Innovative and advanced technology developed by Australian companies is resulting in products that are having a significant impact in both domestic and overseas markets. Hartley Henderson reports on three such enterprises.
IN the Melbourne suburb of Ringwood, the use of advanced technology at CMA Corporation’s $20 million Meretec steel recycling plant has revolutionised the extraction of zinc from galvanised steel so that both can be reused. According to the company’s strategic marketing manager, Karl Virkus, until now there have been no ecologically sound and environmentally safe methods of recycling scrapped galvanised steel and recovering the zinc.
“The technology utilised at the Meretec plant represents a very significant world breakthrough, and CMA can now further develop and implement this technology on an international scale. This process also provides many financial as well as environmental benefits. The plant has a projected annual throughput of 120,000 tonnes of scrap galvanised steel, creating 118,000 tonnes of clean ‘black’ steel and 2,000 tonnes of pure powdered zinc, ready for reuse”, Virkus told Manufacturers’ Monthly.
“In a six-step de-zincing process, galvanised scrap from the automotive and building industries, plus end-of-life coated products, are pulverised into fist-sized pieces and then placed in a reactor drum where hot caustic washes the coating from the steel. The steel is then washed and a rust inhibitor added to produce dry, clean melt stock that is ready for foundries.
“The solution produced from the reactor drum process is purified to remove dirt and elements limiting zinc recovery, and is then electroplated in cells where the zinc is grown and harvested. After being returned via an evaporator to the drum and washed, the zinc is sent to a centrifuge for drying prior to packaging.
“The Meretec process recovers 100 per cent of the steel and zinc, so dumping of waste is eliminated. Recycled steel is produced that is free of contaminants and the zinc extracted, which is ready for re-use in the galvanising industry, is now a good profit centre.”
The cutting edge Techjet and Intec
Melbourne-based company, Techni Waterjet, is giving a new meaning to cutting edge technology in the development of its Techjet and Intec waterjet cutting systems.
In particular, the company has developed a niche in the robotic waterjet market for high speed trimming of automotive components such as roof linings, floor carpets, door trims and instrument panels, but marketing manager Paul Chiodo says the technology is capable of cutting virtually any material.
“Water is taken to ultra-high pressures to form an intense cutting stream through a small precious stone orifice. This stream can move at a velocity of up to three times the speed of sound and is applicable for both water-only and abrasive jets”, Chiodo said.
“Water is introduced into the unit via a booster pump and filter before entering a high pressure cylinder where it is pressurised to the required level for delivery to the cutting nozzle. The nozzle can be stationary or integrated into motion equipment for cutting intricate shapes and designs.
“Motion equipment can include 2D systems and 3D machines as well as multiple axis robots, and CAD/CAM software combined with CNC controllers can translate drawings or commands into a digitally programmed path for the cutting head to follow. For cutting harder materials, a fine mesh abrasive such as garnet is added which is initially stored in a pressurised hopper and travels to a metering assembly that controls the amount of particles fed to the nozzle.”
A major benefit of waterjet technology is its cold cutting quality which means that materials can be cut that otherwise would be burned, melted or cracked by other cutting methods. In addition, this technology is faster than many conventional processes, provides high cutting accuracy, and reduces dust and hazardous gases.
Techni Waterjet recently released the innovative PAC55 precision 5 axis cutting head with direct drive technology. According to Chiodo, this development embodies unique world leading technology, providing 55 degree bevelling capability with continuous rotation.
“This means that regardless of the geometry of the part to be cut, the PAC55 will produce it without having to reposition the cutting head. The PAC55 also provides precision terrain mapping on the surface of the material to be cut, resulting in highly accurate parts.
“A manufacturing plant has now been established in Kansas to cater for the huge US market, and we are also exporting to other countries including India and the Middle East,” said Chiodo.
Powerful composites
Due to their strength and other valuable properties, the use of fibre reinforced plastics (composites) is now commonplace in a wide variety of industries and applications.
Based at Kurnell in southern Sydney, CST Composites designs and manufactures an extensive range of filament-wound composite tubing and protruded profiles to service the marine, industrial and high-tech markets around the world including in Europe, USA, China and Asia.
Managing director, Clive Watts, says the strength of CST lies in its unique filament winding technology and its continuing heavy investment in research and development to ensure that the company remains competitive.
“All our machinery is designed and manufactured in-house, giving unique capabilities that commercial winding equipment cannot match”, Watts said.
“Composites can offer significant benefits compared to metals and other plastics, including high strength and light weight as well as corrosion, chemical, electrical and fatigue resistance. They have twice the stiffness of aluminium, are five times stronger than aluminium, and five times lighter than steel.
“Carbon composites are replacing aluminium and steel in a wide range of sporting, high-tech and industry applications.”
Industry composite uses include pipes and poles, rollers, structural frames, pressure vessels and crane booms.
“Our tubes have also been utilised for various aerospace applications, wind turbines and nuclear fuel handling systems,” said Watts.
CST uses two main manufacturing processes to create composite tubing and profiles — filament winding and pultrusion. Custom designed filament winding machinery is used to manufacture a wide range of tube diameters and composite laminates, while the pultrusion process involves pulling resin-impregnated fibres through a heated die where the composite is formed and cured.
With the support of the Federal Government’s Commercial Ready Plus grant, CST’s recent research and development has focused on the production of a lower cost, high performance, continuous tubing product for application in the lightweight vehicle and infrastructure sectors.
CMA Corporation – 02 9200 3500
Techni Waterjet – www.techniwaterjet.com
CST Composites – 02 9668 8488