Smart Manufacturing

Flexlite GX gun range delivers on ease and efficiency

Leading international welding equipment manufacturer, Kemppi, has released its new Flexlite GX guns for MIG/MAG welding. Designed for comfort, reliability, performance and efficient use of consumables, the new Kemppi Flexlite GX welding guns, will help users increase productivity, while saving on inventory costs. Together with the Flexlite TX range for TIG welding, the Flexlite GX guns deliver next-generation capability for professionals and complete the Kemppi Flexlite family. High-performance gunsBuilt to perform under extreme temperatures and in demanding environments, the Flexlite GX range delivers quality welds. The sophisticated guns use power source capacity efficiently and help users create smooth and spatter free welds. The shielding gas channels in the Flexlite GX gun have been separated and the cooling circulation runs to the very end of the gun neck. This keeps the neck gun cooler and enables cleaner welds, less spatter and reduced shielding gas consumption. In addition, the innovative neck cooling system of the Flexlite GX series ensures that the temperature of the contact tip is up to 35% lower when compared to other corresponding welding guns. This helps extend the life of the contact tip and other consumables, while reducing costs and making spare parts management easier. Excellent ergonomicsThe Flexlite GX guns also deliver comfort in spades and help reduce welder fatigue thanks to their ergonomic design. Each gun is lightweight and features a flexible cable set and innovative ball-jointed cable protection that reduces the load on the welder’s wrist. Plus, the pistol grip handle has been anatomically designed so that it feels like an extension of the welder’s hand. Providing excellent balance, it allows for a natural wrist position, which makes the work at hand easier and more effortless, particularly when doing long welds, and allows the welder to concentrate on challenging tasks. Less parts, Lower costsThe number of […]

Coronovirus drives sales Aus Asia MN Websites

Coronavirus drives sales of hi-tech mobile x-ray units

The Adelaide-based company reported to the Australian Securities Exchange that sales of its flagship lightweight mobile x-ray machine had reached $1.8 million for the quarter with $1 million worth of sales in the past 20 days. With two weeks of the March quarter remaining, the result has already dwarfed December quarter DRX Revolution Nano sales of $384,000 and is almost on par with the $1.9 million in sales achieved in the entire 2019 financial year. There is a requirement for urgent delivery of the latest batch of orders within a four-week time frame. These additional purchase orders are for delivery to Asia and Europe. The company said while the orders through its distributor Carestream Health did not specify the end customer, it was understood that due to the size and urgency of the orders, some of these Nano units were to be deployed in connection with the ongoing COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak. While the standard lead time for the delivery of a Nano is between 8-12 weeks from order date, Micro-X says it has been able to deliver its recent February orders within a time frame of approximately four weeks from order date. Early-stage diagnosis of coronavirus is by a blood test to confirm the infectious agent, and a chest x-ray is used as an essential part of diagnosis of the development and progression of the severity of the illness. Like with pneumonia, a chest x-ray is used to detect fluid in the lungs, particularly with patients presenting with severe acute respiratory distress. Micro-X managing director Peter Rowland said the mobile x-ray imaging units offered a flexibility of use most suited to the requirements of infection control procedures and also the nature of temporary hospital quarantine buildings. “With the alarming state of this growing epidemic, we are pleased that our Nano […]

Surge bin structural bearings protect against production downtime and safety hazards

An old structural bearing that has failed in service. Hercules Engineering’s custom long-life structural bearings provide a more durable solution to prevent failures like this. Corrosion and deterioration of worn or poorly designed sliding bearings used in minerals processing and materials handling production lines can cost downtime and maintenance where these unprotected components suffer reduced lifespans or failure in aggressive production environments or extreme natural conditions. Instead of protecting the support structures of containers such as surge bins – by absorbing movement from heat expansion, changing load and impact as raw material is transferred to crushers – defective bearings can ultimately lock up and transfer distortions, strain and cracking into the support structures, interrupting production and creating a safety hazard. “Sometimes the problem is gradual moisture or production material ingress into the bearings, which can cause abrasive damage to the sliding components and corrosion of mild steel plates. Other times deterioration can be contributed to by aggressive environments and extreme weather acting over time to weather exposed joints,” says bearing specialist Mr David Booty, Manager, Hercules Engineering (a division of Cut To Size Plastics). Hercules Engineering recently provided a no-maintenance solution to such issues by producing a Herculon Type D Free Floating (HLD-FF) bearing custom-engineered to optimise the lifespan of such bearings used beneath surge bins. Custom-fabricated Hercules HLD-FF (Free float) composite slip joint engineered for outstanding durability and lifespan in aggressive mining and materials handling applications. HLD-FF components shown in 3D schematic, as per description below. The customisable HLD-FF bearing is fabricated from a sandwich of Herculfon, Hercupad and stainless steel plate, all contained between mild steel top and bottom plates. The smooth, inherently corrosion-protected stainless surface slides against a Hercuflon (Teflon-type) material atop a coated, fabric-reinforced, natural rubber Hercupad. Hercupad material accommodates in-plane rotations and provides shock absorbing properties. It […]

‘Lady Tradies’ to boost economic growth

The trade industry has long-been male dominated, however, in recent years the industry has welcomed a rise in the number of women who are keen to swap designer clothes for a pair of steel cap boots. By improving the overall rate of women in the workforce, particularly in male dominated industries like construction, research conducted by the University of New South Wales (UNSW) indicates that Australia could potentially increase its economic growth by $25 billion over the next 10 years. In 2014 Beth Moresi did just that, bidding farewell to her days in fashion, heading to a world of building and construction where she would swing hammers, carry timber and play in a space where she’d often be the only female on site. While Moresi battled fierce stigma from colleagues and clients, she enjoyed the freedom of working outdoors and seeing projects take shape, proving that women truly can do what traditionally was regarded at ‘men’s work’. Now with her own company, BethBuilds, Moresi services commercial and domestic building projects around Melbourne, Victoria and is one of the many ‘lady tradies’ set to shake up the industry. “I’ve always had a passion for being hands on in my work and building something really beautiful. Acknowledging women’s place in construction and how integral it is to the industry is long overdue, and it’s down to innovative, reputable brands such as Blundstone that work tremendously hard to showcase what we do in the industry. “Women have an extremely valuable but most importantly, equal role in the construction sector and I am so grateful to have found a profession I love,” says Beth. Building and construction is the nation’s second largest industry, but with women currently making up only 11% of the industry’s total workforce and only 1% of building trades, the industry […]

Historic French city gets a 3D makeover from Australia

Groundbreaking 3D modelling of an old French city and its historic castle is attracting European interest in the South Australian aerial mapping business commissioned for the job. The city of Pau in southern France launched an international search last year before choosing Adelaide-based Aerometrex Limited to partner with its local company IGO SAS to complete the work. The landmark modelling project has now been unveiled for the city known for its art and history – with the model produced at a resolution approaching a few millimetres per pixel. “This project illustrates the global reach of our 3D modelling service as well as the degree of 3D technical excellence that now exists in the company,” Aerometrex’s managing director Mark Deuter said. “The 3D model of the city of Pau has set a standard that will attract the attention of every other municipality in Europe. “We intend to capitalise on this exposure by working closely with our sales channel partners in Europe and the USA in 2020.” Adelaide-based Aerometrex implemented the science of massive multi-ray photogrammetry for the job, this involved the geometric reconstruction of more than 100,000 2D images taken from helicopter, drone and on foot. Now users can get a new visual experience of Pau, the birth city of King Henry IV and one of the regular venues for the Tour de France cycling race. “The combination of very high-resolution shots and the surface treatment make it a first on a European scale,” Marc Serraf, Director of AEC Informatique, the company in charge of project management assistance, said. It also now gives planners in the French city the ability to deliver architects or engineers a better understanding of the position of buildings in Pau before construction firms can also deposit digital sketches within the framework of building permits. The mapping […]

The case of the missing microns

With 85% of Australia’s population living within 50km of the coast, sand and fine grit are ever-present problems in municipal and industrial water and wastewater systems. At the Ozwater’20 exhibition Stand N04 (to run from 5-7th May in Adelaide), local wastewater and screening authority CST Wastewater Solutions will be showcasing the latest advances in fine screening, grit removal and clarifier technologies, including globally proven Smith & Loveless technologies, for which it is Australian distributor. According to Smith & Loveless, as much as 40-80% of the grit contained in municipal wastewater is in the 105-200 micron size range, but most grit removal systems are designed to remove grit in the 200-300 micron range. “This discrepancy has meant that grit removal systems have been stuck in the 20th Century, but Smith & Loveless has new, superior technology to advance grit removal and improve local wastewater systems,” says Mr Michael Bambridge, Managing Director of CST Wastewater Solutions. Bringing grit removal into the 21st Century Smith & Loveless’ latest PISTA® VIO™ system removes 95% of grit down to 105 microns, and features full variability of the inlet and outlet channels. This technology – which CST will be displaying at Ozwater’20 – features a hydraulic vortex grit chamber design that utilises a new baffle system. This type of grit removal system – one of the first of its kind in the industry – provides the ability to design the inlet and outlet channels at any variable angle up to the full 360° of the chamber. Designers can arrange the system to fit existing sites, or maximise space during construction on new sites. The choice is clear for clarifier technology In addition to grit removal, CST will also be displaying its range of Smith & Loveless clarifier technologies at Ozwate’20, including centre feed clarifiers, peripheral feed […]

Defence companies vie for slice of $35 billion Australian frigate pie

Detailed planning for Australia’s Hunter Class Frigate Program is well underway as local companies vie for a slice of the $35 billion project. Nine anti-submarine warfare frigates will be built by ASC Shipbuilding at the Osborne Naval Shipyard in South Australia in what is being described as the largest surface ship project in Australia’s defence history. Construction of the first test blocks for the project will begin towards the end of this year with defence companies now being short-listed to carry out part of the work. Among them is Adelaide defence company AFL services, which has been down-selected for lucrative blast and paint work. AFL services was one of four Australian companies recently invited to tour global defence company BAE Systems’ world-class shipyards in Scotland to inspect painting processes used on the Type 26 Global Combat Ship. This is the reference ship design for Hunter class. “AFL Services has a proud history of working on defence projects, from land vehicles with BAE/Tenix toll defence, and components for Navantia to the Collins Class submarines,” General manager Adam Levi said. AFL Services now has more than 60 staff and winning a slice of the Frigate work would boost projections. ASC Shipbuilding won the head contract to provide the design and build framework of the nine anti-submarine warfare frigates that will be replacing the nation’s eight Anzac Class frigates. ASC Shipbuilding has become a subsidiary of BAE Systems throughout the build process before ownership is returned to the Commonwealth at the completion of the project. The two-year first building of five test blocks at the world-class digital shipyard in Osborne, Adelaide, is beginning in December this year with building of the first frigate expected to commence in 2022. “We appreciate that BAE System is embracing Australian industry content and helping small businesses reach their […]

Voumard 1000 new standard for ID grinding in manufacturing

Hardinge has introduced the Voumard 1000 Universal CNC Internal grinding (IG) machine. The machine offers a high-performance, economical grinder for the widest range of universal internal grinding requirements to obtain fine surface finishes and tight tolerances. The Voumard 1000 is a new standard in ID grinding, providing customers with the ultimate combination of precision, performance in an affordable machine designed to optimise production costs when manufacturing high-precision parts for industries ranging from aerospace to medical. For over 80 years, the Voumard brand has been a global leader in innovative ID/OD grinding with almost 10,000 installed internal grinding machines around the world. Typical applications are grinding operations on parts for hydraulic components, spindles, bearings, or gears as example. Customers can now get the following benefits and features: Innovative Hydrolin hydrostatic guideways provide the highest smallest diameters to enhance productivity. A unique design that does not have coupling joints to perform without any backlash, offers superior positioning accuracy-less corrections, as well as optimised thermodynamics in its direct drive linear motor system for better cooling management. Unique, compact hydrostatic spindle turret configuration for ideal accessibility and larger spectrum of parts. The new system offers a hydrostatic B-axis, with benchmarking positioning repeatability. Advantages in high precision also in non-round grinding and improved accessibility with compact “table turret” collision-free dressing. New compact, ergonomic machine design for better overview during grinding process and accessibility for best in class tool and work piece management. Fanuc 31i control for improved operator access, fast programming and retooling, even for inexperienced operators.

How viable is additive manufacturing?

~ The manufacturing and legal issues surrounding additive manufacturing ~ In 1984, Charles Hull invented the first 3D printer, which used stereolithography to build up a plastic product layer by layer. Over 35 years later, additive manufacturing (AM) is drastically altering a range of industries, from manufacturing to the medical sector. But what are the limitations of the technology? H In some applications, component manufacturing is shifting away from traditional subtractive machining methods and towards additive manufacturing techniques. The broadening of the applications of AM is causing manufacturers to assess the viability of using it in their own facilities. To do this, there are a few considerations to make before turning to 3D technology. Quality not quantity When moving from one manufacturing method to another, quality is a huge factor, particularly in highly regulated industries like aerospace and medical devices. In fact, quality has been one of the major hurdles to the widespread adoption of AM. One critical consideration is that quality and consistency must be the same machine to machine, regardless of location. Powder bed fusion is one of the most frequently used additive manufacturing methods and there is a possibility that it may introduce defects. However, if the process has a constant thermal gradient, it can prevent warping of the product, avoiding the introduction of defects due to incorrect temperatures. Another concern is that unsintered powder will degrade as a result of heat exposure and that this could impact quality, although regular changing of the powder can prevent this from becoming an issue. When investing in an AM system, manufacturers can overcome quality concerns by working with an experienced partner, who provides training and support on best practice. Those looking to invest in AM parts produced elsewhere should be mindful of their supplier’s approach to quality, to ensure […]

How 3D printing will transform design and engineering in the future

3D printing is now mainstream within schools and businesses because of its flexibility and ability to unleash users’ creativity. 3D printing offers a fast, inexpensive way to create prototypes, test ideas, and even manufacture components and products for commercial sale or use. This is triggering a change in the way organisations build and design their products. The results include cost reductions and the ability to improve products by applying design thinking principles such as latticing, part consolidation, and light weighting. On top of this, savings in supply-chains, product storage, and waste can be realised. 3D printing is maturing and changing quickly, and so too is the future of engineering and design. For example, the automotive industry can now benefit from much shorter lead times when using 3D printing, which allows for much faster development and testing of components. As 3D printing technology evolves, and new materials are developed, products that were previously not viable to print because of size, accuracy and material constraints become feasible. There has been a huge surge across the industry recently towards end-use parts. 3D printing’s ability to manufacture and combine parts has become more effective and is increasingly being integrated into an augmented manufacturing process. For example, dentistry companies can embed 3D printing into manufacturing process to create digitally engineered moulds for patients. 3D printing has made this process much more cost effective. Eric Holtsmark, general manager – strategy, transformation and technology, Konica Minolta Australia, said, “The future of product development can also be aided by 3D printing. The design of consumer goods such as electronics depends heavily on current market needs. As these needs change, 3D printing not only offers manufacturers a way to adapt quickly by shortening the design stage, but also the ability to produce cost-effective short production runs to test the […]

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