Founded by Max Farndale 1947 - 2018
MSC Software Corporation, a global leader in helping product manufacturers to advance their engineering methods with simulation software and services, announced today, the newest release of Easy5 2017. Easy5 2017 expands its platform in Multi-domain modeling and simulation solutions to deliver even more enhanced performance. The release was made available in December 2016.
Highlights of this release include:
Functional Mock-up Unit Export
With Easy5 2017, Functional Mock up Unit (FMI) for Model Exchange is supported. Users can now designate quantities with "Parameter" causality, so that they are not allowed to vary during a simulation. This provides engineers with a more generalized, portable method for exporting Easy5 models into other tools or including models from other tools into their Easy5 models.
Global Library Configuration Parameters
Easy5 2017 now includes the ability to create global configuration parameters. The parameters are used to control how components in a particular application library are configured.
The Thermal/Hydraulics Library supplied with Easy5 2017 includes two distinct configurations for many components: the normal default configuration and a "reduced order" configuration. The same model can switch between high fidelity and reduced order with a single command. This allows the user to build an exact simulation of a physical plant and/or controls, verify it, and then switch to an approximation that will run in real time without recoding or modifications.
Reduced Order Modeling
The Thermal/Hydraulics Library (HC), delivered with Easy5 2017, now includes a global configuration parameter to control whether hydraulics models are generated in full fidelity (default) or in a "reduced order" mode. A number of components now have an additional distinct configuration that simplifies the generated executables to the point they can run with an Euler fixed-step integrator.
Models can now be created, tested, and verified through FMU to run on real-time simulators. The process of reducing the model order requires minimal user interaction. Results from reduced order and full fidelity models can be directly compared for accuracy.
About MSC SoftwareMSC Software is one of the ten original software companies and a global leader in helping product manufacturers to advance their engineering methods with simulation software and services. As a trusted partner, MSC Software helps companies improve quality, save time, and reduce costs associated with design and test of manufactured products. Academic institutions, researchers, and students employ MSC's technology to expand individual knowledge as well as expand the horizon of simulation. MSC Software employs 1,200 professionals in 20 countries. For additional information about MSC Software's products and services, please visit: www.mscsoftware.com
| A release from MSCSoftware | January 19, 2017 |
Vacuum and electronics giant Dyson is expanding its pool of software engineers, with the "majority" of its recruits set to work in the UK.
The company is on the hunt for 110 new staff as part of plans to hire an additional 3,000 engineers globally by 2021.
A Dyson spokesman confirmed the "majority" of the 110 positions will be based in Britain at its Malmesbury campus in Wiltshire and the Dyson software hub in Bristol.
Others will be recruited to Dyson's operations in Singapore, the spokesman said.
To help in its hiring spree, the company is launching a "pop-up" in London where participants will have to solve "cryptic software-based challenges" in teams to help test applicants' problem-solving skills.
The top challengers will then be offered job interviews with Dyson.
It follows an announcement from billionaire inventor Sir James Dyson last November when he outlined plans to launch a new university to help bridge Britain's chronic skills gap.
Sir James is expected to pour £15 million into the Dyson Institute of Technology - which will be based at Dyson's campus in Wiltshire - as he looks to double his engineering workforce to 6,000 over the next five years.
It will take its first 25 students in September 2017.
He told the Press Association in November that the private sector had a duty to help plug the engineering skills gap because the UK needed 10 times as many engineers as it did 10 years ago.
Sir James said that the idea of launching the university came after he visited the Government to "moan about the lack of engineers". He was advised to take matters into his own hands.
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Take advantage of the added features in a specialized AutoCAD version at the same price as AutoCAD.
Buy direct from NZ based Autodesk Reseller CADPRO Systems by following this link:
http://www.cadpro.co.nz/events/promotions/autodesk-promo/
An astounding selection of global wine imbibers and influencers will descend on the nation’s capital this month for New Zealand’s most significant wine event, Pinot Noir NZ 2017.
The sold out event includes a line-up of 30 speakers from Japan, the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand, who are tasked with sparking thought-provoking discussions among 600 Pinot Noir lovers from 20 different countries.
Spearheading the line-up are the world’s most influential wine writer Jancis Robinson OBE, MW, the world’s only Master of Wine and Sake Ken Ohashi and Tool frontman and winery owner Maynard James Keenan.
The event will champion diverse communicators and innovative thought. Wine writer and sonic artist Jo Burzynska will consider how wine can be enjoyed in a multi-sensory environment; renowned American writer Elaine Chukan Brown will explore the overall concept of future communication, and award-winning Australian Andrea Frost will discuss new styles of engagement and communication with wine lovers.
These global wine guru’s will be accompanied by a strong kiwi contingent to tell the New Zealand Pinot Noir story to the world. National treasures include New Zealander of the Year, Dame Anne Salmond, awarded for her contribution to New Zealand cultural history, and Rachel Taulelei, CEO of Kono NZ, one of the New Zealand’s food industry champions. Together they will talk about what binds us to our land and our connection to it over time.
Joining them will be four New Zealand Masters of Wine; Jane Skilton, Emma Jenkins and Michael Brajkovich, along with New Zealand’s newest MW Stephen Wong.
The event will be peppered with our own great Pinot Noir creators, including Larry McKenna, Blair Walter and winemaker/actor Sam Neill. They will evoke a home grown yet international perspective of New Zealand’s place in the world of wine, through the eyes of the Pinot Noir grape.
Pinot Noir NZ is held every four years, and will take place on the Wellington waterfront from 31st January to 2nd February. It has fast become one of the best Pinot Noir events on the planet, showcasing 115 wineries, with over 600 wines to 600 visionaries, industry leaders, influencers and pure lovers of Pinot Noir.
| A Pinot Noir NZ 2017 release | January 12, 2017 |
The significant labour costs and geographic isolation of the New Zealand manufacturing industry has meant that in order to compete with international players, local manufacturers must look to innovate with new technologies and automate their production processes.To compete with global manufacturing hubs, leading Auckland-based injection moulding company, TCI New Zealand (TCI) were looking for an automated solution that would offer a more cost-effective means of producing its customers’ products. TCI found the solution in Universal Robots (UR) - a global developer and manufacturer of six-axis industrial robots. TCI has now deployed two of Universal’s industrial robotic arms: the UR3 and UR5, to perform labelling and assembly tasks for the company’s EasiYo Yoghurt Maker line, as well as its storage bins.
With a UR robot assisting, several key processes in the manufacture of these products have been automated, relieving employees of repetitive assembly processes and ensuring smooth production flow. The UR3 was the first machine implemented by TCI, with the costs of the robot recouped six months after it was first purchased. Satisfied with this return on investment, TCI then decided to purchase the UR5, with the payback period expected to be under 12 months.
Finding a solutionTCI is one of the largest privately-owned plastic injection moulding companies in New Zealand, based in Avondale, Auckland. For more than 20 years, TCI has manufactured a vast array of products, including building products, components used in instrumentation, navigation, rescue and communications, as well as a range of retail products including homewares, garden products and outdoor furniture for companies across New Zealand and the rest of the world.
“Previously we were paying two employees to work in 12 hour shifts to ensure around-the-clock production of our EasiYo Yoghurt Maker,” said Quintin Fowler, Manager Director at TCI. “If one employee didn’t turn up for work it meant the entire production line would be halted. This wasn’t really financially sustainable for us so we were looking for an automated solution that would guarantee quality assurance and help us to reduce costs.”
During its search for an automation solution, TCI came across UR’s technology at a trade show and made contact via Design Energy, its New Zealand distributor.
“We developed the layout for the production cell and designed and built an appropriate gripper unit for each of the applications,” said Mike Shatford, Managing Director at Design Energy. “TCI then manufactured the machine frames and mounted the various operating units in the relativities we had laid out. Once the machines were completed our technician spent time at TCI writing the robot programs and getting each cell operating to the customers’ requirements.”
“Design Energy were fantastic,” said Fowler. “We were initially considering an off-the-shelf robot from overseas, but I’m glad we were able to find a customisable solution.”
Robots in actionThe UR3 is a compact table-top robot that weighs just 11kg and is capable of handling payloads up to 3kg. The robot has a reach radius of up to 500mm and features 360-degree rotation on all wrist joints and infinite rotation on the end joint. It is ideal for manufacturers such as TCI that have limited factory floor space and a number of intricate processes.
TCI uses the UR3 to help label and place rubber feet on its EasiYo Yoghurt Makers. After a product is moulded, the UR3 aligns and passes the product though a label printer, then it adheres the label to the base of the product. The UR3 then inverts and places the product onto a mandrel, then picks up rubber feet from a bowl feeder and places them on the base of the product.
A pneumatic press is then activated, which presses the feet firmly on the product. The UR3 picks up the finished assembly and places it on a conveyer belt for delivery to the next process. The UR3’s controller provides control for all ancillary equipment including the label printer, bowl feeder, pneumatic press and conveyor.
The success of UR3 gave TCI the confidence to implement a UR5 robot to help assemble several different sizes of storage bins, from 40L up to 112L. The UR5 helps manufacturers automate repetitive and dangerous tasks with payloads up to 5kg and a reach radius of up to 850mm. The UR5 is suitable for collaborative processes such as picking, placing and testing.
“We use the UR5 to put wheels on storage bins and we programmed the robots to be able to place wheels on multiple sized storage bins,” said Fowler. “The robots are so easy-to-program that we can quickly change from one size to the next by pressing just a few buttons.”
Flexible, easy to program and safe to use“Both the UR3 and UR5 went beyond our expectations in what we were looking for in a robot,” Fowler noted. “These robots have the ability to perform the tasks that we need without being overly expensive or difficult to program. They also offered a quick return on our investment.
“UR’s robots can easily move around and fold over on themselves in very tight spaces. The robot can also operate safely alongside our staff without the need for guarding.”
All UR robots can be completely reprogrammed and deployed for other tasks in a matter of minutes. A graphical user interface with a teach function enables an operator to simply grab the robot arm and show it how a movement should be performed. The user-friendly interface then allows staff to drag and drop the routines to do their programming.
“The UR3 and UR5 are very flexible robots. They are very easy to reprogram, which is why we use the UR5 to help assemble all of our storage bins. The robot can be reset to perform different jobs depending on the size of the bin,” said Fowler.
In contrast to traditional industrial robots in the market, UR’s small and lightweight robotic arms are able to work safely alongside staff (subject to prior risk assessment). The robots’ state-of-the-art force limit safety feature automatically stops the robot from operating when its movement is obstructed. The robot will not exert a force greater than the limit specified in the adjustable safety settings.
“One thing I loved about UR was that we didn’t have to worry about guarding,” said Fowler. “Whereas a lot of the other robots in the market guarding was an issue because you’d have to use safety barriers for all the machines which just complicates the situation.”
The pay-offAccording to TCI, the company has been able to significantly reduce expenditure by using robots at a time when labour costs can be 10 to 20 times higher that of other overseas markets.
“We paid off the UR3 within six months, which means we can reinvest in further product development and innovation,” said Fowler. “We also saved around 75% on yearly product assembly labour costs for the UR3 and UR5.”
When asked what appealed to him the most about the UR3 and UR5 robots, Fowler pointed to their simple programming and consistency.
“The robots are easy to set up and reprogramming can take just a few minutes. However one of the biggest selling points for us is having that guarantee that the robots aren’t going to call in sick – production can go on 24/7 without us worrying about human related factors that might stop production.”
| An AMTIL release | January 11,2017 |
Welcome to the first CADPRO Systems Design Challenge – Fusion Fishing.
The idea is to design the best fishing lure you can using Autodesk Fusion 360 and the supplied hook model.
An example lure, model created by Korbász Krisztián, is shown here.
The rules are simple:
Designs should include:
Some nice extras:
How To Enter?
To enter this competition, you’ll just need to follow these steps:
Step 1: Download the FusionFishingHook .F3D archive that is supplied in this project in the Fusion 360 gallery.
Step 2: Create a new Fusion 360 project and upload the hook model to the project.
Step 3: Create a new design in Fusion360, and design your lure, utilising the standard hook model.
Step 4: Export your finished hook model as an .F3D archive.
Step 5: Create a new project in the Fusion 360 gallery, and upload your archive file.
Step 6: Add some notes and info about the process you went through, and your design ideas.
Step 7: Let us know where to find your entry by sending us a tweet @CADPROSystems or a message on Instagram @cadpro_systemsDon’t forget to add #CadproFusionFishing
Key Dates
Competition is from 15th December 2016 to 31st January 2017 at 12:00PM NZST.The winners will be announced on Thursday 2nd February 2017.
Good luck and get designing!
| A CADPROSystems release | December 15, 2016 |
Another interesting new product out of the Saint Gobain/Solar Gard stable is the Mirror Shield product.
Now this application can replace the traditional mirrored surface thus eliminating the “breakage” possibilityand resulting inconvenience. Add to this that advertising can be printed on this surface all of a sudden the spacetaken up by thetraditional mirror turns into a “mirrored promotional space” that can be changed out as requiredand economically.
You can LINK HERE to the specs sheet and local supplier details or for a product sample call Ross Eathorne on09 441 0040 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - Friday 9 December 2016
Manufacturers continue to face additional freight costs, as well as delays and disruptions to supply chains, with the road and rail closures following the Kaikoura Earthquake, say the New Zealand Manufacturers and Exporters Association (NZMEA).
NZMEA Chief Executive Dieter Adam says, “We have had feedback from manufacturing members describing significant delays for some products to reach their destination, some with uncertainty as to when this will be resolved.
“Manufacturers are facing freight surcharges of around 15% currently, with other significant costs in adjusting and adapting their supply chains.
“We support Mainfreight’s call for KiwiRail to open up a dedicated coastal shipping option to take the pressure off roads that are not suitable for the level of freight. Given the predicted long time frames to fix the damaged roads and rail services, this kind of solution would be a huge help to restore more normal operating conditions for manufacturers and other businesses.
“Finding and implementing such a solution is a matter of urgency. This is not only a commercial problem, but one that hits manufacturers' viability and ability to compete, disrupting vital supply chains. The Government should be willing to step in to help facilitate a solution if one cannot be found soon.” Said Dieter.
An NZMEA press release - Friday 2 December 2016
GE to build 3D made aircraft engine.
GE is testing its a-CT7 turboprop aircraft engine which will be made with about a third of its parts made through additive manufacturing processes.
The prototype replaces 900 conventionally manufactured parts with just 16, demonstrating the technology's power to create more complex parts than conventional means.
There will be components designed to finer tolerances or to withstand heat that ultimately may not be made this way, but the future looks additive.
The Electricity Authority is proposing to remove 36 clauses that require it to act or behave reasonably from the ‘rulebook’ that governs the New Zealand electricity market. (1)
The move is being opposed by a group of consumer, business, farming and electricity industry organisations, who are calling for people to lodge urgent objections. Submissions close tomorrow.
The Group includes the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, Counties Power, EA Networks, EMA Northern, Entrust, Auckland Federated Farmers, Northpower, Norske Skog, Oji, Top Energy and Vector.
The changes would remove requirements for the Authority to act reasonably, remove requirements for the Authority to publish information within a reasonable period of time and remove references to the Authority being required to make ‘reasonable endeavours’.
The changes have been buried in an otherwise technical consultation document, 300 pages long, says the Group.
“This is really bad practice by the organisation which is the referee for our country’s electricity market, and they need to be called on it,” says Kim Campbell a spokesperson for the Group.
“These changes remove important checks and balances. If the references to acting reasonably are removed, the only option left would be to take the Authority to court under general administrative law.
That’s costly, time-consuming and must pass a much tougher threshold.
“It does make you wonder why the Authority wants to do this, and why now, when so many organisations are challenging them on bad process with transmission pricing. Vague references to improving efficiency do not cut it in our book, and why these changes would be in the long term interest of electricity consumers is anyone’s guess.
“As we see it, lowering the level of accountability amounts to a power grab. What’s more, these changes only apply to itself. Some 480 references that require all other organisations to behave or act ‘reasonably’ remain in the rulebook, and this includes the system operator.
“Worse, the Authority thinks it’s both judge and jury when it comes to the way it operates. It’s time someone insisted they become more accountable and we’re up for that task.
“A major review[2] of New Zealand regulation only two years ago warned against lowering the levels of accountability, and called on the Government to do more to improve regulatory practice. The Minister for Regulatory Reform should step in to stamp out this kind of sloppy practice, and so should MBIE, who are supposed to have policy oversight of this organisation,” says Mr Campbell.
[1] The Electricity Industry Participation Code.[2] http://www.productivity.govt.nz/sites/default/files/regulatory-institutions-and-practices-final-report.pdf
Palace of the Alhambra, Spain
By: Charles Nathaniel Worsley (1862-1923)
From the collection of Sir Heaton Rhodes
Oil on canvas - 118cm x 162cm
Valued $12,000 - $18,000
Offers invited over $9,000
Contact: Henry Newrick – (+64 ) 27 471 2242
Mount Egmont with Lake
By: John Philemon Backhouse (1845-1908)
Oil on Sea Shell - 13cm x 14cm
Valued $2,000-$3,000
Offers invited over $1,500
Contact: Henry Newrick – (+64 ) 27 471 2242
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