N E W S - I N D U S T R Y M A T T E R S
HP 3D printing
solutions drives
expansion for
GoProto ANZ
GoProto has announced the
expansion of its Melbourne
prototyping and additive manufacturing
facility, doubling their
capacity for HP Multi-Jet Fusion
(MJF) 3D printed nylon parts, to
keep up with market demand for
increasingly more sophisticated
manufactured goods.
Partnering with HP’s Multi-Jet
Fusion 3D printing technology,
GoProto are the first service
bureau in Asia Pacific to provide
this ground-breaking, innovative
and affordable on-demand
solution.
‘We’ve invested significantly in
leading-edge manufacturing
technology and intend to stay
ahead of the competition by
partnering with HP to deliver MJF
3D printed parts to the market
at affordable pricing,” says Leon
Gairns, general manager of
GoProto ANZ.
GoProto’s additive manufacturing
technology provides access
to smooth, functional IP67 rated
parts. This feature is especially
desirable for designs where
equal strength and reliability
are required along all axes and
throughout the whole part.
“There’s certainly been an
increase in demand for complex,
isotropic parts for one-off
prototypes and smaller run
components of 1,000 units. We
predict that this trend will continue
to surge and our expansion allows
for considerable growth in volume
and capacity well into the future,”
Mr Gairns says.
GoProto’s integrated solutions
unlock a diverse array of applications
and greater innovation for
designers and engineers within
Australia and New Zealand. From
quick-turnaround prototyping
or short run projects, to higher
volume production using local or
overseas affiliated companies.
By providing a range of services
to match our customers evolving
needs, GoProto supplies a
complete solution, including CNC
machining, sheetmetal, tooling,
injection moulding and finishing
services.
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ENGINEERINGNEWS.CO.NZ/SUBS
10 November 2019
Engineering a new type of wall, and then we
can all get some sleep
Researchers at the University of
Auckland have been awarded close to
$1 million to develop a new type of wall,
to better shut out the unwanted sounds
of the people next door. This is timely.
We’re living in an age of increasingly
powerful entertainment systems and
often forced to listen to other people’s
music, televisions etcetera, which
can affect our health and well-being.
Moreover, the acoustic intrusion of our
neighbour’s is more likely in mediumdensity
housing, which is projected to
constitute 30 percent of Auckland’s
housing by 2050.
The team of mechanical engineers at
the Faculty of Engineering’s Acoustic
Research Centre, awarded $991,000
from the Ministry of Business,
Innovation and Employment (MBIE), is
taking an innovative approach to noise
insulation.
They aim to create a new kind of
partition material in which they, with the
use of specific materials, will reduce the
capacity of a wall to vibrate in response
to sound, thereby providing better
sound insulation, but without taking up
more floor space.
They are particularly focussed on
cutting out low frequency noise, which
travels more easily through walls – other
people’s bass beats, for instance, which
can be intrusive and impossible to
ignore.
“Sometimes it feels like Sting is playing
his bass in your living room,” says
Dr Andrew Hall, who is leading the
research, adding that he likes Sting’s
bass playing “just not at 2am”.
A wall is vibrated much more easily at
low frequencies, where wavelengths
can be more than three metres, Dr Hall
explains. “It’s like a giant hand pushing
on the wall.”
Achieving effective noise insulation
against low frequency sound is both
challenging and expensive, and usually
involves increasing the density, mass or
thickness of the partition material.
However he, co-researcher Dr George
Dodd and their team have shown
through previous research that they
can use internal mechanisms, known as
acoustic metamaterials, which can push
back against that vibration, and disrupt
the sound waves traveling through the
walls.
They are also investigating the use of
Helmholtz resonators to improve the
noise insulating properties of a wall.
“They respond much like when we blow
over the top of a glass bottle, and so
absorb and reflect sound,” says Dr
Hall. Using 3D printing of soft and hard
materials, the researchers will explore
the many possibilities in the design
of these Helmholtz resonators and
acoustic metamaterials.
We need and can find technological
solutions to protect us from other
people’s noises, says Dr Hall. “Despite
people decrying the poor quality of
multi-family housing in lower socioeconomic
sectors, there’s little
evidence of research groups seeking
solutions in the innovative way that we
are proposing.”
“Our system aims to raise NZ’s sound
insulation standards to meet the
internationally recognised minimum
performance expressed in overseas
building codes. More and more people
are living in urban settings in close
proximity to others, and tackling noise
pollution will have enormous benefits
for their health and well-being.”
Schwarze-Robitec
on show in Chicago
Schwarze-Robitec’s new CNC 25 E TB MR
machine will be seen at this year’s Fabtec
in Chicago with the larger CNC 80 E TB
MR machine. The Germany-based tube
bending expert will be showcasing its
products at the metalworking show from
November 11th to 14th.