May 2014

Samsung machine tools complete in-house manufacturing

Picture: The Samsung factory. Samsung Machine Tools (SMEC) is represented at this year’s Auckland EMEX exhibition by their New Zealand Agent Revolution Precision Machinery. The South Korean machine tool manufacturer is located in Gimhae City near Busan port and in 2013 moved from their existing factory into their new larger purpose built manufacturing and assembly facility in the Golden Root industrial estate. SMEC success has been entirely due to producing high quality, durable, and accurate CNC lathes and Machining Centres for the USA and European engineering industry. Consistent delivery quality of their machines is due to operating a complete in-house manufacturing system where quality and accuracy are constantly monitored through each stage of the build process. At the SMEC factory machine shop the machine iron castings are milled then precision surface ground on large bridge type machines. SMEC operates a large milling and grinding machine shop and their engineers are convinced that complete in-house control over the box guideway, carriages, and machine table precision grinding process gives accuracy and repeatability that can be difficult to consistently obtain when this high precision work is outsourced to subcontracting machine shops. After the surface grinding and inspection process machine beds are moved to the assembly shops where mechanical components are fitted and the electronic system installed. Once the assembly process is complete all machine tools start the comprehensive testing process where electrical operation and cutting accuracy are checked and documented. The documented process provides a history of each machines assembly stages and allows the final product to be delivered to SMEC high quality standard. This year’s SMEC range of machine tools includes slantbed CNC lathes, Vertical Lathes, Vertical Machining Centres, and Bridge Machining Centres. At the recent South Korean Machine Tool Expo SMEC had many of these machines on display and received an […]

Revolutionary mass manufacturing 3D printing system on its way

The third industrial revolution may soon be upon us. Project Ara has received a ton of media attention over the last several months, as Google sets out to change the way smart phones are made and sold. The bigger story within the story is the fact that 3D Systems will be using an entirely new mass manufacturing system, which will rely almost solely on 3D printing. 3D Systems may be about to single-handedly revolutionise the manufacturing industry, by integrating a new system, capable of mass production, via additive manufacturing. We all know that traditional 3D printers, even the large scale quarter million dollar machines, are painstakingly slow. Up until now, unless you are mass producing only a few hundred small products, 3D printers are better left for rapid prototyping. There are tremendous benefits to 3D printing, mainly the fact that each print a machine makes can be totally different than its last. All the while, there is no need to change out equipment, teach production line employees new techniques, or reprogram the movements of robotic arms. If manufacturers could just overcome the problem of speed, the entire industry would be turned upside down. This is where 3D Systems is about to step up to the plate. They are working on a highly sophisticated, mass manufacturing system, which relies on high speed 3D printers. Such a system is so productive that it will be used in the manufacturing of millions or even billions of Google Project Ara smartphone modules. So how has 3D systems been able to overcome the downfalls of additive manufacturing? According to the company, their latest technique removes the “reciprocating platform,” used by most 3D printers today. Current 3D printers work in a way which allows the build platform and print head to move in tandem. Because of […]

Smokin’ Joe – No substance , not a people’s treasurer

The Budget has finally been delivered after taking eight months to get here. And over this time we have been inundated by opinion from media (what is going to happen?), Labor (we’ll keep an eye out for broken promises) and the Libs who talked and talked about the mess they inherited. How come every new government inherits a mess? In the States when Bush took over from Clinton the Republicans inherited a mess (or did they?) and here in Australia Tony Abbot’s mob is playing on the same page. It’s a ruthless Budget, it’s a tough Budget…it actually stinks. Because the most vulnerable in the community have taken a step down on the ladder. The extra seven dollars they need to go to the doctor has to be found, the family assistance package is being trimmed and if you want the kids to go to uni they are faced with ongoing debt in the future. Government departments and organisations are being slashed and up to 16,000 more people added to the dole numbers. As for business, pensioners, health and education…you may as well go live on the land and grow herbs to keep yourself healthy, wealthy and wise. And through it all we have a Treasure who gives the impression of not quite believing what has come out of his mouth.

Budget has opportunity to support SMEs

Small businesses in Australia remain cautiously optimistic about their future. The upcoming federal budget provides an opportunity to reinvigorate and support this sector, which employs 60 per cent of the Australian workforce, to create jobs. This boosts economic activity, which will ultimately create more revenue from taxes for the government. Andrew Graham, national head of business solutions, RSM Bird Cameron, said, “SMEs remain cautious as they are looking to the new government to provide support and assistance to revitalise this important sector of the economy. There is no better encouragement for job creation than a reduced tax burden on small business. Every budget provides the government an opportunity to take action in this area. “Most small businesses have cut costs as much as they can and are now looking at ways to grow again. The government should look at ways to stimulate this growth by reducing red tape, offering tax breaks and incentives and working with the States to abolish State-based taxes, such as stamp duty and payroll tax, which were supposed to be addressed when the GST was introduced years ago. “Unfortunately, it seems the government is focused on a quick return to surplus, which means more budget pain for SMEs whose appetite to continue to invest and grow will potentially be deflated as a result of no significant changes to the tax system for SME’s. “The government should really address these issues, as a first step to a fairer tax system, which will facilitate the growth of the SME sector, and the Australian economy as a whole.”

Omni Stop provides pedestrian protection

PICTURE: Vehicle travelling at 60 Km per hour safely stopped with minimal deflection of the Omni Stop Bollard. There are regular reports across Australia of incidents where vehicles have crashed into construction zones, bus stops, pavement cafes and retail shop windows. Protecting lives from potential injury or death is paramount for all authorities so after each of these incidents, there is an investigation to assess whether or not it could have been prevented. One way to prevent out of control vehicles crashing into work zones or pedestrian areas is to erect a barrier which affords protection but does not restrict everyday activities on, or adjacent to, a road. Some common types of barrier, such as precast concrete sections or water-filled plastic units, provide inadequate protection and in some cases increase damage and injury to drivers and pedestrians. The Omni Stop Bollard is an energy absorbing bollard that is the only one of its type in Australia. It has been extensively crash-tested with impacts up to 60 kilometres per hour and complies with the requirements of AS/NZS3845:1999 Table 5.3.3(3). The Omni Stop Bollard permits access for workers to a construction zone or pedestrians to a shopping precinct while at the same time preventing vehicle penetration. Designed, assembled and tested in Australia, the Omni Stop Bollard is available from Saferoads. Based in West Gippsland, Victoria, Saferoads has been servicing State government departments, local councils and road construction companies with a broad range of products designed to direct, protect, inform and illuminate all road users since 1992. The carbon steel bollard of the Omni Stop is supported by a unique energy absorbing cartridge that is encased in a concrete footing. When the bollard is impacted, the cartridge deforms and absorbs the kinetic energy of the vehicle. When a 1600 kilogram car at 60 kilometres […]