Ronstan International took out the 2008 Australian Consumer Product of the Year award with Davies, Craig awarded highly commended. Katherine Crichton writes.
BEGINNING as a backyard operation over 50 years ago, today Ronstan has offices around Australia with its primary manufacturing plant in Melbourne handling more than 4.9 million units each year, contributing to an annual turnover of $34m.
The Series 55 Orbit range evolved out of the company’s project goal to develop the future generation of high-performance blocks for use in small racing sailboats.
Ronstan designed the instantly recognisable pulley blocks to ensure ease-of-use and operation, with the orbital block allowing the plastic retainers to be easily levered off with a screwdriver, small, flat blade or even a finger and can also be maintained with simple tools commonly found on boats.
At the Endeavour Awards ceremony in May, Ronstan’s Senior Product Development Engineer, Derek Johns told Manufacturers’ Monthly he was happy and pleasantly surprised to hear Ronstan had won the Australian Consumer Product of the Year Award, which followed on from a win at the Australian International Design Awards last year.
“We really appreciated the chance to participate in this year’s Endeavour Awards and the win is a testament to the way we have tried to use new cutting edge technologies and techniques that haven’t been used in our industry before to produce an innovative product,” Johns said.
The newly developed range consists of 13 different configurations of ball-bearing blocks and seven configurations of ratchet blocks that provide significant improvements in strength, weight, bearings, features and aesthetics.
The new range of ball-bearing blocks incorporate a new bearing system that concentrates the load carrying capability only where required, and together with the new head fitting and use of all composite reinforced polymer materials achieves a no-compromise approach to weight reduction.
The result is said to be the highest strength to weight ratio available in blocks today achieved by engineering out the heavy load straps, head-post, shackle and full length fasteners, and replacing metal components with high tech fibre reinforced polymers.
The pulley blocks were designed, developed and tested using 3D CAD/CAM software, SolidWorks, and finite element analysis software, CosmosWorks. SolidWorks and CosmosWorks are associated products and are distributed in Australia by CAD/CAM specialist Intercad.
“We have been using SolidWorks since 1999, and it has become the way we design and develop all our products, from concept development through to production,” Johns added.
Highly commended
With the price of fuel at record levels, the automotive industry is increasingly focused on ways to reduce fuel usage and reduce emissions.
Improved temperature management by way of advanced electronics, and better temperature management of batteries and electric motors in hybrid and fuel cell vehicles are just some of the ways industry can achieve these aims.
The electric water pump (EWP) from Davies, Craig has been made for use in car engines, located in the lower radiator hose, or on the block, to replace the existing mechanical water pump driven by the engine by way of a pulley and belt.
The electric pump is said to be a better alternative than mechanical pump technology as it is not only designed to weigh less, it is driven by a smart digital controller, and run at a speed dependent on the engine temperature, not the engine speed as occurs now.
These technical advantages have allowed the product to be marketed into the auto performance market and marine applications due to the pump being made from Nylon which does not rust.
Richard Davies, MD of Davies, Craig, said the company was very pleased to be acknowledged in this category. “It is one thing to produce a good product but to be recognised for this achievement is another,” he told Manufacturers’ Monthly.
“This award is an acknowledgement that the technology is widely regarded and used in the automotive industry.”
Davies explained there are many advantages to this technology and believes the move to electric water pumps will be a natural progression, similar to the transition of drum to disc brakes.
