Smart Manufacturing Today

The sense test

~ How human senses are revolutionising industrial robots ~ As season two of the critically acclaimed TV show Westworld ended in summer 2018, the conversation around what the robot of the future will look like continues. While many believe we will have human-like robots soon, such as those depicted in sci-fi blockbusters like Blade Runner, it will be functionality that dictates the appearance of these machines. Here, John Young sales manager at industrial parts supplier EU Automation, explains how allowing manufacturing robots to see and feel is enabling them to step out of the cage. When we think of robots, we often think of either clunky metal frames that complete menial tasks or something so human, it is almost indistinguishable to the person standing next to you. Both appearances have their uses though, whether it’s for picking, packing and palatising in a manufacturing plant, or entertaining guests at an amusement park. Traditionally, robots have been large and noisy pieces of equipment, often posing potential safety risks to the workforce. A new breed of collaborative robots has changed this though, allowing machines to work side-by-side with human employees. This type of robot is now becoming increasingly commonplace on the plant floor, revolutionising the manufacturing process. In a study carried out by the University of Tennessee’s Knoxville Global Supply Chain Institute, robotics was identified as one of the biggest supply chain disruptors. Paul Dittmann, executive director of the Global Supply Chain Institute and author of the paper, said: “Robotics have been around for more than 50 years, but they have become dramatically more dynamic in the last five. They are no longer stationary, blind, expensive and unintelligent, but can work alongside people and learn as jobs change.” The evolution of the humble robot One of the biggest advances in robotics […]

HandySCAN 3D scanner meets Boeing’s requirements

Creaform, the worldwide leader in portable 3D measurement solutions and non-destructive testing (NDT) solutions, has announced that its HandySCAN 3D metrology-grade 3D laser scanner can now be used for recording physical attributes of aircraft dents and blends on all models of Boeing commercial airplanes. Boeing has released a service letter with guidance on the use of 3D scanners for measuring dents and blends on airplanes. The SmartDENT 3D solution and the flagship HandySCAN 3D scanner were used in the process of guiding Boeing’s quality requirements for the service letter. “Creaform is proud to see leaders such as Boeing, turn to 3D scanning solutions for surface defect inspection. With SmartDENT 3D, our goal is to provide the most accurate damage assessment to our customers, so they can make informed and safe decisions, while getting their aircraft back flying with minimal down time,” said Jérôme Beaumont, Global NDT Business Manager at Creaform. Overview of SmartDENT 3D benefits: Speed: 80 times faster than the pit gauge technique. It is the fastest and most reliable aircraft surface damage inspection tool available on the market. Metrology-grade measurements for aircraft maintenance: The scanner is accurate to 0.025 mm (0.0009 in.) and has a resolution of up to 0.100 mm (0.0039 in.) with high repeatability and traceable certificate. Intuitive pass/fail assessments: With its intuitive design and real-time software visualization, Creaform’s NDT solutions ensure short learning curves and minimal operator experience influence on the accuracy of results. Live visualization and portability: Weighting less than a kilo, the handheld scanner is the perfect tool for work in hangars or directly outdoors. Users can easily perform 3D surface inspection of any part of an aircraft on which they would use manual techniques—including on and under wings. In addition to complying with Boeing’s service letter, Creaform HandySCAN 3D scanners are listed […]

Gamma helmets new benchmark for welder safety

Kemppi has launched its new Gamma range of helmets for welders The personal gear offers welders the best protection for the eyes, face and respiratory system, and it also integrates work lights for clear vision and safety in low light working conditions. The Gamma range reduces work fatigue, increases comfort, and helps guard against welding related health hazards. Designed to deliver maximum protection and safety for welding professionals, the Gamma family now sets the global benchmark. Intense light and heat from the welding and cutting arcs are known hazards in welding workshops. However, welding also contaminates the surrounding air. Welding and cutting fumes, which contain dangerous elements that are generally not visible to the naked eye, pollute the breathing air and can pose serious health risks. Typically, welders can breathe 4,000 litres of air in an 8-hour work shift, and if the lungs are unprotected, tiny fume particles can pass deep into the lung structure and can cause serious health risks through long and short-term exposure to the contaminated air. The new Gamma series protects welders from 99.8% of airborne fumes and particulates. ‘The Gamma series, when used together with the new powered filter unit, meets the highest European Total Inward Leakage (TIL) classification for respiratory performance, class TH3 as well as Australian and New Zealand standards,’ said David Green, Managing Director, Kemppi Australia. “This places the Gamma series in a category all of its own when it comes to delivering maximum overall protection for the welder.” Powered from either a battery powered filter pack or an airline breathing source, the Gamma GTH3 respirator models work on the ‘positive air pressure’ principal to exclude dangerous welding fumes, and supply clean and fresh breathing air into the breathing zone. These helmets ensure the welder enjoys a safe, cool and comfortable breathing […]

Obsession drives latest purchase for Shot Darts

A new piece of machinery has firmly positioned Katikati’s Shot Darts as a leader in the international darts industry. The recently purchased titanium plating plant is behind the vibrant colour coatings on the company’s darts. It also ensures a durable coating that doesn’t chip and helps keep a dart’s edges and grip intact, supporting the quality and flair the company is well-known for in international darts circles. Managing Director Peter McCormick says the purchase speaks to the company’s obsession with darts, which goes back almost 50 years to when his father, John McCormick, took over the business. “To the best of my knowledge, we’re the only precision darts manufacturer in the world to manage the entire manufacturing process in-house. From initial concepts, to packing our beautifully finished tungsten darts by hand ready for shipment, we get it all done here at our factory in New Zealand. “It gives us complete control, from woah to go. Not just over quality, but also lead times and consistency of supply. Mr McCormick says customer expectations for lead times are getting shorter and shorter, and he expects bringing the entire process in-house to shorten turnaround by at least two weeks. “It enables us to be more flexible, to respond quicker to customer needs.” The company has backed up its investment by hiring a machine operator with a Master’s Degree in Chemistry, a role Mr McCormick says is expected to have a strong research and development focus. “We want to see what the machine is really capable of. We’re excited about continuing to push the envelope. And getting our ideas out there, into the hands of players, faster.” However, the process of getting the machine to Shot Darts Katikati factory and up and running hasn’t been without its difficulties, he says. “There have been challenges, […]

T-Tech grows as tech solutions come to the fore in transport

Attracting a record 173 people, Intelligent Transport Systems New Zealand’s annual conference has grown rapidly in recent years and increasingly seeks to solve the transport challenges faced by planners and government decision makers. Rebranded as T-Tech, the annual conference now encompasses solutions beyond the traditional ITS traffic management hardware and software. With over forty speakers at this year’s T-Tech, the conference included “Future Transport solutions, such as electric connected autonomous vehicles, and “Mobility as a Service”, business models enabled by technology such as ride hailing (Uber) and carsharing fleets like Yoogo, Mevo and Cityhop. International keynote speakers represented two strong new modes of transport which may significantly change the urban landscape. Mr. Horace Dediu, a Romanian-American technology analyst, is considered the world-leading authority on “micro mobility”. Micro mobility is a term coined by Mr. Dediu in 2017 describing a category of vehicles under 500kg that includes e-bikes, electric scooters and bike sharing schemes. Dediu believes we have not yet begun to understand the wave of new solutions that will emerge in this category, he likens the current electric scooters to be similar to early version mobile phones in terms of the development ahead; a comparison he can talk with some authority to as a widely respected analyst of Apple and iPhones. Mr. Dediu began researching transport disruption at the Clayton Christensen Institute which examines disruptive technologies. He said that autonomous cars as imagined by car manufacturers could not actually be classified as disruptive. He has since become an advocate for the low-end of the transport, where small, efficient lightweight vehicles can replace the vastly more inefficient car in short trips. Dediu organises large conferences in California and Europe and hosts the popular Micromobility podcast with New Zealander Oliver Bruce (formerly at Uber) using data from Uber, Lyft and […]

Relearning what it means to be globally competitive

Competition for talent has become just as important as competition for market share. -Dieter Adam, Executive Director, The Manufacturers’ Network The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) recently published an interesting paper on redefining competition. Many of us have already learned, painfully at times, that competition is not only about sales and market share. Increasingly, I hear that “we could sell more if we could make more, and we could make more if we had the (right) people for it”. In other words, competition for talent has become just as important as competition for market share. And, like the competition for market share, which is global for many New Zealand manufacturers who export much of what they make, competition for talent is global, because the skills shortages we experience are the same in most manufacturing economies. BCG are now taking us a couple of steps further in our thinking about the competitive strengths we need to maintain and expand if we want to remain globally competitive. The common thread behind all of this is that we live and operate in a world in which the rate of change has gone up and our ability to predict future states of the economic, social, cultural and even physical dimensions of that world has gone down – think trade wars, income inequality, digital natives and climate change as obvious examples. Five Dimensions of Competition How does this concept apply to New Zealand manufacturers? If we start with Rate of Learning, we are all familiar with the idea that as individuals we need to keep learning (faster) to keep up with the play, even though we don’t always create the space required to do so – “we’re just too busy right at the moment!”. But how well is our company equipped to learn, and what […]

Makaira Boats – a success story

This article profiles the business start-up, growth and success of Makaira Boats, owned and managed by Allan Shaw Allan Shaw started his apprenticeship in 2007 at age 19 at Alloy Yachts in Henderson, Auckland. One of New Zealand’s largest and most respected Super yacht builders, the company build large custom sailing and motor yachts and is where Allan served four years in his apprenticeship then one years in his trade. Allan says, “Alloy Yachts was a great place to work and learn from at the time as they had some of the best designers, best manufacturing equipment and boat building tradesmen in the industry.” While at Alloy Yachts in 2012 Allan commenced designing his first boat the Makaira 940 (9.4 metres) which took 5 years. In 2013 Allan rented commercial premises in Henderson, Auckland and started building two Makaira 940s which he had orders for. In terms of weight of aluminium materials, a 7 metre Makaira Boat hull requires more than twice the structure of aluminium compared to common brands of 7 metre aluminium boat. “In terms of labour build time a 7 metre Makaira Boat hull requires more than three times the labour hours to build; it takes approximately 600 hours to build a Makaira compared to an equivalent sized common brand aluminium boat which can take as little as 200 hours to build”. “Weight and build time are the key differences between aluminium boat brands on the NZ market, total quality of both boat types are poles apart. “At Makaira Boats we build ‘heavy plate and heavy engineered’ aluminium boats. Another well-known and legendary ‘heavy plate and heavy engineered’ aluminium boat that has been on the New Zealand market for many years is AMF Boats.” In 2014 Allan purchased commercial land in Keri Keri and designed and built […]

The Manufacturers’ Network at SouthMach 2019

Dieter Adam, The Manufacturers Network The Manufacturers’ Network is coming to SouthMach 2019 in a new context. We have recently joined forces with the Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce and the EMA (Northern). To our members that means that they can now also access the wide range of services provided by these organisations. To us it means that we now have a much wider reach into the community of New Zealand Manufacturers. Apart from that, we’ll stay on-course with our own work. Our members are telling us that skills shortages and keeping up with the increasing rate of change in manufacturing technologies remain as key concerns, and that’s where our work is focused. SouthMach 2019 again is a great opportunity for manufacturers to gather hands-on experiences with new technologies. At our stand, we’ll be available to share with you our own impressions on where manufacturing technology is going, especially in the area of digital technologies / Industry 4.0. A number of our members have now started on their own journey towards harnessing the benefits of these technologies, and The Manufacturers’ Network provides a platform for its members to share their experiences with what works, and what doesn’t. When you visit our stand, we’ll also be able to tell you about other services the members of The Manufacturers’ Network enjoy, including our latest addition – the Productivity Benchmarking service. As well as holding a stall at SouthMach, we will be reporting on our recent work on getting a better understanding of current and future skills shortages in manufacturing in New Zealand. Come and listen to my presentation on Skills shortages and the move towards more advanced manufacturing technologies on Wednesday.

Container deposit system solution to Australia’s war on waste

Adelaide-based technology and engineering company SAGE Automation is increasing production of its smart container deposit systems on the back of increased demand from Queensland. The machines were developed by SAGE Automation and the University of South Australia for South Australian company Container Deposit Systems(CDS) to help decrease Australia’s landfill. South Australia has led the country in recycling, introducing a container refund scheme in 1977, but other Australian states have only just begun to refund bottles and containers. Since Queensland launched its Containers for Change scheme in November 2018, CDS has recorded a rise from 32,000 to 230,000 containers per day through its 16 Semi Auto Return Terminals (ART) at private recyclers across six sites. The terminals allow customers to return deposit cans, plastic bottles and glass in any condition for a 10c-per-container refund. More than 344 million containers have been returned to date since the scheme commenced late last year. The ARTs identify and sort containers by integrating Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) technology and a vision counting and sorting system developed by SAGE over two years. A recycling depot employee loads the mixed containers onto a vision and sorting system hopper that uses advanced vision technology to count up to 350 containers per minute without the need for coding or labelling. The containers are counted in real time for a predicted refund sum that customers can view on a TV screen at most facilities. Conveyer belts, electric motors and spinning discs sort the containers by separating common recyclables like metals, plastics and glass. The machines have seen thousands of images of containers and can identify different container types, including unwanted materials. The containers are ready to be recycled once compressed air pushes them into specific categorised cages. The entire process takes only a few minutes and a refund receipt […]

Lubrication systems enhance reliability

Hydraulink mobile service brings its expertise on-site or through a network of well-equipped branches extending throughout New Zealand Ensuring fixed plant and mobile machinery is properly lubricated keeps money in the pocket of owners and operators, as under-lubrication is a major cause of machine unreliability and downtime due to bearing damage and failure. Ensuring the best and correct systematic application of grease can sometimes be a challenge when the machinery in question is required to be available 24/7 and worked continuously on remote, difficult sites with few breaks. One answer to this issue is automatic centralised grease lubrication systems from Hydraulink, which is New Zealand agent for high quality Lincoln Lubrication pumps and components. Hydraulink’s many branches throughout NZ are experts at installing these handy controllers that enable automatic systems to meet all applications requirements. Hydraulink is ideally placed to provide guidance on best industry practice in lubrication through its 24/7 network – with hundreds of service points throughout the country, including both mobile units and Hydraulink regional branches throughout the country. Key industries locally now drawing on Hydraulink services include agriculture, construction and infrastructure, civil engineering, forestry, farming and primary industry, public works, manufacturing, mining, machinery transport and machinery OEM and rental and other industries. These industries depend on Hydraulink’s prompt, expert service coupled with strong supply of quality branded hydraulic hoses, fittings, adaptors and accessories vital to optimising machinery reliability and safety while avoiding costly downtime.

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