It’s further ahead than you think!

New Zealand has passed the threshold where over 50% of manufacturers are beginning to integrate smart robotics, sensors and other aspects of industry 4.0 into their manufacturing process. However, the biggest players are ahead of the curve. Companies above the $200m revenue band have an 83% adoption rate, and are further widening the gap with automation and smart robotics. New Zealand is reaching a critical point where adoption of new CNC technology and robotics is both an advantage and a necessity – a crucial investment to future proof a manufacturing business. 

This is a huge upgrade over 2022, where only 33% of manufacturers were up to date with the latest CNC technology and smart robotics. If you’d like to see what the upgrade could do for your business, head over to our website and check out Heliner’s smart robotic solutions. 

Upgrading without compromising on carbon goals

Sustainability in manufacturing is one of those long term goals that can feel perpetually just out of reach. However, between 2018-2022, manufacturing emissions fell by 18%, and are expected to fall below household emissions in 2024 – which is important because it shows the progress is continuing through the post-covid rebound. It reflects an effort of manufacturers to become compliant with the Zero-Carbon act and Emissions Trading Scheme, and illustrates that these acts can be effective in the long term. As manufacturers adopt more energy efficient practices, sustainable supply chains, low carbon materials and even invest in carbon offsetting, we can expect this progress to compound in the following decade. 

Want to see an incredible sustainability project that could transform New Zealand roads? Auckland University is currently working on a way to imbed electric vehicle charging pads in the asphalt, and they did it using a Heliner CNC router! Check out the full story here.

Part 1 – It’s Growing and Will Keep Growing!

We’ve previously discussed how New Zealand CNC manufacturing is growing and modernising. Now let’s put some numbers to it, and take a look at some key players that Heliner has had the privilege of working with!

Employment and Workforce

The advanced manufacturing industry is one of the largest and fastest growing employers in New Zealand, and the impact is often localised – At its highest, the industry is responsible for 17% of the jobs in Southland. CNC router, laser cutter and other machinery operators are among the most sought-after professionals in the manufacturing sector, with employment expected to grow by 4% annually. However, overall productivity in the manufacturing industry remains one of the lowest in New Zealand, and there is a critical need for advanced CNC machines, robotics and other aspects of industry 4.0.

Heliner is dedicated to helping New Zealand businesses get ahead with our smart robotics and advanced CNC solutions. Feel free to reach out and contact us!

Industry Growth and Overseas Outlook

As the 2020 pandemic dip fades from view, New Zealand manufacturing has emerged as one of the most important and growing industries. It’s been steadily growing at 5.4% per year, and profits have soared by 65% following the covid dip, but one of the most crucial metrics is how we stack up internationally. 

Manufacturing is now one of New Zealand’s most internationally connected sectors, with a 15% export growth. As our manufacturing connects with overseas companies, it is becoming crucial for New Zealand CNC to catch up with the rest of the world technologically. Smart robotics, and advanced CNC routers and laser cutters are still fresh technologies in New Zealand, and it is Heliner’s mission to help businesses make the transition. 

The transition to advanced CNC technology is tricky to navigate, but our partner Step Ahead Stairs has made the upgrade! Have a look at their story.

Check out this post and other interesting articles on our Linkedin.

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We’re excited to share some amazing work from our talented customers! See what’s possible by checking out these incredible projects created using Heliner CNC routers.

Project 1: Four Axis Door Manufacturing

Why limit your CNC projects to just three axes? A fourth rotational axis unlocks a huge range of unique machining options. Door manufacturing is a tricky process. It requires critically accurate machining on the top and sides, and multiple setups. But with a Heliner four axis CNC router, and one of our custom fixtures, our customer can make stunningly accurate doors in a single setup!

Check out what four axis door manufacturing looks like!

Or check out our four axis CNC router directly.

Project 2: Foam Manufacturing

What can you machine on a Heliner CNC router? All the traditional materials – wood, plastic, aluminium. But why not go further and try something such as this light porous foam. It was held solidly by the powerful Heliner Vacuum pump, and the finished parts have the perfect finish despite the flexibility of the material. Imagine all the unique and interesting materials you could cut with a Heliner CNC router. We’re always happy to test any job before we provide a solution!

We made a timelapse of the entire part being made, check it out!

Project 3: Wilde Signs

A CNC router is perfect for creative or one off jobs. They give you the flexibility to program anything you can imagine – without significant setup time or custom tooling for each unique job. Wilde signs has made everything from large scale murals to bespoke signage on our CNC router, and we’re always excited to see what they do next.

Read more about Wilde Signs’ incredible projects!

Project 4: Step Ahead Stairs

No part is too large for a Heliner CNC router! It’s immensely satisfying to watch Step Ahead cut entire stair parts (stringers, treads, and risers) in a single setup. We’ve seen them produce entire jobs within a day’s work! As we customise every machine we make, the only size limit is what you can imagine.

Learn more about what goes in to making such a large and intricate part!

You can also check out more incredible customer projects here!

Want to learn more about what’s possible on a CNC router or laser cutting machine? Contact us, or check our our Petone workshop!

Heliner has taken on the challenge of building the perfect Signmaking CNC router from the ground up! We’ve learnt a lot from our partnerships with Wilde Signs and other New Zealand signmakers, and our new machine integrates all of the most important features for the signcutting industry. Let’s look at some of the highlights!

Advanced automation with integrated CCD camera

With the leading edge of machine vision, our CNC router can identify and cut parts regardless of alignment. This is perfect for sign making applications where the location of printed graphics is not always consistent. Want to see what our machine vision systems can do? Check out our robotic solutions!

Heliner’s own Control System!

Purpose built for our signcutting machine, the new Heliner CNC router Control System combines everything a sign maker needs. There are too many features to list, but we are most excited about the image file processing. The Heliner system allows you to directly import and machine sign graphics – supporting JPG, DXF, AI, and PLT in addition to normal G-code (.NC) files. No additional software is needed!

High Speed Operation

Heliner CNC routers are renowned for being quiet. This comes from the unique manufacturing and assembly quality of our bed and gantry, which translates into a higher max speed and finish quality, with less wear. This is crucial for large ACM, plastic and aluminium signcutting where production volume is high and turnaround must be fast. 

We dive into this topic, and others on our Linkedin and website posts!

It’s Still Customizable!

As it’s built from the ground up, we can add anything you need! We have the ability to customise both the CNC router, and the control system, to guarantee it will be perfect for any sign making application. Contact us or come visit us to discuss anything you need!

Learn more about the Heliner Signcutting CNC router, and see how it can transform your business:

Curious about how our custom robotics and CNC routers come to life? Join us for a behind-the-scenes look at Heliner’s research and development process!

Step 1: Understanding our Client

It all starts with thorough research. Heliner works closely with every client to understand their requirements,  and integrate their process into every stage of development. We aim to completely understand the job before development begins, so we can design a fully customised CNC machine from the ground up.

Just how custom can we go? Anything and everything, we love an engineering challenge! Take a look at this one of a kind CNC router we designed with Auckland University.

Step 2: Research and Conceptualization

We analyse the latest industry trends and emerging CNC technology to find a solution that can both do the job, and keep our client ahead of the competition. We always keep the customer in the driver’s seat, and highly value their experience and input at every stage. 

Step 3: Design & Engineering

Heliner’s engineering team takes over, using their wealth of experience to turn the concept into a final design. Unlike most machine suppliers, we have the experience and workshop to fully build and test every CNC machine!

You can check out some of Heliner’s CNC routers and laser cutters on our website.

Step 4: Assembly and Testing

We assemble, align and fully test every function of our machines in house, and every part is held to our robust quality control standards. We continuously improve and iterate on our designs, until we are entirely satisfied with every aspect of the final product. Before shipping, we always set up and complete the client’s job to ensure they can hit the ground running as soon as we complete installation. 

What do Heliner’s quality control standards look like in the final product? Check out our discussion on the topic, where we break down some of the key aspects to a good CNC router and laser machine: What makes a good CNC machine?

Step 5: Customer Integration & Support

Our journey doesn’t end with production. We work closely with our customers to install and integrate our robotics and CNC routers into their workflow, with extensive support and training. As engineers, our work is never finished as we always aim to learn from and further refine our solutions, taking advantage of new technologies and manufacturing processes as soon as they emerge. 

We take our commitment to ongoing support very seriously. We built a CNC router for Revelation Cabinets, and here’s what they have to say about our support:

Working with Heliner guarantees that your business will remain ahead of the curve, and we aim to be a completely future proof investment. 

Seeing is believing! Visit our website or contact us to learn more about our meticulous research and development process:.

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