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Making a complicated product is simple; making a simple product is complicated!

We have all the design tools, now we need the good ideas – Aaldert Verplanke, Mechanical Design Engineer. aaldert@slingshot.co.nz Technology has evolved to the point where we have all the tools to take an idea for a product to the prototype stage in a very short time. This is thanks to 3D design and 3D printing methods. We can now make a prototype that closely resembles the final product in form and function. Depending on our budget, we can even make it in metal. The 3D design and 3D printing can make a component in one piece that is not possible by machining or casting. The sky is the limit in the complexity of what you can design with the 3D tools, but is this helping us now? Because we have all these tools and clever people who know how to operate them, the tool operator is often also given the task to come up with the design. A builder knows how to use a hammer, but not necessarily how to design a house, but if you work long enough building houses you get to know how to design a house that is easy to build. It is called experience in the real world. Operating a 3D CAD and 3D printing tool may not be very useful without such real world experience. The end result may look good, but is it practical, reliable, easy to use, and economical to make? A coloured 3D picture may look good, but will it work? Complexity of design often increases the production cost and reduces the reliability of the product. Thus we need to go back to the drawing board and make it simple or Ôthe best design possible’. My trade teacher had the mantra that “Making a complicated product is simple; making a […]

Law change proposal would sensibly save money and court time

The law change proposed by MP Paul Goldsmith to allow high earners to contract out of the personal grievance provisions of the Employment Relations Act would save taxpayers money and help free up court time, says Employers and Manufacturers Association Chief executive Kim Campbell. “Mr Goldsmith’s Bill would give an employer and staff earning over $150,000 a year the ability to make their own arrangements should they fall out,” Mr Campbell said. “High earners should be allowed to sort out things like this amongst themselves and at their own expense. “It’s a useful idea. It would save on mediation and court time otherwise taken up by personal grievance cases, and reduce a business risk. “Since the law would be voluntary when the parties drew up their employment agreement, a third party representative such as a union could have their say about it at the time. “It’s a useful, sensible proposal.”

Robust new Standards system a ‘must have’

“The review of Standards didn’t just happen to turn out ok, and the changes are not a done deal yet either.” By Bruce Goldsworthy The changes coming up to maintain and strengthen the development and delivery of New Zealand Standards were no accident. The review of Standards didn’t just happen to turn out ok, and the changes are not a done deal yet either. But when the details are put into law early next year we expect them to contain all the points that we at the Employers and Manufacturers Association and Business New Zealand recommended. Minister Craig Foss personally invited our comments on them in a letter earlier this month, and we responded emphasising a number of points we have previously made plain in this publication and elsewhere. The review of New Zealand’s Standards system began last year though behind the scenes the disquiet had been bubbling away for some time. A large number of parties reliant on Standards were not happy with how the organisation had been performing, and for its part Standards New Zealand had clearly been underfunded for years. Revenues it should have been getting were being siphoned off for causes unrelated to Standards development leaving the organisation less able to do its job than it wanted. The users of Standards were becoming more disgruntled. The standoff could not go on. Credit must go to the officials at the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) for finding a way through the morass. The fundamentals of the Standards system have been retained throughout the review, which are to ensure New Zealand has an independent and sustainable standards system. As Minister Foss says: ‘Standards make an important contribution to a more productive and competitive economy – for building products, energy safety, health and disability, environmental management, […]

Bringing ideas to life

Two-thirds of their income may come from export markets, but Seedling is firmly an East Tamaki business. PIC: Phoebe Hayman In this globalised business environment it isn’t unusual for businesses to base different parts of their operation in different parts of the city, country or world. Not Seedling. Every part of their business is based at their Lady Ruby Drive headquarters and it seems to be working for them. Named as a finalist in the New Zealand International Business Awards in 2013, Seedling creates inspirational products for children aged 3 through to their tweens. And that’s not just marketing speak for toys, founder and CEO Phoebe Hayman describes what they do as ‘DIY for kids’. They’re kind of craft kits that allow children to get creative. It all started when, as a mother of a preschooler, Hayman was disappointed by the toys available. They were full of lights and sounds and usually made of plastic that was not intended to last. “I just didn’t understand why kids were given such low-quality tools. Why couldn’t we give children real tools?’ She created a small number of kits at home at the end of 2006, intending them to be more engaging for children. They were popular enough to start a company in early 2007 and now the company creates a range of more than 350 products that cross a wide range of areas: from sewing to art, games to adventure. ‘These aren’t paint by numbers kits,’ Hayman explains. ‘They’re curious, imaginative toys that allow kids to be really creative and bring their own ideas to life. From a parent’s perspective, if they want something different for their kids, they don’t have to spend the extra time coming up with a creative concept for their children and then finding the tools to make it.” […]

NASA sending 3D printer into space

NASA is set to launch world’s first zero-G-ready 3D printer into space next year, during its resupply mission to the International Space Station, so that parts can be built on-demand in space. Space manufacturing company Made in Space’s customised 3D printer will be the first device to manufacture parts away from planet Earth, researchers said. The 3D Printing in Zero-G Experiment will validate the capability of additive manufacturing in zero-gravity. “Imagine an astronaut needing to make a life-or-death repair on the International Space Station,” said Aaron Kemmer, CEO of Made in Space on the company’s website. “Rather than hoping that the necessary parts and tools are on the station already, what if the parts could be 3D printed when they needed them?” said Kemmer. All space missions today are completely dependent on Earth and the launch vehicles that send equipment to space. The greater the distance from Earth and the longer the duration, the more difficult it will be to resupply materials. “As NASA ventures further into space, whether redirecting an asteroid or sending humans to Mars, we will need transformative technology to reduce cargo weight and volume,” NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said during a recent tour of the agency’s Ames Research Center at Moffett Field. “In the future, perhaps astronauts will be able to print the tools or components they need while in space,” he said. The Made in Space and NASA team envisions a future where space missions can be virtually self-sufficient and manufacture most of what they need in space. This includes such things as consumables, common tools, and replacements for lost or broken parts and eventually even such things as CubeSats (small, deployable satellites). “The 3D printing experiment with NASA is a step towards the future. The ability to 3D print parts and tools on-demand […]

Vortex high-speed roughing strategy in FeatureCAM

PIC: Delcam’s Vortex high-efficiency area clearance strategy is now available in FeatureCAM. The Vortex high-efficiency area clearance strategy has been added to the latest release of the FeatureCAM feature-based CAM system. Vortex was introduced initially as the key enhancement for the 2014 version of Delcam’s PowerMILL software for high-speed and five-axis machining. For full details, including video demonstrations of the new functionality, and to download an evaluation version, please go to www.delcam.tv/fc2014. Vortex, for which Delcam has a patent pending, has been developed specifically to gain the maximum benefit from solid carbide tooling, in particular those designs that can give deeper cuts by using the full flute length as the cutting surface. It can be used for two- and three-axis roughing, three-plus-two-axis area clearance and for rest machining based on stock models or reference toolpaths. The strategy will be supplied at no additional charge to FeatureCAM customers on maintenance with the appropriate licenses. Two-axis Vortex functionality will be included for customers that have the FeatureRECOGNITION module, whereas Vortex for Z-level roughing will be able to be used by customers that have the FeatureMILL 3D HSM high-speed machining module. Assuming that they have one of these base products, Vortex can also be used for three-plus-two roughing by users with the positional five-axis programming option and on mill-turn equipment by customers with the FeatureTURNMILL module. Like other Delcam roughing strategies, Vortex toolpaths are calculated to give more efficient machining by following the shape of the part and by keeping air moves to a minimum. This is particularly important for rest machining operations. The benefits of using the Vortex strategy will vary depending on a number of factors, including the material and shape being cut, and the machine tool and cutting tools being used. A series of trials run by Delcam on different […]

New Zealand projects win in Barcelona

New Zealand has won two one-off Awards of Merit and a prestigious company award at the International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC) Centenary Awards held in Barcelona, Spain. FIDIC represents global consulting engineering interests in over 90 countries. Two Auckland projects, the Britomart Transport Centre and Newmarket Viaduct Replacement Project, were among the 23 Awards of Merit announced. Over 97 projects from all over the world were entered and judged against a number of criteria including international recognition, technical excellence, innovation, how well they have endured, and their sustainability. FIDIC awarded Trophies of Excellence for projects, and to a small number of individual firms, for having made a significant contribution over the past 100 years of engineering, with New Zealand’s Opus International Consultants being honoured as a winner. ACENZ is a FIDIC member and represented New Zealand at the conference and awards ceremony and is proud to congratulate these New Zealand projects and contributing companies for their now world renowned success in engineering. Both the Britomart Transport Centre and Newmarket Viaduct Replacement Project have previously won Gold Awards at the ACENZ Innovate Annual Awards of Excellence.

Summit delves into disruptive design

Things are set to get a little disruptive this week as close to 400 CEOs and senior managers from a wide range of New Zealand businesses descend on Auckland’s Villa Maria for New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE)’s sixth Better by Design CEO Summit. Held on Tuesday 22 and Wednesday 23 October, the theme of this year’s Summit is ‘Disrupt by Design’. Delegates will spend two days immersed in both the theory and real world examples of design thinking, design integration and design disruption, gaining valuable insights from those that are reinventing success in their industries. “This year’s Summit brings together global and local thinkers and doers who have successfully used disruption to create tangible change in their industries, and who are also working with others to make it happen. It’s also an opportunity to tell our own stories and to be inspired by New Zealand companies using design to transform themselves,” comments NZTE’s Better by Design Director Melissa Jenner. “In a global marketplace where competition is fierce, being ‘great’ is no longer good enough. The game changers are those that take risks and one of the few ways left to achieve sustainable success is to disrupt by design.” Jenner says companies can use design to disrupt their business model, their distribution strategy, and their marketplace. “By being brave and exploring the unknown, companies are more likely to achieve turbo-charged growth.” Key speakers at the CEO Summit include: • Aura Oslapas is the former Senior Vice President and Chief Design Officer of Best Buy. Aura has helped transform the consumer electronics company into the clear authority and destination for technology products and services in the consumer-driven, omni-channel world. • Ken Hong is General Manager of Weibo Marketing Strategy at Sina, a Chinese online media company for Chinese communities around the […]

New orders keep manufacturing on track

Continued high levels of new orders ensured the manufacturing sector remained in expansion, according to the latest BNZ – BusinessNZ Performance of Manufacturing Index (PMI). The seasonally adjusted PMI for September was 54.3 (a PMI reading above 50.0 indicates that manufacturing is generally expanding; below 50.0 that it is declining). Although this was the second consecutive month the level of expansion has declined, compared with previous September results the 2013 value was the highest since 2007. Overall, the PMI has averaged 56.1 since the start of 2013. BusinessNZ’s executive director for manufacturing Catherine Beard said that while another dip in the level of expansion was not ideal, the sector remains in a solid position. “Manufacturing activity has now been in expansion for 10 consecutive months, with 2013 remaining on track to be one of the best years for the sector in some time. Also, despite the lower level of expansion, the proportion of positive comments from manufacturers increased slightly from August, with residential building activity throughout the country being one of the drivers.” BNZ senior economist Craig Ebert said “While manufacturing growth has slowed from the eye-popping 59.4 in July, it is still in better than average expansion. Remember the line in the sand between expansion and contraction is 50.0, so the disappointment is simply that growth is decent rather than very strong. “A timely check to allay any anxiety is to compare it against the manufacturing component of Tuesday’s NZIER Quarterly Survey of Business Opinion (QSBO). Taken together, the PMI and QSBO signals remain relatively positive.” Three of the five seasonally adjusted main diffusion indices were again in expansion for September. New orders (58.8) again led the way for September, following consecutive post-60 results. Production (55.5) experienced another slight dip in expansion levels during September, while deliveries of raw […]

Waikato work placement supervisors recognised for excellence

PICTURE: Dr Mark Lay was one of three individuals recognised for their contribution to the University of Waikato’s science and engineering work placement programme, through awards presented by the University’s Cooperative Education Unit. Three individuals have been recognised for their contribution to the University of Waikato’s science and engineering work placement programme, through awards presented by the University’s Cooperative Education Unit. Waikato University’s Dr Mark Lay, Perry Resource’s Mike James and AgResearch’s Dr Marcelo Martinez were nominated for the Co-op Halo Awards by students who they supervised during work placements. Cooperative education is the combination of work and study. Work placements are a key part of Waikato’s Bachelor of Science (Technology) and Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) degrees, where students spend time working in industry to gain real-world experience. “Our dedicated industry supervisors are nominated by the students themselves, to recognise the enormous contribution supervisors make. A Halo Award is a large vote of thanks from the student and the Cooperative Education team,” says Cooperative Education Unit Director Professor Richard Coll. All three recipients described the experience of supervising a work placement student as an equally important learning opportunity for both the supervisor and the student. Dr Mark Lay, a Chemical and Biological Engineering lecturer from the University of Waikato has supervised one or more work placement students every year for the past six years. He says the experience of watching students develop their skills and becoming confident researchers, designers and engineers is a pleasure. For Mike James, a laboratory manager at Perry Resources in Hamilton, this is the first time he has supervised a work placement student, and he thoroughly recommends the experience to other employers. Also awarded was Dr Marcelo Martinez from the Reproductive and Developmental Biology team at AgResearch in Invermay. Dr Martinez’ most recent placement student was […]

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doug

About doug

Posts by Doug Green: