News about General Motors exiting manufacturing with it’s Holden brand comes as little shock to the bulk of the Australian automotive component sector, who have known about the brittle state of the industry overall ever since Ford announced it was pulling down it’s shutters in May. Cost pressures brought about by the high local currency and a relentless input cost vs. wages discrepancy have made Australian-made cars uncompetitive both in Australia and export markets. Now, Toyota remains the only marque that is manufactured in this country.
The process of making cars is straightforward. It is also quite technical. It requires the sorts of skilled people that Australia is professing a desire to nurture and maintain. By letting the market decide the outcome of Australia’s one million manufacturing workers, the federal government’s laissez faire approach could be used to decide the outcomes of several other highly-contentious issues.
What else do Australian taxpayers subsidise?
Why do we choose to subsidise some things over others?
In deciding why some co-investment is necessary to facilitate business (such as in the food industry), governments have the ability to decide where capital can be best placed for the types of industries we want. It would appear that it doesn’t include the automotive manufacturing (and components) sector.
As a supplier of Miksch GmbH drives for the Australian marketplace, All Torque Transmissions has been involved with the full range of indexing gearboxes from the German manufacturer over the years. We are proud to say that the Miksch factory delivers some of the highest quality product in the world.
Miksch specialises in cam gears, which are suitable in indexing applications.
These cam gears come in a variety of configurations:
The unit selected depends upon the type of motion (stepping, oscillating or tandem).
The full range is not limited to cam gears, with the company also manufacturing tool changing systems, although All Torque does not get into this product area.
All Torque Transmissions is proud of our association with Miksch, and look forward to many more years of partnership in Australia.
The November 2013 Performance of Manufacturing Index figures have been released by the Australian Industry Group and Price Waterhouse Coopers, with a return of 47.7 being recorded. This represents a 5.4 point reduction from October, and brings a two month expansionary period to an end.
Of particular concern are the sharp drops recorded in both production and new orders (-8.4 and -6.9), whilst there is no real pattern to be gleaned from examining manufacturing sub-sectors individually.
Input costs vs. selling prices remains a major issue, with the gap still increasing and continuing the profit squeeze faced by all manufacturers.
From a power transmission industry perspective, we have seen first-hand that the food and beverage sector remains buoyant, which is reflected in the PMI result (65.6). Our orders from food and beverage producers have been strong for a long period, suggesting that this sector will continue to thrive – even in the current conditions, which have obviously softened since the federal election.
For a full breakdown of the PMI information for November, click here… pmi_nov13
WEG manufactures mining motors for the Australian market, utilising the hardware and standard features of the W22 series.
Ranging from 0.18kW (63 frame) right through to 355kW (355M/L frame), WEG’s W22 mining motors are E3 high efficiency spec, in 2, 4, 6 and 8 pole (with 10 and 12 pole options available ex factory).
From 63 to 100 frame, voltages are 240/415, whilst from 112 to 355 frame, the voltage is 415. Up to 1100 volts is available as an option.
It is with the optional features that WEG’s mining range stands out; double shaft extensions, oversized flanges, thrust bearings, vibration sensors, heaters, forced cooling and encoders are all available as factory options.
All Torque has supplied mining motors in applications where robust design and construction is a requirement, which is not the sole preserve of mining applications. The increased shaft protection helps to ensure that reliable motor performance is delivered in all industry sectors.
The WEG W22 catalogue is available by clicking here… WEG W22 Tech
The Bonfiglioli Trasmital 300 series of planetary gearboxes are the real workhorses of heavy duty tasks that demand high torque.
We have specified them for a myriad of applications, from heavy conveying right through to ultra-high ratio mixing. Each and every time, they have performed flawlessly.
One of the primary things to consider when specifying a planetary gearbox into a design, is the thermal capacity of the unit. For most applications, the torque load is not a worry, but the thermal limitations are reached more easily. Planetary gearbox manufacturers have mitigated against this issue, designing external oil coolers that can help to increase the overall unit capacity.
These thermal limitations are compounded in high ambient conditions, so extra attention must be paid when operating conditions in temperatures above 40°.
Planetary gearboxes are also very flexible for a number of reasons:
– they can be fitted in combination with either worm gear units or bevel-helicals to increase the speed range offered
– they can be either flange, foot or shaft mounted (or combinations of these options)
– output options include keyed output shaft, splined male shaft, splined hollow shaft, and hollow shaft with shrink disc
– inputs can include IEC motors, integral motors, male shaft input as well as hydraulic motor input
With housings made from ductile cast iron, inner parts coupled through splined connections (not keys) and heavy duty tapered roller bearings, the Trasmital range of planetary reducers offers both high torque density and high efficiency.