Manufacturing Technology

Kongsberg unlocks a world of profit

Installing a Kongsberg XN24 cutting table, from Fuji Xerox, has helped Auckland’s I Print On Demand understand how much more it can achieve. Pete Mills, managing director at I Print On Demand, says, “The Kongsberg table has us thinking about making a profit from printing in a whole different way. This makes all of our other printing equipment relevant. It’s that old saying: ‘The job is not over until it is finished.’” The company performs a large amount of work for other printers. He says, “We don’t advertise but about 80 per cent of our work is trade printing. We are not in the mass market. We work in the area where people need smaller runs and more on demand jobs; often jobs that other companies can’t do or don’t have the time or equipment.” “The Kongsberg table unlocks the world of wide format and short run finishing. We can do a run of 10 boxes and make a profit. It’s about tying all of your machines into a cohesive print operation and getting the sales. You have to work out the best way to employ the equipment you have for each job; how you can make it work best. “If you get the right equipment, you can do the work you need to do to make a decent profit. It is impossible to do these jobs without a cutting table. A lot of printers get asked to jobs they can’t do; we can do those jobs and we complete a huge variety of work and, with the Kongsberg, we haven’t found anything we can’t do yet. It cuts a range of material, textiles, ACM, corflute; you name it.” New applications The Kongsberg cutting table has unlocked new applications for I Print On Demand. Mills says, “We have been […]

Farra positions itself for the future

Evolution in industry is inevitable and keeping up with the engineering impact is vital for survival. Cast your mind back to the skills, tools and processes from your own beginnings and change is obvious. How we machine, weld, prepare, fabricate, protect and maintain has changed radically without even mentioning manning levels and skills shortages. So what are some of New Zealand’s founding engineering companies doing to stop becoming a dinosaur statistic? The Maintenance Engineering Society (MESNZ) took the opportunity to find out more when it brought its Kaeser Compressors Network Evening series to Dunedin’s Farra Engineering. With a 100 year history, Farra Engineering is well represented locally and globally with some impressive engineering feats and capability. New Zealand industry however has little respect for history and successive governments have made an art form out of ignoring industries future needs, leaving businesses to look after their own futures and the human infrastructure required to support the business. From the markets it participates in, to the age and capability of its plant and the people that it brings into the business, Farra are working hard to remain a force for the future. The moment you walk through the door the evidence is inescapable; in house built architecture, staff-created artwork and modern layouts open out to a sprawling complex mixing traditional large capacity machining plant with digital sheet metal centres, high technology powder coating line and massive fabrication capacity. The skills shortage experienced throughout the country is no different in Dunedin although the key issue for CEO Gareth Evans is not the smart skills but the core apprentice trade skills that are paramount in the area. Here too, Fara is taking a leading role in solving the issue, participating with a local manufacturing group in an initiative to promote trades careers to school […]

Eight myths about AI’s effect on the workplace

The interplay between technology and work has always been a hot topic. While technology has typically created more jobs than it has destroyed on a historical basis, this context rarely stops people from believing that things are “different” this time around. In this case, it’s the potential impact of artificial intelligence (AI) that is being hotly debated by the media and expert commentators. Although there is no doubt that AI will be a transformative force in business, the recent attention on the subject has also led to many common misconceptions about the technology and its anticipated effects. AI is going to be a seismic shift in business – and it’s expected to create a $15.7 trillion economic impact globally by 2030. But understandably, monumental shifts like this tend to make people nervous, resulting in many unanswered questions and misconceptions about the technology and what it will do in the workplace. Demystifying myths Here are the eight debunked myths about AI: 1. Automation will completely displace employees Truth: 70% of employers see AI in supporting humans in completing business processes. Meanwhile, only 11% of employers believe that automation will take over the work found in jobs and business processes to a “great extent”. 2. Companies are primarily interested in cutting costs with AI Truth: 84% of employers see AI as obtaining or sustaining a competitive advantage, and 75% see AI as a way to enter into new business areas. 63% see pressure to reduce costs as a reason to use AI. 3. AI, machine learning, and deep learning are the same thing Truth: AI is a broader term, while machine learning is a subset of AI that enables “intelligence” by using training algorithms and data. Deep learning is an even narrower subset of machine learning inspired by the interconnected neurons of […]

Showa 707HVO: Highly Visible, safe for users

The inventors of the world’s first biodegradable single use nitrile glove now bring you a new addition to their biodegradable hand protection range: Showa 707HVO – a chemical resistant glove engineered with revolutionary Eco Best Technology (EBT), in high-visibility orange. Investing in tomorrow Showa, which translates to “finding a balance between different elements” in Japanese, has paved the way in biodegradable innovation within the PPE glove market. Driven by the desire to make a positive impact on the planet, a large proportion of research is devoted to biodegradable products and to developing fibers that have no impact on the environment. In 2012, Showa’s Research & Development reached a major breakthrough with the invention of the world’s first biodegradable single-use nitrile glove. Showa 707HVO blends the best of single use and chemical resistant technology to deliver optimum fit, feel and comfort while protecting against chemicals. The 0.23mm thick unsupported, unlined biodegradable nitrile complies with EN ISO 374-1 (JKOPT) and 374-5, and is impermeable to protect against oils, hydrocarbons, grease, chemicals and abrasions. The 305mm long glove is chlorinated for easy donning and doffing, with a rolled cuff to prevent dirt from entering the glove. Typically to Showa, the gloves are manufactured using a unique hand former, allowing for a lightweight protection that fits like a second skin. The bisque finish on palm and fingers offers long-lasting grip and excellent tactility. Its fluorescent orange colour makes it highly visible and an excellent choice for food, janitorial or sanitation environments, or to separate applications on processing floors.

Accelerated computing powering world’s fastest supercomputer

Call it the most powerful scientific tool ever built. Call it a new paradigm of computing. Just don’t call it slow, because whatever number you look at, Summit — which made its debut at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory — is flat-out fast. This massive machine, powered by 27,648 of Volta Tensor Core GPUs, can perform more than three exaops, or 3 billion billion calculations per second. That’s more than 100 times faster than Titan, previously the fastest U.S. supercomputer, completed just five years ago. And 95 percent of that computing power comes from GPUs. Built for the U.S. Department of Energy, this is a machine designed to tackle the grand challenges of our time. It will accelerate the work of the world’s best scientists in high-energy physics, materials discovery, healthcare and more, with the ability to crank out 200 petaflops of computing power to high-precision scientific simulations. This is, literally, a scientific time machine. The story behind the story: The team at Oak Ridge was the first to realise — almost a decade ago — that a new kind of computing was needed. The old paradigm of piling one transistor on top of another wouldn’t deliver the efficiency they needed. They took a risk and built Titan in 2012, the world’s fastest supercomputer, with one GPU in every node. That courage paid off. Now over 550 HPC applications are accelerated with GPUs, and all of the 15 most widely used ones. Their work reshaped supercomputing. Writing Computing’s Next Chapter Summit is the next chapter. Not just for ORNL, but for all of computing. The research team has been working with the DOE for more than 11 years on advanced technologies, including the Volta GPUs and NVLink high-speed interconnect technology at the very heart of Summit. Instead of one GPU per node, Summit has six Tensor Core […]

Swisslog’s islands of automation signpost the future of automated processes

Swisslog’s logistics automation technologies look at end-to-end supply chain and how to optimise product movement through the system, while maintaining reliability and traceability. Islands of automation are offering a solution to problems bedevilling automated processes across a broad range of industries, such as pharmaceutical, warehousing, engineering, logistics, materials handling, food and beverage and transport. Global robotics and logistics automation technology leader Swisslog has found that as automation accelerates, a common concern is that if a machine goes offline, the entire system suffers. But this is becoming less and less of a problem through the use of islands of automation, explains Jamie D’Souza, Swisslog Pharmaceutical Consultant, Jamie D’Souza, who has more than 8 years’ experience in the pharmaceutical logistics industry. Mr D’Souza’s expertise focuses particularly around the megatrends driving digitalisation and industry 4.0 – such as urbanisation, ageing society, increased health focus, e-commerce, increasingly digital lives and regulations – and how industry can best utilise technology to optimise supply chains and achieve tangible benefits. Islands of automation “The concept of islands of automation means can have several automated processes working in isolation, which can be linked up with Automatic Guided Vehicles (AGVs), with end-to-end integration,” says Mr D’Souza. The major benefits of this approach include: • Redundancy – if one cell goes down, there are several others accessible, or use of a temporary manual cell. • Flexibility for growth with additional cells, and ability to grow in specific areas • Full integration of robots and AGVs Swisslog is currently working on a major logistics automation project in Australia with a leading bio-pharmaceutical company, where islands of automation are being utilised to optimise flexibility and redundancy. This advanced solution involves Swisslog’s robotic palletising, shrouding, wrapping and labelling technologies, linked with platform AGVs on two levels to manage all pallet logistics. Crucially, there […]

NZ company helping to uberise science

A New Zealand company that is at the forefront of the global fight against air pollution is collaborating with the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to help advance the research and development of next generation air sensor technology. A five-year Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) was signed between the EPA and Aeroqual. The New Zealand-based company has decade long pioneering work in the development of small, low-cost portable equipment that even school children can use. Announcing the agreement, the EPA said next generation air monitoring tools are new technological advances that are increasingly being used by researchers and citizen scientists alike to monitor and measure air quality. EPA’s co-investigators Rachelle Duvall and Russell Long – who will work alongside Aeroqual leads Geoff Henshaw and Kyle Alberti – said the next generation tools are so much more accessible compared to the large, stationary monitors. Duvall says the EPA will benefit from the collaboration by combining their expertise in air measurements with Aeroqual’s expertise in sensor development to advance air quality characterisation using next generation air monitoring tools. “Because these tools are so much more accessible compared to traditional air monitoring equipment and are being used by not only the scientific community but also the general public, it is important for all users to have confidence in the data they are collecting.” The CRADA between Aeroqual and the EPA will investigate new applications, methodologies and technologies for the low-cost measurement of outside air pollutants. While current low-cost air sensors measure common air pollutants, like ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulphur dioxide (SO2), particulate matter (PM) (among others), the EPA is also interested in measuring other compounds including air toxics such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) which cause adverse health effects. Duvall said she hopes the two organisations will improve some […]

Cluster theory fails to take hold in NZ manufacturing

Twenty-seven years after the Porter Project recommended New Zealand should pursue a “clusters” strategy to develop its manufacturing base, a government study of the manufacturing sector has found there are “few economically significant manufacturing clusters in New Zealand”. Without mentioning the government’s commercialisation accelerator agency, Callaghan Innovation, by name, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s New Zealand Manufacturing Sector Report suggests that “new institutions may need to be established, or existing institutions modified”. Callaghan is expected to see funding cuts for direct grants to companies seeking research and development assistance in the May Budget, as the government moves to introduce a new R&D tax credits system. Economic Development Minister David Parker launched the report, the first such overview of the sector by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment since it began publishing sector reports in 2013 under the previous government, in Auckland this afternoon. The report notes poor productivity persists in the sector and the long lead times required for new, higher value industries to emerge and appears to suggest changes are required to existing policy settings and government agencies to help deliver better results. “The development of a new industry typically follows an ‘S’ curve, similar to the stages a new technology goes through as it diffuses through society,” the report says. “There is usually a long gestation period – perhaps 10-20 years – while the skills and capability needed to succeed are learned and acquired by: firms; investors and service providers; and the education and government sectors. “New institutions may need to be established or existing institutions modified.” The government is also conducting reviews and reforms of the education system, including initiatives to improve the financial stability and quality of skills training through the country’s polytechnics. The manufacturing sector is a disproportionately large employer of tradespeople, […]

Are you a future-ready manufacturer?

Greg O’Loan, regional vice president, ANZ for Epicor Software Corporation For manufacturers to compete successfully in the face of cheaper overseas competitors, it’s essential to look to technologies that can offer improved processes, increased efficiencies, and substantial cost savings. Before businesses can determine whether they’re a future-ready manufacturer, they need to understand exactly where their business sits today, where it could be in three to five years, and how the business can embrace innovation and automation. This requires a time investment to create a roadmap. However, this investment will pay off as the business becomes truly future-ready and can leverage new and emerging technologies to compete more effectively. At the very least, tackling these tough questions will put organisations ahead of competitors who are consumed with putting out today’s fires rather than focusing on growth opportunities. Manufacturers that don’t invest in breakthrough technologies will be rendered irrelevant and, more often than not, it will happen at a much faster rate than they ever could have dreamed possible. It’s important to address this significant business risk sooner rather than later by embracing ways to work smarter and more efficiently. The next generation of manufacturers can’t afford to sit on the sidelines. Future manufacturers will need to be aware of how the world is changing, pay attention to economic and geopolitical forecasts, and invest in technology. While innovation is important, the key for the average manufacturing plant looking for a toehold is knowing your customers and their needs just a little bit better than the competition does. The opportunities for growth have increased recently and the Australian manufacturing industry is set for a resurgence. It has added 40,000 new jobs in since June 2016, and increased the value of Australian-made goods sold to international markets by more than $20 billion since 2009. […]

The Interview: FARO

Spokesperson: CHEW Beow Kwan, Product Marketing Associate Manager, Asia Pacific, FARO Technologies Please tell us what BuildIT Construction is all about? The BuildIT Construction software leverages on FARO’s cutting-edge 3D metrology capability. FARO is to first to offer this fully integrated building lifecycle Quality Assurance (QA) and Quality Control (QC) management tool empowering construction professionals to continuously evaluate projects with real time comparisons against CAD designs using 3D scan data. The software from FARO uniquely enables laser scanner users to perform immediate, real-time build and verify analysis throughout the entire project, and facilitates a new level of cost management and operational efficiency. BuildIT Construction can be fully integrated with 3D data collected from FARO Focus Laser Scanners, optimised for the FARO TracerM Laser Projector for placement and layout of structural components and is compatible with the FARO Laser Tracker for prefabricated modular positioning. It can also be used seamlessly with other third-party hardware. Where do you see this software being used most? Application areas that will benefit most from the BuildIT Construction software include Architecture, Civil Engineering/Surveying, Construction, Facility Management, Historical Preservation, and Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing (MEP). AEC professionals will find the software useful for: Verifying accuracy of scan data to design models Detecting incorrect placement or missing features such as walls, columns, beams, pipes, etc. Performing important measurements accurately and quickly Inspecting construction for adherence to building standards Verifying shifts and movements within structural performance over time with 4D analysis Performing real time monitoring of adjacent structures throughout the project lifecycle Is there a lot of construction underway across ASEAN? Prospects for construction in the ASEAN region is generally bright. According to the Global Construction 2030 Report[1], the ASEAN construction market is expected to exceed US$1 trillion by 2030, with growth predominantly driven by labor intensive light […]

«‹ 19 20 21 22 ›»

News Ticker

Manufacturing Technology