Composite Stands - Get your gear OFF the ground

Composite Stands has a new website! Check out its URL link in the comments to see the improvements. I'm excited to have this new platform available for you to view and hope you enjoy the enhanced experience.

While it's still a work in progress, it's a far cry from the original site and we are committed to continue to improve it over the coming months/years. We'd love to hear any feedback that you may have - feel free to share your thoughts on it.

Composite Stands - Get your gear OFF the ground

Does this look all too familiar? The issue is the weight of support tooling and current jack stands that employees must move around to maintain machinery...

Production losses far exceed the cost to adopt modern technology. The cumulative impact of short 15–20 minute delays within large organisations, severely impacts productivity and revenue. It's not just about time; financial efficiency is crucial.

Traditional stands often neglect safety considerations. These small details can jeopardise human safety. Contrasting old ways with safety underscores the crucial shift to prioritise safety over mere utility.

The passage of time has not brought about any change. The industry continues to rely on youthful vigor to handle these tasks, overlooking the long-term effects on the body. This narrow perspective fails to acknowledge the significant impact on health over time.

This problem, we have solved with Composite Stands - Get your gear OFF the ground!

We've been taking a breather from the feed as we hustle behind the scenes! Exciting times ahead with new products, business development, fresh branding and a revamped website to follow. Our latest 'Product Catalogue' is shown below and stay tuned for more over the coming weeks at Composite Stands - Get your gear OFF the ground.

Big things are happening here at Composite Stands with our latest R&D project! The team has been working hard to develop new, higher-capacity stands for the demands of the largest mining trucks. Our customers have been asking about this for a while now and we want to deliver.

Focused on designing stands that are the lightest in the world with a commitment to long-term safety and ergonomics. It’s likely one of our biggest challenges to date. The ‘bigger is better’ range is now ready for its ‘first pass’ testing. Can’t wait to see where this new direction takes us. We hope you’ll join us on this exciting journey…

Composite Stands | GET YOUR GEAR OFF the ground

Just in from Michael McNab, Branch Manager at Komatsu Australia, Mt Thorley. He said “WA900 being built for one of our major clients, Composite Stands are on the job!”.

Thanks Michael, always great to see the stands in use and to hear positive feedback on the ground.

Composite Stands | GET YOUR GEAR OFF the ground

The question is, are Composite Stands compliant?

Independent testing is carried out on all Composite Stands that we manufacture here in Australia. This is by either the University of Newcastle University &/or the University of Southern Queensland.

These tests are to ensure compliance as per the Australian Standard AS 2538:2016, Vehicle Jack Stands. It is to warrant that our products are safe, strong, stable and high quality.

You will find compliance statements related to our jack stands printed on the label of every one that we sell. They can also be located on our website and emailed to you in PDF format on request.

We take safety very seriously and guarantee that our products are designed and manufactured to the highest possible standard.

In my past working life, I was fortunate to learn and implement ideas from the Japanese productivity system called 5S. Rearranging an environment to be efficient and well-organised on a whole. These 5S principles include Sort, Order, Shine, Standardise and Sustain.

One of my key learnings from this experience was the importance of sorting to omit items no longer needed. To declutter, arrange and find a new more effective home. Creating a much more efficient workspace.

We also implemented a visual management system. To make it easy to maintain cleanliness by organising and standardising the work area. Finally, we made sure that the improvements would last. We did this by reviewing and changing as required so we can continue to evolve.

Fast forward and using the same 5S principles, we designed a storage solution for 15 & 25 tonne Composite Stands. It is both efficient and effective in reducing the footprint for stands typically stored on a pallet, on the floor. A wall mounted or portable system that gives you easy access. Stands and height adjusting inserts organised by capacity and height. Simple for your team to find the right tools, simple to learn and sight.

This system makes it easier for everyone on the team to keep an eye on the standards for the storage area. It also helps to quickly identify if a stand is missing or damaged which keeps your tooling in the right condition.

Overall, the 5S principles strategy that we have applied in our storage system will improve safety, efficiency and organisation of your workplace.

New clients often ask about setting up machinery stands. Our safety policy prohibits placing anyone under an unsupported load to ensure worker safety. That's why we developed the placement hook, a simple and efficient solution.

The placement hook allows technicians to set up and take down stands while supporting the equipment. It requires minimal assembly and stores easily on our 5S mounting board.

Our Placement hook addresses customer concerns, improves workplace safety and boosts productivity. As stand manufacturers, it's our job to make strong, safe, durable and easy-to-use stands. With our placement hook, we fulfil that responsibility while providing improved safety and productivity to our users.

Our new spigot insert (see pictured below) is the ideal solution for storing dozer blades! They sit atop our 15t Composite Stands and address three common issues faced in blade storage at OEM dealerships.

Firstly, our jack stands are lightweight. Weighing only 8 kg (17 lb) compared to the typically used hardwood timber blocks that can weigh up to 60 kg (+120 lbs).

Secondly, our insert has a swivel feature that makes sure the contact area between the jack stand and the blade is aligned. This keeps the blade from side loading when laid back onto the jack stand.

Thirdly, our insert has a spigot that fits into the machined push-arm connection point on the back of the blade. It ensures that the blade is securely in place and won't fall off the jack stand.

Upgrade your blade storage with our durable, lightweight and efficient Composite Stands and spigot inserts. Perfect for Dealerships and anyone looking to store dozer blades in a professional manner. Compliant with AS 2538:2016 and Patented.

This Workshop in Queensland previously used 4 steel jack stands weighing +90kg each to support a power module during fit-out.

They’ve recently adopted our new Composite technology and are now using 15 tonne jack stands. Just one person can carry and place, weighing in at just 9kg each.

Therefore, set-up is much more efficient, user friendly and they do exactly the same job as the heavy & cumbersome steel stands.

An incredible weight at just 34kg for 50-tonne x 800mm Composite Stands. Supporting Caterpillar FEL's (loader’s) during articulation maintenance on site in WA.

Composite Stands | GET YOUR GEAR OFF the ground

As always, we are focused on safety, manual handling and efficiency gains for our customers. To maintain our level of quality within the current economic environment we recently updated our product guide which includes a modest price rise. Like any business, operating costs do increase over time. However, we are confident that our prices remain competitive within our sector for the products that we provide.

Composite Stands - Get your gear OFF the ground

A leading Caterpillar dealer in Australia recently made the decision to implement the use of 50t Composite Stands for D10 & D11 dozer assembly. The standard base configuration of Composite Stands is adequate when used in this environment. This is in accordance with the suggested stand placement location recommendations by Caterpillar.

However, mining operations tend to place their stands on the outermost edge of the machine chassis. Therefore, to maximise the clearance between the stand base and trackgrouser, we developed a base with an offset column. Meeting all of the Australian Standard requirements and engineered specifically for the dozer application.

Here’s a pic of the new design under a D11 onsite in the Hunter Valley. In the foreground of this image, you can see a close-up of the base in the DZ format.

2 years on and confidence continues to grow as Hastings Deering commits to implementing even more Composite Stands into their lineup…

It’s been a fantastic journey watching the 50 tonne stands especially become part of their daily driver when supporting equipment.

Like all of our stands, they enhance efficiency gains and user comfort with manual handling benefits for the crew whilst assembling Caterpillar Mining Equipment that's in constant demand.

Pictured below: 50t Composite Stand; 1350mm tall and 62kg

4 x 25-tonne jack stands for an engine would normally be overkill although because they weigh only 13kg each, they are a good fit for smaller jobs too.

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Here is an overview for the working nature of composite materials in this application. Movement in the column during load take-up is a function of the composite fibres being forced into tension to support the desired load. Returning to its original state when unloaded, much like a synthetic sling, stretches when in use and relaxing when unloaded.

Several hundred core fibres make up our composite column. Each core contains thousands of individual fibres. These fibres are all held in place by a resin compound that is formed into shape under high pressure and temperature during the manufacturing process.

Composite materials are widely known for tension capabilities. Not so much in compression. This is due largely to the fact that the composite fibres themselves have no compressive capability. As the bonding resins that hold them in place have limited compressive capability.

However, the design and manufacture of the composite column sections in our stands are very different from other composite products. Pultruded or otherwise. Conventional pultruded composite products typically contain only longitudinal fibres. This is not the case in our composite column sections. A unique layup combination multi-directional fibres are used in the manufacturing process. Where the compressive load is ‘taken up’ by the column and the fibres engage under tension.

Therefore, the Composite Stand supports a compressive load when the fibres in the composite column are fully engaged under tension. It will initially compress slightly until the thousands of fibres resisting the force in that direction come under enough tension. They then become engaged as a supported load transfers its force (i.e. weight) downwards onto the composite support column. Thereafter, the whole column has a significant overall compressive strength.

Essentially, the composite material must compress or move slightly. Then the composite fibres placed in tension engage and hold the load. This is the big advantage of composite materials in this situation. They are lightweight products which have a huge capacity.

Over the length of the column it is possible to observe lateral movement as a function of the fibres and tension as mentioned above. In addition to the 150t (3 times rated load) Overload Testing during Certification. A load of 75t (1.5 times rated load) is also applied to the edge of the top of the stand. It's part of the structural integrity certification testing. This is where the column exhibits somewhat similar deflection characteristics to those in this image.

That being said, we wouldn't expect to see bowing as illustrated in the image unless the truck has moved. It may also happen if the fall on the floor is at a significantly different angle. Due to the supported surface on the machine.

True to form, it held up better than we expected after a week in the hot wash! Part 2:

When Brad Harriage, Service Supervisor at Hastings Deering in Toowoomba conducted the empirical testing on our jack stand. The longevity of the label was our biggest concern. Up against heat and potentially the corrosive nature of the hot wash solution.

The label, as with all of our parts, is a very important element of the framework. It not only protects the stand against UV exposure but it also holds all of the important information that is critical for its use. This information is a requirement of the Australian Standard and without it, would not comply. “Jack stands without the proper labels are not compliant with AS 2538:2016 - Clause 9”.

So, to come out squeaky clean with no signs of deterioration or stress is another win for Composite Stands. Washed by an agent called Aqueous Parts Cleaner Detergent by Transpacific Responsible Solutions. This solution is for cleaning, reusing, recycling and environmentally friendly. All in all, assisting with contamination control.

Now off to the test rig for overload testing…

We've been on the road again. This time, in Western Australia. First stop, a World leader in Off-The-Road (OTR) tyre management, Otraco who operate across 50+ mine sites on three continents around the globe.

Steve Turley, Superintendent Regional Operations Support invited us to meet the group at head office. Interested to see where Composite Stands may fit into their business.

Among the attendees were Victor Duong, Superintendent Regional Operations - BHP and Tony Cutler, Technical Manager from Otraco who is also a long-time LinkedIn connection. Always great to put a face to a name Tony Cutler FAusIMM and thank you for your ongoing support.

Recently Brad Harriage, Service Supervisor of Workshop Operations at Hastings Deering, Toowoomba carried out some empirical testing on a 25t Composite Stand in their Hot Wash for contamination control.

The stand washed for half hour cycles over a period of a week. It did not run all of the time although the lid was closed and it was constantly exposed to temperatures at around 80 degrees.

With a pleasing end result. No signs of damage to the soft parts of the stand, labelling and plastic covers etc.

Brad will now return the stand to our manufacturing facility to undergo further testing. This is to determine whether the heat affected its ability to support the designed overload capacity. In this case a minimum of 75 tonnes.

To be continued...

Late 2021, Wolf Contracting from Perth started a trial with Composite Stands in their workshop. Fast forward to now and this is what they have to say:

We now use 35t composite stands to support the back end of Cat 773E rigid haul trucks while we are resealing the rear suspension cylinders.

The light weight composite stands and trolley make it really easy to manoeuvre the stands into place with minimum effort. They eliminate the manual handling risk of heavy steel stands with bulky trolleys.

Having the correct stands for the job, gives us extra peace of mind that the back end of the truck is more than sufficiently supported. Allowing the suspension cylinders to be discharged safely, removed, resealed and fitted again.

WithSTANDing the test of time! It's approaching 4 years since Composite Stands were first put into service by our very first customer.

They have over 100 of them in service throughout a very large Workshop that has 20 bays. These stands are on high rotation, supporting hundreds of machines annually for routine maintenance &/or overhauls.

Each machine typically weighs in at around 22,000kg. The stands weigh in at around 8.5kg each.

Alpha Contracting are protecting their Composite Stands with a heat-proof blanket while in use. This is during the line boring maintenance process on this Caterpillar D8T.

Even with the extra step, these jack stands are quick and easy to set up. They provide the added benefit of safe manual handling for a single user. Saving both time and money.

This image has us thinking though... Are we able to make protection during hot work even easier for the end user? Maybe look out for this in our range, in the very near future!

We were on the road again last week in Queensland this time. One of the days we happened to be on site when one of our trial packages arrived. I helped the guys set it up and get it ready for work.

It doesn't take long for workshops to realise the benefits of using our gear during these trials. Especially if technicians use cumbersome steel jack stands or timber blocks. The evidence is in how much you improve efficiencies around jacks stands on your workshop floor.

Last week Flynn and I assembled more trial packages in the factory. These packages consist of 8 x 25 tonne Composite Stands. They range from 400 mm through to 700 mm in height. The packages have a little bit of everything from our product range in this capacity.

It includes height adjusting inserts and a placement hook. Fits neatly onto our portable storage unit that one person can move in, out and around the workshop floor. Hardstand pads (Outriggerpads) are also available if you work in a yard &/or field service.

All the different options are versatile and allow workshops to try Composite Stands in different applications. Two of these kits are heading out to new Hastings Deering workshops in QLD, this week.

In the yard at Alpha Contracting, central Queensland. This Caterpillar D8T is set-up for line boring. 25 tonne Composite Stands at 700 mm tall support the job whilst maintaining. They are lightweight and efficient.

With a composite “hard stand pad” (Outrigger) placed underneath the stand. Spreading the load over a wider area on the site pad. It also prevents point loading at the base. A perfect combination for working on the ground and in field service.

G.E.T. is another great example where Composite Stands are used for dozer maintenance. Although the blade assembly weighs around 15 tonne, 50 tonne stands were selected by the customer. This is because the hydraulics on the machine are used to position the blade for maintenance. When powering down, the hydraulics could load the stands with the overall weight of the machine. In this case a D11T circa 112 tonnes.

The Composite Stand is 1 m tall and weighs just 57 kg. It has a swivel head to match the angle of the arm. There is also an adapter on the base plate to connect our placement trolley. The placement trolley has a retractable handle of 1.2 to 2 m. They are lightweight and easily manoeuvrable for just one technician to place whilst keeping them out of the line of fire.

Composite Stands | GET YOUR GEAR OFF the ground

We kicked off 2022 with another customer trial! 50 tonne composite jacks stands that weigh a mere 54 kg in use on ancillary equipment and in this case, a Caterpillar D11T.

During this particular procedure there is a possibility that the operator can “power down” the hydraulics and lift the tractor up in the air.

The total operating weight of the tractor is 112 tonnes and you could potentially have greater than 50 tonnes on the stand, if you point load to lift.

So, it is a safety precaution to have a greater capacity stand in use for this process. In this image, the ripper is out from underneath the machine and the stand is placed underneath the ripper box.

Composite Stands make lifting safer at Bundaberg Regional Council thanks to Andrew Railz, Independent Fleet Manager who referred the stands to Peter Stanton, Fleet Maintenance Coordinator at the Council.

“The process started after a discussion between Councils Fleet Services division and Roads and Drainage Department about grader operators assisting workshop staff replacing grader cutting edges,” said Stanton.

“A safe work procedure was to be developed and a work instruction formulated as part of the process. The use of lightweight composite stands played an important role in this procedure.”

Caroline Falls tells the full story for Fleet Auto News including how the workers feel about using the new stands, hit link below:

https://lnkd.in/gk5vtVDa

Finally allowed back into Victoria so we caught up with Lisa Watts from Komatsu in Campbellfield this week. Lisa is the Victorian Service Manager, her teams look after machinery in both the workshop and field service.

It is so good to get back to face to face business. Also, great meeting you Lisa and thank you for showing us around. We look forward to adding value to your operations in the near future!