SouthMACH is the South Island’s premier technology trade show celebrating the heartland of NZ Manufacturing. If you are an Engineer - Mechanical, Design, Consultant, Electrical. Machinist, Communications Technician/Manager, Supervisor, Technical Operator, Operations Manager, or similar, Southmach offers the tools, technology and services to work smarter. An exhibitor to look out for this year is Kormax.  Kormax hold the largest range of metals for the engineering industry in New Zealand; from Bronze, Brass, Copper, Cast-Iron and Aluminium along with Bronze Bushes, Oilite Bushes and Key Steel. These materials are stocked in various different profiles from solid and round bar, flat bar,…

For the last 14 weeks I have been undertaking one of my most ambitious works to date. Not ambitious in terms of size (although it is a largish piece), but more of a personal record in terms of the substantial number of parts I was required to make to execute this idea. It is a design with well over a thousand individually machined parts. If you count spare parts (I always make extras), almost 1100. While still a healthy size as far a machined metal sculptures go, it is by far the largest parts count I have ever attempted. I…

For developing the Helix Dumper, an innovative wagon solution that is highly durable and far more efficient than other ore wagon offerings, Kiruna Wagon has been named a finalist for the Swedish Steel Prize 2017. The Swedish Steel Prize is an international prize that honors the art of engineering and innovation in the steel industry. This year Kiruna Wagon from Sweden, is one of four finalists for this year’s prize, which will be awarded during a ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden on May 11 a path that New Zealand's A-Ward Attachments trod on their journet to taking out the 2012 award…

Experts from New Zealand and around the world will attend the New Zealand Society for Earthquake Engineering’s annual technical conference in Wellington this week. Conference convenor Dr David Whittaker says about 500 earthquake engineers and scientists will meet to exchange knowledge on a range of topics, including the impacts of the Kaikoura Earthquake and how to make building structures more resilient to large earthquakes. Dr Whittaker says around 100 international delegates will present papers and updates from the United States, Japan, China, Taiwan and Turkey. NZSEE President Peter Smith says the conference is a chance to share the latest thinking…

Most people’s encounters with CNC machining happen either before factory installation—in advertisements or at tradeshows—or afterward, when the machine is already up and running. Unless you take part in an installation personally, you don’t often get the opportunity to see all the intermediate steps: prepping the factory floor, unloading the machine, bringing it into the facility and getting it in place. Fortunately, Norwegian drone manufacturer, GRIFF Aviation recently released a video documenting the company’s receipt and installation of a Mazak Integrex i-400 multi-tasking machine. Check out the video here The Integrex i-400 combines the capabilities of a turning center and…

The latest release of Autodesk’s Advance Steel 2018 promises to both streamline the 3D modeling tool and improve interoperability with other Autodesk software, such as Revit, Navisworks and AutoCAD. This article will examine the software's new features, and explain how they impact the architects, structural engineers and construction workers who use it. Figure 1 above – Advance Steel 2018 adds 130 parametric steel connections that may be transferred to the Revit model. Image courtesy of Autodesk. Improved Level of Detail The first big highlight is Advance Steel 2018's ability to offer “seamless consumption of LOD 350 Revit models.” LOD, short…

The 2017 Young Engineer of the Year is Rocket Lab’s Lachlan Matchett, it was announced at the IPENZ Fellows’ and Achievers’ Awards in Wellington last night. Aged 26, Lachlan has led a large team of engineers to design and deliver Rocket Lab’s innovative Rutherford Engine. The other two finalists for Young Engineer of the Year were Virginie Lacrosse of Tonkin + Taylor, who has been at the forefront of liquefaction work in Christchurch, and Oliver Whalley, who has been working on sustainable transport in the Pacific for the World Bank. Other awards announced last night included the William Pickering Award…

Craig Price is the new President of the Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand (IPENZ). Mr Price has had a long career with engineering consultancy Beca. He is currently South Island Regional Manager and Chair of Beca’s New Zealand business. IPENZ currently has a record 19,000 members across all fields of engineering. Mr Price takes office during a significant period of change for IPENZ, with the organisation adopting a new direction and membership structure. “This will be another big year of change, as we deliver on our strategies to drive increased credibility and influence for our members.” Mr Price says…

Design standards and building laws will be reviewed in response to an investigation into structural damage to Wellington’s Statistics House in the Kaikōura earthquake, Building and Construction Minister Dr Nick Smith says. Dr Smith today released an independent panel’s findings into the performance of the building during the 14 November 2016 quake, focussing on its design and construction, and the land influences on it. “The performance of Statistics House in the Kaikōura earthquake was unacceptable and could have caused fatalities. This quake was large and unusually long but a modern building like Statistics House should not have had life-threatening structural…

Engineers say results from the Statistics House investigation will help build more resilient buildings. New Zealand Society for Earthquake Engineering (NZSEE) President Peter Smith says every earthquake provides new information on how to improve building design. “Investigations like this are crucial to making our buildings safer. We need to gain access to detailed information on how other buildings performed, to help widen understanding of whole-of-building performance. “Statistics House illustrated how different factors can combine in unexpected and unprecedented ways. “In Wellington, this earthquake most severely affected mid-height buildings. Because the earthquake was so far away, only low-frequency waves made it…

NZ’s investment in infrastructure creating jobs Global engineering and advisory firm Aurecon, will be recruiting approximately 30 graduates around the country[1] in 2017, as part of its annual graduate recruitment programme. With the release of the latest instalment of the Government’s Ten Year Capital Intentions Plan (CIP) in 2016, the Government is showing its commitment to a pipeline of $100.9 billion worth of infrastructure projects over the next decade in New Zealand. Aurecon’s New Zealand Regional Director, Carl Devereux, said, “While the majority of the investment over the past few years has been in road infrastructure and the restoration of…