News Ticker

Exporters support TPP move forward

ExportNZ says the vote by the US legislature to move forward with the Trans Pacific Partnership agreement will be welcomed by New Zealand exporters. ExportNZ Executive Director Catherine Beard said the successful conclusion of a deal would encourage more investment in export business and benefit the New Zealand economy. Catherine Beard warned that the US move did not necessarily mean that an agreement would succeed. “It means negotiations will now begin in earnest on the issues that have so far been hardest to agree, including the issue of market access for New Zealand’s dairy products. “Our exporters want a high quality deal that gives us a level playing field in all the Pacific markets involved. “For New Zealand, the deal would represent a critical boost to our international competitiveness. “Exporters understand that we cannot afford to sit on the sidelines of international trade and see our competitiveness eroded. “ExportNZ is backing the efforts of our negotiators as they enter the final leg of this important agreement.”

TPP momentum good for New Zealand

New momentum towards the Trans Pacific Partnership is good news for New Zealand, says BusinessNZ. Chief Executive Phil O’Reilly said the US decision to fast-track negotiations brings the deal within sight. “New Zealand negotiators will be seeking the best deal possible for dairy and other products, and seeking to move forward in services and elsewhere. “Getting good terms for dairy access will be a challenge, as some participating countries have dairy producers with significant domestic political power who don’t want to compete against New Zealand’s efficient dairy farmers. “But New Zealand’s negotiators are world-class and are focused not only on the big items like dairy, but also on the wider benefits from TPP. “Getting more connected to huge markets in the pivotal Pacific arena would be a huge economic benefit for New Zealand. “The New Zealand business community will be staunchly supportive of our negotiators as they seek a good outcome for us all.”

Increase revenue by increasing productivity

Katalin Csikasz, TechPro Plus Interested in increasing revenue by streamlining processes, mass-producing products and increasing production volume in your factory? TechPro Plus, an Auckland based company can help you with this. We specialise in engineering solutions for manufacturers and are experts at streamlining processes with a strong focus on output efficiency. A recent project, which started out as a product Q&A and compliance enquiry, ended with streamlined production, increased productivity and revenue with the opportunity to compete in new markets. TechPro Plus was invited to quality check an internationally supplied product which had received a range of installation complaints from the NZ based end customer. After a thorough product investigation it was found that the product was marginally outside of NZ standards. While the overseas manufacturing partner was committed to finding a solution, TechPro Plus had to be realistic. With the ability to manufacture the annual NZ order requirements in just one day; it was not cost effective for the manufacturer to invest in a different die for NZ production, given the small volume. To find the solution TechPro Plus needed to be creative and look outside the box. TechPro Plus initially provided remote consultation to save the client costs. However to fast track the project, a visit to the overseas factory was necessary to enable hands-on consultation. After a walk through the production line to gather all the necessary information, TechPro Plus found that the overseas manufacturer was interested in selling their product into other international markets; but was disadvantaged by the significant capital expenditure of building different expensive dies to suit each countries’ requirements. The production downtime associated with changing the dies was also a significant issue. TechPro Plus took a “one size fits all” approach and studied each potential countries Standard requirements with the aim of identifying […]

Science and Engineering post-graduate scholarships launched

The University of Waikato’s Faculty of Science and Engineering is offering 50 post-graduate scholarships for B Semester 2015 that provide the opportunity to work on specific projects with world-leading experts. The scholarships – valued at more than $250,000 – are for two or three years and include research support. They are available in a wide range of subjects and are open to all New Zealand students studying at masters or PhD level in the science or engineering fields. Successful recipients could be modelling nutrient and sediment inputs in Lake Waikare, researching the microbial diversity of geothermal mud pools, measuring the electrical conductivity of brain tissue or exploring the feasibility for automatic barnacle removal from greenshell mussels. The scholarships have been designed by the university’s top science and engineering researchers to focus on specific projects. A list of research topics, supervisors and a comprehensive description of each project is available at sci.waikato.ac.nz/postgrad-scholarships-science for science and sci.waikato.ac.nz/postgrad-scholarships-engineering for engineering.

Added value through maintenance

Over the last years, the subject of maintenance has clearly gained significance. Not surprising, after all complexity and degree of automation are increasing continuously with modern processing machines. Forward-looking strategies reduce the risk of malfunction and down times, increase the service life of machines and thereby ensure constant production quality. If a high-tech processing machine comes to a standstill as a result of a malfunction, it quickly gets expensive. In particular when customer production deadlines cannot be met as a result and if there are contractual penalties. That’s precisely why many companies rate maintenance no longer as tiresome costs instead as a central factor of success. The bending specialist Schwarze-Robitec meets this need of increased investment safety with a comprehensive service concept. After all, the company’s high-quality tube bending machines are designed for run times of more than 20 years in continuous operation. So that the machines operate reliably throughout their whole lifecycle, it is advisable to conduct a regular machine check-up which comprises maintenance, inspection and service measures. A tube bending machine should be serviced every 5,000 working hours, otherwise the risk of undesirable surprises will rise exponentially. Checked are, among other things, the mechanical states and precise positioning of guides, bearings and spindles as well as cables, pumps, valve functions, switching devices and software. If it is a hydraulic system, there is also a check for tightness and leakage safety. Possible are also software updates, comprehensive weak point analyses, staff training and other customer-individual measures. As bending machines are always custom-built, maintenance should really be carried out by the manufacturer. Generalised providers of industrial services often do not have profound experience in bending technology nor the necessary knowledge of the user industries and their manufacturing processes. This specialised know-how is indispensable – in particular when the machines have […]

Making the most of connected machines

By Ian Raper, Regional Vice President, Riverbed Australia & New Zealand Automation and the rise of smart, Internet-connected manufacturing equipment (known as M2M or the Internet of Things depending on the device) stand to deliver previously unimaginable productivity gains and cost-savings. While these new technologies promise to simplify the production process, this influx of connected machines and devices also complicates the network used to deliver these efficiency gains. With each new machine connected to a network, finding faults and troubleshooting application performance issues when they occur could be like finding a needle in an ever-increasing haystack. A major source of delay in the troubleshooting process can be found in the way IT teams are structured; specific parts of the infrastructure (e.g. network operations; server operations; application operations) are run by different groups. Each of these teams has visibility into a different part of infrastructure and, traditionally, has had no way to share information effectively. This siloed approach means that the first step in the troubleshooting process is usually a counterproductive round of finger pointing between groups as none have visibility of the whole. But it doesn’t need to be like this. The key to effective, real-time performance optimisation and troubleshooting is visibility. If each of these teams has a deep, end-to-end view within and across the complex networks and applications that make up the modern manufacturing process, any performance issue can be quickly resolved. In fact, these issues can even be fixed before they have an effect on the production line by using the same automation that is becoming prevalent on factory floors. At Riverbed, we’ve developed solutions to minimise downtime in the production environment and avoid potentially devastating disruptions that can reverberate through the supply chain. Clearing the fog of war The first strategy is to have the right […]

Delcam webinar on PowerMILL Advanced Simulation & Verification now online

In the picture: The Advanced Simulation & Verification module in Delcam’s PowerMILL provides comprehensive checks on machine-tool projects. Delcam has made available for download its recent webinar on the Advanced Simulation & Verification module in the 2015 R2 release of the company’s PowerMILL programming software for five-axis and high-speed machining. To download the webinar, please go to www.delcam.com/software/powermill/webinar/index.asp The webinar demonstrates how PowerMILL can undertake complete verification of a project for machine-tool issues such as collisions, rather than having to undertake verification of each individual toolpath in turn. Comprehensive verification is shown, including how to ensure that the machine tool is capable of running the proposed strategy, as well as methods for checking for both machine-tool collisions and tooling collisions, during cutting moves and all leads and links, including machine-tool movements as tool changes are executed. PowerMILL generates a detailed list of any problems found for the complete project so that these can be fixed on a case-by-case basis. As well as highlighting potential collisions, warnings can also be flagged for near misses. The user can specify a clearance value and, when the machine tool comes within this value, it will turn yellow in colour to highlight a near miss. The clearance distance is shown in the display so that a decision can be made on whether to keep or change the toolpath. Also demonstrated are a new PowerMILL dialogue that can be used to track and adjust the position of the machine tool, and the special toolbar to simulate and adjust the configuration and tool axis of a 3+2 machine or any equipment with incremental rotary axes. The dialogue presents data on the position of the machine tool, together with the limits set for each axis. It includes a slider to jog the machine components into position during the […]

Managing the “Internet of Things”

Many existing systems lack an IoT management platform. Researchers have developed a software platform designed to manage and control devices for “Internet of Things” (IoT) systems. The platform can be tailored for everything from city management sensors and devices to controlling home appliances. The Internet of Things (IoT) is an emerging technology in which smart devices are interconnected and communicate via the Internet. A limitless range of devices could be incorporated into the IoT, from refrigerators and TVs to cars and solar panels. However, there is currently no universal system for managing these devices and the data that is transferred between them. “Many vendors focus on device manufacturing and provide good technologies for wireless connectivity between devices,” explains Dr Billy Chan, senior manager of the Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI). “But many existing systems lack an IoT management platform.” There is also no standard platform to leverage the development of IoT applications, which means that designers need to start from scratch with each new application. This is time consuming and costly. ASTRI has developed the “IoT Management and Application Platform” (IMAP), which allows the connection of a local network of devices to the Internet, and provides remote management of devices and data through a simple and customisable web-based graphical user interface. The system supports several technological standards for communication between devices, web interfaces and network architecture. This means it can be used on different platforms to support a diversity of devices and the development of IoT applications. To demonstrate IMAP’s capabilities, ASTRI has developed several “Smart City” applications. These include “Solar Street Light Management”, a system designed to provide real-time monitoring and remote control of more than 3,000 street lights in target to reduce maintenance costs. This system has been implemented in partnership with two […]

Delcam makes Learning Zones available as a free iPad app

In the picture: Delcam’s new Learning Zone App contains videos demonstrating the latest developments in the company’s CADCAM software. Delcam has made the Learning Zones for its full range of CADCAM software available as a free App for iPads. The App can be downloaded from the Apple App store at https://itunes.apple.com/app/id988414798 The Delcam Learning Zone App comprises tutorials for the latest releases of all Delcam software, including the company’s CAM programs, PowerMILL, FeatureCAM and PartMaker; the PowerSHAPE Pro CAD and reverse engineering software; the PowerINSPECT inspection system and the ArtCAM range of artistic CADCAM programs, plus the Delcam CRISPIN range for the design and manufacture of footwear. A selection of case study videos from the Delcam.tv website is also included, in which a number of customers talk about their relationship with Delcam and the benefits they get from using the software. Users with suitable internet connections can stream the videos using the Learning Zone App. Alternatively, the videos can be downloaded and then viewed offline at any time. The videos can be filtered by product and/or by industry category to help viewers find the content that is relevant to them. In addition, any of the videos can be made a ‘favourite’ so that it is easy for users to go back to their preferred material. While the Learning Zone App is intended mainly for existing customers, it will also help companies interested in adding Delcam software to see the latest developments in the programs. New tutorials for new product releases will be added to the Learning Zone App as they are developed to help users make the most of each new version of their Delcam software. The current version of the Learning Zone App can only be used on iPads but an Android version is also being prepared that will be […]

Comment:Innovators aplenty at Mystery Creek

By Doug Green This year’s Mystery Creek Fieldays have come and gone and are said to have been successful. And, of course, some really great innovations were on show. None more so than Waikato Milking Systems who took out the International Innovation Award with its Centrus 84 Rotary Platform at Fieldays 2015. In conjunction with the Centrus 84 Rotary Platform comes a new innovation in pivot rollers, made to manage the endurance roller in 24/7 dairy operations. The Centrus 84 Rotary Platform has already been sold into the US, China and South African markets. It also has a global patent making it an exclusive product to Waikato Milking Systems. The Centrus 84 is the first fully-composite rotary platform and is 80% lighter than previous platforms and five times stronger. And it is cutting-edge technology. A highlight of the show was the availability of a free app – STORY – that allowed Fieldays visitors to follow the Innovation Trail and learn more about the fascinating history of New Zealand’s agriculture through the Victorian-era buildings and historic objects in Mystery Creek’s Heritage Village. It was unfortunate – or just bad timing – that Fonterra announced it’s restructuring during the fieldays. An incredibly mistimed focus on their future which had people at the fieldays in earnest discussion. Fonterra is a huge player in the NZ economy and they need to smartly refine their future plans and get on with bigger and better business. Good news for regional development is the announcement that Scanpower’s Oringi business park at Dannevirke has signed a six-year contract with Intrepid Semiconductor for the lease of the former freezing works boning room as a base its diffusion plant – part of its enormous semi-conductor empire. The parent company is Trion. In 50 years, the semi-conductor business revenue has grown to […]

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