While sheet metal fabrication and ironwork equipment appear similar, there are key differences between the two. So, before deciding one over the other, it’s important to consider your needs. Although ironwork is more structural, sheet metal fabrication is more functional.  

But how do you know what’s best for you? Well, in this blog, we’ve created a list of some fundamental differences to help you make a decision. 

Durability 

While both sheet metal fabrication and ironwork are extremely durable and work for functional prototypes and final production, ironwork equipment requires additional maintenance as they are more prone to rust or corrode.  

Design 

The designing and shaping of sheet metal fabricated products is a more intricate and extensive process that demands a highly skilled professional. The processes that they follow include die cutting, shrinking, finishing and more. Contrastingly, iron work products are a lot easier to be shaped and formed. 

Scalability 

In terms of scalability, ironwork equipment and sheet metal fabrication are comparable. Both pieces of equipment can scale to different areas of work, such as automobile and aircraft restoration shops, sheet metal stamping shops and more. 

Availability  

Sheet metals are easily available. This is a massive advantage as you do not have to spend a large sum of money in obtaining the metal. Similarly, iron is also a readily available material and is incredibly cost-effective.  

At ACRA Machinery, we stock a dynamic range of both ironwork and sheet metal fabrication equipment. To learn more about our capabilities or to request a quote, please don’t hesitate to get in touch by calling us on 03 9794 6675.   

Artificial intelligence (AI) has increasingly become part of our working lives. The manufacturing industry is in no way exempt from that- by 2023, the value of AI was projected to reach 4,882.9 million within manufacturing. Is there any wonder, then, as to why companies are aiming to bolster their business with AI? Should you be doing so? In this week’s article, we’ll be running through key ways that AI will change the face of the manufacturing industry.

Research and investment

AI will call for a new, collaborative way of working on both the company and industry levels. While certain processes are company specific, certain processes such as user interface and product inspection are areas of common ground. At this point in time, most AI specialists are unfamiliar with the manufacturing industry. Particular areas such as steel production are incredibly complex for a newcomer. That’s why larger metal manufacturing companies must start collaborating with smaller tech startups. Through working together, companies within manufacturing may be able to find new, meaningful ways to include AI in their day-to-day and achieve greater results than ever before.

Uncovering new ways to improve

AI is completely revolutionary, as it forces us to think about work and production is vastly different ways than ever before. It’s important to begin with existing problems, and to then posit how AI may tackle these challenges. But from there, it’s uncharted territory. The ways in which AI could propel this industry forward remain unseen, as it requires creativity and flexibility of approach. Some experts suggest that one area in which AI could provide enormous benefit is within data collection. At the moment, classification for particular metals within the industry are lacking, but with AI, that could improve. What should be remembered, though, is that the implementation of AI within the workplace would require additional roles such as data analysts.

Problem mining

As we’ve discussed, the potential benefits of AI remain unseen- that’s why it’s so important to open our minds to the potential of what this technology could mean. One way to do this is to conduct problem mining; this involves defining a problem and its solution in a systematic way so that future tasks are tackled more easily. Traditionally, people have been behind solving problems, but as AI takes over this task for us, it’s about defining problems, collecting the right data and managing the technological systems in place.

If you’re looking for a complete overhaul or to simply replace some parts, Acra’s your one stop shop. We stock a dynamic range of new and used sheet metal manufacturing machinery including pressbrakes. To learn more about our capabilities, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us by calling 03 9794 6675.

Properly maintaining your metal equipment is key to the long-term success of your business. But with so many different products and services available, it can be hard to know the best way to care for your metal working equipment. In this week’s blog, we share our top tips for keeping your metal working equipment in peak condition. 

1) Adhere to the specific guidelines of the tool 

Each tool or piece of equipment has different instructions which you must adhere to when cleaning your metal. It is essential that you follow these religiously when cleaning your metal working equipment. Otherwise, you can end up with potentially harmful repercussions. Different manufacturers of the same piece of equipment will indicate different cleaning procedures so make sure to always read the manual before touching any piece of metal working equipment. 

2) Keep up routine maintenance of all metal tools 

Despite the fact that each piece of metal working equipment has different cleaning instructions, all metal tools require regular cleaning. Not only will this routine maintenance preserve your equipment, it will also keep any manufacturer warranties in tact. This can save you a great deal of money down the track. So invest in regular maintenance now to avoid large bills in the future. 

3) Plan your production schedule around cleaning of equipment 

When you organise cleaning of your metal working equipment, it’s essential that you plan your production schedule to fit these arrangements. Obviously, if there is an urgent job that needs to be done, cleaning may have to wait for some machines. But it’s critical that you do take the time to clean your metal working equipment to save you time and money in the future. 

At Acra Machinery, we can meet all your sheet metal machinery repair, maintenance and servicing requirements. For a quote on your maintenance needs, please contact us on 03 9794 6675.  

While the hydraulic press is an amazingly powerful tool, after a certain period of time it’s normal that things will start to slow down. The press may stop coming down to the required depth; fluid may start leaking out from the power unit; the electrical system may keep short circuiting. If this happens to you, the question is- should you replace or repair your hydraulic press? In this week’s article, we’ll be exploring the steps to conduct a “check up” on your press to see if it’s worth extending its life.

Costs

To be cost effective, ensure that a repair or upgrade of your existing equipment costs no more than 65% of what a new one would cost. This includes auxiliary costs, from freight, to installation, to foundation work- depending on whether you’re repairing or replacing.  Furthermore, consider that when replacing the inner parts through an electrical, mechanical or hydraulic upgrade, its existing framework will remain old. Is this what you’re after? Purchasing new machinery will mean that that equipment will simply have a longer lifespan, and slower rate of depreciation in value.

Safety

The operation of a hydraulic press must comply with safety regulations. This includes equipment such as physical guarding, area scanners and light curtains, which should be installed on presses before use. It’s true that these features add extra costs, but safety is absolutely crucial to the health and success of the business and its employees.

Hydraulic health

If your hydraulic press is not functioning as it once did, there may be issues present within the hydraulic systems. For example, there may be problems with worn-out cylinder seals, or debris having entered the equipment. Sometimes these issues can be fixed by simply replacing parts, but other circumstances may warrant a hydraulic system replacement completely.

If you’re looking for a complete overhaul or to simply replace some parts, Acra’s your one stop shop. We stock a dynamic range of new and used sheet metal manufacturing machinery including pressbrakes. To learn more about our capabilities, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us by calling 03 9794 6675.

The year is coming to a close, so it’s a great time to ensure that your finances are in order. If you’re operating a business (at any scale), budgeting is a key tool to operationalise for your success. In this week’s article, we’ll be running through three of the best budget practices for business, so that you can stay ahead of the game.

Always be prepared

The best way to prepare for the budgeting process is to get in early. This doesn’t mean jumping the gun though! During the year, there are definitely periods where business is in flux, and others where it’s more stable. The best approach to consider these periods of stability as your base mark, and plan for the ups and downs that inevitably come throughout the year.

Use budgeting to unite practices across your business

When preparing a budget, it’s more than a simple financial exercise. It’s all about creating a plan that will represent your organisation’s goals and priorities moving forward. Putting together a plan that will work across the board is key in drawing different factions of your business together, and ultimately creating a more streamlined process.

Plan for 80% confidence levels

In budget preparation, there’s always the question of whether or not your budget should realistically represent business practices, or whether it should represent a stretch goal. A stretch goal is an alluring prospect, but rarely do things happen in reality as they do in theory. So it’s important to allow room for greatness in your budgets, but strive to meet a confidence level of 80% so that you can be sure (almost) everything will work out as it’s meant to.

At Acra Machinery, we sell tools such as press brakes, as well as other metal machinery to support you in your business progress. Get in touch by calling 03 9794 6675 for more information today.

 

From buildings to forms of transport, metal is widely used in our society to enhance and create convenience in our everyday lives. The fabrication of metal has an interesting history that has brought us to where we are today. In this week’s blog, we are going to take you through a brief history of metal work and sheet metal to see how it has evolved over time.  

1) The initial development of sheet metal 

Metal has been used for thousands of years by civilisations around the world in processes such as hammering, embossing gilding, chasing, inlaying and wiredrawing. In 1590, however, the abilities of metal work progressed significantly with Leonardo da Vinci’s invention of the first rolling mill. These rolling mills consisted of two heavy cylinders designed to press various metals into different thicknesses. There were design restraints with these rolling mills, such as their inability to produce thin sheets. Later on, metal sheets were designed, which included hydraulics. These models were a lot more effective in producing thinner metal sheets. 

2) The creation of sheet metal machinery 

The Industrial Revolution brought an influx of sheet metal work. This lead to inventions such as the assembly line, press brakes and fabricators, which created even more sheet metal production and innovation. Following the creation of the hydraulic press was the friction press and eccentric press. These two developments progressed the sheet metal industry even further. 

3) Metal today 

Sheet metal has progressed significantly from its humble origins. There is a plethora of advanced sheet metal machinery available today, which performs a range of different functions. From hydraulic cutters to plasma cutters to laser cutters and guillotines, ACRA machinery stocks an extensive range of new and used sheet metal machinery. For more information or to speak to one of your friendly staff members about which piece of machinery is right for you, please give us a call on 03 9794 6675.

Invented in 1949, the hydraulic ironworker was largely ignored until more than a decade later. However, their impact on the metal manufacturing industry is unmistakeable. To this day, the ironworker remains an incredibly important tool, despite the immense changes to technology that occurred with time. In this week’s article, we’re going to be exploring the history of the hydraulic ironworker, and how it has changed in modern times.

Peace, love and hydraulic ironworkers

It wasn’t until the late 1960s that hydraulic ironworkers were embraced by the metal manufacturing industry. Before their time, much larger mechanical tools were all the rage. With massive flywheels, these mechanical models were incredibly powerful, but also excessively heavy and therefore dangerous. The early models of hydraulic ironworkers were able to pack the same punch without all of that weight. This meant that users were able to control the entire movement of the machinery, unlike the models in use prior to the ironworker’s emergence.

In the time of now

Today, ironworkers still look pretty similar to when they were first introduced. These machinery were made to be long lasting, and so businesses are able to rely on simply changing parts when they get damaged or rusty at all. However, they’ve changed in different ways. One such example is that of its tonnage; hydraulic ironworkers made today are available in variations as high as a 150-ton ironworker, with a capability to punch a hole in 1.25 inch steel plates. Manufacturers of the hydraulic ironworker have also introduced the two-function ironworker, meaning double the productivity!

To infinity and beyond

As a highly versatile tool, the hydraulic ironworker remains relevant to this day, and no doubt into the future, as well. It’s likely that as technology improves, so too will the capabilities of the ironworker, ensuring its place within the future of metal manufacturing.

Acra stock a dynamic range of new and used sheet metal manufacturing machinery including ironworkers. To learn more about our capabilities, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us by calling 03 9794 6675.

Maintaining a safe workplace is key for every business. However, when your work environment takes place in a warehouse or factory, there are additional precautions which need to be taken to ensure the safety of all your employees. In this week’s blog, we share five key rules for maintaining a safe warehouse. 

1) Use Safety Equipment At All Times 

The first essential principle to ensuring a safe factory is to use safety equipment at all times. This includes appropriate eyewear and hard hats, as well as using forklifts or hydraulic dollies to lift heavy items. It is also crucial that all employees are aware of emergency exits and understand not to block the sprinklers in the roof at any time. 

2) Use Clear Labels for Dangerous Areas 

Clear and appropriate signage should be up at all times. A simple way to highlight hazardous zones is to paint or tape black and white stripes on the floor of the area.  

3) Remove Any Potential Hazards  

Make sure all floors are free of any ‘slip and trip’ hazards which can cause great harm. This is something that should be regularly checked by employees too. Any cracks and pits in the flooring need to be dealt with to avoid serious injuries.  

4) Follow Safe Lifting Techniques 

When working in a factory or warehouse, it is likely that lifting heavy equipment or machinery will take place. To do this in a safe and easy manner, make sure to follow the relevant lifting technique for the size, weight and shape of that object. Remember that the loud should never obstruct the view of the lifter. 

5) Educate Your Employees 

Unless your employees are made aware of all this information, it is somewhat useless. So make sure to provide your staff with training and refresher courses on up-to-date knowledge about safe practices within the workplace. It is also important to promote awareness in your workplace about the significance of safety. By creating a work culture which priorities safety, you are more likely to avoid unwanted accidents and incidents. 

At Acra Machinery, we take safety seriously. In our warehouses, we produce a range of machinery, including press brakes, laser cutters, plasma cutters and more. For more information, please do not hesitate to give us a ring on 03 9794 6675.