This is a story we have been wanting to tell Matthew Weakes from CADPRO Systems told MSCNewsWire. Our Gavin Bath (one of Technical Specialist based in CHCH) helped Phil (principal of Sprint Aero get some outstanding results.
In response, Phil has decided to kindly open his doors and fire up his BBQ on the 30th of March and invite people to come along and see what it’s all about.
It’s a great opportunity to network with your peers in the industry, as well as see HSMWorks for Solidworks cutting chips with their Haas UMC-750.
Space is limited and filling fast, so if you can make it, please register your interest on this page. We will get back to you and confirm your place by the end of this week, if not sooner.
Event details and registration
Today, we announced that Rocket Lab has closed a $75m Series D financing round, led by Data Collective, with additional investors Promus Ventures and an undisclosed investor.
We’ve partnered with this esteemed group of investors because of their experience in the space industry. We also had renewed participation in this round from our existing investors - Khosla Ventures, Bessemer Venture Partners and K1W1 - who have provided continued expertise and support as we work to make space accessible to everyone. The closure of the round brings the total funding Rocket Lab has received to date to $148 million, with the company value now in excess of $1 billion (USD).
Currently, small satellite companies wait years to get on orbit, often at the mercy and schedules of larger payloads. With Electron, they will be provided a high-frequency, quality launch service that will take customers where they want to go, when they want to fly. The commercial and humanitarian applications this will open up are endless. The satellites Electron will launch are used to provide optimized crop monitoring, natural disaster prediction, Internet from space, improved weather reporting, up-to-date maritime data and search and rescue services.
Today, we also welcome Matt Ocko of Data Collective to Rocket Lab’s board. We’re delighted to work with Matt and his team, including Chris Boshuizen, who have extensive knowledge of this industry and will bring added expertise to our leadership.
You may have seen that just last month, the first Electron vehicle arrived to Launch Complex 1, our private launch facility on the Mahia Peninsula. As we speak the team is hard at work commissioning the site. In other words, they’re completing hundreds of tests to ensure that all systems are safe and ready for launch.
The test flight program will begin with our first Electron rocket, “It’s a Test,” where we’ll aim to get Rocket Lab’s own flying laboratory, complete with 20,000 data channels, into Low-Earth Orbit. The insight it will gather will prove invaluable as we seek to learn from the first flight and iterate on the vehicle so as to optimize its performance in advance of future launches. We fully expect to meet a few challenges along the way but this will only leave us better prepared as we enter the commercial phase of launch.
Our priorities are safety and security first and foremost. This may mean that as we enter different launches we may decide to “scrub” or delay a launch to ensure these priorities are met. There’s a lot of work to be done and we’re not going to fly unless we’re ready. We’ve got a big year ahead and the team are excited to work through the test phase of our program and begin manufacturing Electron at scale.
This brings me to our next exciting piece of news. We’re incredibly pleased to announce the opening of our new Huntington Beach, California office. While we’ve had a presence in the LA area since 2013, this new facility will enable us to triple our production rate. We’re actively hiring for our engineering and business units and we’re committed to rapidly growing and scaling in both our Huntington Beach HQ and Auckland, NZ office. If you're interested in open positions please take a look at our careers page.
Join us as we work to make space accessible and follow along here!
Cheers,Pete
| A RocketLab release | March 22, 2017
Raise ye the stone or cleave the wood to make a path more fair or flat;
Lo, it is black already with blood some Son of Martha spilled for that!
Not as a ladder from earth to Heaven, not as a witness to any creed,
But simple service simply given to his own kind in their common need.
-From Rudyard Kipling’s The Sons of Martha, 1907
For as long as humans have been around, we’ve had an obsession with being first. Hillary and Norgay are immortalized as the first to conquer Everest. Neil Armstrong will forever be remembered as the first to walk on the moon. And any internet comment section will demonstrate the compulsion to claim this same singular achievement: First!
Naturally, we can’t help but wonder who it was that pioneered our profession.
Who was the first engineer? Let’s review some of the candidates.
Imhotep (2650 – 2600 BCE)
A statuette of Imhotep on display in the Louvre. (Photo courtesy of Hu Totya.)
Imhotep was chancellor to the Egyptian pharaoh Djoser, and his engineering claim to fame is the design of the Pyramid of Djoser. Located in the Egyptian necropolis of Saqqara, the Pyramid of Djoser was the first of the now-famous Egyptian pyramids.
The Pyramid of Djoser is a step pyramid, consisting of six mastabas (sloping rectangular prisms) layered one on top of another, in contrast to the smooth face of the more familiar Great Pyramid of Giza. The limestone-based step pyramid reaches 62 meters (203 feet) high, with a base measuring approximately 109 by 125 meters (358 by 410 feet).
> > > Continue here to view the full article with images | March 16, 2017 ||
Executives at Toshiba are now actively considering selling Westinghouse, among other options to deal with the troubled nuclear developer.
The company has expanded a probe into Westinghouse and missed an earnings report deadline for a second time, Reuters reported.
Officials at Toshiba believe it could find buyers for a majority stake in Westinghouse even though it recently lost $6.3 billion. Industry executives believe South Korea’s KEPCO could be a potential buyer. KEPCO indicated it would consider an offer.
However, CEO Satoshi Tsunakawa dodged questions about a potential bankruptcy filing for Westinghouse, indicating only that there are multiple options. Company sources say Toshiba has hired bankruptcy lawyers as an exploratory step.
Even with the extraordinary losses, tied to nuclear project delays, dwindling demand for nuclear and the overvaluation of the purchase of CB&I Stone & Webster, Tsunakawa indicated nuclear construction is only a small part of Westinghouse’s operations.
"Around 80 percent of Westinghouse's revenues come from stable businesses in services and fuel-related businesses so I think that will be taken into consideration too," he said during a news conference.
Toshiba’s goal is to have Westinghouse off its consolidated accounts by the end of the next fiscal year in March 2018.
| A Power Engineering release | March 14, 2017 ||
Vector today announced another step in its strategy to deliver efficient, sustainable energy solutions to consumers, with the acquisition of two companies, E-Co Products Group and PowerSmart.
E-Co Products, better known as HRV, is a total home solutions business that has built a deep and strong connection with New Zealanders, helping to create healthier homes.
PowerSmart is a leading provider of innovative large scale sustainable power solutions in New Zealand and the South Pacific.
Vector Chief Executive, Simon Mackenzie, says the businesses will continue to operate independently and provide Vector with complementary channels to deliver innovative technological energy solutions directly to consumers.
“As new and disruptive energy solutions become available, the way energy is produced, consumed, and monitored is changing. We are focused on leading energy innovation and empowering customers by offering them choice and control.
“The acquisition of both E-Co Products Group and PowerSmart will boost our ability to deliver these new solutions, at both a household and commercial scale. These companies share our vision of a new energy future and we believe it’s an excellent fit for all parties,” Mr Mackenzie said.
E-Co Products Group Chief Executive, Bruce Gordon says E-Co Products is very excited to be joining the Vector group.
“As New Zealand’s leading energy solutions provider, Vector can provide key expertise and innovation in areas that will benefit our business and take it into a new era,” he said.
PowerSmart Chief Executive, Mike Bassett-Smith, says Vector’s scale and network expertise will assist with the company’s growth plans.
“As the economics of solar and batteries continue to improve, we can leverage Vector’s knowledge and experience to undertake ever larger, more complex projects,” he said.
Both acquisitions are subject to customary conditions and settlement is expected to occur on or around 31 March. The acquisitions will be funded from Vector’s existing facilities and are expected to be earnings accretive in FY2018.
| A Vector release | March 15, 2017 ||
Construction is underway on Sealord's new $70 million factory vessel, which is being built in Norway with additional steel work carried out in Poland.
Sealord is now a year out from taking delivery of its state of the art new factory vessel.
Work began on the $70 million project in January and, according to Sealord fleet harvest manager Scott Gillanders, is already running ahead of schedule.
The ship's hull was being built in eight blocks, with seven of these constructed in Poland before being barged to the Simek shipbuilders yard in Flekkefjord, Norway.A concept drawing of Sealord's new $70 million trawler.
The first four blocks will arrive in July, with the remaining four blocks expected in September before being fitted to the ship's superstructure.
Testing will start on engine and factory components in February 2018.
Two project managers – based in New Zealand and Europe respectively – would observe the build in the months ahead.
A Sealord contingent will be in Norway for sea trials in March to determine whether the company was ready to take delivery on March 23.
> > > Continue to full article | March 10, 2017 ||
A major investment is taking shape to improve facilities at a North Shields factory and safeguard hundreds of jobs.
Fletcher Building is planning to invest tens of millions of pounds over the next three years in Formica Group’s North Shields factory and office.
Formica Group, which employs more than 300 people, produces thousands of different laminate sheets for doors in businesses, schools and hospitals around Europe.
Mark Adamson, CEO of Fletcher Building, was at the factory in Norham Road to see the progress on work bringing all staff back under one roof at the site.
Office space is currently being refurbished to bring sales staff and management from nearby Cobalt Park back onto the North Shields plant.
Speaking to the News Guardian, Mark said: “The investment will be spent in new technology and upgrading facilities.
“The problem with North Shields is that while people were spending money in North America and Asia, this business didn’t get its fair share of capital.
> > > Continue to read full article | March 9, 2017 ||
A new extreme-duty Flexicon® flexible screw conveyor with purpose-built hopper transfers bulk material received from front end loaders.
The conveyor consists of a heavy-gauge stainless steel screw that rotates within an 8 in. dia. (200 mm) stainless steel tube. Since the conveyor is driven at its top end by a 20 hp (15 kW) variable speed electric motor and gear reducer, material exits the discharge housing prior to contacting any seals or bearings. The tube interior and removable screw are smooth and crevice-free, allowing rapid, thorough cleaning.
Rugged enough to withstand incidental contact with front-end loaders, the heavy-gauge stainless steel hopper holds up to 8 tons (7 tonnes), or 200 cu ft (5.7 m3), providing an ample supply of material for the high capacity conveyor to run continually as a front end loader replenishes the material.
Self-contained on an all-stainless skid equipped with forklifting tubes, the system can be deployed in multiple indoor or outdoor locations with a single power connection, conveying a broad range of free-flowing and non-free-flowing materials from fine powders to largeaggregates including abrasives, corrosives and materials with bulk densities up to 150 lb/cu ft (2400 kg/m3).
Material is conveyed at a 40 degree incline before discharging into downstream processing equipment or storage vessels.
The simple design is said to deliver efficient performance and high reliability while reducing maintenance and cost.
The system is also available constructed of carbon steel with durable industrial coatings.
| A Flexicon release | March 07, 2017 ||
Seismic grade steel reinforcing bar that is not as strong as it should be has been sold in the New Zealand market according to a RadioNZ report aired earlier today.
The report voiced the concerns of a Wellington builder who grew suspicious about the quality of the bar he was using when he found it to easy to bend.
Imported by Euro Corp and distributed by Bunnings the product, according to this report, originates from Amsteel in Maylaysia.
You can read the full report here
Auckland based fiberglass engineering company, Maskell have introduced underground storage product Envirotank to the New Zealand Market.
Envirotank eliminates the risk of corrosion both inside and outside of the storage tank, an issue which in the past has led to harmful, toxic chemicals leaching into the surrounding soil.
Intended for a range of applications, the Envirotank can safely store sewage, storm water and petroleum. Envirotanks can also be equipped with Oil/Water separators, which are designed to prevent any spilled petrol, diesel or detergents from contaminating the storm water drainage system.
“Pollution prevention is critical to keeping our waterways clean. Our dedicated oil separators and storage solutions go above and beyond industry regulatory standards to ensure no silts or hydrocarbons (diesel, petrol or engine oil) can enter your storm water system”.
Envirotanks are constructed from corrosion resistant fiberglass and Maskell offer varying product types, depending on what substance is being stored.
In the past, water storage has been dedicated to steel or concrete tanks, which required a high level of maintenance and were at high risk of corrosion and leakage.
For harsher chemicals like petroleum, Maskell offer an even more durable underground storage tank solution in their double walled fiberglass product.
“Envirotank’s double-wall option for petroleum tanks offers customers proven protection from environmental contamination. After more than 250,000 installations in the U.S. as well as tens of thousands worldwide, Envirotank Double-Wall tanks have seen zero leaks from internal or external corrosion.”
Envirotanks, available in New Zealand through Maskell’s website come with a consultation service to ensure customers receive the ideal product for their underground storage needs.
| A Maskell release | March 07, 2017 ||
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