly how long it takes to retrieve tools, how long it takes to get back to where they’re working. Everything needs to be measured for waste. You can’t have a Lean factory if you’re not measuring everything.”

Both APT and Iscar are candid about the advantages of having such a close, collaborative technical partnership.

“We can think we’ve got the smartest engineers, but they only learn the APT way,” Ron explains. “Iscar goes out on a global level to people all around the world; they can bring that knowledge in and help us to improve the way we’re going to machine our components for our customers. Our partnership is not just about tooling but developing knowledge and that’s real value!”

“It’s about rapport, it’s built on trust,” continues Jason. “I think we go beyond the standard business-to-business relationship, in fact to the point where we can stretch out days to support cashflow, we can have open discussion about margins that Iscar will be making. It’s an open-book policy as I’m concerned. As a partner you need to be

AMT Feb/Mar 2017

Jason Allen, Managing Director of Iscar Australia; Ron Weinzierl, Business Director of APT; Richard Weinzierl, Manufacturing Director of APT; and Gary Simpson, Iscar Product Manager.

able to show them where you are, and they can show where they are. That’s the key to a technical partnership and that’s where it goes beyond the whole client-supplier situation.

“The support, the service, the price, it’s second to none,” adds Richard Weinzierl, APT’s Manufacturing Director (and Ron’s brother). “Gaz (Iscar Product Manager Gary Simpson) lives locally, so he’s always calling in helping the boys out.”

“And that’s what APT focuses on with our customers,” adds Ron. “We want to make sure we work on an open communication, to make sure we’re delivering value, not only on cost but on on-time delivery and quality. Cost is the open part at the end.

When you’ve got trust you’re always going to come up with what’s fair. And if you’ve got a fair partnership you’re always going to provide value.”

The emphasis on partnership and collaboration is evident across APT’s activities. Ron and Richard, along with Jason, are founding members of the Australian Precision Manufacturing Group (APMG). The idea for the APMG first arose during an Iscar customer event a couple of years ago. The event was marked by a series of open, animated discussions about

the industry, so it was decided to hold similar events regularly.

That initial group became founding members of the APMG, which later grew to include Deakin University, among others.

Membership is strictly controlled, with all members having a say in who can join to ensure that any newcomer is the right fit and that there are no clashes due to competing interests. The APMG gets together on a quarterly basis to discuss the state of manufacturing in Australia.

There are also plans to lobby Government in areas such as skills, and the group has developed a capability matrix with the aim of bidding collectively for contracts in global supply chains.

“As a small business it’s critical,” says Ron. “APT works with 21 people working two shifts, five days, and as required three shifts, seven days. If we’re going to develop in advanced manufacturing, we can’t do everything. The end-customer wants to work with people with capability across the board, who they can build confidence in. So at APT, in collaborating with other engineering and advanced manufacturing companies throughout Australia, we will offer the costumer greater value, and that’s where our growth will come.”

Cutting Tools

Matrix, Iscar’s tool management system.

Rebranding for the future Whether it’s throwing out cam auto machines to make room for CNC technology, or shifting out of high-volume production of automotive components into higher-value advanced manufacturing, APT has never shied away from repositioning and redefining itself in response to changing market conditions. Most recently, it has embarked on a comprehensive rebranding to reflect its key activities and markets going forward, with the company now trading as APT Advanced Manufacturing.

“When people start talking about advanced manufacturing, I know that’s what Government’s focused on, they know that’s what’s sustainable in Australian manufacturing going forward,” says Ron. “So we looked at our brand and thought, instead of being precision engineering, we’re now in that transition, after huge investment, into advanced manufacturing.

With our new brand, when Government looks at it they know we are leading the way in advanced manufacturing.”

The rebranding marks an extensive period of transition for APT, and it hasn’t always been easy. According to Ron, the 201415 financial year was among the hardest in the company’s history, with significant investment in technology, branding and infrastructure at a time when industry demand was low. However, with a new facility recently opened across the road from its main site, the company had its strongest year in 2016, with a bullish forecast of 20%-30% growth in 2017. The future is for APT looking good.

“We had 86% of our business with Robert Bosch in 1998,” says Ron. “Back then they said they were going to get out of what we were doing, which was alternator and

APT’s workshop in Berwick, Victoria.

fuel assembly in Clayton, and shut it down.

So we knew we had to diversify, and we have, and we’ll continue with that. APT as a company, its brand is as good as it’s ever been. I believe there are better times out there than we’ve experienced.”

Built on partnerships Richard Weinzierl laughs when he considers why he went into manufacturing: “Because I wasn’t smart enough to be an electrician. I went for an apprenticeship exam with Bosch Australia, and they said ‘We’ll offer you a job as a fitter and turner, but your scores aren’t high enough to be an electrician’. So I became a fitter and turner.”

Richard turned down Bosch (he was surfing at the time at Philip Island), but he eventually took an apprenticeship with JW Ford, and thrived, taking an associate diploma at night-school while he was there.

It was also there that he lay the groundwork for what would become APT. “Our very first customer used to buy parts from JW Ford,” he recounts. “Every morning we’d get a coffee together, and he said ‘Young fellow, if you ever go into business for yourself, give me a call’. I was 21. I’d just met my wife, and she came round one day and I was in the driveway pulling apart this old cam auto so I could start making bits for this guy, and she said ‘Well while I’m here I’ll help you’. That’s how I got that machine going, how I’d met her, and how I started the business.

“That customer sent me this simple little rivet that goes into stoves, and said ‘If you don’t stuff that up, I’ve got this other part’.

That was a gas cock, so I bought another machine. We ran millions of those parts.

That’s how I got going. Then one day I was working at JW Ford, and the boss said ‘Do you know anything about a young bloke

who’s started a business in Dandenong?’

I said ‘Yep that’s me’. He said ‘Alright well I think you better finish up’. So I finished up.”

At that point Richard had a supplier providing him with equipment, who suggested they go into a 50-50 partnership.

Within two years APT had outgrown its small factory in Dandenong and moved to larger premises nearby, where it soon had more than 40 cam autos running and was still behind on its orders. Over the next few years it transitioned to CNC machinery, eventually throwing out its last cam auto 15 years ago when it moved to its current base in Berwick (SE of Melbourne).

Ron bought into the business in 1998 after the original partner pulled out due to ill health, and today the two brothers run the company together. From those early days making stove components, APT has evolved considerably, initially following a well-trodden path via the car industry, before diversifying to carve out its own niche across various advanced manufacturing sectors.

“If you think about our transition, we’ve come out of repetition high-volume automotive production, and transitioned into precision, with a lot more customers, at lower volumes,” says Ron. “And now in the last five years we’ve diversified into advanced manufacturing. The growth industries are defence and aerospace.

We did a small business map to look at where we wanted to take APT, and part of that was to focus on blue-chip defence customers, because that’s where the growth, the value is. That’s our mindset, our culture, that we’ve developed around that type of customer.” www.iscar.com.au www.aptengineering.com

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Cutting Tools

KM4X: A new twist on an old ally in the setup-time reduction war

Quick-change modular tooling is a clear way to increase productivity, shorten set-up time, and generally improve the bottom line for job shops and large manufacturers alike.

The KM system from Kennametal has been a top performer in this area for over three decades, and is known throughout the industry for its high clamping strength and consistent accuracy in both spindle-mounted and static tooling applications. According to Kennametal, the bending moment of KM4X is substantially higher than any tooling interface available on the market today, superior even to its own KM design.

When aerospace giant Boeing came to Kennametal with a request for a heavy-duty spindle connection capable of outperforming traditional CAT and BTstyle adapters, tooling engineers turned to this robust and well-established platform as a starting point. The result was a 100mm spindle connection with four ball tracks instead of two and up to 40% greater clamping force than comparablysized KM tooling.

That was 15 years ago. KM continues to thrive, and was adopted in 2008 by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) as ISO standard 26622. The original Boeing-inspired design has been renamed as well, and marketed for the past several years as KM4X100, a spindle platform popular with machine builders such as Fives Group, Mitsui Seiki, Stama and others, as well as machine shops looking for superior rigidity in demanding machining conditions.

KM and KM4X work on stationary applications as well, as in this centreline turning tool holder for multi-tasking machines and mill-turn lathes.

“We’re going to add roughly 30 new line items, most of which will be extensions in the 80 to 200 mm range, and centreline turning tools to support mill-turn applications,” says Redman.

“We’ve found that, because of KM4X’s extreme rigidity, we can greatly increase gage lengths. This means our customers can reach much farther without having to buy a special tool, something that’s especially important with five-axis machining – they can basically add on whatever extension length is needed and off they go, in both static or rotating applications. We’re pretty excited about that.”

One example of this is a 674mm gauge-length KM4X boring bar, which was displayed on an Integrex i-400 in the Mazak booth at last year’s IMTS trade show in Chicago.

“KM4X63 has a maximum bending moment of 2,100Nm and, depending on the machine, clamping force of 36Kn to 58Kn,” Redman says. “It’s the strongest connection available in this size range, period.”

Kennametal has now announced that the KM4X tooling family has gained a 63mm sibling, aimed at a broader machine tool platform and therefore greater availability to the machining community.

It’s also faster. Redman says KM4X63 comes “out of the box” capable of 38,000rpm, which is higher than HSK-A and “dramatically” faster than competing brands of spindle tooling.

“Just as we did with Boeing, we challenged ourselves to make a great solution even better,” says Bill Redman, Kennametal Global Product Manager, Tooling Systems. “The clamping strength, bending stiffness, and RPM capabilities of the KM4X63 are dramatically higher than virtually any other connection out there.”

For shops that are “on the fence” about spindle tooling and quickchange, Redman offers the following advice: “There’s nothing worse than going into a shop that just bought a $500,000 machining centre or lathe and then discovers they should have opted for a different tooling platform. We as tooling providers have an obligation to educate customers, and get them thinking about what they’re trying to accomplish – whether they need high spindle speeds for an aluminium or die-mould application, or greater low-end torque for titanium and HRSA machining.

Redman and others on the product management and engineering team also recently approached a number of machine builders to ask for opinions on the initial KM4X product offering. Based on that feedback, Kennametal continues to expand the portfolio – the KM4X lineup now includes shrink fit toolholders, HydroForce hydraulic chucks, TG and ER collet chucks, and a variety of other spindle tooling, clamping units, and modular adapters, with more on the way.

“The majority of tooling systems out there can accommodate one of these things, but not both. We feel KM4X provides a competitive advantage no matter what you’re cutting.” www.kennametal.com

Anatomy of the KM4X clamping mechanism, with four ball tracks instead of two.

AMT Feb/Mar 2017

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Cutting Tools

Data sparks the fourth industrial revolution

In machining terms, the manufacturing industry’s continual quest to produce correctly finished workpieces at a certain cost in a certain time has reached the end of the line. Unless a breakthrough tooling solution appears, traditional approaches focused solely on boosting metal removal rates will at best squeeze out a few percentage points of increased output. By Patrick de Vos, Corporate Technical Education Manager at Seco Tools.

Significant future improvements in metal-cutting productivity, quality and reliability will come from a data-driven fourth revolution in manufacturing technology – the latest stage of a lengthy evolution.

The first manufacturing revolution involved the move from homebased crafting activities to production in factories with centralised energy sources powering manufacturing machinery. Mechanical shafts and belts distributed power from water wheels or steam. The more convenient, efficient use of electrical energy followed.

The first factories turned out products one by one. In the second revolution, output expanded to mass production. The development of integrated systems such as assembly and transfer lines and automation expedited high-volume production of identical parts.

The third revolution in manufacturing technology came with the introduction of numerical machine control, and later computerbased control and automation, increasing accuracy and flexibility, and facilitating lower-volume, higher-part-variety manufacturing.

Now manufacturing is in the midst of a fourth revolution, described as Industry 4.0, which integrates present-day data acquisition, storage and sharing technologies. Networked cyber-physical systems analyse ongoing operations, gather and compare data, and route the information to a central server or cloud to compare it with established machining models, using the results to direct parameter adjustments that optimise machining processes.

Early monitor and control systems The concept of data-directed manufacturing has been around for some time. In the 1980s, metalworking researchers worked to create adaptive tool monitoring and control systems intended to measure cutting conditions, compare the data to set process standards, then adjust machining parameters to stabilise operations and minimise occurrence of unforeseen machining events.

The systems employed sensors and probes to measure factors such as cutting forces, power, torque, temperatures, surface roughness and acoustic emissions. Unfortunately, sensor technology at that time lacked the speed and accuracy to be fully effective, and computers lacked the processing speed and memory needed to handle large amounts of data in real time. Additionally, advanced data acquisition and management technology was extremely expensive.

Those shortcomings made in-process parameter adjustment nearly impossible. The result was a binary, black-and-white situation. If collected data exceeded set maximums, the machining process simply is stopped. Maximums were set with insufficient knowledge and insight into cutting processes. As well as lacking adequate processing technology, a key concept was missing: that most of the physical phenomena in machining processes – temperature, forces, loads – are not static conditions but dynamic ones that constantly change.

For example, cutting forces in a certain operation may average 1,000Nm, but about 50% of the time, those forces are above 1,000Nm, and below that level during the remaining time. If the system’s cut-off level is set at 1,000Nm, the process stops because the forces appear too high. Now, nearly 40 years later, sensor and computer technology is far more accurate, faster and less expensive. Manufacturing process research itself is four decades richer in experience and provides greater insights to the key elements of the process.

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Collect and connect the elements It is important to understand the roles of different process elements.

There are, in fact, more than 80 measurable elements that influence machining operations. It is crucial that all the elements be collected, connected and interactive. If an element is unaccounted for, the effects can be unexpected and uncontrollable.

After collection and analysis, data must be prioritised regarding each element’s impact on the process. It is clear that tooling has very significant effects. A collection of production tools works together in metal-cutting: machine tool, CAM system, cutting tool, fixturing and clamping, and coolant, and in Industry 4.0, sensors and data retrieval and transmission systems.

At the core of metal cutting is the interaction of the cutting tool with the workpiece. However, in the traditional approach to developing machining processes, the cutting tool is often the last consideration.

When planning to produce a workpiece, users typically first choose the machine tool, then fixturing, the cooling system and other equipment, and finally the cutting tool. This results in a situation where a cutting tool must make up for less optimum choices of other elements.

For example, if the selected machine tool is unstable, a cutting tool that generates lower cutting forces will be needed to compensate for the lack of stability. However, that tool may fall short when it comes to maximising productivity in the particular workpiece material being machined. In that case, the end effect of choosing the cutting tool last is a subpar system that operates below its full potential.

Fortunately, many individuals in the manufacturing industry now realise it is more appropriate to work in reverse. Shops should first select the cutting tool after considering the final product’s shape and features, its workpiece material and the required quality. The cutting tool – specific material and geometry – should provide the most productivity and meet the specific requirements of the process. Then the choices of the other process elements can focus on creating an environment in which that cutting tool will function at its full capacity.

Cutting Tools Balanced operations After a shop chooses the elements of the machining process, interaction of the elements must be balanced to achieve maximum productivity and minimum costs, and there are several persistent manufacturing issues involved in machining output and expense.

Obvious process factors include tool performance along with tool and machining costs. Costs that are not so obvious include those resulting from unreliable machining processes that produce poor quality or rejected parts, or contributing to unforeseen downtime.

Although planned activities such as programming and maintenance are part of non-machining time, other factors, such as operator errors, broken tools, damaged workpieces and system problems needlessly increase process times and expense. Cutting tools represent a minor percentage of lost time, as do workpiece material and process anomalies. The effects of time expenditures generated by personnel and systems are far greater.

Industry 4.0 highlights digital data capture, the internet and cloudbased storage, but those components are only part of the solution.

In the end, the collected data must be analysed and a physical model or map constructed that defines the process in question.

In cyber-physical systems, collected data is compared to the map, and the system generates feedback to execute process modifications that will produce the desired results. Process control is accomplished not by a human but by the computer analysing and comparing the data against the model instantaneously.

Accordingly, the model stored in the cloud must accurately describe the elements of the process. Constructing such a model requires full

understanding of the operations. Unfortunately, machining presents a reality that is difficult to exactly describe. For example, a model must recognise the dynamic properties of the workpiece material because changes in hardness result in varying cutting forces. But it is impossible to measure the hardness of every workpiece. And in some cases, workpiece hardness might be 10% higher than the material’s nominal hardness, leading to cutting forces that are 10% higher as well.

Maintain human control A model that learns during operations and modifies itself to provide an increasingly accurate description of the process would be a partial solution to this process control dilemma, but the technology has yet to advance to that point. As a result, manufacturing engineers must know how a model was conceived and built to determine if its basis for management of the cutting process is valid. Then, if the parameters chosen via the model’s interaction with cutting data are questionable, the engineer will know the basis on which choices are made and can decide if they should be overruled. The cyberphysical system may control the metal-cutting process, but it is the manufacturing engineer who maintains control over that system.

By consulting decades of field and research experience, Seco builds and provides extremely accurate process models. These models are not closed box in form, but provide both in and out capability for process direction, because human thought, experience and perspective are essential to the final success of the new Industry 4.0 manufacturing revolution. www.secotools.com

Manufacturing production goes full circle The progress of manufacturing technology over the last three centuries has resulted in both vastly improved productivity and, in recent years, greatly increased ability to fill specific customer demands.

The first manufacturers were craftsmen who worked in their homes making essential items like clothing, glassware, bowls and furniture for their own use. Every product was one of a kind, made to order. Moving beyond basic subsistence, entrepreneurial craftsmen made multiple copies of their homemade products for others.

Then craftsmen began to work in groups in facilities served by a common resource such as a blacksmith forge or glass furnace, increasing production efficiency many-fold while providing other benefits such as technique sharing. Output also increased when a centralised energy source such as water wheel power, steam or electricity was distributed throughout a factory.

The manufacture of multiple uniform products began with the development of assembly lines, where each worker repeatedly performed a separate operation as the product was passed from one workstation to the next until completed. This was the beginning of mass production: reliable output of large numbers of identical – at least according to manufacturing tolerances of the time – products. Perhaps the ultimate expression of the assembly line concept is the automotive transfer line that turns out thousands of parts around the clock for years at a time.

The rise of product marketing upset the mass production scenario. In the heat of capitalist competition, marketers sought to attract customers by offering products tailored to the demands of smaller market segments.

A perfect example is when early automakers changed from the “any-colour-you-want-as long-as-it’s-black” marketing philosophy of the Ford Model T, to offering an ever-widening choice of colours and options. To fulfil such individualised demands, manufacturers had to be flexible and find ways to

efficiently change between manufacturing processes. Numerical machine control via punched paper tapes, and later computerdriven numerical control, provided the ability to change processes and tools rapidly and reliably. At the same time, increased capabilities of automation systems cut part handling time and labour costs. In the last few decades CNC manufacturing cells that switch between producing different parts or part features with the touch of a few buttons have, for the most part, replaced the reliable but difficult to modify transfer line concept.

Trends in consumer product marketing clearly illustrate the advantages of computer-aided manufacturing flexibility. By simply reprogramming elements of a manufacturing line, marketers can create many brand extensions. And the trend towards individualisation is not restricted to manufacturing. For example, large retailers are opening smaller-format, specialised stores aimed at individual consumer convenience and product preferences.

Individualisation of manufacturing output will only grow more common. Similar to the implementation of Industry 4.0, models in the cloud may use marketing information to manage product changeovers, automation and inventory levels. Also similar to the operation of cloud-based cutting process systems, human marketers will still need to oversee these systems.

Most recently, additive manufacturing technology is enabling individuals to produce custom-designed parts in a home setting.

So, in sort of a full-circle evolution, manufacturing driven by digital information now enables production of one-of-a-kind items without a factory, like those made by the centuries-ago craftsmen but with unprecedented precision, quality and speed.

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Company Focus

Albins Performance Transmissions – Delivering a competitive edge

Founded out of a passion for motorsports, Albins Performance Transmissions survived the global financial crisis by building on its expertise and applying it in new areas such as defence.

Steven Macdonald, CEO of Albins, tells a great story about the Bathurst 1000, the mecca of Australian motorsport. At the start of the race, every car in the starting grid has the same transmission in the back, a product that his company has been delivering for the Supercars contest since 2013.

“As the red lights light up on the starter screen, the drivers sit, nervously anticipating the start,” says Macdonald. “The engines rev at 7,500rpm as they wait for those lights to go out. Then they drop the clutch, and power suddenly gets transferred through two shafts that we make, into that gearbox. The cars launch off the line, they reach 7,500rpm again, and the driver gets hold of the gearknob and pulls. Once the load reaches about 15kg, the engine stops and the whole driveline relaxes; and that takes about 25-30 milliseconds. Once it relaxes, the change from one gear to the next takes about 12 milliseconds. Once it’s in the next gear, the engine restarts immediately, and within the next 10 milliseconds it’s back under full power.

“That is the first of 4,830 gear changes that day. That’s a day in the life of an Albins product. It’s something we’re very proud of.”

Ivan Albins founded the company in 1978 in Ballarat, country Victoria. An off-road racing enthusiast, Ivan had started to fix up his own cars, and once his competitors found out what he was doing they asked him to do their repairs as well. Eventually Ivan was so busy fixing everyone else’s cars he couldn’t go racing anymore, but he was building a business that began to enjoy rapid success.

Albins was soon exporting its gear products to the US, in particular Volkswagen gears. Indeed, Macdonald notes that even today, if you buy a Volkswagen aftermarket gear anywhere in the world, there’s a reasonably large chance it’s come out of Ballarat. Macdonald joined the company’s production team in 2004, eventually moving up to take over as CEO. Albins’s main activity remains focused around performance transmissions. This encompasses the whole through-life of the product, from initial concept, through to prototype design, to manufacture, supply of spare parts and service, and finally sustainment, servicing transmissions for people all over the world.

AMT Feb/Mar 2017

Re-evaluating the mission For its first three decades, Albins enjoyed relatively consistent success. But it hit a bump in the road in 2008 with the global financial crisis. Around 95% of its products were exported to one customer in the US at the time, but when the crisis hit, orders from that customer were halved.

“Ten years ago, exports were flourishing, everything was fantastic, and then the GFC came along,” says Macdonald. “We really had to reinvent ourselves pretty quickly overnight. We had to reduce in size, and think about our future. Through that journey, one of the things we spent a lot of time doing was coming up with our vision, mission and goals.”

That process led to Albins formulating a clear statement that defines its mission as a company: ‘To provide a safe, positive and sustainable work culture that promotes empowerment, innovation, and continuous improvement in our team to produce high-quality products, which guarantee outstanding client satisfaction.’ This is built around a set of core values: ‘Customer Satisfaction, Innovation, Empowerment and Safety’.

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“It means a lot to us, and it took us quite a long time to get there,” Macdonald explains. “One of the keys for us in trying to expand and get back up to where we were, is thinking about: where do we come from, what do we do? What is it that makes us different from everyone else? Where do we get to?”

Macdonald again cites that story about the start line at Bathurst, and the transmission Albins manufactures.

“The teams that race at Bathurst invest millions of dollars for that one instance when they take off from that start line,” he says. “They put trust in us to make sure that when they drop the clutch and go, that vehicle’s going to move, nothing’s going to break, nothing’s going to go wrong. That’s important on the track, but it’s also important before you get to the track. It’s no use if they don’t have a gearbox.

Delivery on time in full and in quality is incredibly important to us.”

According to Macdonald, what Albins realised when it went through the process of understanding its mission was that its real job overall was to give customers an advantage. It then set about working out how to do that throughout its business and across different sectors.

“One of the key things for us was keeping our eyes open, and being honest with ourselves about what we did,” he adds. “Honest about what we could do well, honest about what can’t do well, and looking at our whole environment. It wasn’t just about sitting in our factory making gearboxes and hoping someone would come and buy them.”

Knowing the market “Back in 2006, we were producing a lot of product and sending it overseas, we had a very large production team, and a very small engineering team,” says Macdonald. “We had a product that was popular and we were producing a lot of it. The problem was when it came crashing down, the question was: what product do we sell now? We went on a big journey trying to understand our markets.”

One of the areas that Albins put a lot of effort into was Supercars.

In 2008, the competition organisers announced plans to produce a whole new platform of car, the “Car of the Future”, launched in 2013.

Among various changes, they wanted vehicles that were safer for a side impact for the driver. Supercars’ dream solution was shifting the gearbox to the back of the car, which meant they could shift the driver closer to the centre of the car, and further from the point of impact. They also wanted to house the fuel in front of the rear axle within the vehicle, reducing the risk of fire. Albins responded with a design that would fit this criteria for a competitive price and won the contract to supply all the Supercars teams under a five-year exclusive agreement.

“All those capabilities helped with their overall program,” says Macdonald. “It wasn’t just the fact they came and bought a gearbox off us. We actually brought a lot of value to the project in a number of different areas.

“When they realised a transaxle fitted to the rear of the car was a viable option, the next challenge was the installation and getting power from the engine to the gearbox, then from the gearbox to the wheels. So we said ‘Okay, we’ll assist and design a driveline system for that as well.’ So all sorts of different mountings on the vehicle became things we assisted with. Through that development program we didn’t just make a gearbox for a tender, we didn’t just make a task to supply. We got involved in it. And that came back to our key aim: to give our customers a competitive advantage.”

That strategy had now been applied in new sectors, with Albins now bringing its expertise from the track to bear in the field of defence. The company has now engaged with defence OEM Thales in Australia to supply the Hawkei protected mobility vehicle programme “We’ve put a lot of engineering resource into all of those avenues,” says Macdonald. “And on each of those programmes we didn’t just go there and say ‘We can make a gear’ or ‘We can make a shaft’. We went and asked ‘What’s your pain? What are you trying to achieve?’”

Albins has travelled a long road from the pre-GFC days when it was making big export sales with a large production team but only a couple of people working in engineering. Today, the company employs three more people than it did in 2006, but it has 15 fewer staff on the shopfloor actually manufacturing the products. Instead, it has a design engineering team, a production engineering team, a production management team, a production scheduler, a quality management team... all dedicated to ensuring its customers get a complete solution, not just one product or part.

“We’ve been through a tough, hard journey,” says Macdonald. “Now we feel incredibly excited about where we’re headed. The global motorsport industry has expanded for us. We’ve got product going into Europe and South Africa; the US has always been there but has steady growth; Asia’s a growing market for motorsport products.

The Hawkei programme is also great for us, as it is in a different market sector.

“We see great opportunity in terms of what manufacturing holds in store, but we don’t see a way to do that without collaboration with our customers and our supply chain. All the way through the process. It is critical that we do more than just make things; we need to do the best we can to bring value to our customers. In addition, we recognise that if things are not working well, if our markets or products are not going as well as we thought they would or should be, we have to take it on board and own it. Don’t blame the market, don’t blame the situation, no matter what’s happening you’ve got to own the position you are in, own the situation, look at the opportunities and look at how you can help the person who’s going to pay your bills.” www.albinsgear.com.au

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Industry 4.0 – An introduction

We hear more and more about Industry 4.0, but it’s often unclear exactly what it will actually entail. AMTIL’s Richard Penman offers a primer on what it all means.

Since the late 1700s, industry and the activities integral to industry have undergone significant changes, driven broadly by the desire to increase efficiency and output value, while reducing capital invested and effort required per output. This desire has seen numerous transitions towards more innovative processes and technologies, taking place over many years.

For expediency, we group these transitions into stages, or revolutions. The first industrial revolution (Industry 1.0) saw the introduction of mechanisation, replacing man (or animal) power with machinery driven by water or steam. The second revolution (Industry 2.0) leveraged the division of labour, along with the benefits of electricity, to facilitate mass production (assembly lines). Industry 3.0 harnessed electronics and technology to automate production.

The key drivers and advances pertinent to each revolution were crucial for disrupting the market status quo of the day. It is important to acknowledge that each revolution was driven by the preceding one, with key advances driving each revolution forward, as well as creating outputs and technologies that enabled each successive revolution.

In terms of key drivers, Industry 1.0 could be referred to as the ‘water revolution’, and Industry 2.0 as the ‘electrical revolution’. The third revolution, which saw the transition from mechanical technology and analogue electronics to digital electronics, is referred to as the ‘digital revolution’. Industry 3.0 established the connection of all sorts of devices, often in networks, to allow streams of information and operational or manufacturing data.

Over time, businesses have connected their operations in a bitby-bit approach, with the majority connecting production and inventory operations to management software such as enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. Our connectedness has grown exponentially, to a point where both businesses and consumers are connecting devices at a phenomenal rate.

Industry 4.0, the revolution now transpiring, is widely referred to as the ‘cyber-physical revolution’: a fusion of technologies blurring the lines between the physical, digital, and biological spheres. The term ‘Industrie 4.0’ was initially adopted by a coalition of universities, companies, labour unions and government bodies in Germany, under an initiative that represents that country’s vision for the future of manufacturing, both in Germany and around the world.

As with all preceding revolutions, Industry 4.0 is also generating key outputs and advances. Two terms in particular have entered into popular vernacular: ‘big data’ and the ‘Internet of Things’. The scenarios surrounding them should be briefly examined.

The exponential growth in the connection of so many machines, machine types, devices and operations generates massive amounts of data that can be so large or complex that traditional dataprocessing applications are inadequate to deal with them. These huge data sets are referred to as ‘big data’ and they will expand dramatically as the physical, digital and biological connections multiply.

At the same time, we are seeing a convergence of multiple technologies that have amalgamated to provide real-time analytics and machine learning, utilising wireless networks sensors, embedded systems and more. These ubiquitous smart devices

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have replaced traditional technology structures and given rise to the term the ‘Internet of Things’ (IoT). The IoT is a concept focused on connecting any device to a network and/ or to other devices. This encompasses mobile phones, cars, washing machines, ovens, lamps, wearable devices and almost everything else. To distinguish the application of the IoT for industry, the term Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is often used.

Industry 4.0, then, is based upon the intelligent connectivity of smart devices, where objects can sense one another, communicate, analyse, generate information and predict eventualities.

Where it differs from the digital revolution is the amount and use of the information generated. Generally, in Industry 3.0 we connected devices and received information that we analysed, evaluated and acted upon fairly manually. In Industry 4.0, we are connecting almost everything together, generating huge amounts of information, then having that information analysed and acted upon automatically, as required in real time, without the need for manual intervention.

We can consider big data and IIoT as the key drivers of Industry 4.0, with their outputs having almost endless uses across every element of society, all industries and environments. These informational outputs are quickly becoming indispensable in real-time predictive or other analytic operations. Industry 4.0 could easily be referred to as the ‘information’ or ‘data’ revolution. However, this term seems less than adequate to capture the incredible scope of change occurring.

At the risk of introducing yet another term, I would describe the current revolution as the age of perspective computing, the crux of the matter being that this revolution, its drivers and outputs, have many explanations, definitions and champions. This, in and of itself, tends to make one think that the actual generation and utilisation of information is, in reality, always a perspective-based activity.

Moreover, the targeted connection, extraction, analysis and manipulation of data to achieve a desired outcome are intrinsically perspective-based. It could be argued that it has ever been thus - no matter the amount or type of data generated, a business or consumer will only ever retrieve, manipulate and analyse data based on their specific needs and operations. Marketing works on this very premise when you search for a product online and then receive copious amounts of information and sales offers for similar products.

Given that each revolution could be considered to be driven by the preceding one, the question is: where is this all going, and what is the likely next step? If we contemplate all the advances so far, then unify them and consider a feasible next step, it may be that there is only one possible outcome: the cyber-automation of digitally-driven entities that act and collaborate autonomously based upon huge sets of predictive data and perspective information. For some, this is going to sound a lot like artificial intelligence (AI), and realistically it is coming close, though we need, of course, to consider the nature of the mind, perception and ethics as part of true AI. Richard Penman is a national IT Systems Innovation Facilitator with the Federal Government’s Entrepreneurs’ Programme (EP).

AMTIL is a partner organisation working with the Department of Industry in the delivery of the EP. www.business.gov.au/ep

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Harnessing the possibilities of sensor intelligence With the advent of Industry 4.0, the information age for industry is just getting off the ground, but it would not be possible without intelligent sensors. By Christoph Müller.

The limitless exchange of manufacturing, product, and logistics data means it is now possible to make better decisions and experience complete transparency across the value chain. At the start of the process chain, this world of greater resource efficiency depends largely on the equipment that supplies this data: intelligent sensors. It is absolutely essential for sensor technology to be intelligent, rugged and reliable when it comes to dealing with challenges such as safe interaction between people and machines, high levels of variance, and fluctuating demand at short notice.

Sensors provide the senses for machines.

The feedback they provide is what makes intelligent machines possible. Sensor intelligence focuses on one aspect of sensor technology: equipping machines with the ability to see, recognise and communicate intelligently.

Intelligent sensors contribute the ability to classify and interpret information. This is characterised by intelligent signal processing, which derives the truly relevant information from large quantities of data and makes it available. Therefore, in addition to primary control system for machines and systems, information is provided for monitoring production systems and making it possible to detect faults. Transparency of processes and material flows produces additional potential for optimisation. Processes are becoming more efficient and cost-effective, increasing competitiveness.

Flexible automation Using a packaging machine as an example shows how an automatic batch change without manual intervention by using intelligent components with automated control generates higher product diversity with a general increase in productivity.

Maximum productivity with product variation down to a batch size of one is a central goal of the Industry 4.0 concept.

Manufacturing plants must be flexible and adapt to what the individual customer wants. Due to high product diversity even as the part batch sizes continue to decrease, intelligent components (smart sensors) must be capable of adjusting and controlling themselves.

One example is a final packaging line capable of handling bottle sizes of 0.5 litres and 1.5 litres on one system through detection from smart sensors with automatic format changeover. The sensors detect the product changeover and tell the control system to readjust so the right box can be set up, the bottles can be fed in, and the box can be labelled and transported

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away. The changeover steps are listed on a monitor while the machine adjusts. The system keeps running automatically and does not have to be put back into operation manually. If the sensors detect an incorrect placement when measuring the length of the product, they notify the control system. The product is sorted out without the system coming to a stop. In addition, sensors provide data for pro-active maintenance, such as monitoring for fine particles to automatically implement safeguards.

Intelligent, communicative sensors are what make Industry 4.0 possible in the first place. Smart sensor solutions – the use of state-of-the-art sensor technologies in combination with complete integration into the control level – focuses heavily on decentralising certain automation functions to the sensor. This takes some of the load off of the control system and increases the productivity of machines.

Safety Sensor intelligence is a prerequisite for safe interaction between people and machines in the era of Industry 4.0. Safe laser scanners reliably monitor the hazardous area around stationary or mobile machines and systems, such as welding robots or automated guided systems. Protection of people is the top priority. If a person enters the area, the dangerous movement must be stopped safely. On established systems, people are protected but production is stopped.

In the future, in the context of Industry 4.0, smart sensors will be used not only to ensure the safety of people, but also to implement ever-increasing production specifications. Today SICK is already providing up to four simultaneous protective fields, thereby considerably increasing the ergonomics and efficiency of complex

machines such as tire heating presses. The digitally switching protective fields currently in use are being replaced with flexible ones.

Flexible protective fields are automatically calculated during highly dynamic movements and adjusted corresponding to the hazardous areas of the robot.

Commissioning is also made considerably simpler and faster thanks to smart sensors.

The optimum interaction of smart sensors and state-of-the-art machine designs increases the productivity of the machine and always guarantees the safety of the employees. The compact systems use an integrated swivel mirror as an optical radar to scan their surroundings in two dimensions and measure distances according to the time-of-flight measurement principle. This results in freely definable safety zones.

Track and trace In the automotive industry, comprehensive data acquisition makes it possible to identify a customised dream car throughout the entire production process up until delivery.

Using this track-and-trace process, it becomes clear how increasing product customisation can be implemented in the context of Industry 4.0. Right at the car body, sensors detect which assembly steps have to be introduced, making mixups impossible. As a result, they ensure comprehensive transparency up until delivery.

Processing steps on the object are updated by rewritable RFID tags. Reading reliability is a necessity because any read errors could cause misdirection, mix-ups or production downtime. This is where RFID data cards – which can be attached to components or even integrated out of sight within them – are coming into play more and more. In practice, they have the highest possible

Industry 4.0

availability. For example, they are capable of withstanding high temperatures on a painting line and can be reliably identified even once covered in paint.

Aspects such as transparency and traceability are playing an ever more important role for manufacturers, because the variability in the production lines of large automobile plants is constantly increasing and assembly lines are seeing more and more variants being built in parallel.

Vertical integration is the key for track and trace. Traceability of products during complex manufacturing and logistics processes is a priority for this integration.

Production and logistics require transparent material flows so that production decisions can be made faster.

Transparency of the material flow based on RFID also plays a critical role in delivery. Until the completed cars are ready to be picked up and transported to the dealership, they are kept in a large parking lot. But how do you find the car that still needs to go on the truck? Every single car is made to order; no two are alike. Thanks to the information stored on an RFID tag, the customer’s dream car is located quickly and can be loaded up for transport in no time.

Quality control The future holds continued increases in the speed at which packages are transported.

The distances between the packages are becoming smaller. This means checking the quality of products is even more important.

To accomplish this, the package data is scanned on the conveyor belt and read into the software. The packages are identified and compared. Is the package damaged?

Is the code complete? Are the weight and volume the same? Is there a pileup of packages, or is a package possibly even missing?

Automatic fault detection is made possible by comprehensive product and production data. The data is completely synchronised in seconds. Defects can be tracked by all centres, and it is possible to trace where the weak point is. In addition, quality defects can be identified and resolved in the process.

Since the speeds on the conveyor belts are further increased, maximum productivity is ensured – not just within a location, but also globally.

This example of an intralogistics process shows how increasing quality requirements and the desire for resource efficiency can be implemented in the context of Industry 4.0.

The sensors detect changes to the object

and enable seamless data acquisition. The software solution analyses the process data and implements actions. The combination of a variety of data and the analysis software is an important prerequisite for Industry 4.0 and the issue of sustainability. Goods in the production process and the supply chain must be reliably and uniquely identified so that these can support efficient automated control. From an individual package on a conveyor belt to a complete overview of millions of packages transported every day—there must be a convenient way to call up and analyse the status of all acquired data. Smart sensors acquire and communicate this data. However, users do not experience true added value until this data can be used as a basis for improving business processes. This data offers extensive opportunities but also presents the significant challenge of preparing it in a way that allows companies to make the right decisions. This is the cornerstone of Industry 4.0: the seamless flow of data and information from the sensor to the control system and back.

From sensor to sensor intelligence SICK has always developed and built intelligent sensors. The fact that the company has been on the scene for 10 years with a focus on sensor intelligence underscores the consistent further development of the corporate strategy. This is embodied in the literal meaning of the term sensor intelligence. Further development of intelligent sensors does not mean that the future and past are independent of each other. Rather, they form an inseparable unit of technological developments that build upon each other. Starting in the 1950s, SICK’s founder, Dr Erwin Sick, used his vision to create intelligent solutions for safeguarding machines and monitoring emissions. Before long, advances in electronics allowed for miniaturisation of the devices and provided the essential driving force behind technology in automation engineering.

The triumph of microelectronics continues even today. An example of this is seen in the powerful ASICs, which SICK developed and uses in devices such as optical and inductive sensors. The increasing speed in the computing power of state-of-theart chips enables remote processing of substantially larger amounts of data and capabilities like the associated use of complex mathematical methods. This is resulting in completely new dimensions for the scope, accuracy and ruggedness of measurements. Sensor solutions measuring in multiple dimensions, such as camera systems and laser scanners, would also be impossible without this development due to their high data volume.

Computing power enables even more intelligent sensors, but they do not turn into sensor intelligence until equipped with the right software and application knowledge.

The intelligent linking of application knowledge, with the flexibility of state-ofthe-art software architectures, enables the next development stage for sensors.

This is characterised by the possibility of sensors that can perform more extensive analysis, automatically adapt to changes, communicate in the network and remotely solve complex tasks within a larger manufacturing network. In other words, the sensor links to the machine, system, factory, and the entire value-creation chain and provides for transparency in production. As a result, it provides the entry point into the world of Industry 4.0.

For all virtual worlds, however, sensor intelligence remains one thing above all – part of a sensor. Even the cloud and apps need to have a physical basis in the real industrial environment, namely, a rugged and reliable piece of hardware. And building this hardware requires one thing above all: decades of experience.

Christoph Müller is Manager – Global Marketing & Communication at SICK. www.sick.com.au

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Connect and optimise – Digital connectivity and Industry 4.0

However you define the digital manufacturing transformation of Industry 4.0, one thing is certain – robust, reliable and integrated communications are absolutely fundamental to any successful ‘smart factory’ implementation.

For manufacturers, the ability to allow the key elements of the production process to communicate with each other will be one of the keys to unlocking the significant competitive advantage and growth potential promised by this ‘fourth industrial revolution’. This evolution to ICT (information and communications technology) means that connectivity is becoming an increasingly important issue. For this reason, the control and data-sharing solutions that characterise the next generation of digital machining will be based on connectivity and its close cousin, interoperability.

Digital connectivity Certainly it is no overstatement to say that digital connectivity solutions will help companies to improve every aspect of the endto-end production process – from design and production planning through machining to post-process analysis and intelligence.

Enhanced connectivity and interoperability will open up new opportunities to improve productivity, profitability and security through better planning and decision-making, more optimised processes, lower levels of waste, increases in efficiency and the rapid identification and resolution of production issues.

The ultimate aim is for machines, software solutions and cutting tools to be interconnected in such a way that they can collect and communicate data from and between every different step of the value chain. If this can be achieved then so-called ‘dark data’ – data that would previously have been either unavailable or, at best, difficult to obtain – can now be analysed. And in line with the old adage that ‘if you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it,’ this will allow companies to identify how their production processes can be made less wasteful and more efficient.

In the future it is likely to be possible for tool operators to remotely adjust, control and monitor machining performance quite literally at the cutting edge. By making it much easier to configure and modify key parameters from the machine control or even by using browser interfaces, smartphones and tablets, the time it takes to set up a process for a new machining job would be significantly reduced.

Once up and running, the same remote configuration capability could be used to further improve the process until the optimum set-up is achieved. Ultimately, combining digital solutions with data collected from other areas of the machine opens up the potential to build systems that can ‘self-optimise’ with little or no programming or operator intervention.

Open systems The growth of open systems built around standard APIs (application programming interfaces) and protocols can go a long way to removing barriers to effective connectivity and simplifying the collection and subsequent analysis of key data.

The MTConnect open, royalty-free manufacturing communications protocol, for example, is already helping to deliver interoperability between machines, controls, sensors, other production hardware and software from a variety of suppliers. MTConnect makes it possible for monitoring systems to collect data in a consistent format from a variety of machines irrespective of machine builder.

In the future, tools that offer ‘plug-and-play’ integration into existing software environments through open APIs that support two-way connectivity could further improve accurate data quality.

Finally, it is worth noting that the ability to collect significantly higher volumes of data than ever before creates the need to present that

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data in a highly usable manner. This is why the online dashboard is becoming increasingly important. By providing an easy-to-use and easy-to-understand interface, managers can gain a better understanding and insight into what is happening in the workshop and operators can remotely monitor machining processes, control specific tools and secure optimum tool performance. www.sandvik.coromant.com

Ifind – Online solutions from Sandvik Coromant Sandvik Coromant is grouping its online offerings within the company’s new Ifind app, giving purchasers, engineers and machine operators a user-friendly option for the best possible support of their manufacturing processes.

Easy-to-access solutions can be a great help in day-to-day manufacturing operations, and through the new Ifind app Sandvik Coromant can provide extensive information about its products, services and knowledge in one convenient daily helper.

“The free Ifind app provides access to all the content of the Sandvik Coromant website, the tool recommendation application, over 30 publications and catalogues, and 10 apps,” says Shabir Chagan, Digital Program Manager at Sandvik Coromant. “Thanks to the mobile shop function and options for instant contact with Sandvik Coromant, users can cover the entire tooling process, from selection to sourcing, with just one app.”

The content and actions available through the Ifind app include tool information, recommendations, availability and prices. In addition, users will be able to access important purchasing information, such as order tracking and changes.

For engineers, CAD data and 3D models will be available, along with cutting data, applications knowledge, seminars and information about replacement tools and parts.

The Sandvik Coromant Ifind app is available to download from the iTunes App Store or the Google Play Store.

Industry 4.0

What does Industry 4.0 Mean for manufacturers?

As a result of huge developments in the modern world, manufacturing has changed. With the use of computers, automation and cloud technology, factories are now safer places and are becoming increasingly efficient, guaranteeing high-quality outcomes for employees, but most importantly, for the customer.

Industry 4.0 is the latest phase in digitisation for the manufacturing sector. With increased productivity through intelligent, networked production systems, an Industry 4.0 marketplace means that machines offer their services and exchange information with products in real-time.

Using internet or cloud-based platforms for businesses to connect to their machinery enables manufacturers to digitally connect to their own production line, machinery and supply chain. Access to the production control system via tablet or smartphone allows mobile productions planning. Cloud technology provides workers with an insight into the status of productions orders and the machines along with ease when adjusting information such as job orders or production quantities.

Industry 4.0 has been driven by four disruptors: a rise in data volumes; increased computational power and connectivity; the emergence of analytics and business intelligence capabilities (for example, new forms of human-machine interaction such as touch interfaces and augmented-reality systems); and improvements in transferring digital instructions to the physical world, such as advanced robotics and 3D printing.

This advancement brings excitement to the manufacturing world.

With connected, intelligent production units carrying the objective of optimising costs, lead times and resource consumption driven by individualised customer needs, there will be a new level of organising and controlling value chains through the use of all relevant information in real time. Cloud technology is a critical enabler of this next Industrial Revolution, by providing the means for businesses to innovate around these technologies.

The German Research Centre for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) is demonstrating how such a system can work in practice in a smart factory in Kaiserslautern, Germany. The pilot facility uses soap

bottles to show how products and manufacturing machines can communicate with one another. Empty soap bottles have RFID tags attached to them, and these tags inform machines whether the bottles should be given a black or a white cap. A product that is in the process of being manufactured carries a digital product memory with it from the beginning and can communicate with its environment via radio signals. This product becomes a cyberphysical system that enables the real world and the virtual world to merge.

Within the manufacturing industry today, there are said to be two groups: the traditional first-generation manufacturers who may be struggling in the Australian market due to a lack of desire to invest in technology; and the innovators, who are finding themselves more success in a tough climate because they are open to adopting new ways.

“Industry 4.0 is being spoken about everywhere,” says Annaliese Kloe, Managing Director of Headland Machinery. “In particular, it was widely reflected at EuroBLECH 2016. It will widely change the approach to the way that manufacturers work, so if you aren’t looking into this now then you’ll be left behind. It will revolutionise your business, so it is vital to get on board.”

With an increasingly digital future ahead of us, this new era for manufacturing looks set to transform businesses worldwide. It is imperative for manufacturers to consider new technologies arising and explore how they can adapt their processes to comply with the expectations of the modern world. The experts at Headland can help you find out how your business can adapt. Headland has also released a new Industry 4.0 workbook – contact them at marketing@headland.com.au to obtain a copy. www.headland.com.au

Versatile manufacturing – Bosch takes lead on ReCaM project A research consortium led by Bosch is developing a novel industrial manufacturing concept.

The nine partners on the ReCaM project aim to create a highly versatile manufacturing system, in response to modern manufacturing’s ever-shortening production times and increasing demand for customised products. The ReCaM project is funded by the EU to the tune of €5.3m as part of its “Horizon 2020” research and innovation program.

In the future, independent modules will assume specific tasks within a manufacturing chain – pressing, drilling, or assembly, for example.

Each module contains the tools necessary for its task, plus the ability to configure itself and co-ordinate manufacturing processes with neighbouring modules. These manufacturing modules are put together to create a customised, versatile manufacturing system.

“We want to make manufacturing more efficient and more profitable.

The aim is to cut the time it takes to set up a running system by 30%,” says the Project Manager Sebastian Schröck, who works in research and advance engineering at Bosch. Schröck, who has a PhD in mechanical engineering, started working on the project with the various partners in November 2015.

The ReCaM project envisions using “plug-and-produce” modules as a solution. The idea behind it is similar to when computers can independently recognise keyboards or printers through plug-andplay applications. To adjust production, workers will simply add existing or remove modules as required.

At present, production lines are usually still designed for one product and specific batch sizes. However, products are becoming ever more personalised, and batch sizes increasingly variable, down to batches of one. Consequently, production lines must be adjusted more and more often, costing time, increasing the risk of errors, and resulting in downtime.

The ReCaM team aims to prove that such connected and adaptable manufacturing systems truly work and prove themselves in practical applications. To do so, all nine partners in the research consortium are contributing their various areas of expertise to find a solution together: university institutes are developing the standards; mechanical engineers are constructing the modules; and manufacturing companies such as Bosch are testing the concepts in practice. www.bosch.com.au

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Embracing Industry 4.0 means embracing change

Disruptive technologies and megatrends are bringing radical changes to manufacturing as we know it, demanding new ways of thinking and execution. Faced with the inevitable force of Industry 4.0, organisations must embrace change and take advantage of the opportunities. By Vince Randall, Vice-President – ANZ at Epicor.

Industry 4.0 represents the digitisation of manufacturing, realising the potential of the Internet of Things (IoT) combined with artificial intelligence and data science. It is something Australian manufacturers need to be ready for, as to some extent, it is already happening.

CSIRO has called for Australia’s manufacturing industry to “evolve into a highly integrated, collaborative and export-focused environment that provides high-value solutions” over the next 20 years. It says Australian manufacturers must increase participation in global value chains and invest in and employ sensors, data analytics, advanced materials, robotics, automation, 3D printing, and augmented and/or virtual reality.

In 2016, a Prime Minister’s Task Force on Industry 4.0 was established and industry leaders met to discuss private-sector collaboration and the need for a set of common standards. This was consistent with an announcement regarding global IoT standards issued by the German Plattform Industrie 4.0 group and the US Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC). Germany and the US have been early adopters regarding Industry 4.0 and can be a source for technology, strategies, approaches and success stories guiding the way forward.

Manufacturers must embrace and adapt to this new industrial revolution. If they fail to do so, they run the risk of falling behind and losing to competitors.

IoT is not the future IoT is no longer a futuristic discussion, especially with analysts predicting 55% of businesses will see return on IoT investments in two years or less. The market isn’t yet saturated with IoT devices, nor are Australian manufacturers fully entrenched in the world of IoT, but this ROI prediction is certainly encouraging.

By 2020 there will be billions of connected devices in use. Some research forecasts 30bn such devices, and Gartner predicts the value of connected devices will reach $20bn by 2020. The data generated by the increase of connected devices and machines represents a significant opportunity. Determining how to best identify, capture and incorporate increased data volumes can help organisations understand their market and customers better, as well as gain market share.

Paying attention to the megatrends Various manufacturing megatrends will continue to have an exponential impact on your operations.

Demographic shifts — We see population growing in some nations and shrinking in others, an expanding middle class, consumer markets shifting from the West to the East, and an ageing population with fewer people entering the manufacturing field. Take heart that technology continues to make everyone easier to reach and attract, including the millennial generation.

The globalisation of future markets — Companies will expand operations farther around the globe, with worldwide exports expected to triple by 2030. Exports from emerging and developing countries will quadruple, and regional and bilateral trade agreements are likely to further open the world’s borders. Technology is a big enabler of globalisation, not only through eCommerce and the opening up of other sales and distribution channels, but also with

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regard to having enterprise resource planning (ERP) system support for trading across borders.

Scarce resources — Thanks to increased energy use and requirements, we’re going to need more power. Resources are growing scarcer despite the focus on climate change and sustainability, and there will be continued reliance on fossil fuels. This could potentially be mitigated by innovative recycling technologies and using technology platforms to monitor efforts.

Knowledge and gender gap — Manufacturers will feel the challenges of a decreasing talent pool. There won’t be enough skilled people to perform the jobs of the future, though we are becoming a more educated world with enrolment in formal education continuing to rise. The gender gap is unlikely to be resolved. The available pool of workers will likely come from developing countries.

An ever-increasing mobile workforce will continue to present challenges. However, technology can help. Think of the possibilities when it comes to collaborating with millennials, enabling mobility, connecting a diverse and dispersed workforce, and engaging the mobile consumer.

Embrace the change The customer is changing. We are entering an era of the global customer, based in geographic areas that have not previously been a traditional focus for Australian manufacturers. The new customer is more mobile, aware and demanding, with an increased desire for customisation and personalisation, and a requirement for delivery when and precisely where they desire.

Those who want to run the factories of the future will need to shed the old mindset of waiting for new technology to become the norm before embracing it. Strategically implementing technologies like social, mobile, analytics and cloud, alongside operational technologies like sensors, machine-to-machine communication, additive manufacturing and robotics can help you realise the tremendous opportunities at hand for manufacturers.

New connections between machines, production processes and systems will marry the world of production and networking in a connected environment, and ERP will become even more central to production. To prepare for Industry 4.0, ERP vendors are moving away from pre-built interfaces and formulas to develop highly connected systems that conduct operations at the production line level, whilst giving business decision makers the real-time data they require. The Industry 4.0 compatible ERP system will fully integrate with manufacturing execution systems (MES) and make it possible to track and document the transformation of raw materials through to finished goods. Crucially, manufacturers need to address whether their existing ERP environment is ready to support such a journey towards Industry 4.0.

For manufacturers, growth in an Industry 4.0 environment will be intrinsically linked with a business’ ERP system. Certainly, the boundaries between production and management must disappear, and ERP and MES systems must form an integrated unit if businesses are to realise the growth opportunities presented by this new age of intelligent manufacturing. Taking a critical look at the existing IT environment in your business is the first step towards understanding how ready you are for Industry 4.0. www.epicor.com/australia

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Forming & Fabrication

M1 helps Elsum meet customers’ expectations While Australia has seen a lot of sheet metal manufacturing work going overseas, Brett Mackieson is adamant his company Elsum Engineering is staying right here. And he is investing in the right technology to make sure of it.

With more than 15 years’ experience in both IT and manufacturing, Mackieson knows exactly what he wants from enterprise resource planning (ERP) software. As General Manager at Elsum, he sought a solution that would ensure the company remained competitive and on track to meet its growth projections.

“We have plans to be around a long time” says Mackieson. “So there was an imperative for us to meet a changing marketplace.”

With competitive pressures in manufacturing increasing, Elsum needed to ensure that staff were all on the same page, with dynamic, real-time information, and that they continued to meet customer expectations on all fronts. Given their continued commitment to growth, there was also a strong need for scalability.

“We do customised work too and often are faced with short delivery cycles,” explains Mackieson. “We need systems that enable quick, scheduled production, when the customer requirements demand it. We were keen to look at ERP systems as a means to integrate our information needs across the entire company with an integrated software application.”

Based in Bayswater North, Melbourne, Elsum has supplied industry with thousands of sheet metal products – anything from simple bracketry, panelling and polished brightware, to complex welded chassis assemblies – for more than 30 years.

Cutting-edge in-house facilities and accredited supply chain network enable Elsum to provide a genuine turnkey service specialising in small-to-medium volume, component design and optimisation, and manufacture. The right ERP software is key to Elsum’s needs.

“It’s integral to our business,” says Mackieson. “Before we installed ERP software, I saw a bunch of sub-systems that did not talk to each other. I set out to satisfy our needs, including short lead times, quick turnaround, high quality.

“We went to the market looking for a solution in a complex manufacturing environment where there might be 400 customer orders at any time and 10-15,000 components as well as disparate materials to deal with, and where there is some very expensive, high end technology at play.

“You want to squeeze the efficiencies and gain productivity improvements. We run a 24-hour operation. Moving to an ERP; where the whole company runs on one system, you need to ensure stability. Even

AMT Feb/Mar 2017

Brett Mackieson, General Manager at Elsum Engineering.

Elsum Engineering’s facility in Bayswater North, Melbourne.

10 minutes downtime is costly; uptime is critical.”

“Our brief was simple: here’s what our business does. You show us how it’s going to work.”

Mackieson says that the process produced some surprises: “We pulled some random case studies to test suppliers and found some ridiculous price points. M1 ticked all the boxes for our particular needs.”

Customisation was also a factor: “We look at future proofing, an ability to customise and how the software was going to behave.

Is it modularised? Is it built-in units? We needed to see an ability to roll out different units and modules, for example Quality Assurance, as a plug-in to the same framework.”

Mackieson points out that, with four midsized manufacturing plants on site, there is a major investment in equipment. Therefore the ability to customise the software to the company’s applications was key.

“We have a lot of high-end technology from Japan operating 24/7. Our production runs are real-time; the system works in real time over multiple plants.”

Elsum has established itself as a leader in the Australian landscape, with a strong international export presence.

The company deals with both small and large OEMs and fabricators, including vehicle giant Kenworth Trucks. Elsum handles new and existing sheet metal requirements,

from one-offs to high-volume production.

With full ISO 9001:2000 accreditation, Elsum benchmarks its quality performance against a target of 50 defects for every million components manufactured – regardless of volume, supported by design, engineering and production staff experts.

The company has in-house technologies that embrace 2D and 3D CAD modelling capability, automated 2D and 3D laser cutting, computer-controlled seven-axis bending and forming, and quality control and “mistake proofing” of customer product. Mackieson says its manufacturing flexibility is a competitive advantage.

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Forming & Fabrication

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“Our customers appreciate Elsum’s ability to service not only scheduled order delivery but more demanding ordering styles,” he says. “Customers provide a drawing, a spec; we deliver a finished product. With our sophisticated ERP and live shop-floor tracking system we manage the most simple and sophisticated production requirements and volumes to arrive at our customer’s door on time, every day. That’s what customers like Kenworth demand.”

Mackieson says that a company like Elsum, facing an increasingly competitive landscape where offshore labour costs are much lower than in Australia, still needs to maintain optimal flexibility and quality.

“That’s vital,” he says. “What I like about M1 is that you come up with a set of business rules and then you fill in the dots. It’s the open-ended framework that will make us super users of M1. Going forward, I want

to be refining M1 rather than changing; it is a core part of our business.” www.elsumeng.com.au www.ecisolutions.com

Yawei HLF series fibre laser to launch in Australia

The HLF series fibre laser is the newest edition to the range of Yawei sheetmetal machinery on offer from Applied Machinery into the Australian market.

Following the successful HLF series launch at EuroBLECH in Hanover, Germany, in October, the first machine (HLF-1530 4kW IPG) arrived in Australia in January. Applied had already been fielding enquiries from a broad cross-section of customers who are keen to get the first look at this premium laser processing system on Australian soil.

With more than 25 years’ experience in building premium sheetmetal machinery, Yawei is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of CNC press brakes, CNC turret punch presses and guillotines. Its entrance into the laser cutting market comes off the back of years of R&D and refinement of the machines in the domestic market.

Over the course of its 10-year partnership with Yawei, Applied Machinery has delivered and installed well in excess of 150 CNC press brakes, turret punch presses and guillotines across Australia. This brand success is built on Yawei’s commitment to building premium, feature-packed machinery, at a competitive price point, combined with Applied Machinery’s classleading sales and service network across the country.

“We have happy Yawei customers all across Australia,” said Applied Machinery’s Marketing Manager, Daniel Fisher. “And with the addition of the HLF series of fibre lasers to our product line-up, this strong customer base is only set to grow further.”

According to Fisher, the HLF series fibre laser from Yawei is in a league of its own dollar for dollar, and will open up possibilities for companies all across the laser cutting sector – from start-ups, through to full production, three-shift environments.

Yawei fibre laser systems offer a number of significant benefits including extreme accuracy, speed and consistency of cut, combined with very low operating and maintenance costs.

“All HLF series fibre lasers arrive standard with Precitec (Germany), auto-focus cutting

heads and IPG (USA) laser sources,” Fisher added. “Combine this with a Siemens 840DSL controller and a fabricated, fully annealed frame, and you quickly start to see the benefits of these machines when compared to other units in the market.”

Applied Machinery recently celebrated 25 years in business and in addition to Yawei, represents a large range of other premium machinery manufacturers, including Genox, Mitsubishi, Cosen, Chen Hsong, Takisawa, Wele, Hermle, Akyapak, JWell & SML. www.appliedmachinery.com.au

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one-on-one

Jeremy Rockliff MP is the Deputy Premier in the Tasmania State Government. He is also the Minister for Education and Training, Minister for Primary Industries & Water, and Minister for Racing, and the Liberal Member for Braddon in the Tasmanian House of Assembly. He spoke to William Poole.

AMT: Firstly, what’s the current situation for manufacturing in Tasmania and what are the big trends affecting the sector?

Jeremy Rockliff: Well our economy’s very diversified – we’ve got mining, forestry, agriculture, horticulture, aquaculture – and advanced manufacturing plays a key role in all of those industries, particularly aquaculture, which is expanding, agriculture and food production. But also we’ve developed a reputation with Elphinstone and Caterpillar for developing high-quality, world-class heavy machinery and mining equipment. So I guess our diversity is our strength in terms of our economy in Australia. Of course one of our disadvantages is scale, but in the last 12 months we’ve recognised the fact that advanced manufacturing is a key component of our economy and an important one, following on from a summit that we held in May 2015.

The Tasmanian Advanced Manufacturing Summit was held following Caterpillar’s decision to centralise its operations at its Rayong facility in Thailand, which saw 280 direct jobs taken out of our manufacturing heartland around the city of Burnie in the north-west. Of course it also affected a lot of satellite businesses that in many respects were direct suppliers of highquality components in the advanced manufacturing space to Caterpillar. What we realised was a lot of those highquality, skilled businesses had too much exposure to Caterpillar, and the decision to centralise operations did impact on those businesses as well. So from the Advanced Manufacturing Summit we developed an Advanced Manufacturing Plan for the state, which encompasses the key areas that we’re going to focus on in the advanced manufacturing space over the next couple of years.

AMT Feb/Mar 2017

We also took some key suppliers of Caterpillar to Rayong to get an appreciation of whether some of those businesses could continue that relationship, and that was very responsive. But we’ve also invited a lot of businesses and people to Tasmania to see exactly what our capability is in terms of the advanced manufacturing space.

The feedback had been overwhelmingly positive, and indeed some people have been surprised at the level of expertise in terms of the businesses and most particularly the skilled employees we have in Tasmania in the advanced manufacturing space, which is pleasing, but also a message to us that we have to develop our workforce skills, and then in fact increase them if we’re going to maintain a competitive advanced manufacturing industry in Tasmania.

AMT: The case of Caterpillar has a lot of parallels with the closure of automotive manufacturing in Victoria and South Australia, and its knock-on effect through the supply chain there.

JR: Well, it was a huge blow. Burnie is renowned as the industrial heartland of Tasmania in many respects, and it did make a dent in confidence. People thought that those 280 job losses plus the flowon effects to those supply businesses would have a big impact, and initially that impact was felt. But we set up a Caterpillar Transition Taskforce, which I chaired, and the State Government provided some investment for that, including grants to advanced manufacturing businesses that had viable propositions to put forward, that would employ people for the longer term. And that was largely successful – some 150 jobs were created out of that process, some employees were retained

by Caterpillar within the region.

So in terms of the impact initially, it was hard-felt, but also I believe an opportunity to diversify our advanced manufacturing base, but also to recognise the fact that we do have some very skilled businesses and employees in Tasmania, which we need to celebrate more and advertise what our capabilities are. We’ve made a lot of effort to promote our advanced manufacturing capability, and moving forward we’re focusing on some key areas where we want to build our capability as well, such as maritime, resources. A key focus is defence. With 2.2% of Australia’s population, we only have 0.03% of defence contracts, and we’re working very hard in that space. Antarctic is another area where we have a lot of experience as a state.

AMT: What are the biggest challenges companies there are facing?

JR: One of the big challenges is still that supply chain dependency. Some of the smaller manufacturers have a reliance on larger manufacturers, where decisions such as the one Caterpillar has made does have an impact more broadly than just the direct job losses. But there’s been a realisation since that time among those smaller businesses that they do need to diversify.

They’re good at what they do. What other opportunities lie out there in other sectors that they could produce high-quality parts or components for, so they can spread their risk more effectively? Part of the Advanced Manufacturing Plan is to assist with that.

We’ve also got to be really vigilant to the fact that we’ve got to maintain a very skilled workforce as well. This is where our public training provider TasTAFE is very important but also our private providers, encouraging people into the industry firstly but also making sure that businesses receive the highest-quality training possible.

Maintaining those workforce skills will be a challenge as well.

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AMT: And are the greatest strengths of Tasmanian manufacturing?

JR: I think the strength of the sector is the fact that, in terms of the overall importance of advanced manufacturing to the state, Tasmania is a very diversified economy, but also resource-based industries are very important to Tasmania, which require machinery, either on the water with aquaculture, or in the mines, out in the forests, or in food production. So that diversified economy assists the advanced manufacturing.

Another strength is that our advanced manufacturing businesses have come together in the last two years and recognised that they need a voice as well. So it’s a far more united sector than it used to be, that is working together, less fragmented, and has a real focus on promoting Tasmania as a whole in terms of its advanced manufacturing capability.

We had 160 industry representatives at the Advanced Manufacturing Summit in 2015, and as a result of that, an advanced manufacturing industry group was formed.

They’ve actually set up an advanced manufacturing centre of excellence in Burnie. It’s a far more united and focused group.

or advanced manufactured components – has to be at the absolute premium in quality, so that those purchasing our product know that it’s the highest quality in the world, and therefore that if there’s a price premium associated with it, that premium’s well and truly worth it. That’s the space we’ll always have to be in given our challenges with distance but also scale as well, in terms of economies of scale.

AMT: What sort of policy initiatives is the Tasmanian state government engaged in to support local manufacturing?

JR: Well, we’ve brought together industry representatives, as I said earlier – the industry’s far more united now, and we’re supporting that industry group financially.

Our Buy Local policy is supporting our advanced manufacturing base as well, ensuring local businesses get the best possible opportunity of government tenders and those types of things.

The Caterpillar Transition Taskforce was a good example of where the Government provided grants to businesses that we innovative in the sector, could demonstrate longevity, and could demonstrate that any grant received was going to go into innovative projects that could employ people.

Also, there’s investing in promoting the sector, with the promotional materials that we’ve produced telling the world about our very strong capability here in Tasmania, and being active in that space. And we have a very clear strategy in place in terms of our Advanced Manufacturing Plan.

Contiuned next page

Our Buy Local policy is working well for the sector in terms of ensuring that local businesses get the best opportunities possible in terms of tendered work from the Government. Just recently, Southern Prospect, based just outside Burnie, won the tender for 100 metro buses.

AMT: We hear a lot how Australian manufacturers need to get into export markets and global supply chains, but the tyranny of distance is often an impediment.

For Tasmania that obstacle is even greater, so how can it be overcome?

JR: All Tasmanian exporters face this challenge, and I think 90% of what we produce in Tasmania is exported, and increasingly we’ve become well known for producing high-quality product. Everything we do – whether it be food, or technology,

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One-on-One

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AMT: What would you like to see from Federal Government to help the industry in Tasmania?

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JR: The Federal Government does have a key role to play here, and we’d like to see the Federal Government become very highly attuned to the capabilities we have in place here in Tasmania. It’s of benefit to the Federal Government to get a true understanding of what we do have to offer in terms of our businesses and the level of skills we have got – and we can clearly demonstrate that. I guess from that point of view as well, a very robust vocational education and training sector is very important, which the Federal Government has some responsibility for.

Again it’s in their interest to better understand our capability here, and that’s the Tasmanian Government’s job to ensure that we’re actively in the face of Federal Government demonstrating that we do have capability when it comes to defence, for example. We do punch above our weight, we do deserve more of that defence spend. And we have the capability.

AMT: Tell us about your professional background and how you wound up in your current role?

JR: I’m a farmer by trade. I operated a family farm when I came back from agricultural college in New Zealand, where I spent a couple of years. I was farming for 12 years, and I still live on the farm – my wife and father run the farm at the moment but obviously I maintain a keen interest in it.

I was elected to Parliament when I was 32; this is my 15th year in Parliament.

I obviously have a keen industry focus through agriculture, and through agriculture an appreciation of research, development & extension, innovation, technology, how far machinery on farms has come in terms of its capability, which can assist in all sorts of areas, not only making operations more efficient but also soil conservation and those types of things.

Although I’m a farmer by trade, my path to politics is reasonably varied, in terms of advocacy for farming and rural life and regional areas. I also had a background in drug and alcohol areas; I was a Lifeline telephone counsellor for a number of years. So a number of paths brought me to politics.

AMT: What might an ordinary day in your job entail? You’ve got a pretty diverse portfolio.

www.productivityimprovers.com

AMT Feb/Mar 2017

JR: Yes, I’ve got Education & Training, Primary Industries & Water, and Racing, so my day is varied. From visiting schools, training, TAFE… visiting all those sites,

“There’s been a realisation among smaller businesses that they do need to diversify. They’re good at what they do. What other opportunities lie out there in other sectors that they could produce high-quality parts or components for, so they can spread their risk more effectively?” getting in there and having a good look at what’s happening. We’ve got a lot of investment in water development in Tasmania in recent years; between 2008 and 2018 we’ll probably see a billion dollars of investment in water infrastructure, which is extraordinary for our small population size. So again it’s diversifying our economy, getting water in non-traditional areas and increasing our agricultural capability, which of course then creates demand for more machinery.

But in my role as Deputy Premier and Member for Braddon, when the Caterpillar announcement happened, my involvement in the Caterpillar Transition Taskforce was a real eye-opener for me.

Having taken a dozen businesses away to Thailand with me on a trade mission, and visiting all those businesses within the advanced manufacturing space, I got a real appreciation of our capability here in Tasmania, and I place a much higher value on advanced manufacturing than I once did, because I simply didn’t have the intimate knowledge of what our capabilities are.

We’ve got some very skilled people down here, and I was just blown away when I got the opportunity to take a far more active interest in what we’ve got here in Tasmania.

I was pleased to have that opportunity, albeit an opportunity that came from less than favourable circumstances. www.dpac.tas.gov.au

State Spotlight

Tasmania

Tasmania

Manufacturing in Tasmania – Full speed ahead

Manufacturers contributed $1.7bn (7%) to the state gross product of Tasmania in 2014-15, while employing around 19,000 people.

Native Tasmanians made daring blue-water hunting trips to offshore islands in vessels made from reeds. Wooden boatbuilding began within days of European settlement in 1803. The colonists’ first vessel was a wooden skiff whose builders could not have imagined the giant, high-speed 120m catamarans that Tasmanians now export to the world.

One company, Incat Tasmania, has built 40% of the world’s fleet of large-scale, fast, multi-hull ferries, including the world’s fastest passenger ferry, Francisco. Incat has held the record for the fastest crossing of the Atlantic Ocean for more than 25 years. Other local ship-builders find niches in the design and construction of smaller-scale vessels that take inspiration from Incat’s cutting-edge technology.

Advanced and precision manufacturing

As Incat’s Prince of Wales Bay shipyard expanded in Hobart’s suburbs in the 1990s, supply companies grew up around it. This group of businesses has now evolved into the Tasmanian Maritime Network, which can provide a one-stop shop for shipbuilders who want access to the latest technology and quality products and services, including training a construction workforce or fitting out a finished ship.

• Higher value-added products in fabrication fit-out, plastics and electronics.

Members of the network, most of whom grew as suppliers to Incat, are significant exporters in their own right. Liferaft Systems Australia, for example is a world leader in the supply of inflatable lifeboats and ship-evacuation systems. CBG Systems is globally competitive in ship-board fire-protection and insulation. Muir Engineering produces winches and windlasses for mega yachts around the world, while Moonraker Australia supplies high-performance antennae to a number of the world’s navies. Richardson Devine Marine builds fast ferries and offshore support vessels for export markets including Tanzania, Japan and New Zealand. Taylor Bros specialises in largescale prefabricated ship fitout.

The oceans wash around Tasmanian life. The Sydney-Hobart yacht race is the State’s most important annual sporting event.

The people preserve traditional wooden boat-building skills and celebrate them with an international Wooden Boat Festival every two years. Sailing, cruising and fishing are integral parts of island life. So is the building of boats. Marine industry excellence comes naturally to Tasmanians.

Mining & resources Mining expertise in Tasmania has evolved from being focused on winning the resource to providing innovative equipment and improved techniques so that operations can be more efficient and environmentally sensitive. Tasmanians have developed world-class hard-rock expertise and sell their technology to mining businesses around the world.

The Elphinstone Group designs and constructs underground mine machinery in Burnie. Haulmax, in Wynard, manufactures offhighway bulk haulage vehicles for mining applications. Terratec Asia Pacific, near Hobart, designs and builds tunnelling and drilling machines that can be found working in mines around the world.

Railmax specialises in the design, engineering and manufacture of technologically advanced and certified road rail equipment for use on the repair of rail infrastructure.

Francisco, a high-speed, wavepiercing catamaran built in Hobart by Incat. Photo: Incat.

The metal manufacturing, casting, specialised machinery manufacturing and engineering sector produces a diverse range of niche products, while also supporting repair and maintenance activity within mining, mineral-processing and other heavy industries. Investment opportunities have been identified in:

• Food & beverage manufacturing and downstream processing, taking advantage of the State’s $400m investment in irrigation.

• Downstream processing or value-adding to Tasmania’s rich resource base.

• Maintenance and service of existing and new capital equipment.

A State-wide Advanced Manufacturing Industry Association was established in 2016, with administrative services provided by the Tasmanian Minerals and Energy Council.

A small, highly skilled group of Tasmanian businesses provide precision engineering services, while Hobart is home to a world leader in the miniaturisation of technology. CSIRO’s Paulo de Souza developed tiny, lightweight components for NASA’s mission to Mars. He leads a scientific team that gave the world honey-bee backpacks and is testing even smaller devices to be carried by mosquitoes. Prototypes of the minute backpacks are being trialled in Brazil and could become a key weapon in the battle to control the devastating mosquito-borne Zika virus.

Currawong Engineering develops and manufactures small-scale aircraft propulsion systems with engines designed to aerospace standards and fully integrated with fuel systems, exhaust systems and engine mounting systems. Other businesses in the field include Launceston Engineering, Rolf Hey Engineering, and Precision Engineering and Manufacturing.

The Tasmanian business community’s innovation and creativity is reflected in the variety of products it generates. The sector includes world-competitive businesses producing underground mining and drilling equipment, communications technology, fibreglass components including polar shelters, propulsion systems for unmanned aircraft, tiny monitors that can be carried by insects and lightning protection technology.

Reprinted courtesy of Brand Tasmania. www.brandtasmania.com

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State Spotlight Tasmania

Tasmanian manufacturers invest in future Manufacturing businesses in Tasmania are building for the future by making sound investments in technology. Five such manufacturers have recently invested in world-leading CNC machines from Okuma, and have been delighted with the resulting benefits in terms of competitive advantage and standards of finish.

Elphinstone – Antarctic export success Elphinstone Engineering has been servicing the transport industry since 1976. The company pioneered the installation of weighing systems in Australia and has revolutionised the logging transport industry with innovative design and technology. Elphinstone is a key supplier to mainland Australia and has developed export sales around the world, even including Antarctica.

According to Elphinstone’s Production Manager Jason Cameron, the company serves a wide variety of sectors, including general transport, agriculture, mining, waste, heavy haulage, tippers, tankers and concrete mixers. It is also engaged in carious specialised industries including road stabilisation, explosives, silos and stationary scales.

The company has more than 25 years in designing and manufacturing equipment suitable for Antarctic conditions and is a key supplier to the Australian Antarctic Division, having participated in three traverses of the continent to gain first-hand knowledge of the conditions. Its specialised Antarctic equipment includes a wide variety of trailers, sleds, heavy duty skis, traverse caravans, walkways, base frames, turntables and suspensions.

Elphinstone recently procured the latest LB3000 CNC horizontal lathe from Okuma. It is the latest acquisition in a longstanding relationship, the new machine complementing an earlier Okuma machine that has now completed years of service.

“The relationship with Okuma Australia has been a wonderful and enlightening experience, with unlimited training and expert technical support at the end of the telephone line,” says Cameron. “The performance of the machine is unbelievable, with one job alone which took 45 minutes involving two processes reduced to less than 13 minutes in one process with a fantastic quality finish that is also saving us in consumables. The new Okuma machine allows us to complete shorter runs economically with savings of up to 25%, and the combination will ultimately reduce our inventory by an estimated 35%.”

Currawong – UAV leaders Precision engineering company Currawong Engineering Pty Ltd was founded by Gavin Brett in 2005 in response to an identified need for specialised components for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

Due to perceived shortcomings in the reliability and durability of the small engines used to power the small-to-medium-sized UAVs, Currawong developed a range of components for converting engines to electronic fuel injection (EFI), which has enabled even the most basic of model aircraft and industrial engines to operate efficiently in extremes of high and low temperatures and at high altitude.

Currawong has since moved into developing and manufacturing complete aircraft propulsion systems to aerospace industry standards, with the engine, fuel and exhaust, and engine mounting system fully integrated. This development has led to a further step in reliability and durability with Currawong recognised as a world leader in electronic fuel injection for UAVs, providing solutions for gasoline and heavy fuel powered small two stoke and four stroke engines.

AMT Feb/Mar 2017

The Okuma LB3000EXII CNC lathe.

“When we were considering the investment in an additional CNC machine we had always felt that Okuma would be out of our price range,” says Currawong Workshop Manager Jason Suter. “However an advertisement containing pricing and subsequent references to Okuma users changed this view and we couldn’t be happier with our first Okuma machine.

“We work to fine tolerances in aluminium and the finish we are achieving with the new machine along with the speed of output is exceptional. The touch screen is modern and user-friendly for our experienced team of CNC machinists who are all lining up to operate the machine.”

The advantages are proving considerable for Currawong, with more tooling in the carousel, high-speed machining capabilities, rigid construction and faster tooling changes, which has increased productivity and shortened lead times for customers. Other precision work undertaken by this company over many years includes components for stabilising gimbals for cameras, particularly used in aircraft, another field of its expertise. With exports growing, three additional people have been added to the team and further expansion plans are being advanced for this high-technology Tasmanian manufacturer.

“The technical support and training we have received from the machine supplier is market leading with as much training as we require, although with skilled machinists much of this can be done by fast direct telephone contact and the manuals are excellent,” adds Suter.

Delta Hydraulics – Opening new opportunities Delta Hydraulics has been an Okuma user for many years, acquiring its first Okuma CNC machine in 1982. With a strong affinity to the brand, the introduction of an additional Okuma into this precision engineering shop was just another step forward in a strong trusted relationship.

Tasmania

Delta Hydraulics is a leading manufacturer of multi-stage telescopic cylinders and hoists.

“The ease of programming, the increase in productivity, speed, simple repeatability of components and the very high-quality output will enable us to further improve our service to customers. Many of our jobs are in ones and twos, so rapid tooling changes and repeatability is seen as critical, and the new machine provides all of this with fantastic performance.”

The new Okuma machine in Currawong’s workshop.

Saunders & Ward has the capacity to undertake work Australiawide, covering projects such as: specialised structural steel for industry and mining; storage tanks, pressure vessels, conveyers, hoppers and chutes; mine machinery; tunnel-boring equipment; marine and Antarctic equipment; complex mechanical engineering projects, including railway locomotive rebuilds; power generation asset refurbishment; and ship ride control foils.

Established in 1975 by Managing Director John White, Delta Hydraulics is today a world-leading manufacturer and innovator of multi-stage telescopic cylinders and hoists, industrial single stage rod hydraulic cylinders, constant velocity telescoping cylinders, long stroke mast cylinders, annual ported double acting telescoping feed cylinders and manifolds. Delta’s sophisticated in-house design, engineering and end-to-end manufacturing capabilities enables the company to provide rapid and flexible design, engineering and manufacture to deliver quality product to one-off or high-volume production volume for OEM customers.

“The Tasmanian economy is challenging at present,” says Rolliston.

“But it has a strong future which we will be part of through investment in technology and diversification into other fields where precision engineering is key.”

Today the company services customers in more than 30 countries around the world, across diverse industries such as agriculture, aquaculture, defence, construction, earthmoving, energy, food & beverage processing, forestry, oil & gas exploration, materials handling, mining, power generation, ship building, transport and waste management. Delta is always looking to expand its product range and the new Okuma machine’s capabilities open up new opportunities.

“The investment in Okuma was attractive due to the full and exceptional service back-up and the unlimited training program, which extends for 12 months,” says owner Gerard Johnstone.

“With the company’s strong focus on training and four apprentices working in the shop, training is an important factor so we are taking full advantage of the training offered by this equipment supplier,” he said.

“We manufacture intricate precision components and we have experienced strong reliability with the Okuma machines throughout the years, which is critical to efficient, quality manufacturing,” says White. “Our skilled operators know and understand the controls and operating systems of these machines, which is a huge benefit, the reliability enables one technician to operate two machines comfortably, and there are significant tooling advantages.”

Saunders & Ward – Boosting service Saunders & Ward Pty Ltd established in 1922 and has built up a highly skilled workforce. The steel fabrication and general engineering company has a reputation for its quality work output over a broad range of products. Recently it invest in its first Okuma LB3000-EXIIBMCx1000 machine with OSP P-300L control technology.

“Research and reference to other operators lead us to invest in [Okuma],” says Saunders & Ward General Manager Ben Rolliston.

“The reputation of the high-quality Okuma, along with what was considered competitive pricing and back-up service and training made it a stand-out for us.

K & R Purdon – Training benefits K & R Purdon Engineering, a conventional general engineering shop established in 1963, has invested in its first Okuma CNC machine with the commissioning of an LB2000EX II MCx500 with OSP P-300L control.

“The performance of the machine is proving to be excellent in the production of spindles, rollers, pins, ball valves and seats, bushes and general engineering jobs for a large customer base. Already we have noticed significant cost benefits from this investment and this is opening up new avenues of business for us.”

Advantages achieved with the introduction of this latest technology are enabling the company to look at new jobbing work, especially low-volume jobs, with the machine’s expanded tooling capacity and speed resulting in reduced times with production output increasing by 10%. The current market for K & R Purdon is servicing customers within Tasmania, and with the Tasmanian economy improving, the company is looking to take a competitive advantage with the latest technology.

“Our operators love the new machine,” says Johnstone. “And with the positive benefits already showing, we are currently looking at a second machine.” www.elph.com.au www.currawongeng.com www.delhyd.com.au www.saunward.com.au admin@krpurdon.com.au www.okumaaustralia.com.au

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State Spotlight Tasmania

Productivity Improvers – Tassie tradies make good

Productivity Improvers is a Lean consultancy built from first-hand experience of Tasmanian manufacturing and a love for the island state and its people. Now it’s bringing US Lean guru Paul Akers over to help local manufacturers reach their full potential.

Clynton Jaffray and Michael Bonney grew up in the rural north west of Tasmania, and as local lads they learnt to care for the place they love to call home. They met while both working as tradesmen at Caterpillar Elphinstone in the 1990s, and progressed to become 6Sigma Black Belts in the early 2000s, travelling to Japan to ‘learn Lean’. This mind-changing trip changed their life’s journey and how they viewed the world – a familiar story for Lean practitioners.

International Lean expert Paul Akers.

In early 2013 they started Productivity Improvers, a Lean consultancy business that has now engaged with more than 100 Tasmanian firms. The company has developed and delivered a suite of soughtafter university and VET training programs, with more 500 people completing these programs in the last three years. Jaffray and Bonney love helping improve Tasmanian people and businesses and are passionate about a Tasmania that continually improves its economic and social standing.

In 2016, they approached international Lean expert (and selfconfessed ‘Lean Maniac’) Paul Akers to come to Tasmania and engage with their clients. Akers agreed, provided the schedule could accommodate a much-needed holiday for himself and his wife Leanne. It’s often said that most people are just looking for an excuse to go to Tasmania, and Akers had found one.

Akers is the founder and president of FastCap LLC, a US-based product development company manufacturing products for the industries ranging from cabinetmaking to coffee. After Akers discovered Lean and the Toyota Production System, Fastcap grew from a garage-based operation into a multi-million dollar company.

Using Lean, Akers’s company has prospered and expanded even in times of economic downturn. He has never had to lay off an employee, nor cut one salary.

Akers is an energetic speaker whose core passion is helping people discover their full potential in life and teaching others how to implement Lean thinking for their own business and personal success. Akers has thousands of followers of his weekly broadcast, ‘The American Innovator’ in which he teaches about the power of innovation and Lean thinking. He has authored the books and DVDs ‘Two-Second Lean’ and ‘Lean Health’, and commands a huge social media following, posting blogs and YouTube clips almost daily with more than 130,000 viewers. In short, anyone around the world who knows Lean knows the name Paul Akers.

Akers will visit the island state in March, starting on 2 March with business tours of the Nekon Group of companies in Hobart and an invitation-only dinner in Burnie. He will visit sponsoring businesses in the North West the following day, before headlining a two-hour Lean Forum at the University of Tasmania Cradle Coast campus that afternoon. The tour has been arranged exclusively by Productivity Improvers as it strives to build on the competitive advantage demonstrated by businesses who embrace Lean. Akers is uniquely placed to strengthen the collective understanding of Lean and help build its momentum in Tasmania.

night before the public forum and hear his own story. The following day he will spend time with several major regional employers, doing his ‘favourite thing’ – working with people through Gemba walks. In Lean, Gemba refers to the ‘real place’ – observing where the work is being done, as opposed to discussing a warehouse problem in a conference room. It allows for observation and interacting with the people where the work is happening, all done in the spirit of Kaizen (“change for the better”).

Attracting local support

Elphinstone Pty Ltd and Simplot Australia are two of the businesses who will receive visits from Akers. Both businesses have well entrenched Lean systems and practices in their Tasmanian sites and are continuingly training their staff through Productivity Improvers. Both businesses agree that collaboration is essential to doing business in Tasmania, and are pleased to be able to support Akers’ visit, which they know will benefit many of their supply chain businesses and others across the state.

The team at Productivity Improvers was not surprised when the always-innovative Tasmanian commercial sector pledged support for the Paul Akers tour. Those supporters will dine with Akers the

In one fabulously Tasmanian story, Dale Elphinstone started modifying Caterpillar surface mining equipment to suit underground applications out of his father’s shed on their Burnie farm in 1975.

AMT Feb/Mar 2017

Tasmania Clearly others think so as well, with state-wide entities like the University of Tasmania (UTas), Hydro and the Department of State Growth also adding their support to Akers’ visit. The Federal Government’s Entrepreneurs Programme has supported entry to the two-hour public forum, ensuring that price to entry is not a barrier to the myriad of SMEs that have registered to attend.

Certificate IV trained staff at Haulmax (now Elphinstone Pty Ltd).

UTas, the state’s only university, immediately grasped the opportunity for both students and industry colleagues to be exposed to Akers’ unique messages, hosting the event at its Cradle Coast campus in Burnie and arranging to live-stream the forum to Launceston and Hobart. With a focus on its new Associate Degrees, allowing students to develop academic and practical skills through collaborative/laboratory and work-integrated learning, UTas shares the vision of Productivity Improvers.

“We want business to be the best it can be – constantly researching, innovating and exploring new markets,” said Professor Janelle Allison. “These businesses will create demand and fabulous careers for the students that are coming in increasing numbers to our campuses. Exposure to speakers such as Paul Akers helps stimulate the entrepreneurial thinking that UTas and Tasmania is renowned for.

More than 500 people have completed programs with Productivity Improvers in the last three years.

Over the next 20 years Elphinstone delivered underground mining machines to more than 50 locations around Australia and more than 35 global export sites across five continents. In 1995, Caterpillar Elphinstone Pty Ltd was established. As a recognised Caterpillar OEM, manufacturing Haulmax 3900 series off-highway haul trucks, Railmax RMT14D road-rail excavators and Elphinstone underground support vehicles, the company still calls Tasmania home and continues to support and rely upon the specialised design, engineering and manufacturing knowledge of the skilled local workforce.

To the east of Burnie is the township of Ulverstone, whose rich farming land make it ideally placed for Simplot’s state-of-the-art potato-processing factory. Employing more than 250 people and processing more than 250,000 tonnes of potatoes each year, Simplot sources its product from around 150 local growers.

Part of the JR Simplot Company since 1995, the company focuses on “Bringing Earth’s Resources to Life” in a sustainable way so that Australians can always eat well. That desire has seen Simplot build long-term partnerships with Australian farmers and supply-chain companies, investing in its people, and committing to the long-term sustainability of the Earth’s natural resources. These principles are consistent with the Lean philosophies of Productivity Improvers.

“Many of our current students will attend, along with our staff, who have received Lean training from Clynton and Michael over recent years. Live-streaming will utilise the technology that we have at our disposal and ensure as many people as possible can have access to Paul.”

The forum has attracted national and international attention with attendees from SMEs in Western Australia and New Zealand travelling to the island state, along with managers from rapidly expanding vehicle repair and maintenance provider RGM Maintenance based in Queensland and the Northern Territory.

“We are stoked with the support and the enthusiasm,” said Jaffray.

“Our mission is to engrain Lean into Tasmania’s DNA. Many people share that vision; we just went one step further and invited Paul to come and share his passions with us. Hearing it from another is the best way to learn.”

Jaffray and Bonney say that it is the least they could do for the state that has given them so much. They have travelled the world through their careers but home is where the heart is and, emotions aside, the boys say there’s never been a better time to be doing business in Tasmania or with a Tasmanian business.

“Everyone is pulling together down here with some great results, and we are so proud to be part of that.”

Paul Akers will be running a two-hour Lean Forum on 3 March at the University of Tasmania’s Cradle Coast Campus in Burnie.

The event is free of charge and is supported by the Federal Government’s Entrepreneurs’ Programme. For details, visit the Productivity Improvers website. www.paulakers.net www.productivityimprovers.com

Courtney Sutton, Production Manager at Simplot, grabbed the chance to support Productivity Improvers when Jaffray and Bonney announced that they had committed to hosting Akers to visit Tasmania.

“These guys know that to grow and realise sustained potential, Tasmanian businesses need to be exposed to world’s-best practice,” said Sutton. “They are committed to businesses being nationally and international competitive whilst being innovative and caring for their people, and at Simplot that’s what drives us every day.

“We continue to see great results from the training our staff receive.

Collaborating on this event was a great way to support innovation in our community.”

The Productivity Improvers team: Michael Bonney, Cheryl Bellchambers, and Clynton Jaffray.

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Material Removal

Power package – Maximising productivity and accuracy

According to DMG MORI, its new fourth-generation DMC 80 FD duoBLOCK universal machining centre provides the perfect base for demanding five-axis-milling operations and mill-turn machining.

Five-axis simultaneous machining is increasingly emerging as a key technology. In addition, automation and combined milling and turning are becoming ever-more important. With nearly 4,000 duoBLOCK machines successfully sold, DMG MORI has dictated this development.

The increased trend towards automation is also apparent by the increase of duoBLOCK universal machining centres with pallet changers. One of these models is the DMC 80 FD duoBLOCK, which demonstrates further enhanced flexibility and productivity while boasting improvements of 30% in its core characteristics of precision, performance and efficiency.

A re-engineered machine concept The fourth-generation DMC 80 FD duoBLOCK universal machining centre has a newly developed B-axis milling head. It has an extended swivel range of 250 degrees, with a swivel of 70 degrees in the negative direction. The larger axis bearing results in a 20% increase in stiffness. The extended swivel range and reduced interference contour, in conjunction with the cable conduit integrated into the housing, enable an even wider range of customer-specific complete machining operations to be carried out. Idle times are reduced thanks to shortened B-axis movements, and the extended life of the integral cables has a positive effect on the reliability of the machines.

At the present time, only DMG MORI is able to supply the unique combination of a redesigned B-axis with an even stiffer and more accurate milling/turning table and pallet system. With these unique selling points in the market, the DMC 80 FD duoBLOCK will open up further applications to an extent that has not been seen before.

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Enhanced machine rigidity In its fourth generation, the duoBLOCK machine concept, which has proven its worth time and time again, has been made even more stable thanks to the verifiable increase of 30% in rigidity. With a work area that has been increased in size by 8% to 715 cubic centimetres, and a Z-axis traverse of 850mm, the DMC 80 FD duoBLOCK has an increased overall rigidity, despite its reduced footprint. This is due to structural optimisation, with a wider machine bed and columns, and the use of high-quality castings made from GGG60 ductile cast iron.

In addition, the supporting surfaces of the inherently rigid machine bed have been enlarged, with larger-sized 55mm linear guides fitted on the Y-axis, and 50mm diameter ballscrews incorporated. These measures, along with the larger bearings in the B-axis and C-axis, result in a gain of approximately 20% in overall rigidity in the DMC 80 FD duoBLOCK fourth generation.

This makes it possible for heavy-duty milling to be carried out with the powerMASTER 1000 spindle and the HSK 100 toolholder interface in the B-axis. This set-up has a power of 77kW, the maximum speed is 9,000rpm, and the torque achieved is 1,000Nm. Thus equipped, the B-axis provides an increase in power of 130% compared with previous motor spindles, and therefore offers milling performance in a completely new dimension. In comparison with the competition, the fourth-generation duoBLOCK universal milling centres achieve a 75% greater material removal rate during five-axis milling.

Further options for the duoBLOCK are motor spindles with the HSK 63 tool interface, for high-speed cutting (HSC machining) up to 20,000rpm. Alternatively, torqueMASTER gear-driven spindles with 1,300Nm at 8,000rpm and 37kW for HSK 100 can be used when carrying out highperformance cutting operations (HPC machining).

Material Removal

Long-term precision With the increased rigidity of the 4th duoBLOCK generation, an almost-constant overall machine temperature is achieved with the DMC 80 FD duoBLOCK during chip removal. This is achieved through a strengthened structure, a thermo-symmetrical design and additional cooling measures. Additional cooling channels in the machine bed and column, together with the liquid cooling of the feed drives on all linear axes, including that of the rotary table with C-axis motor, reliably dissipate the heat produced during chip removal. The previous cooling measures in the milling head and the electrical cabinet have been adapted to suit the re-engineered machine structure. In spite of the increase in power, all these coordinated measures lead to a balanced temperature level in the machines. As is common with all DMG MORI machines, electronic compensation devices eliminate the residual displacement caused by temperature or the effects of static or dynamic forces.

The devices included as standard are supplemented by the effective use of the Spindle Growth Sensor (SGS) to prevent axial spindle displacement. The option of careful temperature control of the coolant during machining is also recommended. The combination of all these measures leads to a 30% improvement in workpiece accuracy when milling or milling and turning with the DMC 80 FD duoBLOCK.

Optimised production and idle times Both the production time and the idle time of the DMC 80 FD duoBLOCK have been investigated and optimised. The focus here was on redesigning the tool and workpiece change­over in parallel with production on the fourth-generation duoBLOCK machines.

The first point to mention is the use of space-saving wheel magazines. With 123 tool pockets, the space required is reduced by approximately 40%. The parallel arrangement of a maximum of six wheel magazines with a total capacity of 363 tools (for special option) pockets satisfies the increasing number of possible applications of the DMC 80 FD duoBLOCK and the global upward trend in process automation. Short traverse distances and camcontrolled changers enable short times to be achieved when changing and presenting tools during production.

The idle times of the machine and that of the pallet changer have been improved by increasing the table speed of the fourth axis to 40rpm in rapid traverse, and re-engineering the sequence.

Additional devices for an enhanced process automation, which are familiar from the duoBLOCK high-performance, can be selected from the DMG MORI modular system and connected accordingly.

The same applies to the systems from DMG MORI’s proven external partners. The use of pallet magazines, loading gantries and robots as well as the integration of the universal machining centres into flexible manufacturing systems is therefore fully in keeping with the current trend, and enables unattended automatic operation to be carried out.

The 8% larger work area with the 6% longer vertical travel of 850mm is easily accessible from the side and from above. In spite of the enlarged work area, the footprint has been reduced to 21.4sqm.

The user-friendly ergonomics of the machine have been further improved with the re-engineered machine design, enhancing ease of operation through an easily accessible set-up station. These prerequisites are very important for effective workpiece fixturing and for seeing into the work area to observe the machining process.

Automation devices external to the machine can also be readily connected to the enclosures by means of suitable interfaces.

The DMC 80 FD duoBLOCK is equipped with the CELOS appbased interface, a 54.6 cm ERGOline control operator terminal and Siemens software. CELOS from DMG MORI simplifies and accelerates the process from the idea to the finished product.

CELOS apps provide the user with integrated management, documentation and visualisation of order, process and machine data. CELOS is compatible with production planning and scheduling (PPS) and enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, can be networked with CAD/CAM applications, and is ready for future-oriented CELOS app extensions. www.dmgmori.com

Integral part of your business

Highlights: DMC 80 FD duoBLOCK • Precision: Up to 30% higher component accuracy thanks to fully water-cooled feed drives.

• Performance: Up to 30% greater rigidity for maximum cutting performance.

• Efficiency: Reduced energy consumption by up to 30% with intelligent, demand-oriented power units.

Quality Transport Solutions

• Intelligent wheel magazine with up to 363 tools in a minimal footprint, tool change time of 0.5 seconds, and the option of retooling during production or idle time.

• Maximum productivity thanks to space-saving, highspeed rotary pallet changer as standard for off-line workpiece set-up.

• Milling and turning in a single set-up with DirectDrive table and speeds up to 800rpm.

17 Freight Road, Tullamarine,VIC 3043 AusTRAlIA. Tel: 03 8676 5693 • www.eif.co.nz

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Material Removal

Rex J Andrews embraces CNC technology for unrivalled haulage innovation Rex J Andrews is not your average transport services company – it’s the heavyweight champion. Predominantly a heavy haulage company, Rex J Andrews specialises in the toughest jobs in the business, from wind turbines to bridges… to a concrete merino.

The company, which operates out of Sydney, Adelaide, Newcastle and Portland, concentrates on moving oversize and overmass loads, including those that require sophisticated multi-articulated systems.

Rex J Andrews hauling Goulburn’s iconic Big Merino.

“Our company focus is on the jobs that no one else wants to do, projects with complex and highly specialised requirements,” says Howard Andrews, the company’s engineering manager.

What distinguishes Rex J Andrews is its capacity to design and manufacture equipment internally, allowing it to create a customised, innovative solution for even the most uniquely challenging problems.

“We manufacture our equipment specific to a need. We might make a truck or a trailer even just to carry one item,” says Howard.

With this capability, the company can “manage the logistics of any movement both here and to or from overseas.” Its services extend to managing storage, and operating cranes and lifting systems. According to Howard, the work the company prides itself on most is with renewable energy.

Specialising in the movement of wind farm technology, the company manages transport and storage from arrival onshore to arrival at the final destination.

“Once a CNC machine is programmed, it could make an intricate part with a thread, for instance, in two or three minutes,” says Howard. “It would take a manual machine half an hour.”

“We transfer wind towers, turbines, blades, hubs, all the pieces associated with the windmill,” Howard adds. “Some pieces are well over 150 ton.”

The CNC machines also represent a “massive” improvement in safety. Howard rates the Lynx lathe in particular, due to its live tooling.

Moving this kind of technology is high-stakes work, so the company’s manufacturing must be high quality and consistently reliable. It’s no surprise then that Rex J Andrews has embraced CNC technology.

From 2009 to 2015, the company has purchased three Doosan CNC machines from Hare & Forbes, including a Puma 240LC lathe, a Lynx 300M lathe and a DNM650II machining centre, which are now its three main machines.

“It can spin the tools, so it can basically stop the turning operation and become a mill of sorts. It’s like two machines in one.”

The “repeatability and the accuracy” of CNC has led to a “massive” improvement in quality, “because you’re not dealing with an operator who’s winding handles to get a specific cut size,” says Howard. “The machine’s just cutting to the same accuracy all the time.”

Perhaps even more impressive is, according to Howard, the “huge” boost to efficiency: “a 600% to 1000% time saving” on a large job. Even if only three or four components are needed, CNC technology saves time.

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The fast turnaround of CNC can be critical in make or break situations, allowing the company to deliver for customers even despite unexpected events.

“Just today, the Puma was doing nothing but we broke a shaft in a trailer in Adelaide on the other side of the country,” says Howard. “So we made a new shaft and we’re shipping it on the truck tonight to be there in the morning.”

Howard believes the machines were a “very good purchase”, not only for their quality, but because of the support from Hare & Forbes.

“The after-sale service is excellent,” he says. “The spare parts backup is good, the training is good. We’re very happy.”

The strong relationship with Hare & Forbes goes right back to the company’s birth.

Howard’s father, Rex Andrews, started the business in 1989 with only himself, a truck and some second-hand machines from Hare & Forbes. Today the family business has 25 trucks and nearly 50 staff, but the relationship with Hare & Forbes remains a part of the Rex J Andrews success story.

“A good business depends on good suppliers – and that’s exactly what Hare and Forbes is,” says Rex. “I bought my company’s very first machine off Hare & Forbes. Even before I started my own company, I used them. We still have machines I bought from Hare & Forbes 29 years ago.

“Right from the beginning, I made sure to browse the Parramatta store whenever I was in the area. You knew their secondhand products could always be relied on.”

That’s no exaggeration. One of the early purchases was a Pratt & Whitney machine, used to make the engines for World War II aircraft.

“It’s still with us,” Howard says.

Now bolstered with the latest CNC technology, Rex J Andrews is well-equipped to continue hauling transport services into the future. www.rja.com.au www.machineryhouse.com.au

Material Removal

Achieving a mirror finish with CARB-I-TOOL Specialist cutting tool manufacturer CARB-I-TOOL recently invested in an ANCA MX7 Linear CNC tool grinder to meet growing demand for tools for machining plastics and composites.

CARB-I-TOOL is a premier Australian cutting tool manufacturer specialising in the production of engineering and woodworking tools for the Australian, Asian and European markets. Operating for more than 40 years, CARB-I-TOOL’s headquarters in Moorabbin, Victoria consists of a large factory, showroom and storage facility.

Its tools are used in a wide range of industries including automotive, aerospace, marine and general engineering.

Over the last few years, CARB-I-TOOL has seen an increase in demand for tools for the machining of plastic and composite materials. To keep pace with this demand, the company has purchased an ANCA MX7 Linear CNC tool grinder to focus on producing its range of compression routers (single and multi-flute) and other solid carbide tooling for materials such as MDF, plastic, carbon fibre, aluminium composite material, as well special tooling for exotic materials.

The acquisition of the MX7 Linear complements CARB-I-TOOL’s existing MX7 machine and enables the company to make a firsthand comparison between the two different types of machines and drive systems. The MX7 Linear is driven by linear motors on the X- and Y-axis, while the MX7 is driven by ballscrews.

The ANCA MX7 Linear CNC tool grinder in action.

When viewing the tools ground on the MX7 Linear, it is evident that the surface finish on all surfaces of the tool is to a very high CARB-I-TOOL’s premises quality. The finish in Moorabbin, Victoria. on the flute is highly polished. According to Ross Storay, CARB-I-TOOL Production Manager, “When grinding tools on the MX7 Linear we achieve a mirror finish on the flute without a spark out pass or using a fine grit wheel.”

As well as being pleasing to the eye, it is recognised that highly polished flutes and gash surfaces improve chip evacuation and aid tool performance during machining. Polished flutes have a smoother surface and the swarf (or chips) can exit more freely from the flute.

“I have received feedback from our customers advising me that tool life is increased and performance is better from tools ground on the MX7 Linear,” says CARB-I-TOOL Sales Manager Mark Hamilton.

“This can only increase customer loyalty, as our customers know that when they buy a tool from us they can be confident the tool will perform to a high standard.”

Storay adds that, when comparing tools ground on the MX7 Linear to the MX7 ballscrew machine, there are significant cycle time benefits. “As well as seeing an improved surface finish, we have achieved a reduction in cycle time of up to 10% when grinding tools on the MX7 Linear.”

Storay also found that the force of the MX7 Linear machine is better than the MX7 and can push the machine harder when fluting. Overall Storay found that he was very satisfied with the performance of the MX7 Linear and anticipates that further improvements can be made on their range of tools.

LaserPlus – the right tool every time CARB-I-TOOL is a company that is continually investing in the best equipment. As part of its investment strategy, it purchased the LaserPlus measurement system on the MX7 Linear. Using the LaserPlus, the operator can perform accurate in-process measuring

Left: Mark Hamilton, Sales Manager at CARB-I-TOOL, and Ross Storay, Production Manager at CARB-I-TOOL.

without removing tools from the machine. The laser measurement process is fully automated and requires no operator intervention. It can measure and maintain an accuracy ± 0.002mm or less over a large batch of tools.

The LaserPlus is excellent for maintaining tight tolerances on the outside diameter, according to Storay. “Customers are always demanding tighter tolerances on the tool diameter. With the LaserPlus, we measure the diameter on every tool to ensure the tool is correct first time.”

CARB-I-TOOLS can also be secure in the knowledge that the LaserPlus will compensate for any minor variations from the nominal tolerance due to the accuracy and repeatability of the laser.

“Since using the laser we have virtually eliminated scrap tools,” Storay concludes. www.carbitool.com.au www.anca.com

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Compressors & Air Technology

Embracing change: Industry 4.0-ready compressed-air systems

One company embracing the opportunities that Industry 4.0 presents is Kaeser Compressors. AMT spoke to Peter Eckberg, Managing Director of Kaeser Compressors Australia, to find out more.

AMT: With the digitalisation of industry, we are seeing a merging of production process with IT systems. Is this simply a continuation of trends that have emerged over recent years, or are we witnessing the dawn of another industrial revolution?

Peter Eckberg: The digitalisation of industry has been advancing for quite some time, so we can hardly call it a new development. However, thanks to the enormous advances in data transfer speeds and data storage capacity, the range of potential applications open to us today is certainly new. Whilst the concepts were already there, it is only now that we are seeing them become a reality through the solutions made possible by IT. AMT: What challenges does Industry 4.0 bring to your own company?

PE: Kaeser Compressors has always been an innovator. As a leader in the engineering of compressed air technology, we have a long-standing commitment to improving existing technologies, developing new solutions, and constantly pursuing optimisation.

Kaeser continues to drive development forward and has already made substantial investments in key areas. In line with our corporate philosophy, we will master the current and future challenges – reliably, efficiently, and with high-quality results.

AMT: How does Industry 4.0 look in the real world?

PE: For us, Industry 4.0 is not an empty shell or a mere future concept. We have truly brought it to life at Kaeser, and we already deliver products and services that embrace this concept throughout the entire compressed air supply lifecycle. Without a doubt there is still plenty of room for growth in this important area; however the first steps have been taken.

AMT: And what does Industry compressed air technology look like?

4.0

PE: In the ultra-flexible Industry 4.0 production environment, intelligently networked compressed air systems provide the optimal compressed air power and quality required. Moreover, potential issues within the compressed air network are identified at a very early stage so that appropriate service measures can be taken before a fault even occurs.

A cutting-edge compressed air controller with secure networking abilities – such as

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the Kaeser Sigma Air Manager 4.0 – is a key technology in the advanced world of Industry 4.0. As the central mastermind, it controls the entire compressed air supply system and – via the ‘Internet of Things’ – it is responsible for data streaming to a centralised application.

All compressed air system performance parameters are transferred from this sophisticated master control system to a data centre in real-time via a powerful Ethernet-based network (the closed Sigma Network). Here the parameters are

analysed, processed, supplemented with expert knowledge and output to various mobile end devices (monitoring cockpits).

By monitoring key operating parameters, such as airend discharge temperature (ADT), pressure dewpoint or differential pressure, compressed air system efficiency can be kept in the optimum range at all times. Thanks to real-time transmission and evaluation, the data is always as up to date as possible, even in the event of sudden adjustments to production.

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Compressors & Air Technology own self-contained network – the Kaeser Network. This technology ring-fences the compressed air station to provide our customers with maximum data security.

Continued from previous page

AMT: What role does software play in Industry 4.0?

PE: Not surprisingly, software plays a key role when it comes to digitalisation. After all, it is only through IT developments that concepts such as Industry 4.0 even become feasible. Kaeser has made considerable investments in this area. First, of course, we have to develop and enhance the products themselves. Software alone is not enough. Industry 4.0 is an overall concept that combines strategy, products, software and services.

The next generation of machines will be capable of learning by themselves. This represents a qualitative shift that will make the transition in the coming years from research to the market.

AMT: Have you observed any new trends in this direction?

PE: Yes, this development isn’t just waiting around the corner – it’s already here. At Kaeser we’re already working with it. Our new services in the area of predictive maintenance, such as Kaeser Sigma Smart Air, are designed with ‘self-teaching machine’ concepts in mind. Of course

AMT: With the development of these new solutions, another key area must be training. What do you view the challenges in this area to be and how will you address them?

there is still plenty of potential and a great deal of work to do. But the fundamentals are already in place.

AMT: Data security is an issue that we all face in the modern era, both in our personal and business lives. With the development of Industry 4.0, surely this will only intensify.

How do you protect your data?

PE: Naturally security plays a major role – both for customers and for us as suppliers and service providers. To ensure bestpossible data security, Kaeser chose a unique path in this regard by developing its

PE: It goes without saying that Industry 4.0 will not function cohesively without qualified personnel. Even with the Internet of Things, human beings will still be responsible for the management and development of these tools. In the same way that machines have to be “trained” and networked, people too require training and need to be networked. This is nothing new though.

We’ve had developments and advances in the past, and people have adapted, made changes, and gained the necessary training. Just consider the internet, which totally revolutionised communications. It was only 25 years ago that barely anyone knew a thing about it, yet today we take it for granted that six-year-olds surf the web with smart phones! We will be equally successful in mastering today’s challenges. www.kaeser.com.au

Compressor oil – Making the difference A number of compressor hire companies have reported dramatic changes in reliability – from experiencing multiple engine failures to none at all - simply because they changed to a new type of oil.

James Williams oversees 13 nationwide depots and a huge fleet. “We used one brand of compressor oils and then tried another. The viscosities kept changing and they caused the compressors to gum up.

In the worst cases we had compressors seizing on us. We had to keep buying new parts as well as expensive cleaning products to flush the engines out before we could add new oil.

What do these companies have in common? The brand they switched to is Anglomoil, an Australian family-owned lubricant manufacturer based in Sydney.

While Anglomoil isn’t a high-profile brand, it has been around for more than 40 years, and it is renowned for high-quality base oils and additives, with very high levels of performance. Anglomoil manufactures a range of synthetic, mineral-grade and internationally certified compressor oils for piston, rotary screw and rotary vane type compressors.

“Since we changed oil, not one service manager has rung through with a problem.

In my role no news is good news and to not hear a single comment in all this time is outstanding.”

Chris McQuade runs his own business in Sydney. He says: “With other lubricants the compressors kept running hotter than normal. This created carbon buildup, which in turn caused the operating temperatures to increase even higher and led to breakdowns. We had to have them stripped down and hydrostatically cleaned to remove all of the carbon deposits before rebuilding them. The shorter service cycles led to a greater consumption of oil, and we had to organise replacement compressors while the damaged ones were being repaired.”

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However, today it is a completely different story. McQuade’s compressors run reliably at the right temperature, they don’t coke up and are serviced at the right intervals.

Service Manager James Mason oversees a fleet of compressors used by plastics manufacturers, vehicle service centres, correctional centres, medical centres and hospitals: “In the time we’ve used these products we have not had one problem with any of our compressors. The formulations are well suited to the different types of compressors which all run properly.”

Anglomoil’s latest release is a win for the environment as well as for reliability. Anglomoil BIOPAG CL 46 is a 96%-biodegradable rotary screw air compressor lubricant. This SAE 10W20 formulation is a full synthetic blend of Polyalkylene Glycol (PAG) and Polyol Ester.

It provides high oxidative stability and excellent elastomeric seal compatibility. The high viscosity index means hire operators can extend their drain intervals out to 8,000 hours. Available in 20-litre drums, BIOPAG CL 46 is resistant to sludge and varnish formation, and the oil stays in grade at high temperatures. www.anglomoil.com

Quality & Inspection

CHRocodile C – Compact, noncontact thickness measurement Precitec Optronik has released the CHRocodile C chromatic sensor.

The new compact sensor measures distances and layer thicknesses ultraaccurately and at high speed. The CHRocodile C’s revolutionary design integrates opto-electronics and a measuring probe in a single housing the size of a packet of cigarettes. With its four newly-developed optical probes that can be easily replaced by the user, the system can be parameterised within wide limits and adapted to the measuring task.

sensor from Precitec Optronik. When ready for use, the chromatic confocal measuring unit consisting of sensor and optical probe weighs only 440 grams. The probes can also be replaced without the need for tools.

There are no other setting controls on the system unit itself – LEDs provide information about the status and operational readiness of the measuring system. The triggerable system has a sync output, standard Ethernet and RS422 interfaces.

“One of the outstanding features of the CHRocodile C sensor is most certainly its compact design”, says Dr Jochen Schulze, Deputy Head of Sales at Precitec Optronik in Neu-Isenburg, Germany. “Compact chromatic measuring systems combining sensor and optical probe in one single unit of this size have never existed until now.

With its compact design, contact-free measuring principle and excellent price performance ratio, the CHRocodile C is the ideal alternative to classic laser triangulation sensors.” The new CHRocodile C sensor is also the smallest ever ‘all-in-one’ point

With its compact housing, the CHRocodile C is eminently suitable for in-process quality control procedures, and is ideal for integration with automatic optical inspection machines. Its high dynamics and outstanding signal-to-noise ratio, allow measurements to be performed on a wide range of surfaces. The CHRocodile C’s robust and non-contact measuring system, is maintenance-free and easy to integrate into inspection machines. CHRocodile sensors ensure the best measuring results on any kind of surface. www.industriallaser.com.au

Spectroline Marksman II - Hears problems coming Spectronics Corporation has released the new MDE-2000 MarksmanTM II ultrasonic diagnostic tool for detecting leaks and component defects long before they lead to costly and time-consuming equipment failure.

The MDE-2000 Marksman II converts and amplifies inaudible ultrasonic signals into audible sound. The allows the NDT technician to “hear” even the smallest compressed air, natural gas, propane tank, vacuum, steam and other pressurised leaks before they lead to equipment failure. The Marksman II also identifies electrical arcs, sparks and worn or noisy bearings.

The Marksman II uses a two-tiered approach to ensure accurate diagnosis.

The receiver converts i n a u d i b l e ultrasonic signals into audible sound using heterodyne circuitry.

Then, its unique Sound Signature Technology fine tunes the audible sound into

the natural sound emitted by the leak itself. A five-LED signal intensity indicator and audible alarm pinpoint the exact source of the problem.

An Internal Noise Control (INC) feature safeguards against ambient noise.

The Marksman II comes complete with an ultrasonic receiver, full-sized, heavy duty, noise-cancelling headphones, a hollow air probe, a solid contact probe and an ultrasonic emitter that helps locate faulty seals, gaskets and weather-stripping in doors, windows, ductwork and other non-pressurized enclosures.

All components are packed in a sturdy carrying case.

The Marksman II is available in Australia from Spectronics Corporation’s long-standing distributor, Russell Fraser Sales. www.rfsales.com.au

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98

Forum Business Management

Predictions for 2017 – Planning for uncertainty Improving business’ planning processes is important during a time of unexpected global changes as explained

by Stuart Harman.

Another year has passed, and in Australia we have been on the other side of the pond witnessing global changes including Brexit and the US Presidential election. Both these events could certainly have an impact on global supply chains, however only time will tell. That’s why it will become even more important for businesses in Australia to focus on implementing or improve their planning processes such as Integrated Business Planning (IBP). Planning for uncertainty will be key for 2017 as will employing the right people to help with these changes, whether on a global level or when it comes to competition faced at home. With this in mind we take a look at predications for organisations in 2017 when it comes to IBP:

More organisations will work on improving their short-term planning and execution to ensure IBP plans are delivered At Oliver Wight we are seeing an increasing number of organisations who are asking for help with their S&OP or IBP process.

Unfortunately they are being held back by the absence of a robust, formal, daily/weekly planning and execution process that integrates Demand, Supply, Product Management and Customer service activities in the short term planning horizon (typically the next 12 weeks). Defining the process, responsibilities and accountabilities for short term planning and execution effectively reduces the time that the senior management spend ‘working below their pay grade’ getting sucked into short term issues. This allows them to focus on the medium to long term planning horizon of IBP, trusting that short term exceptions will be flagged for their attention as they arise.

Remember, IBP without effective execution is just additional cost!

Organisations will continue to seek the ‘off the shelf solution’ Ready-made IBP ‘Playbooks’ or ‘plug and play’ IBP systems have an obvious allure for organisations who are resource-constrained and are looking to rapidly secure the benefits that an effective IBP process can bring. A key part of successful IBP implementation is adapting the basic principles of the process to the organisation where it is being deployed so that it provides maximum value.

Professionals with IBP experience will be increasingly in demand Individuals who have experience in the key IBP facilitation roles are becoming increasingly sought after as well as staff who have worked in an effective IBP environment. As more organisations look to introduce or improve IBP in order to realise the benefits associated with an effective process they are frequently looking to import the knowledge, experience and required culture from an existing high performing IBP environment. Whilst individuals with these skills and experience are commonly in short supply the good news is that organisations can rapidly equip their own people, who have the business and industry understanding, with the knowledge of IBP required via education and then “learning by doing” as they operate in the IBP process that they have a hand in designing.

Organisations will continue to gain advantage by getting the IBP basics right The monthly ‘check and correct’ activities of IBP where functional plans are reviewed, shared, checked for alignment and where necessary realigned in pursuit of the organisation’s goals, has the effect of focusing and directing the key resources of the organisation to what is important. Instead of functions competing or acting out

AMT Feb/Mar 2017

of step with each other the effect is to get everyone rowing in the same direction towards the business goals. This in itself provides benefits in terms of efficiencies and effectiveness.

The Product Management or Portfolio Review will increasingly be used to drive growth Understanding how the organisation’s portfolio of products and services is providing value to consumers, customers and to the organisation is a key element of the Product Management Review (now called the Portfolio Review by some organisations). With ‘understanding where growth will come from’ cited as a key issue for CEOs seen in a number of surveys over the last 12 months, the ability to understand how the planned changes to the portfolio will support growth, updated monthly through the IBP process, is becoming increasingly important.

More organisations will adopt IBP to plan for uncertainty and volatility The impact of major political events in 2016 such as Brexit and the US presidential election has demonstrated the need for many organisations to develop a process for planning for uncertainty.

The viability of some global supply chains may be challenged by the geopolitical change that lies ahead. Recent significant events closer to home such as the cessation of local manufacturing by the major players in the Australian automotive industry and Woolworth’s closure of its Masters hardware chain have left organisations both small and large wrestling with what the future may hold. More organisations will look to a planning process such as IBP to be able to identify areas of risk in their future plans and where their supply chains are most susceptible to change. Having the right processes in place will allow companies and supply chains to improve their understanding of the potential outcomes and ultimately enable them to prepare for uncertainty. The companies that do this the best will be able to seize the opportunities that always accompany change.

Stuart Harman is a Partner at Oliver Wight Asia Pacific- a consultancy firm which believes sustainable business improvement can only be delivered by your own people; so, unlike other consultancy firms, Oliver Wight transfers its knowledge to you. Pioneers of Sales and Operations Planning and originators of the fundamentals behind supply chain planning, Oliver Wight professionals are the acknowledged industry thought leaders for Integrated Business Planning (IBP). www.oliverwightasiapacific.com

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Forum Import

Understanding and thriving within global supply chains

Companies need to build the proper foundation for effective outsourcing of ‘non-core’ functions of their business, as explained by Lawrence Christoffelsz.

The Australian automotive landscape is about to change forever. As most readers would be aware, 2017 will be the last year of local car manufacturing in Australia and all vehicles will then be imported from overseas.

So what does the future hold for the Australian automotive industry?

Manufacturing companies involved in research, design and development for offshore manufacturers will remain, however the supply of OEM and aftermarket parts will lead the way in reinventing this industry.

When considering what the critical success factors will be in the future, it is important we consider what the key factors were which contributed to the demise of vehicle manufacturing in Australia in the first place.

• Cessation of Government funding support • High costs of labour • Higher costs for raw materials than overseas competitors • Increasingly complex enterprise agreements between manufacturers and unions • Australian consumers opting for overseas models with more ‘value for money’ appeal than locally produced vehicles.

The above factors are not isolated or unique to the automotive industry and, as such, all Australian businesses need to re-think their core business functions and profit centres in order to not only grow, but to survive in an increasingly global vs. local market.

Let’s consider some of the basics in Australian manufacturing, retail and/or wholesaling. A typical company may design a product, manufacture (either locally or offshore), produce these in bulk and then invest in marketing to retail consumers in order to generate sales and hopefully, a profit.

There is nothing wrong with the above scenario, except for the simple fact that most ‘typical’ Australian businesses have generally been slow to leverage the numerous benefits of outsourcing ‘noncore’ functions of their business.

Therefore they are forced to, as a result, either become experts in a host of various fields across the supply chain milestones or suffer the expensive and inefficient pitfalls of poor execution in the critical areas such as inventory management, warehousing optimisation, transport and logistics.

Most Australian businesses need to accept that they are no longer considered ‘local’ businesses but are now part of an easily accessible ‘global’ market place.

This shift in this mindset has both benefits and pitfalls. However, in order to realise these benefits and mitigate the pitfalls, companies need to ensure they engage the appropriate strategies and skills to understand and thrive within global supply chains.

So, what is the best way to develop these strategies and skills within your business?

One option is to spend time and money employing and managing suitably qualified and experienced individuals in order to ‘buy’ the required expertise, or would your organisation be better off in focusing on the very core business functions that inspired the products in the first place?

It seems like a simple answer – right? So then, why don’t all companies outsource?

The resistance could possibly lie with companies’ fear of higher costs, lack of control, risk of poor performance or even intellectual property breaches. However, in my opinion, all of these fears are easily overcome and controlled by building the proper foundation framework for effective outsourcing.

Firstly, divide up your organisation into clearly defined business units.

Then, ensure your company has fully documented (and up-to-date) policies and processes across all business units – this is vital.

Secondly, determining which of these business units and processes could be performed more effectively (either in terms of costs, productivity and quality to your customers).

Thirdly, once you’ve decided to outsource components/functions of your business, you need to be explicitly clear on every detail of the services, function – and critically, the integration and communication framework, which is required by your business. This will require the development of a robust ‘Service Level Agreement’ (LSA), which will provide the framework for any operational outsourcing.

This is very different to a legal contract, but can of course form part of one. A commercial contract should refer to a LSA, but an effective LSA should be reviewed by both parties on a regular basis (ideally each quarter as part of any ‘QBR’ (Quarterly Business Review) with any external service provider.

Despite all of the above, it is important to point out that outsourcing components of your supply chain should be carefully thought through and the correct cost comparisons taken into consideration.

For example, outsourcing your warehousing and distribution may not be simply ‘cheaper’ than trying to run these core functions in-house, however the business must also compare the ‘true cost’ of in-house vs. outsourced performance and capabilities (e.g. customer service, order accuracy, product damage, product returns, etc.).

A professional and proficient outsourced expert should provide a number of wider business (and customer) benefits above side-byside cost comparison.

In closing, more and more global businesses are growing smarter instead of simply growing larger and have focused solely on their core skills and expertise as well as leveraging other market leaders through outsourcing effectively.

Of course, as expressed earlier, the key to any successful outsourcing is strong communication, clearly defined expectations/requirements and a commitment to working collaboratively in a true partnership environment. Without any of these key ingredients, it can lead to a very negative experience – both for the company outsourcing and the service provider/s alike.

Lawrence Christoffelsz has over 20 years experience in supply chain solutions and works with many Australian companies in his role as Business Development Manager for CEVA Logistics Australia. He is also the current Chairman of the Australian Chamber of International Trade (www.acit.org.au) and is on a number of industry Boards for his expertise and insights into global opportunities.

Email: lawrence.christoffelsz@cevalogistics.com www.cevalogistics.com/country/australia

AMT Feb/Mar 2017

100

Forum Law

How to work out your ROI on patents What happens to your ROI when your new product or process is so successful everyone wants to copy it?

Belinda Wadeson explains the issues to consider regarding patents.

A business plan for a new product or process should include assessing the ROI. That’s just common sense. Some projects will give a very different ROI depending on whether you have a monopoly market, or whether competitors are free to copy. And make no mistake, in Australia competitors are usually free to copy unless you proactively secure your IP. Having a monopoly market using patents is like having insurance for the upside – patents let you lock in a long-term competitive advantage. The costs and benefits of patenting should be weighed up, like any investment, on a case by case basis.

The business case So what is the business case for a patent? There are two ROIs to consider – your overall project ROI, and the ROI from investing some additional resources into patenting. Which one to calculate is right for your business will depend on how your business makes its decisions, and to a degree, on cost centres and which budget legal costs will come from, internal politics and even the period of time over which you forecast ROI. Patenting will make sense for some, but not all, projects and product developments.

Putting some numbers around your costs to develop and manufacture a new product line is one side of the ROI question.

You are the expert here.

The ROI on patenting should be based on the best possible data such as the graph pictured. The graph charts the cumulative costs over the years for one patent to help guide you. These costs are, of course, only a guide, are only for protection in Australia, and for a specific project can vary significantly.

Put simply, an Australian standard patent for an engineering invention typically costs something like $30K + GST over 21 years.

That’s the investment. So what is the return? Consider: 1. a market where you have exclusivity (through a patent monopoly); versus 2. a market where “me too” competitors can copy your new product, bringing down unit sales, sale prices and profit margins.

A standard patent lasts for 20 years giving you market exclusivity for that time, and with some clever strategy you can maintain a strong market position for much longer than that … but strategy is a topic for another day! For each scenario: what is the ROI by adding on the cost of patenting, either in Australia or multiple countries? As you can see from the graph, the ongoing renewal costs payable in the latter years of a patent’s life are significant. They should not be forgotten when assessing the business case for patent protection.

On the other hand it’s not compulsory to pay them, e.g. when the patented technology becomes obsolete you might choose to abandon the patent.

Long-term outlook Looking to the long term, is your company an innovator in the industry or a me-too? If you innovate (and you should!) whether or not to patent should be considered for every new product and process when you are forecasting the project financials. This means educating your finance team on potential game-changers in the calculations.

AMT Feb/Mar 2017

PATENT ROI Insurance for the upside Cumulative Australian Patent Costs Belinda Wadeson is a Principal, Mechanical Engineer and Patent Attorney at WADESON – patent and trade marks attorneys providing a wide range of intellectual property services, combining engineering and IP experience. WADESON has engineering clients in technology areas ranging from agriculture and mining through to new generation materials and conductors, robotics, RFID and iPhone enabled remote system management. Ph: (03) 9819 3808 belinda.wadeson@wadesonIP.com.au www.wadesonIP.com.au

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Forum OHS

The changing face of work health and safety requirements

Work Health & Safety laws are currently in a state of change as each Australian state looks to adhere to a national model. Are you going to keep up with the changes? Brendan Torazzi explains.

Work Health and Safety (WHS) is an industry in a constant state of flux as it reacts to changes in the business environment and Australian and state law. As a result, staying up to the minute on the current state of WHS in Australia can be challenging. Fall behind and you risk not complying with industry standards, and violating state laws – perhaps even endangering employees.

WHS practitioners also risk advising their clients or employers incorrectly, a mistake which could have high stakes in this industry!

We’ve had a look at the state of change in the WHS industry, and explored the reasons why it’s so essential to keep up to date with health and safety training

WHS Harmonisation Harmonisation is an initiative by Safe Work Australia that aims to standardise work health and safety legislation across all states and territories. The reason for this is obvious – with one simple and clear set of laws and guidelines instead of several, a national standard can be set simplifying WHS for both businesses and practitioners.

Are you up to date on the current state of WHS? This will ensure that all Australian workers have a minimum standard of WHS no matter where they work. it will also simplify the operations of companies working across several territories as they will only have to adhere to one set of rules.

Safe at Work also proposes that harmonisation will make government provision of WHS regulation more efficient, while reducing the incidence of death, injury and disease in the work place. It’s clear then that this initiative will be beneficial for you in the long run, but what does it mean right now?

Recent law changes WHS may see rapid change across all states in the near future.

Most states have implemented some form of legislation to adhere to the harmonisation initiative. Changes are also expected soon in South Australia to assess WHS legislation in the state and adhere even closer to the Safe Work harmonisation model.

SafeWork SA Executive Director, Marie Boland commented on the model in a recent Safety Culture media release: “The harmonised laws aim to provide workers with the same standard of health and safety protection regardless of whether they work – here in South Australia or interstate and regardless of the work they do.”

Safework NSW also updated the following codes of practice last September in order to fit the SafeWork national model: • Hazardous manual tasks.

• How to manage and control asbestos in the workplace.

• How to safely remove asbestos.

• Welding processes.

• Managing electrical risks in the workplace.

• Demolition work.

It’s clear then that WHS may see rapid change across all states in the near future and that it’s essential to keep your finger on the pulse to avoid missing a beat.

The codes of practice governing WHS have recently changed in NSW. The key amendments to the model WHS Act as provided by Safework Australia, are listed below.

• The introduction of a minimum notice period of 24 hours and a maximum of 14 days for union officials and persons assisting health and safety representatives (HSRs) when entering a workplace (sections 68 and 117 of the model WHS Act) • An increase to penalties associated with contravening the conditions of WHS entry permits from $10,000 to $20,000 (section 123 of the model WHS Act) • A clarification that provisional improvement notices issued

by HSRs may include ‘recommendations’ to remedy a contravention rather than ‘directions’ (section 93 of the model WHS Act), and • The removal of the requirement for persons conducting a business or undertaking (PCBUs) to provide a list of HSRs to the regulator (section 74 of the model WHS Act).

Model WHS Regulations amendments • The insertion of the words ‘up to’ in relation to HSR training courses; now providing for an initial course of training of up to 5 days and refresher training of up to 1 day (regulation 21 of the model WHS Regulations), and • Minor technical amendments relating to WHS entry permit holders, high risk work, plant, asbestos removal licences and definitions

From Safework Australia http://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/sites/swa/model-whslaws/pages/jurisdictional-progress-whs-laws

Make sure you’re up to date Considering the rate that these changes are being made, it’s understandable that some businesses and WHS practitioners may have fallen behind.

Practitioners can brush up on NSW and national legislation and gain industry qualification through the diploma in WHS. This is an essential qualification for those looking to establish a career in WHS and will include information on the legislation around health and safety.

Businesses can also improve their WHS compliance by sending key employees to complete OHS courses.

Brendan Torazzi is CEO of AlertForce - a registered training organisation, AlertForce provides a number of courses, which could be the key to decreasing businesses costs, avoiding fines and legal trouble and of course keeping your valued employees safe. Brendan is passionate about empowering people with the highest quality WHS/OHS training and services available. Through AlertForce, thousands of people have been helped to reach their goals in the workplace and create positive outcomes in their careers. Ph: 1800 900 222 www.alertforce.com.

AMT Feb/Mar 2017

102 Manufacturing matters in Australia.

Our manufacturers lead the world in numerous products and industries.

Australia’s manufacturing industry is a major contributor to our economy each year, and our manufacturers employ large numbers of people, offering them challenging, rewarding work, and providing the basis for stable, diverse communities.

Welcome to the Manufacturers’ Pavilion, the section of AMT Magazine dedicated to celebrating some of the best, most dynamic, most innovative manufacturing companies working in Australia today.

AMT Feb/Mar 2017

The Manufacturers’ Pavilion highlights the capabilities of Australia’s precision engineering and advanced manufacturing industry. Over the following pages, we will look at companies delivering products and services across a variety of industrial sectors, and employing a diverse array of processes.

It builds on the successful Manufacturers’ Pavilion exhibition area within the Austech trade show and is sure to enhance the profile of the leading edge manufacturers in our sector.

If you feel your company should be featured in a future edition of the Manufacturers’ Pavilion, please contact AMTIL Sales Manager Anne Samuelsson, on 03 9800 3666, or by emailing asamuelsson@amtil.com.au

Manufacturers Pavilion

Innovative industrial design and engineering Overcoming complex design challenges through unique and innovative industrial product design and engineering has provided Integra Systems’ clients with improved productivity and sales both locally and globally.

Since 1991, Integra Systems has worked with hundreds of Australian businesses and helped them enjoy prosperity in both local and export markets with product designs that blow their competition out of contention. Integra Systems is proud to be a 100% Australian-owned family business, supporting customers globally.

With innovation as the cornerstone of Integra’s culture, Integra empowers clients in key areas of industrial design, product design engineering and mechanical engineering through highly efficient in-house advanced manufacturing systems and project management expertise.

The company focuses on working collaboratively with clients so they may secure new market opportunities and overcome complex design challenges in a highly diverse range of industries. Offering a unique design process – no matter what the industry – is what distinguishes Integra, and provides you with the ultimate solution.

Empowering you to ‘Make Your Vision Real’ is what drives Integra Systems.

Breakthrough product and engineering design, followed by world-class execution, is the method. Industry recognition for this is supported by the many awards Integra has received.

Integra TransForm – Innovating for Performance Integra Systems has created a new division – Integra TransForm – which specialises in product design and manufacturing of proprietary products owned and commercialised by Integra, right here in Australia. Global research and usercentric design inform the innovation of Integra TransForm products that have been conceived with the primary purpose of improving business, productivity, sales, service and personal performance.

Integra Systems 197 Northcorp Blvd Broadmeadows, Vic, 3047 T: 03 9359 3133 F: 03 9359 3166 W: www.integrasystems.com.au E: enquiries@integrasystems.com.au Paul Hughes Managing Director T: 03 9359 3133 E: paul@integrasystems.com.au For over 25 years, Integra has empowered clients to achieve their aspirations through integrated solutions – innovative, creative and break-through product design engineering and advanced manufacturing from ideation to delivery.

Ultimately, Integra’s business relationships are centred around its ability to ‘Make your Vision Real’.

Boost your workplace performance with beautiful sit–stand solutions that deliver health and productivity improvement results.

The strong and sturdy WorkSmart Collection uses world–class electronic technology and user–centric designs to deliver elegant sit–stand solutions to the highest quality, right here in Australia.

Your workplace will directly benefit from Integra’s drive to provide elegant ergonomics that deliver results.

THE WORKSMART COLLECTION AeroSMART & BioSMART

Enquire about our BioSMART 30 day free trial *conditions apply BioSMART cleverly converts your office furniture to sit–stand Delivers one–touch electronic simplicity Elegant design, built for strength A quality investment that will last All Australian made

A division of Integra Systems Pty Ltd Telephone +61 3 9359 3133 Facsimile +61 3 9359 3166 Email sales@integratransform.com.au www.integratransform.com.au

Integra BioSMART

Integra AeroSMART

Integra is proudly a multi-award winning enterprise

AMT Feb/Mar 2017

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Manufacturers Pavilion

Precision metal fabrication and a wide range of engineering services When it comes to fabricating outdoor furniture, TRJ is fast becoming the preferred supplier to many landscape architects. Over the last year, TRJ has seen substantial growth within this industry.

The company has been proud to have worked on the upgrade of the Rod Laver arena overpass and surrounding parklands.

This was quite a large task, as workers had to be on site for quite a few months installing stainless steel handrails as well as all the uprights to hold them.

TRJ successfully worked alongside numerous other construction companies to complete the job ready for the start of the cricket and tennis season.

This year, TRJ has been slowly becoming the preferred supplier to some companies in Perth for their street furniture also – supplying numerous custom bin surrounds and well as some large bench seats. To get around the problem of distance, TRJ has been able to side with transport companies to help freight the finished products to Perth so that it arrives in the same condition that it leaves TRJ’s factory in Hallam, in Melbourne’s south-east suburbs. This enables the

expansion of the company’s footprint to other major cities whilst maintaining quality and customer care.

Another job which TRJ will be installing shortly will be the upgrade to the Deakin university campus in Bundoora, Melbourne.

This is another major landscape upgrade where a cantilevered, radii seating arrangement using steel framing and stained timber will be installed, as well as ‘movable’ aluminium ottomans. These ottomans will have a synthetic grass wrapped around them so that they will be able to blend in to the landscape yet be light enough to be able to move around to create endless seating options for the students.

TRJ Engineering Group 47-51 Westpool Drive Hallam Victoria 3803 T: 03 9703 1701 F: 03 9702 3288 W: www.trjengineering.com.au E: jeremy@trjengineering.com.au David Murphy Managing Director T: 03 9703 1701 E: david@trjengineering.com.au TRJ has the ability and experience to fabricate and machine using all types of steels and quantities to excel beyond customers’ targets. This sets the foundation for TRJ to fulfil its company’s goal of: “To be recognised as the complete engineering solution provider in Australasia”

TRJ engineering also specialises in many other forms of engineering, from the large production runs to the bespoke items.

Please email TRJ to if see the company can help find a solution to your engineering needs. earthmoving

Corporate Identity for TRJ Engineering group

TRJ Engineering Group…

All designs are copywrittien to webfirm ©2008

tranSport

Your first choice for precision metal fabrication and general engineering.

TRJ Engineering has been providing steel fabrication and engineering services throughout Melbourne for 40 years – Australian owned and operated. Experienced in private and government projects, TRJ Engineering is a leading Victorian supplier, dedicated to excellent service and state-of-the-art engineering solutions for all applications, from truck chassis manufacture to street furniture, shop fit-outs and stainless steel components.

Street Furniture

47/51 Westpool Drive, Hallam, Victoria 3803 T: 03 9703 1701 • F: 03 9702 3288 • E: sales@ trjengineering.com.au www.trjengineering.com.au

AMT Feb/Mar 2017 Corporate Identity for TRJ Engineering group

Manufacturers Pavilion

High-quality supplier and re-grinder of machine knives and precision grinding services Davis & Jenkins offers a unique ability to handle large workpieces – including grinding – with extreme precision and at precise bevel angles on any kind of steel, plus a reputable refurbishment service for companies Australia-wide.

Recently, Davis & Jenkins acquired a new precision surface grinding machine, which substantially increased the company’s capacity. With that new machine, it is possible to handle work pieces with dimensions as large as 3,000mm x 1,000mm x 1,040mm, and weighing as much as 3,000kg. The ability to process such large workpieces, with a height up to 1,040mm, is rare in Australia. It allows the grinding of large workpieces including machine beds, bases, fixtures, jigs and large steel plates, with extreme precision. Davis & Jenkins has four more machines with a swivellable magnetic chuck capacity, which is also very large at 5,500mm x 300mm x 250mm, enabling the grinding of precise bevel angles on any kind of steel to a length of 5,500mm. This machine has also been utilised to provide a refurbishment service for press brake tooling, in particular, MultiVee Block Dies, helping other companies to save much money by not needing a new replacement tool. Various industries use machine knives in varying qualities in

paper or metal cutting guillotines, paper or metal slitters, newspaper presses and wood chippers, just to name a few. Davis & Jenkins is a manufacturer, supplier, and re-grinder of industrial machine knives for the printing, paper, wood, plastics, and metal industries.

A core service provided by the company is precision surface grinding with very largecapacity magnetic tables. Davis & Jenkins also supplies spare parts, accessories, and consumables for the printing industry.

The company originated as engineering arm of Alex Cowan & Sons (later known as Spicers Paper) in the late 1800s. Cowan sold that arm to Messers Davis & Jenkins in 1927, who remained a partnership until being incorporated in 1955. Currently, the company has eight employees in Melbourne providing supply and grinding services for companies throughout Australia. As the Australian agent for the German TKM Group (formerly IKS Klingelnberg), Davis & Jenkins has achieved an excellent reputation as a high-quality supplier and re-grinder of machine knives and for precision grinding services.

Davis & Jenkins Pty Ltd 198 Christmas Street Fairfield Victoria 3078 T: 03 9499 2858 F: 03 9497 1992 W: davisandjenkins.com.au E: info@davisandjenkins.com.au Patrick Vlahos Production Manager T: 03 9499 2858 E: info@davisandjenkins.com.au Currently, Davis & Jenkins has eight employees in Melbourne providing supply and grinding services for companies throughout Australia. Being the Australian agent for the German TKM Group (formerly IKS Klingelnberg), Davis & Jenkins has achieved an excellent reputation as a high quality supplier and re-grinder of machine knives and precision grinding services.

Quality+precision = reputation.

Davis & Jenkins – high quality supplier anD re-grinDer of machine knives anD precision grinDing services.

• Workpieces up to 3000 x 1000 x 1040mm, with a weight of 3000kg • Swivel-able magnetic chuck capacity is 5500 x 300 x 250mm, enabling precise bevel angles on any kind of steel to a length of 5500mm.

davisandjenkins.com.au 198 Christmas Street • Fairfield VICTORIA 3078 • Tel: 03 9499 2858 • Fax: 03 9497 1992 AMT Feb/Mar 2017

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Amtil Inside

The importance of goal-setting Welcome to 2017 and a New Year, along with the obligatory resolutions that go with it. I was thinking over the Christmas break, that whilst we all know the importance of setting ourselves goals, a gentle reminder on some steps that could be followed would be a good idea. So if you are very good at keeping your New Year resolutions intact and making good on those promises to yourself, you need read no further. On the other hand, if you are like me and have trouble sticking to a plan and achieving the goals you set yourself, then follow the seven steps below and see if it makes a difference.

1. Make sure the goal you are setting is something you really want, not just something that sounds good. Half the problem with New Year resolutions is that we say things that we think sound good or that we think other people want to hear, without having the desire to achieve them. Remember, a small fire only gives out a small amount of heat so make sure that the goals you set have a fierce, burning desire behind them. You must really want them to happen.

2. Develop goals in different areas of your life. Sometimes we just have a focus on health, family and career so it’s important to set yourself goals in other areas such as financial, social, cultural, mental, educational or spiritual. Setting goals in each area of your life will help to ensure a more balanced lifestyle and assist in examining and changing the fundamentals of everyday living.

3. Visualise yourself achieving the goal.... and how it will make you feel. Write your goal in a positive sense and communicate it to those relevant to the goal if necessary. If one of your goals is to have a family holiday, for example, don’t keep it to yourself. Discuss it, write it down (we will have a fantastic family holiday) and get excited about it together. This will also help in making sure the goal is not only achieved, but is maximised as well.

4. Write out your goal, in complete detail. The discipline of writing something down is the first step to make it happen. Instead of writing down ‘a family holiday’, write ‘a 10 day family holiday to the Gold Coast staying at a four star resort with a great pool area and including trips to Dreamworld and a scuba dive’. The more information you put in the goal, the clearer the final outcome becomes. The more precise the outcome, the more efficient you can work towards it.

5. Make a plan for the path you need to follow by creating smaller action steps. If needed, create a critical path which defines the most important steps that must happen for the goal to become a reality. At the very least, write down the key milestones and dates that need to happen and make sure you are committed to them 100%.

6. Establish times for checking your progress. Whether your calendar system is in the computer, your smartphone, your fridge or the back of the toilet door make sure you are following your plan and keeping to your timelines. If you are not making progress, take a look at what is holding you back, develop a plan to overcome the issues and add these planning steps to your list. It is important to remember at this stage that some circumstances may call for the goal to be revised so if you need to alter the goal, don’t consider it to be a failure.

Consider it a victory as you had the foresight to realise that things change and you did something about it.

7. Celebrate the goals you achieve, no matter how large or small they are. Goal setting is an art. It is a simple art with simple rules but very difficult to master.

So remember the three ‘P’s - Passion, Preparation and Persistence - and hopefully in 2017 you can achieve your dreams. Have a great year.

AMT Feb/Mar 2017

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Amtil Inside

Helping our members – AMTIL Service Partners

AMTIL runs various activities aimed at help Australian manufacturing business prosper and grow. One way in which all of our members can benefit is by making use of our range of specially selected service partners.

AMTIL’s service partnerships are designed to help our members become more profitable by providing increased opportunities for you to sell your products, reduce your costs and raise your profile in the market. All of our partners are carefully chosen to offer exclusive benefits to AMTIL members, whether it is in managing their accounts, streamlining their logistics, finding the best insurance, or simply minimising your energy costs.

EIF International EIF International Limited helps our members with all their freight and logistics needs. EIF is a privately-owned international freight forwarder and third-party logistics (3PL) provider. The team at EIF boasts a wealth of knowledge and experience that enables them to provide a comprehensive range of solutions at a cost-effective price that is flexible, reliable and customised to meet your needs.

Make It Cheaper AMTIL has teamed up with saving experts Make It Cheaper to offer clients the opportunity to reduce their power bills in one easy phone call. They compare prices from a wide range of energy retailers, find their customers a new deal and take care of the switch. Savings could easily come in at around 20%, which clearly has the potential to make a huge impact on your company’s financials.

Network Insurance Group Network Insurance Group provides AMTIL members with specialised insurance and risk management services in General Insurance,

Workers Compensation and Life Insurance. Network Insurance delivers its clients a personalised, tailored service that comes from its boutique broker background coupled with the negotiating strength from being part of the Steadfast Group, an ASX-listed company. Whether you are involved in importing, manufacturing, wholesaling, or a mixture of all three, Network Insurance Group can assist in the provision of your business insurance and risk management services.

William Buck William Buck offers a broad range of accounting and business services including specialist tax advice, audit, wealth creation and superannuation. The long standing and strong relationship between AMTIL and William Buck allows members the opportunity to benefit from this relationship.

AMTIL is constantly on the look-out for new service providers to form partnerships with, and we aim to add more names to our lineup over the coming months. Keep an eye on AMTIL Inside or the AMTIL website for updates.

For more information about the benefits of AMTIL membership, or about opportunities for your business to become an AMTIL Service Partner, , please contact our Corporate Services Manager, Greg Chalker, on 03 9800 3666, or by emailing gchalker@amtil.com.au. To find out more about our service partners, visit the AMTIL website. www.amtil.com.au/Membership/Service-Partners

At your service.

AMTIL supports its members through its select range of AMTIL Service Partners.

1271AMTIL

AMT Feb/Mar 2017

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Amtil Inside

Austech 2017 – Register now

Registrations have now opened for Austech 2017, Australia’s premier advanced precision manufacturing and machine tool exhibition, in Melbourne this May. Yet again, Austech promises to be the unmissable event this year for anyone with an interest in manufacturing. This year’s show is expected to be bigger than ever, attracting more than 10,000 of the industry’s key decision-makers looking to see the latest manufacturing technology up close. As the show’s organiser, AMTIL is hard at work on preparations for the show and looking forward to welcoming Australia’s manufacturing community when doors open on 9 May. Austech provides a forum for visitors to take a look at the most advanced, cutting-edge manufacturing equipment available today but also to discuss potential applications that will help them provide value-added, innovative and high-tech solutions.

The principal focuses at this year’s exhibition will be machine tools for metal cutting and forming, production systems, high-precision tools, CAD/CAM, and accessories.

One of the highlights of this year’s Austech will be the Manufacturers’ Pavilion. First launched at the 2013 exhibition, the Manufacturers’ Pavilion highlights the capabilities of Australia’s precision engineering and advanced manufacturing industry, providing a unique opportunity for Australian component manufacturers, precision engineering firms, toolmakers, advanced manufacturers and general engineering companies to exhibit their unique capabilities.

This year the Manufacturers’ Pavilion will be the biggest yet, with exhibitor bookings already far exceeding the 2015 exhibition.

Another key area of the exhibition will be the Additive Manufacturing Pavilion, highlighting the latest innovations in the fast-evolving world of 3D printing and additive manufacturing. The Additive Manufacturing Pavilion will once again be held in conjunction with Inside 3D Printing, which will be staging a conference alongside Austech on 9-10 May. Conference attendees will be able to explore the business applications of 3D printing through sessions led by industry experts, demonstrations of the latest 3D printers and services, and programming for designers, professionals, and makers.

As always, Austech 2017 will be co-located with National Manufacturing Week (NMW), as well as the Safety First Conference & Expo.

“Austech 2017 will definitely be an event not to be missed,” says AMTIL Events Manager Kim Banks. “More than 80 exhibitors have already registered for Austech, with many of the key industry players and major machine tool companies gearing up for this year’s show, underlining the importance of Australia’s advanced manufacturing industry.”

Austech will be held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre from 9 to 12 May. For updates on the show and to register to attend, visit the AMTIL website. www.amtil.com.au/Austech

Top names confirmed for the top show Some of the biggest names in the manufacturing industry will be exhibiting at Austech. As the clock ticks down, more and more companies are confirming their bookings, so don’t delay if you’re planning to take space at the show. At time of writing, the exhibitor list is as follows: • AB CADCAM

• DMG MORI Australia

• Konica Minolta

• Raymax Lasers

• 3D Printing Systems

• Done CNC

• Laser 3D

• Renishaw Oceania

• Abcor

• E J Hadaway

• LEAP Australia

• Romheld Automation

• Acra Machinery

• Euromac Australia

• Lightwave Technology

• Sheetmetal Machinery Australia

• Alfex CNC Australia

• Excellent Plating Works

• Livetools

• Sheetmetal Tooling Tech

• Amada Oceania

• Fabrication Equipment Supplies

• Lucassen Precision Asia

• SigmaTEK

• ANCA Motion

• Fladder Danmark

• Mastercut Technologies

• SolidCAM ANZ

• Andrew Donald Design Engineers

• GWB Machine Tools

• Mate Tooling

• Stahl Engineering

• Haas Automation

• Modern Tools

• Stamac Engineering

• Applied Machinery Australia

• Hare & Forbes Machineryhouse

• MTI Qualos

• Suhner

• Ausee

• Harrop Engineering Australia

• Multicam Systems

• Sutton Tools

• Barden Fabrications

• Headland Machinery

• NCCS

• SWI Engineering

• Benson Machines

• Hi-Tech Metrology

• Nichol Industries

• Techni Waterjet

• Bolts & Industrial Supplies

• Industrial Laser

• Okuma Australia

• Bucci Automations

• Industrial Tool & Machinery Sales

• OneCNC

• Thyssenkrupp Materials Australia

• Parish Engineering Company

• Toolprocure Australia

• Camco Cutting Tools International

• Integra Systems

• Power Machinery Australia

• TRJ Engineering

• ITEQ Vietnam Co

• Precision Specialty Tooling

• TXM Lean Solutions

• Capral

• JBO Engineering

• Radan-Visi-Peps CAD/CAM

• Ultimate Laser

• Catten Industries

• Jinan Bodor CNC Machine

• Radius Benders

• Whitehall Workplace Law

• Davis & Jenkins

• John Hart

• Rapid Advanced Manufacturing

• Wickman

• Deratech Industries

• Klugo Group

• Raxo Machine Tools

• Zeiss Australia

• Bystronic

• Dimac Tooling

For more information about Austech 2015 or to enquire about booking exhibition space, please call AMTIL on 03 9800 3666, or email Events Manager Kim Banks on kwarren@amtil.com.au. Alternatively, visit the Austech website. www.amtil.com.au/Austech

AMT Feb/Mar 2017

ManufactureLink proudly owned and operated

by AMTIL

Follow our members on

Go Get linked!

Manufacturelink is your directory for all things Manufacturing. processes. services. technology.

1186AMT

We’ve got the link to make it happen.

Visit www.manufacturelink.com.au to learn more.

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Amtil Inside

Golf Day tees up the Festive Season

AMTIL held a number of festive events in the run-up to the holiday season, starting off with its annual Corporate Golf Day & Christmas Lunch on 2 December at Riversdale Golf Club in Mount Waverley, Victoria.

Members were out in force for the Golf Day, an opportunity to relax and unwind, catch up with old friends and network with new contacts, as well as engaging in good-natured competition.

Congratulations to Industrial Steels, which was the winning team on the day. However, with prizes in a variety of categories, most people didn’t go away empty-handed.

The Golf Day was one of a string of Christmas events organised by AMTIL across the country to celebrate the festive season. Members in New South Wales attended a Christmas dinner on 6 December at Nick’s Seafood Wharf in Sydney. This was followed on 9 December by a lunch for our Queensland members at Georges Paragon Seafood Restaurant in Brisbane.

AMTIL’s Corporate Golf Day & Christmas Lunch was made possible thanks to the support of its sponsors: EIF International Ltd; Network Insurance Group; Wadeson IP; Harry the Hirer; and Dimac Tooling.

www.amtil.com.au/events

Keep on top of things, with HotSpots

What are the key industry events you might want to attend? What types of government assistance are available to your business? Where can you access the latest market data? With these questions and more, help is available with Industry HotSpots.

HotSpots is a service designed specifically for AMTIL members, providing information and resources concerning our industry and the workplace, as well as various useful services for your business.

Many of the items featured are available exclusively to our members only.

HotSpots are broken down into four categories, loosely defined as: • Industry – These are industry-wide notices that AMTIL feels are of import to its members.

• Service – AMTIL has developed relationships with expert service providers in various disciplines and is able to offer these services exclusively to our membership.

• Opportunity – These items offer a chance to quote or connect with a contract, available only through the Members Only area of our website. We wish all our members good luck with their tender.

• Networking – Here is where AMTIL provides members with notice of events and activities that offer chances to network with other like-minded business leaders and collaborate on strategic activities.

AMT Feb/Mar 2017

• Workplace – From time to time, AMTIL is able to provide information to our members that they really should be aware of with regard to the manufacturing environment we work within.

HotSpots is one place where AMTIL will try to make you aware.

To access the detail behind the HotSpot, AMTIL’s members simply need to follow the links, and log in using their Username and Password. If there are any questions, please feel free to contact our office and an AMTIL staff member will help you with your membership details.

If you are interested in gaining access to these HotSpots or you have something you feel will meet our criteria for listing, please forward them on to AMTIL for assessment by e-mailing info@ amtil.com.au with the subject line HOTSPOT.

2017 AMT MEDIA KIT NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE

AMT Media Kit 2017

AM MediA kiTT 2017

AustrAliAn

Your Indus trY. Your Maga zIne.

MAnufActuri ng techno logy

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Print and digital advertising opportunities available.

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AMT reaches over 40,000 readers. It provides detailed coverage of all aspects of advanced precision manufacturing, with a special focus on metal machining, cutting and fabrication.

Your Indus trY. Your Maga zIne.

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AMT magazine is by the industry, for the industry and trusted by the industry.

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Cutting Forming & Fabr tools ication Material rem oval additive Man ufacturing software Compressors & air technolo gy

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For further information or advertising rates visit www.amtil.com.au or contact Anne Samuelsson, Sales Manager on 03 9800 3666 or email asamuelsson@amtil.com.au 1305V2aMT

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Industry Calendar

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

INTERNATIONAL TMS USA, San Diego 26 Feb – 2 March 2017 Complete range of materials and engineering, from minerals processing and primary metals production to basic research and the advanced applications of materials. Colocated with Energy Materials 2017 and Pam American Materials Congress www.tms.org/meetings/annual-17 Houstex USA, Texas 28 February – 2 March 2017 Interactive experience, featuring hundreds of exhibitors highlighting the latest manufacturing technologies, and innovative solutions. www.houstexonline.com AeroDef Manufacturing 2017 USA, Texas 6-9 March 2017 Includes diverse technical sessions, offering opportunities for aerospace manufacturers to meet face-to-face with engineers, product designers, and managers to find innovative solutions to their manufacturing challenges. http://aerodefevent.com Intec Germany, Leipzig 7-10 March 2017 Leading trade fair for the metal processing industry. Includes machine tools, automated manufacturing and the entire production technologies for metal processing. www.messe-intec.com TECMA Mexico, Mexico City 7-10 March 2017 Biennial international machine tool exhibition specialises in machine tool technology, related equipment & peripherals.200+ companies representing more than 800 brands http://tecma.org.mx/the-event TIMTOS Taiwan, Taipei 7-12 March 2017 Taipei International Machine Tool Show.

Includes: metal forming, casting, forging, cutting, welding, grinding machinery, surface treatment equipment, machine tool accessories, metrology, software, laser punching, welding, surface treatment equipment, software, design engineering, China, Swiss, German Pavilions. www.timtos.com.tw Metal & Steel + FABEX 2017 Egypt, Cairo 9-11 March 2017 Includes steel & metal manufacturers and suppliers, metallurgical equipment & technologies, metal working machinery & technologies. www.metalsteelegy.com IMTE China, Tianjin 9-12 March 2017 International machine tool exhibition. www.chinaexhibition.com/trade_ events/8517-IMTE_2017.html

AMT Feb/Mar 2017

MTMS-MACHINEERING 2017 Belgium, Brussels 22-24 March 2017 Materials transformation & machining show.

Includes transformation technologies for all types of materials, while Machineering covers production or assembly line setup from engineering & prototyping to final product. www.mtms.eu/en/concept

Vietnam Manufacturing Expo Vietnam 5-7 April 2017 Exhibition of machine tools for mould & die making and injection technologies for plastics manufacturing. Includes machine tools; boring/drilling;griding machines; welding, metrology. www.vietnammanufacturingexpo.com

MECSPE Italy, Parma 23-25 March 2017 Die & mould, presses and injection machinery exhibition and conference. Includes 11 thematic halls comprising materials, machines and innovative technologies (ie Digital Factory Beyond Automation). www.mecspe.com/en

Manufacturing World Nagoya Japan, Nagoya 12-14 April 2017 Includes products/technologies for the manufacturing industy. Includes M-Tech, DMS (IT services for the manufacturing sector) and FacTex (products for factory maintenance). www.japan-mfg.jp/en/nagoya

STOM-TOOL Poland, Kielce 28-30 March 2017 Includes metal-processing technologies and machine tools, automation, welding, software, safety, accessories. www.targikielce.pl/en http://www.targikielce.pl/en/10th-metalprocessing-tools-and-machine-tools-fairstom-tool,10700.htm Fastener Fair Stuttgart Germany, Stuttgart 28-30 March 2017 A comprehensive range of fastener and fixing technology. www.fastenerfair.com/stuttgart/english Automate 2017 USA, Chicago 3-6 April 2017 The largest solutions-based showcase of automation technologies in North America.

Includes a comprehensive educational conference. Includes ProMat – the material handling and supply chain solutions show. www.automateshow.com Forge Fair USA, Ohio 4-6 April 2017 North America’s largest event dedicated exclusively to the forging industry www.forging.org/forge-fair-2017 MTA Singapore 4-7 April 2017 Precision engineering exhibition featuring advanced technologies for high-value manufacturing. Concurrent show: Metrology Asia 2017. http://mta-asia.com Metal Japan Japan, Tokyo 5-7 April 2017 Includes cutting tools, casting, pressing die cast equipment, powder metallurgy, sheet metal working machines, surface treatment equipment, metrology. www.metal-japan.jp/en/

CIMT China, Beijing 17-22 April 2017 China international machine tool show. Listed as one of the four most famous international Machine tool exhibitions in the world. www.cimtshow.com/enindex.jsp PMTS USA, Ohio 25-27 April 2017 Precision machining technology show, addresses product technology, process innovation and business development in the precision machined parts industry. www.pmts.com HANNOVER FAIR 2017 Hannover, Germany 24-28 April 2017 With a lead theme of “Integrated Industry – Creating Value”, the Hannover Fair includes exhibits such as: R&D, industrial automation, IT, industrial supply, production engineering and services, energy and environmental technology. www.hannovermesse.de Metal & Steel + FABEX 2017 Saudi Arabia, Riyadh 30 April – 3 May 2017 6th international exhibition for steel, steel fabrication and metallurgy. www.metalsteelsa.com Fabtech Mexico, Monterrey 2-4 May 2017 Includes the he latest innovations in the metal forming, fabricating, welding and finishing industries. http://mexico.fabtechexpo.com EMO Germany, Hannover 18-23 September 2017 The world’s premier trade fair for the metalworking sector will be held in Germany following a four-year break. EMO will take place at the Hannover Exhibition Centre (the world’s largest exhibition venue) in September of 2017, 2019, 2023 and 2025. www.emo-hannover.de/home

Industry Calendar local Australasian Oil & Gas Expo & Exhibition Perth Convention & Exhibition Centre 22-24 February 2017 Includes the following zones: Maritime; Asset Management; Instrumentation, Control & Automation; Subsea; Health/Safety. http://aogexpo.com.au Australian International Airshow 2017 Victoria, Geelong (Avalon) 28 February – 5 March 2017 The Australian International Airshow and Aerospace & Defence Exposition showcases products, technologies and services.

Economic growth and technological development have resulted in growing demand for aviation and aerospace services, products and technology, from general aviation to airlines, air forces and space. www.airshow.com.au Gold Coast International Boat Show & Marine Expo Qld., Coomera 17-19 March 2017 Event for the recreational boating industry http://gcboatshow.com.au Victorian Transport Infrastructure Conference Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre 21-22 March 2017 Highlight the latest updates on the largest transport projects. www.vicinfrastructure.com.au Advanced Composites Innovation Conference Qld., Gold Coast 28-30 March 2017 Conference and biannual exhibition is a unique opportunity to join global and domestic industry composite professionals seeking to innovate with composite materials. Pre-conference workshop includes detection and repair of composite components and structures. www.compositesconference.com.au/ composites-conference Sydney Build 2017 Sydney, Hordern Pavilion 30 -31 March 2017 Construction expo. Includes two new themes focusing on BIM & Digital Construction and Sustainability. www.sydneybuildexpo.com

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Advertiser Index

DesignBUILD Sydney, Intl. Convention Centre 3-5 May 2017 Australia’s architects, building professionals, manufacturers and suppliers in the residential and commercial industry sectors http://designbuildexpo.com.au Austech Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre 9-12 May 2017 Australia’s premier advanced manufacturing and machine tool exhibition. The only show specifically targeted at the metalworking, machine tool and ancillary market held in Australia. Inside 3D Printing will once again be co-exhibiting with Austech, presenting a showcase of the very latest innovations in the fast-developing field of additive manufacturing. The Inside 3D Printing Conference will be held on 9-10 May, while its exhibition component will run throughout Austech. www.amtil.com.au/austech National Manufacturing Week Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre 9-12 May 2017 Includes the latest technologies, demonstrations, innovations and education for the manufacturing industry. Co-located with Safety First Conference & Expo. www.nationalmanufacturingweek.com.au AusMedtech Conference & ICMMB 2017 Melbourne 24-25 May 2017 AusMedtech & International Conference on Mechanics in Medicine and Biology (ICMMB).

Includes key stakeholders of the Australian and international medical devices and diagnostics sector to explore topics including biomaterials, medical devices, assistive RegisteR technologies for an ageing population, tissue engineering, 3D Printing and the mechanics of future medicine. www.amtil.com.au/austech www.ausmedtech.com.au

Alfex CNC

11

Bolt & Industrial Supplies

19

Bystronic P/L

oNly iN MelbouRNe

6-7

Complete Machine Tools

41

Compressed Air Australia

95

Davis & Jenkins

105

Dimac 39 DMG MORI

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ECI Solutions

73

EIF Australia

91

Emona Instruments

61

Hare & Forbes

4-5

Headland 116 Hi-Tech Metrology

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IMTS Laser P/L

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Industrial Laser

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Integra Systems

103

Iscar 2-3 Machinery Forum

115

MTI Qualos

cover, 23, 51

Officeworks

33

Okuma 9 Productivity Improvers

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Raymax 55 Reed Exhibitions

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Renishaw Oceania

63

Seco Tools

17

Stamac 45 Sutton Tools

67

TRJ Engineering

104 Austech proudly owned and operated by AMTIL

Your Industry. Your Magazine.

Now!

Adelaide Boat Show Adelaide Event & Exhibition Centre 30 June – 3 July 2017 Leading recreational boating event. www.adelaideboatshow.com.au

20-21

Applied Machinery

APR MAY Australian Manufacturing Technology

Australia’s Premier Advanced Manufacturing & Machine Tool Exhibition Back with more great ideas and more opportunity.

See the latest technology Showcase best practice Meet new prospects Connect with industry AustrAliAn MAnufActuring technology

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Advertise in Australia’s No. 1 precision and manufacturing magazine Call Anne Samuelsson of AMTIL on 03 9800 3666 or email asameulsson@amtil.com.au

20/01/17 4:22 PM

Forming & Fabrication Material Removal Motorsport & AutoMotive

Nanotechnology & Micro Machining Cutting tools Forming & Fabrication Material removal additive Manufacturing software Compressors & air technology

Robotics & Automation Software Welding

AMT Feb/Mar 2017

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history

Big wheels & little wheels – the story of Sir Laurence John Hartnett (1898 – 1986)

THE JOB I DIDN’T WANT

Part 17

UK-born Sir Laurence Hartnett arrived in Australia in 1934. The visionary Sir Laurence became known as Australia’s ‘Father of the Holden’ – and much more. In 1931 Adelaide-based Holden Motor Body Builders became a subsidiary of General Motors (becoming GM-H). By 1933 things were “very sick” at Holden in Australia, with an accumulated loss of £560,000 - with another £300,000 forecast for the next year. The merger was considered a “folly” at GM Headquarters in New York. During a conversation that was to change the course of his life, Laurence was asked to save the apparently doomed Australian venture. The year is 1934.

G

raeme Howard, Director of GM, laid it on the line to me: “We’d like you to go to Australia, take charge of the operation, and see if you can put it straight. If you can’t salvage it, then close it down. You’ll have complete authority to do what you consider is best.” For a full minute I didn’t say a word. This was something right out of nowhere; something I hadn’t expected, and certainly didn’t want. “I’ve got a wife and two children. I’ve bought a house in England, I can enjoy myself travelling the world for Vauxhall, and now you ask me to take on something completely new at the other end of the world!

Be a bit more specific: what is the deal?” Graeme answered: “You’d be managing director of this GM-H (General Motors-Holden) company. I’ve told you it’s a sorry mess. The two fellows we’ve got in Australia: Ted Holden, the head of the Holden Company, and Gus Lawrence, the fellow we had as managing director of General Motors, are trying to operate in double harness as joint managing directors, and it’s not working out at all well. You’d take over from both of them. You’d either wind it up and we would get out, or straighten it out and turn it around into something worth-while. Ted Holden thinks highly of you, so if you want him, he’ll be in your team, hut it will all rest in your hands.” “No, Graeme,” I said. “I’m sorry, but I won’t take it on.”

A couple of weeks after I had spoken on the phone to Graeme Howard, my wife Gladys and I were packing to go first to New York and then on to Australia. Jim Mooney and Graeme greeted us warmly in New York, and both of them began to pour information about Australia into my ears. They, and their top men, worked overtime to make me completely au fait with the Australian problem.

There was so little time and so much to learn, and it was all achieved so pleasantly.

Early in March 1934. we sailed into Sydney. On the day we arrived, GM-H were re-opening their Marrickville assembly plant, which had been closed for several years by the depression. It was a happy note for our arrival: a sign that at last the first glimmer of hope was shining through the despair which had settled for so long over Australia and the rest of the world. From the moment I arrived I liked Australia, and her people. And conceitedly, I had the feeling that Australia needed me.

I had put all thoughts of Graeme Howard and his Australian problem aside. So, I was surprised when, late in the night, Jim Mooney President of GM’s Overseas division - said, “Larry, I hear you’ve sold your steamer trunks and you’ve done with travelling to far places!” It suddenly dawned on me that Mooney and Howard were in cahoots on the Australian problem. Obviously it was a much bigger problem to them than I had thought. But I had made up my mind. My answer was: “Sorry, but no!” But a couple of weeks later, I suddenly changed my mind. To this day I don’t know what made me do it.

Perhaps it was the realization that two men whom I classed as friends were in a crisis and really needed me. As I drove to and from my office each day, I couldn’t get Jim Mooney’s words out of my mind: “This Australian problem has got the whole outfit across a barrel, Larry. Unless we can do something about it, the Overseas Division will get a long and lasting black eye.” The feeling that I was letting them down grew so strong that, at last, I put in a trans-Atlantic telephone call to Graeme Howard’s home in New York and told him I would take on the job if he still wanted me. “I thought you would, Larry,” Graeme said. He thought I would! Well! His confidence almost left me speechless.

I was genuinely very sorry to leave Vauxhall as export director.

Perhaps the most pleasing aspect of it was the satisfaction it gave me to be helping to build a business up to greatness.

In a way, there were marked similarities for me between the Vauxhall operation and Sweden. Start with virtually nothing, go through the hardships, the sweat and the worry of getting a business organized and running at a good profit and then-woosh!-you’re off again on something new before you get a chance to savour the rewards.

This is an extract from ‘Big Wheels & Little Wheels’, by Sir Laurence Hartnett as told to John Veitch, 1964. © Deirdre Barnett.

AMT Feb/Mar 2017

To be continued…

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