A tour of the Archer Manufacturing Centre of Excellence at Somersby, on the NSW Central Coast, might have you believe that we specialise only in manufacturing. After all, we have state of the art Okuma CNC multi-axis machine centres and an array of complementary equipment for working with steel, aluminium, brass and exotic materials. However, Archer is so much more than that.
A recent project for a Japanese government laboratory highlights the diversity of Archer. The product was a scientific test apparatus called the RTI Plunge Test Tunnel. It is used to test the performance of automatic fire sprinklers. Archer was involved every step of the way from the first design sketches to training the operators and preparing the operation manual in their language. At the same time, Archer didn’t only look after the metal fabrication and component part of this project, we also integrated the other components such as electronics.
The 2.2-metre long tunnel features custom fabricated stainless steel duct work with ceramic insulation and a painted mild steel exterior cladding. Archer manufactured the heating plenum chamber, plug fan assembly made up of the impeller, transmission and housing, duct work, dampeners, doors, cladding, the plunge mechanism and other precision machined components. At the same time Archer sourced the electronics which included a programmable process controller, electric fan motor, variable speed drive, timer, pressure switches, transducers and temperature thermocouples. Archer assembled the tunnel, tested it, shipped it to Japan, installed it and trained their engineers.
“It’s one thing to manufacture a product, it is another thing to ensure that your customer understands it and will get the best return on investment from it. When you are dealing with international customers it is vital that you go the extra mile. We are up against tough competition from overseas but I believe here in Australia we have the know-how to provide highly specialised technology to the world”, said Archer Operations Director Russell Byrne.
"We are focused on accurately defining our customers' solutions. We develop a complete understanding of their environment and challenges. Our expertise in production engineering and manufacturing processes combined with our passionate results-centric philosophy delivers the very best outcome”, added Brad Byrne the Managing Director.