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Case Study

Crowds go Quackers for DMG Engineering’s Pontoon

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Crowds go Quackers for DMG Engineering’s Pontoon

Standing five storeys high and five storeys wide, you’d be forgiven if you thought Sydney’s Darling Harbour was being taken over by an oversized children’s bathtub toy late January.

Ingleburn based fabrication company, DMG Engineering, worked closely with the New South Wales Government to produce a pontoon for the 15-metre high rubber ducky sculpture; creating the illusion of smooth and unaided floating through the harbour during the 2013 Sydney Festival.

“It’s definitely an unusual project; it looked great (when it was finished). The whole idea behind it is to simply bring a smile to people’s faces. Naturally the festival brings a lot of tourists and locals to the harbour and it will play a key role for the week,” said DMG Engineering Director Damien McGeough.

Having already been to 12 cities around the world since 2007, the pontoon built for Sydney Harbour used the Maxiem 2030 waterjet, sold and supported to DMG by Headland.

“We traditionally work a lot with the marine industry; fabricating jetties, walkways – this project was for the Sydney Festival – we had to fabricate a pontoon that would float a Rubber Ducky sculpture by Internationally acclaimed artist Florentijn Hofman. The idea is to not even see the pontoon we made, so it looks like the Duck is floating.

“I have been in business for over 17 years, the hardest part is getting the right people to do the work. It’s hard to get skilled labour, so we find that we are relying more and more on technology to help cope with increased work and decreased skilled labour.”

Working with the Maxiem 2030 Abrasivejet

The Maxiem 2030 abrasivejet system is able to cut complex flat parts out of most metals, plastic, glass, ceramics and stone directly from CAD or DXF file.

Maxiem 2030 Abrasivejet System
Maxiem 2030 Abrasivejet System

Featuring a X-Y table with motorised Z axis, 40HP high pressure direct drive and 50,000 PSI pump, the 2030 is designed for the abrasive environment and able to machine a wide range of materials and thicknesses while reducing set up time and material usage.

With its ergonomic and safe operating concept, the Maxiem 2030 adheres to an environmentally friendly machining process, following the trend towards more green technology.

Rubber Ducky wows the crowd

Crowds were going quackers as 60,000 people welcomed the arrival of Rubber Ducky in Darling Harbour, signalling the 36th annual Sydney Festival was underway.

Artist Florentijn Hofman takes great care in finding a suitable habitat for his larger-than-life works. Rubber Duck, he says doesn’t discriminate and has no political connotation. “It relieves everyday tensions, as well as defining them. It’s purpose is to do no more than amaze.”

For more information

For more information call 1300 592 061 or email marketing@headland.com.au