Editorial

Democratising carbon fibre

If you think about Auckland and carbon fibre technology, scenes of the America’s Cup and the industries that surround it spring to mind. Ventilation tubes in dusty Australian coal mines are probably not your first mental image. Yet this less than glamorous gear represents the start of a promising new trade, thanks to the ingenuity of Graeme Rivers, founder of North Shore-based Rivers Carbon Technologies, and a Callaghan Innovation Project Grant. All sorts have come out of Rivers Carbon’s Albany workshop – from the foils for elite America’s Cup yachts to replica chassis for E-Type Jaguars. But while money may be no object in these high-end industries, the wonders of carbon fibre are generally outside the budget of ordinary businesses. Until now. Rivers Carbon has come up with a lower cost way of making carbon fibre products for everyday sectors such as construction and mining. After months of researching cores, cloth types, resins, hardeners and trihydrate mixes, Graeme Rivers developed a ‘cold cure’ method of setting carbon fibre, rather than pressurising and cooking it in an autoclave. Rivers Carbon settled on ventilation tubing for underground mining as its first application for the new carbon fibre. Currently the fibreglass tubes used in the mines are heavy and tend to crack and break. Both factors create health and safety issues. In contrast, Rivers’ Premium High Carbon Fibre tubes are light, durable, and can be easily lifted above the shoulder making them far easier to install. The company exported its first shipment of ventilation tubing to Australia in March and has been producing consistently ever since. Staff at BHP Billiton Illawarra Coal’s West Cliff mine in New South Wales say they’ve had no injuries to people or breakages since they started using carbon fibre tubing, and the company is now looking at other […]

R&D tax credit policy finalised – How does it look for manufacturers?

-Dieter Adam, Chief Executive, The Manufacturers’ Network After consultation with the public and businesses, the Government released the final details of its R&D tax credit policy. The policy is not perfect, with areas in which we are going to push the Government further, but they did listen to some of our concerns and made adjustments to the policy and we are happy that a number of these issues we at least partially addressed in the final policy. In The Manufacturers’ Network submission, we pushed for the initially-proposed rate of 12.5% to be increased to 20% to start with. This would bring our innovation support closer to what is offered in many of the countries our manufacturers are competing with, both in export markets and through import competition. While the Government did not raise it that high, they did increase the rate to 15%. This is a definite improvement, but we will continue to push the Government to raise this higher over time – this is something they need to do if they are serious about reaching their target of improving New Zealand’s R&D expenditure to 2% of GDP by 2020. The slightly higher rate will make this a bit more worth the effort for smaller companies and align the system with growth grants for the larger companies who were receiving them. The second major issue we outlined in our submission was the proposed threshold for eligibility – requiring a minimum of $100,000 of eligible R&D expenditure to receive the tax credit is too high. We pushed for this to be significantly lower to make sure small companies have the opportunity to benefit and put them on a path for growth and even more R&D expenditure in the future. Again, while the new threshold is not as low was we would […]

Transformation delivers priorities

On 1 October, Engineering New Zealand celebrated their first birthday. However, the pedigree stretches back far more than a year: previously known as IPENZ, there is a proud 100-year history representing engineers. Several years ago, members were asked what they wanted from their professional body, and they said greater recognition, influence, credibility and connection. So, transformation took place to deliver these priorities. Recognition means appreciating the value that engineers bring. It’s not about fame or boosterism – it’s about our society genuinely recognising engineers for the work that they do and the genuine difference they make to everyone’s lives and to New Zealand. Credibility for Engineering New Zealand means doing the right thing, doing what you said you’d do, and doing the best job possible. For Engineering New Zealand credibility means standing up for quality, raising the bar for engineering professionals and making sure everyone is accountable. It also means having robust processes and systems, so that everyone knows where they stand. Connection means creating networks together to be more powerful – networks across industries, with like professions and between members. Networks fill in blind spots and help create movements for change. Influence means leverage: leverage to affect decision and policy in the areas engineers’ care about or think are important to New Zealand. This means not just central and local government but other spheres of decision making as well. As part of the new strategy, based on these four pillars, on 1 October 2017 there was the name change and a new, more inclusive Membership Pathway. This new pathway creates a professional home for engineers previously unrecognised by membership classes, including chief executives and other leaders who’ve stepped away from day-to-day technical work. It makes space for academics, and it genuinely recognises technicians and technologists, as well as engineering […]

Custom-built “Iguana” makes skin care product from hoki skins

A Waikato company has designed a new machine to mass produce a natural skin care range made from fish skins to meet growing international demand for the product. Custom-built by Stafford Engineering Ltd, the electrospinning machine nicknamed “The Iguana” manufactures ActivLayr, a skin care product made by West Auckland nanofibre producer Revolution Fibres. With more than 9000 components, and at 7m long, it is one of the largest machines of its kind in the world. Revolution Fibres Operations Manager Brent Tucker says while the company has been producing nanofibre for almost a decade, the Iguana enables a greatly increased production capacity to meet demand for ActivLayr both locally and internationally. “The Iguana is a fantastic collaboration between the best Kiwi minds from the science and engineering worlds. It allows Revolution Fibres to increase production to meet demand, but it also means we can grow the production of ActivLayr in New Zealand.” Roger Evans, Stafford co-founder, says most of its clients know what they want to produce but don’t have the expertise or capability to build it themselves. “That’s where we come in. For us a machine is a machine and in the case of Revolution Fibres, they had a very good idea of what they wanted. “The design of the Iguana is a collaboration of Revolution Fibres’ knowledge and requirements, and our engineering expertise to ensure the equipment performs and functions the way it should and produces the best possible outcome.” The nanofibre manufacturing process starts with fishing company Sanford supplying hoki skins, from which pure collagen is extracted. Using the process of electrospinning in the Iguana, Revolution Fibres transforms the collagen into nanofibre. During the electrospinning process natural ingredients such as kiwifruit and grapes, and hyaluronic acid (an ingredient to help the skin retain moisture), are infused to create […]

Lightweight scanning solution

The Faro 8-Axis Design ScanArm 2.5C is the first colour capable portable lightweight 3D scanning solution providing an unprecedented ergonomic experience with both the 7-Axis or 8-Axis models. Using the new Faro Prizm™ full colour Laser Line Probe with powerful 3D design and modelling software, the 8-Axis Design ScanArm delivers high-resolution colour point-cloud data enabling more insight into object design and creation, geometry, surface composition and differentiation between materials. The colour information is also used in high-quality 3D visualisation of rendering objects in gaming, movies and online marketing. The added eighth-axis enables real-time rotation of the object being scanned – eliminating wasted time, reducing risk to delicate objects and supporting more complete scan output. The 8-Axis Design ScanArm 2.5C is the ideal solution for any organisation that may have the need to develop or manufacture parts and after-market products characterised by different coatings, materials, co-moulded parts or surfaced finishes without existing CAD models. In addition, you can reverse engineer legacy parts to design changes or replacement, create digital libraries to decrease inventory and warehouse costs, design aesthetically pleasing free form surfaces or leverage the power of rapid prototyping. This lightweight and easily manoeuvrable ScanArm is available in lengths of 2.5m, 3.5m and 4.0m and seamlessly scans challenging products, objects and prototypes. The Design ScanArm 2.5C comes equipped with dual, hot swappable batteries that enable continuous operation with no need for external power when the application requires measurement in the field or shop floor. Faro kinematic iProbe’s easy connect/disconnect combined with a simplified quick release, makes the device effortless to operate regardless of skill level or 3D scanning experience. The Faro 8-Axis Design ScanArm 2.5C is the ideal colour capable 3D scanning solution for any organisation that may have the need to: • Capture and digitize objects and props in full […]

Aurecon appoints CSIRO leader to manufacturing practice

Will bring advanced technical capability and strategic thought leadership to Aurecon’s manufacturing business. Global engineering and infrastructure advisory company Aurecon has appointed Dr Ingrid Appelqvist as its new Client Director for Manufacturing. The appointment of Dr Appelqvist, effective September 17, comes as Aurecon grows its manufacturing work in response to Australia’s and New Zealand’s growing importance as a food supplier to Asia. The Australian Trade Commission says that by 2050, 60 per cent of the global demand for food will come from Asia. Dr Appelqvist is a distinguished food scientist with a strong track record as a leader. She joins Aurecon from CSIRO, where she led the Food Structure group at the Agriculture and Food Business Unit – a position that saw her working on healthier foods that retain palatability and nutrition-uptake in the body. Her expertise in food design includes advanced food manufacturing processes and technologies, an expertise she will facilitate for Aurecon’s agri-food clients. Dr Alex Wonhas, Managing Director – Energy, Resources and Manufacturing at Aurecon, said the hiring of Dr Appelqvist will bring advanced technical capability and strategic thought-leadership to Aurecon’s manufacturing business at a time when Australia’s and New Zealand’s agri-business industries are gearing up for growth. “There is growing demand for high-quality and innovative food products from Asian markets. The ANZ agri-food-dairy industry has an opportunity to capture the most lucrative segments of these value-chains,” said Dr Wonhas. “Dr Appelqvist will help our clients implement leading-edge technologies and processes to give them an advantage in these growth markets.” Dr Wonhas said advanced manufacturing techniques – underpinned by new innovative process technologies, sensors, automation and machine learning – could enable higher quality and higher margin products. Aurecon’s food manufacturing practice takes a supply-chain view of the industry and focuses on quality of the product, food safety […]

Government has listened to small business about innovation

Government has listened to the views of smaller businesses in designing its research and development tax credit scheme, says BusinessNZ. Chief Executive Kirk Hope says for many smaller businesses, the problem with a tax credit scheme was that without sufficient expenditure on R&D there would be no way to claim back a tax credit. “The Government has listened, and halved the amount of R&D investment required from $100,000 to $50,000. This will place the incentive in the reach of many more smaller businesses. “Raising the credit itself from 12.5 percent to 15 percent also makes the policy more attractive to more businesses. Along with a broader definition of research and development, these improvements should increase New Zealand’s rate of investment in innovation. “Businesses surveyed in today’s Mood of the Boardroom survey also showed support for the Callaghan Innovation grants-based system of innovation support, so it is positive to see that both forms of assistance will be available. “The mission to raise New Zealand business’ investment in innovation is a critical one, as it is only through innovation that businesses and therefore the economy can grow.”

Skills Shift – Research and Pilot Programme

-Dieter Adam, Chief Executive, The Manufacturers Network Skill shortages continue to be one of the top problems facing manufacturing businesses, holding them back from growing and reaching their potential. Not only this, but with changing and increasingly accessible digital technologies such as automation, AI and networked manufacturing, the skills required in manufacturing are likely to change into the future – this is the Skills Shift. While the topic of changing skills needs has been widely discussed, we do not yet have any concrete answers as to what it may mean for our sector and how we can best make sure training institutions can effectively respond and we make the necessary changes to our own practices. The Skills Shift represents a challenge for all sectors of New Zealand and all parts of our economy and society – how can people obtain the skills they need to succeed and get or keep well-paying, productive jobs? How can people gain both the soft and specialist technical skills that set them up to adapt to any change? How can companies, education providers and Government work together create a system where these skills challenges are address? And, in particular, how can employers and employees work together to train and up-skill while remaining employed, and with minimal impact on productive time? To answer these questions, The Manufacturers’ Network has put together a pilot programme and associated research projects focused on the Skills Shift in manufacturing. This programme has been endorsed by the Future of Work Tripartite Forum, and we will seek funding support to undertake the work. What we want to do is provide quality research into the Skills Shift in New Zealand so that manufacturers and tertiary and training providers understand what the Skills Shifts will look like and mean for them, and what measures […]

Confidence impacts on economic growth

-Leeann Watson, Chief Executive, Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce There’s been a lot of comment lately on business confidence, which has hit seven-year lows in recent months. While it’s easy to dismiss confidence as an irrelevant measure of sentiment only, the fact is, it does have an impact on economic growth through investment and employment decisions that businesses make. We can debate the various drivers of the numbers, but the biggest factor in my opinion is uncertainty. Business needs certainty to invest. Right now, in a number of key areas, they don’t have that certainty. Whether it is around immigration changes and the impact this has on the ability to find skilled workers, clarity around proposed changes to employment legislation, or the changing nature of overseas investment and ownership rules impacting our reputation as an investment destination, the signals from policy-makers are unclear. Couple all that with the sudden decision around the oil and gas sector, and we begin to see a picture that I believe results in the lack confidence. There is a real risk to the pipeline of projects coming to market across many sectors, including the commercial and residential building sector, and the much-needed infrastructure investment to support our growing population and tourism numbers. This uncertainly takes a toll on business who require stability and certainty. While businesses understand the need for change and are incredibly resilient in the way in which they constantly adapt, sound policy that enables and supports business growth is essential. It’s particularly important in an environment where manufacturers face constant change, from changing workplace dynamics and drivers to digital disruption and emerging trends like AI. Instead of being able to focus on these important issues, the constant uncertainty means we are distracted from the big issues that will affect the industry over […]

Quality compressed air for trades and workshop applications

Anyone looking for a super-quiet, efficient and cost-effective supply of quality compressed air for their workshop requires a user-oriented solution. With the space-saving i.Comp 8 and 9, Kaeser Compressors introduces a completely new compressed air supply concept that has been specifically developed with this field of use in mind. These units are tough, powerful, compact, easy to maintain, efficient and much more. At the heart of the new i.Comp family is a new drive concept, which provides a multitude of advantages. It delivers the necessary power to cover the required compressed air demand with infinitely variable control. i.Comp family reciprocating compressors can operate with 100 percent duty cycles. Intelligent solutions – such as drawing the air for compression in through the piston head – ensure exceptional filling performance and, as a result, outstanding efficiency. With a volumetric flow rate of 412 to 580 l/min, the i.Comp Towers can be used for a wide range of workshop and trades applications and assure a constant pressure of up to 11 bar with absolute operational reliability. Made from roto-moulded polyethylene to enable optimum corrosion- and impact-resistance, the attractive sound enclosure not only hides an advanced all-in-one compressed air station comprising a compressor and a refrigeration dryer, but also keeps sound levels to a minimum and helps retain system value. Kaeser’s field-proven Sigma Control 2 controller allows pressure preselection and infinitely variable speed operation, as well as connection to a master controller such as the Sigma Air Manager 4.0. Since i.Comp Tower systems deliver oil-free compressed air, no oil enters the compressed air supply itself. This in turn eliminates the potential for accumulation of oil-contaminated condensate that would otherwise have to be carefully disposed of. In addition, there is no need for oil changes or oil inspection, which of course further reduces overall service […]

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