Many probably think of lasers being used in the Star Wars movies or in guiding rockets from military gunships yet as a technology, they are finding a multitude of applications in industry and medicine.
J Furphy and Sons, a prominent and well-known engineering company long associated with Shepparton and its history, have been investing in laser technology in the manufacture of stainless-steel tanks.
The tanks are constructed with what they term ‘pillow plate’, a laminate of two sheets of steel of different thickness welded with a laser welding machine. High pressure is then applied by water between the plates causing the thinner one to expand between the welds resulting like a studded pillow or cushion, hence the name.
The advantage of the pillow plate is that it can be used as insulation for either heating or cooling the contents of the tank. A new application will be for the manufacture of panels including the supply of value-added panels to Victorian company, Raygen, which will revolutionise solar thermal technology.
The Federal Government has recently stepped in to assist in the development of this technology with a co-funded grant of $675,000 from the Regional Jobs and Investment Program.
In seeing the machine working, local Member for Nicholls, Damian Drum visited the Furphy factory and said, “J Furphy & Sons is a long-standing business that has a rich history in the area and continues to be a big employer in the region,”
Managing director, Adam Furphy, thanked the Federal Government for its investment, which he said would put the business in a strong position as the market recovers from the impact of COVID-19.
“This laser welding machine is a state-of-the-art machine and is the only one of its type in Australia,” Mr Furphy said.
“Notwithstanding the significant impact to our sales due to COVID-19, we are excited by the long-term opportunities this machine allows us to explore.
“In addition to complementing our stainless-steel tank manufacturing capability, we are seeing more diverse applications of the pillow plate product from a range of manufacturers which we hope will continue to grow.”
It might not be laser swords Star Wars but from a technological point of view, this is very exciting and is one more thing that puts Shepparton on the map as a progressive city.
