Smart Manufacturing Today

Buteline/Ditron – an engineering excellence partnership

Ditron staff from left to right: Giovanni Diamante, Steve Graham, Dave Housley, Mark Clayton. Buteline is a household name in NZ and around the world, which develops and manufactures it’s innovative and acclaimed plumbing system used both in domestic and commercial building from its address in Highbrook. Buteline’s absolute commitment to excellence is evident by the outstanding durability that allows its products to be embedded inside building cavities around the world with confidence. What few people know is that standing alongside Buteline since 1980 is an equally diligent and successful company, Ditron Design & Engineering. Ditron is solely responsible for independently servicing all R&D, tool manufacture, tech support and product development, engineering and testing for the Buteline Group. By nature, Buteline polymer and metal fittings have to adhere to very precise tolerances and dimensions across multiple tools. Small variations in quality or consistency can have catastrophic consequences when the product is installed. As a result, the manufacturing processes behind the tools are critical and this is where skill and technology merge at Ditron. We asked Ditron’s Plastic Tooling engineer Mark Clayton, what are some of the real challenges faced? – Apparently most of the inserts are master/final impressions and these inserts have various sizes so being able to accurately model these in CADCAM has been essential. Tool quality and precision is always at the highest level. Ditron have used ZW3D CADCAM 4-5 axis software for five years to construct and model a CNC machine fixtures to accommodate all the variants in size and form. ZW3D is used to drive the primary machining centre, a Victor Taichung Vcenter – A72 with 4th axis. Mark is responsible for taking the IGES and STEP files sent to him for tool development and building the tools around them. Typical machining will cover materials such […]

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 […]

Manufacture like a boss

Every part manufactured has a story – the story of how something is made, how much something costs, how much something can be sold for, and if you make it again. A good manufacturing story will be filled with precise detail, perfect accuracy, and guide your future based on a truthful history. And this means your customers will want more. Why? The answer is simple – if you are manufacturing like a boss it means you: Master the four key transactions: Purchasing Receipts, Issuing Material, WIP to FG, Shipping/Invoicing. Know your costs (freight, labour, outside services, overhead, other, material) with accurate precision. Price your parts competitively and profitably. Quote your jobs correctly with speed and accuracy. Reduce your risk by knowing and not guessing. When you are doing the above you are making parts faster, making parts better, watching it all in real time, and knowing exactly what everything costs – otherwise known as “manufacturing like a boss”. Prepare to win Manufacturing can be won or lost in how prepared your company is, not just a person. Employees must be well trained to accurately capture data. Garbage in, garbage out. Employees must hold each other accountable. If you see something, say something. Employees must understand daily processes and how each action impacts costing. If you do not know, ask first. Accurate bills and routers When a work order is generated to drive how much and how long it will take to make the parts, the accuracy of the bill of materials and routers impacts runtime, setup, lead times, and quantities. If the lead time is incorrect, it will tell purchasing to order material at the wrong times, leading to overstock of product or expedited fees to get product in. Realistic due dates If the due date on a work order […]

‘ED’ the Chatbot Joins the DunedinNZ Team

DunedinNZ.com has welcomed ‘ED’ the chatbot as the newest member of its customer service team, the first destination marketing organisation in New Zealand to adopt this form of Artificial Intelligence technology. ED will act as an extension of the iSITE visitor centre by assisting website visitors with questions, serving the most relevant information and helping visitors plan their visit. John Christie Director Enterprise Dunedin said the project was another step towards enhancing the user experience and providing a comprehensive and intuitive customer service in the growing online marketplace. “A good experience during online travel research is a golden opportunity to convert ‘dreamers’ and ‘planners’ into visitors to our city. With ED, we wanted to evoke the welcoming spirit and helpful nature of Dunedin’s people, which is a key part of our identity. “The process of finding the right ‘on brand’ persona for ED posed some interesting challenges for the marketing team, but we are really pleased with the result,” he said. Developed by international web technology company Squiz, ED runs on existing DCC web platform, powered by Google’s machine learning and natural language processing. “We know that a percentage of intending visitors prefer to source information using a virtual customer assistant (VCA), and this will grow as VCAs such as chatbots become more common and people get familiar with using them,” Squiz NZ Managing Director Patrick FitzGerald said. “By adopting this emerging technology early, Enterprise Dunedin and Dunedin City Council will gain learnings relevant to further improving customer experience for visitors as well as residents, and to applying Artificial Intelligence more broadly in council services online” Research firm Gartner recently predicted that 25% of customer service and support operations will integrate virtual customer assistant (VCA) or chatbot technology across engagement channels by 2020.

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 […]

A new kind of teacher

It’s back to school, and you know what that means — time to fire up the computer that teaches you! That’s what primary school students in New Zealand have to look forward to, anyways. They’ll soon be the first students in the world to learn from an artificially intelligent (AI) digital avatar. Meet Will Auckland energy company Vector teamed up with AI company Soul Machines to create the avatar, which goes by the name Will. The AI is now part of Vector’s Be Sustainable with Energy program, which it offers free-of-charge to schools to which it provides electricity. Will’s there to teach children about energy use. Students interact with Will — essentially just a face on a screen — via their desktop, tablet, or mobile device. He teaches them about different forms of renewable energy, such as solar and wind. Will can then ask the students questions about what they’ve learned to ensure the lessons stick. According to Vector’s Chief Digital Officer, Nikhil Ravishankar, students seem particularly taken by Will. “What was fascinating to me was the reaction of the children to Will. The way they look at the world is so creative and different, and Will really captured their attention.” He went on to add, “Using a digital human is a very compelling method to deliver new information to people, and I have a lot of hope in this technology as a means to deliver cost-effective, rich, educational experiences into the future.” An education crisis Ravishankar isn’t the only person who thinks robots — in the form of AI software programs like Will, or actual humanoid machines — will soon play a major role in education. In February 2017, futurist Thomas Frey predicted that learning from bots will be commonplace by 2031. Meanwhile, British education expert Anthony Seldon thinks […]

ZW3D for one man operations, SMEs and corporates

Affordable CADCAM must deliver: • Enterprise-level mechanical design and engineering system. • Cost effective ownership. ZW3D CADCAM is truly integrated. It’s core objective is provide unified environment from concept design to final manufacturing. This is achieved with a powerful proprietary hybrid 3D CAD and CAM kernel. Not only is complex surface generation and manipulation at the centre of the design, the modelling database is object oriented improving speed and providing flexibility. ZW3D does not distinguish between solid, surface or wireframe methodology. All ‘objects’ are usable as a source for developing geometry. The edge of a solid can be used as the profile for a surface or solid extrusion in any direction, as a path for a sweep, the edge of a loft, part of a UV curve set, the path for a distributed pattern of any other object from points through to components. Even if the resulting surface or shape is non sensible in the real world, ZW3D will accept this as a valid object and allow you to continue modelling without a hiccup. CAM users benefit massively from having ready access to high level modelling capability. Comprehensive translators are standard. Some common file types can be used directly. ZW3D Point cloud tools, including STL manipulation can handle millions of points, reduce data and apply complex smooth surface meshes. Resultant surfaces are then used as part of the solid model for shape generation. No additional software or plugins required. AutoCAD users use existing drawings to develop 3D models. One user is currently migrating 2,500 2D sketches to 3D parts. Assembly anomalies have been discovered and resolved. Now they can build and document assemblies with drawings, cross sections, BOM and even instructional explode and unexplode videos. Sheet metal, weldments, morphing , patterning and direct editing tool suites are also standard within […]

University of Auckland welcomes world renowned 3D Printing researcher

Multi-award-winning product design developer and engineering researcher Professor Olaf Diegel will join the University of Auckland’s Faculty of Engineering in early 2019. The University is delighted to welcome Professor Diegel, its third appointee under the Government’s Entrepreneurial Universities programme. He is a New Zealander returning to take up a new role as head of the Creative Design and Additive Manufacturing Laboratory (the Lab) which aims to significantly change the way Additive Manufacturing (AM) is implemented in industry. AM uses a layer upon layer process rather than the conventional manufacturing processes which subtract material to carve out the finished product. Because of this, AM can produce parts that are infinitely more complex than is possible with conventional manufacturing and, if designed for, can be both cost effective while adding tremendous value to products by make them lighter, more efficient, customised, or adding to their functionality and sustainability. It has had an impact in a number of industries including aerospace, automotive, medical, fashion and has had some application in construction. Deputy-Vice Chancellor (Research) Professor Jim Metson says the University is delighted to welcome Professor Diegel back to New Zealand to take up his new role. “Additive Manufacturing is one of the fastest moving areas in a sector that is increasingly important to the country. Securing his leading-edge expertise will enable research and industrial applications that are game changing.” Professor Diegel has been leading the product development department and AM lab (the third he has founded) at Lund University in Sweden since leaving New Zealand in 2014. During his career he has developed over 100 new products for companies in New Zealand and worldwide including several home health monitoring products, security and marine products and lighting products. These include the Spengler SCVL cardiovascular lab, a monitoring technology that gives a comprehensive picture of […]

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 […]

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