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Delcam Star Prototype joint and socket PIC

PowerMILL chosen for new additive/subtractive service from Star Prototype

Delcam’s PowerMILL CAM software has been chosen for a new service from Star Prototype that combines additive and subtractive manufacturing. The new service, which Star Prototype calls AddSub Manufacturing, combines metal 3D printing and five-axis CNC machining to deliver quickly complex, low-volume components that would previously have required the input of two separate bureaux. British-owned Star Prototype has been based in Guandong Province, China, for over ten years, where it has been breaking manufacturing ground by using a combination of new technologies, including 3D printing, alongside their traditional counterparts like CNC machining to deliver top-quality parts for a host of applications. The company developed the new service after it identified a significant demand for a one-stop-shop for such components. “Many metal 3D printed parts are no longer used as prototypes but as complex low-volume manufactured components,” explained Gordon Styles, president of Star Prototype. “As a result, many of these parts need certain high-precision features that are virtually impossible to produce with 3D printing alone. Problems arise because most 3D printing companies don’t carry out secondary machining, meaning the customer needs to take care of the finishing work themselves or farm it out to a separate specialist machining bureau.” With the AddSub process, Star Prototype first uses its Renishaw AM250 3D printer to produce extremely dense, high complexity metal parts that are often not possible to produce using traditional machining techniques. The Renishaw equipment uses direct metal laser melting to produce components in titanium, stainless steel or aluminium. The resulting parts are then finish machined on a recently acquired Haas five-axis machine programmed with PowerMILL. Star Prototype sees this combination as being ideal for the production of mating faces, precision bores, tapped holes, spigots and other very necessary high-precision features. Whenever possible, the parts are built on the AM250 in […]

Avoid the damage and disruption in mineral processing by unchecked vibration

In the picture: Marsh Mellows from Air springs Supply, an engineered solid rubber alternative to coil springs Vibration and noise are old enemies at mine, quarry and mineral processing sites, hazards that have been pushed into the spotlight in recent years by concerns both about worker safety and about plant efficiency and reliability. Vibration occurs in all rotating or reciprocating machinery as a result of forces generated within it. Sometimes the vibration is intended – as in vibrating screens and vibrating conveyor sections, for example – and sometimes it is caused by imbalances in rotors, bearings, springs and gears as vibration migrates from the source to surrounding structures and wear-prone components. If vibration is left unchecked, the consequences can include: – Breakdowns and downtime including Bearing failures, metal spring cracking and collapse, metal structure cracking and weaknesses potentially leading to unexpected plant shutdowns. – Operator fatigue and noise nuisance (NVH – noise, harshness and vibration is increasingly a factor in workers compensation issues) – Energy waste due to kinetic energy required for vibration – Interference with nearby computer, electrical and electro-magnetic equipment, potentially leading to production disruption. A simple, robust and effective means of solving vibration and isolation problems created by such equipment is provided by Marsh Mellow® springs, which are fabric-reinforced solid rubber isolators used for quiet isolation of machinery vibration and for general shock absorption throughout industry. The cylindrical springs, developed by Firestone – the world’s biggest producer of air springs for isolation and actuation – are used world-wide as an alternative to metal coil springs for applications involving quarries and mineral processing as well as building, construction, computer, electrical and electronic equipment including motors, gearboxes, compressors, conveyors, materials handling machinery and shock absorbers. Marsh Mellows give consistent performance regardless of changing loads, while offering high lateral stability […]

World-first universal chute design cuts costs and downtime

A multidirectional rotating underground coal chute system that can be installed in less than a single shift at a typical mine has been developed by Chute Technology in what the Australian technology and manufacturing partnership believes is a world first. The cost-saving universal chute – which can rotate output through 160 degrees left or right – can remove completely the need to custom-manufacture individual chute types to fit the confined spaces and particular angles of individual mines. The versatile bolt-in system – comprising a complete integrated structure from head end to conveyor outlet – features a rotating outlet beneath the head that can be angled to any position required to facilitate product flow. In addition to radically reducing the labour required for manufacture and installation, the chute’s ability to be installed in a fraction of the time of custom chutes minimises downtime by keeping production moving when chutes wear out. “This is a brilliantly simple breakthrough in cost and time saving at a time when the mining industry needs it most to maintain production. The benefits are obvious when you look at the basic concept, but we don’t know of anywhere else in the world where it has been done,” says Chute Technology Partner Mr Tom Woods, whose experience of coal chute manufacture through family company T.W. Woods Construction extends back more than 40 years. The new chute system – of which the first example has already been produced – is the result of the analytical, design and manufacturing experience of each of the three Principal Partners in Chute Technology, who have combined experience of more than 80 years in a wide variety of resource industries including coal, iron ore, alumina and limestone across Australia, the USA, South America and South Africa. The company’s technologies are also applicable to gold, […]

Waste water project demonstrates efficiency and OHS gains

High efficiency fine screening technology engineered to deliver low maintenance performance with reduced OHS hazards for municipal and industrial waste water schemes is demonstrating immediate results in one of its new applications. CST Wastewater Solutions has installed SCF screen extractor technology for the co-joined towns of Harden and Murrumburrah to improve the treatment system for a population of approximately 2,000 people. The SFC (screen press for channel installation) Screen Extractor is also suitable for applications such as food and beverage, manufacturing and processing, mining, energy and resources camps where its low maintenance /high hygiene qualities are appreciated, agribusiness, and remote installations where low maintenance high efficiency is a priority for users who don’t need to have specialist staff constantly available. SFC allows for a much finer level of screening – 5mm compared to the old system at 60mm – which has led to a significant reduction in solids in the tanks, more efficient treatment and less maintenance issues. The technology – designed to lower investment, operational and maintenance costs in screening of municipal and industrial waste water with compacting of extracted solids – has also cut the amount of maintenance and waste that has to be handled by plant operators, reducing operational health hazards and improving OHS performance. The same benefits are widely applicable to other industry and municipal applications, says Mr Michael Bambridge, Managing Director, CST Wastewater Solutions. “The fine screening at 5mm aperture made a significant difference within days of commissioning the screen extractor,” he says. “The existing system utilised manually coarse raked bar screens with a 60mm aperture which was both operator unfriendly and inefficient. Consequently, a large amount of the fine screenings passed into the downstream sedimentation tanks and trickling filters,” he said. “Not only are the tanks clearer and more efficient now, but the screen […]

C&P2015: Corrosion is not an asset

Corrosion has a major economic impact on industry and the wider community. How to manage this corrosion is a challenge for owners and managers of assets ranging from suburban industrial units through to oil and gas production platforms. The design, construction and operation of buildings, processing facilities and support infrastructure represent major investments by companies, organisations and governments. Corrosion will affect these at varying rates over time, depending on the material used, the types of corrosive agents in the environment and the physical processes and mechanisms involved. In order to promote a better understanding of corrosion, the Australasian Corrosion Association (ACA) will host the Corrosion and Prevention 2015 (C&P2015) Conference that allows all industry stakeholders to meet and discuss a wide range of topics. In one stream, asset and facility management and maintenance professionals will benefit from opportunities to hear presentations by, and speak with, corrosion specialists about the importance of design, operation and repair in corrosion control. The second stream will focus on the Oil & Gas industry with technical papers from a cross-section of the industry highlighting how costly corrosion can be for the sector. C&P2015 will be held in Adelaide between 15 – 18 November. Seminars and technical papers will provide opportunities to explore best practice in corrosion management, environmental protection techniques, public safety and economics. A panel of industry experts has been assembled by the ACA to discuss the challenges and the importance of maintaining vital infrastructure. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and debate the latest techniques and practices with representatives of water and port authorities, major national consulting companies, suppliers and companies including Santos and Chevron. The P F Thomson Memorial Lecture—the keynote address of every C&P Conference since 1951—will be delivered by Dr Robert Francis covering the latest research into galvanic […]

Power TechED unlocked technology challenges

Rockwell Automation’s inaugural educational event focused on power and energy. Power TechED was held in September at the Gold Coast Convention Centre, Queensland. Advances in technologies such as the Internet of Things, are enabling machines to get smarter and meet endusers networking, integration, diagnostics and intelligence demands. Power and energy applications are no exception. Motors and drives are gaining improved integration and connectivity. Energy monitoring and efficiency technologies are advancing their real time data capabilities and mobility. To remain competitive, organisations need to keep informed of the latest technology advances. “Power TechED was an educational event that fills a gap in the market by covering the power centric industries and applications, said Matthew Treeby, commercial marketing manager at Rockwell Automation. “Featuring hands-on labs, workshops and presentations, Power TechED appealed to people from a wide variety of industries such as food & beverage and manufacturing through to mining and heavy industries, all under the one roof,” he explained. Attendees chose from four streams of learning: Intelligence, Industry, Power Quality & Energy and Safety & Motion. Experts from a wide range of industries were on hand to share experience on electrical standards, industry applications and new innovations. “The agenda specifically addressed evolving trends and technology in this space. One example is the opportunity to leverage the intelligence that already exists in many “smart” motor control and energy devices today. This information can deliver real actionable insights provided it reaches the right people but it also creates a skills gap where traditional power engineers and electricians need to be aware of networking and automation,” said Treeby. “Power TechEd offered hands on Ethernet networking and automation workshops to assist users update their skills in these areas. This allows organisations to leverage real time decision making for improved productivity.” Power TechED is a collaborative event […]

Australasian management strongly supports environmental initiatives

PIC CAP: CST Wastewater Solutions’ Managing Director Michael Bambridge who recently installed a GWE combined green energy and wastewater treatment plant for one of Australia’s major global beef processers, Oakey Beef Exports. (But wants a solution to the gap between promise and performance) A new study of Australiasian management attitudes towards environmental initiatives involving cleaner water and greener energy has found strongly increasing support among the people who are key to making such projects happen. The study, commissioned by CST Wastewater Solutions, finds industry is convinced about the potential financial viability of sustainable energy and water initiatives, if sanguine about the failure rate in Australia and New Zealand so far. The report, compiled by CST’s General Manager, Energy, Mr Andrew Boughton, is the result of 60 in-depth interviews with senior executives in industries such as food, beverage, agribusiness, processing, resources and energy, which have the greatest potential for new technologies such as wastewater-to-biogas being introduced to Australia by CST. The report shows respondents in Production, Engineering and Sustainability (PES) management have faith in the economics of sustainability investments, with over 90% disagreeing with the proposition, which is sometimes put, that sustainability is “never likely to be profitable”. “Yet for over 50% of end-users and two thirds of the consultants we interviewed, there is a “major gap” between the goals and outcomes of Sustainability, while nearly all end-users we interviewed in person believe there are “major shortcomings” or even “failures” in sustainable energy and water projects, particularly around financial payback. CFOs and engineering managers were particularly sceptical of “over-cooked” sustainability claims, and of vendors using ethical leverage – urging buyers to spend for the sake of the environment while ignoring their real business needs. The market, by contrast, feels the sustainability industry should become more cost-effective, and be sure that business gets […]

Wearply offers outstanding fatigue life in machinery and plant

PIC CAP: Wearply is used for applications ranging from vibratory conveyor leaf springs through to electrical motor, generator and transformer components; insulated rail joints, and minerals processing components. A hugely durable reinforced plastic composite that weighs less than aluminium but has up to 10 times the specific strength of 1020 steel is being offered by Cut to Size Plastics for demanding mining and energy, materials handling, electrical and rail applications. Wearply reinforced plastic composite – which can withstand millions of stress cycles at 1400 bar (20,000 psi) without fatigue failure – is used to optimise design and performance of machinery and plant components in which performance and reliability is vital including. • Vibratory conveyor, feeder, screening and materials handling technology • Insulated rail jointing – food and primary product processing • Automotive and vehicle suspension components • Flexible couplings that can transmit torque even when shafts are misaligned • Electrical motor, generating and transformer products Wearply derives its enormous strength, performance and durability from epoxy resins reinforced with continuously aligned, non-woven filaments. This allows plies to be laid so reinforcement is oriented to give greater strength and stiffness in the direction, or directions, in which it is most needed. Parallel filaments resist the stress abrasion that can shorten the fatigue life in conventional reinforced plastics, says Cut To Size Plastics Managing Director Mr Laurie Green. “This advanced engineering material is winning the attention of machinery designers globally for its superior performance in a huge range of applications, from vibratory machinery in minerals and primary production processing to its hygienic, highly resilient high insulation properties in food and beverage plant and electrical applications. The same qualities that make it suitable for advanced aerospace and medical applications – such as helicopter blades and MRI equipment – mean it can be employed with confidence […]

Character Group Architects a Lean Future with Promapp

Sydney – Character Cabinets and Stone with Character, part of the Character Group, a leading WA-based suppliers of cabinetry and stone benchtop products to the new building construction and home renovation market, has selected Promapp cloud-based process management software to underpin continuous improvement within the business. The Character Group has over 20 years’ experience in the West Australian housing and renovation scene and aims to exceed customer expectations by consistently delivering quality products on time and providing real value for money. As part of this strategy, the company strives to improve the clarity, accessibility and consistent execution of processes across the business and has in recent years embedded a culture of continuous improvement among its employees. Historically, the Character Group has captured its value stream processes and standard work in Excel and Visio in order to support the manufacture and delivery of its custom made kitchens, bathrooms, laundries and stone benchtops. However, with a major focus on driving innovation, remaining competitive and providing the highest quality manufacturing in the industry, the company decided to deploy lean management principles across its operations. “We quickly identified that though we had excellent technology and people, our processes were not getting the attention they deserved to take us to another level in supporting both efficiency and company growth,” says Daniel Giles, Lean Operations Facilitator, Character Group. “Following extensive evaluation, we realised that a solution such as Promapp could help us manage our knowledge and support a drive for continuous improvement so that our customers ultimately wouldn’t consider going anywhere else.” Promapp will help the Character Group to standardise production to one piece flow throughout its operations, enabling the company to effectively manage customer leads, shorten production times, speed up invoicing and improve cash flow. One piece flow lean management enables manufacturers to replace batch […]

Power TechED unlocked technology challenges

Power TechED, Rockwell Automation’s inaugural educational event focussing on power and energy, was held in September at the Gold Coast Convention Centre, Queensland. Advances in technologies such as the Internet of Things, are enabling machines to get smarter and meet end users networking, integration, diagnostics and intelligence demands. Power and energy applications are no exception. Motors and drives are gaining improved integration and connectivity. Energy monitoring and efficiency technologies are advancing their real time data capabilities and mobility. To remain competitive, organisations need to keep informed of the latest technology advances. “Power TechED was an educational event that fills a gap in the market by covering the power centric industries and applications, said Matthew Treeby, commercial marketing manager at Rockwell Automation. “Featuring hands-on labs, workshops and presentations, Power TechED appealed to people from a wide variety of industries such as food & beverage and manufacturing through to mining and heavy industries, all under the one roof,” he explained. Attendees chose from four streams of learning: Intelligence, Industry, Power Quality & Energy and Safety & Motion. Experts from a wide range of industries were on hand to share experience on electrical standards, industry applications and new innovations. “The agenda specifically addressed evolving trends and technology in this space. One example is the opportunity to leverage the intelligence that already exists in many “smart” motor control and energy devices today. This information can deliver real actionable insights provided it reaches the right people but it also creates a skills gap where traditional power engineers and electricians need to be aware of networking and automation,” said Treeby. “Power TechEd offered hands on Ethernet networking and automation workshops to assist users update their skills in these areas. This allows organisations to leverage real time decision making for improved productivity.” Power TechED is a collaborative […]

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