Pictured: Kalpesh Chauhan, Remet design engineer (left) with Thompson sales manager Simon Jones

The Australian mining boom is paying dividends for Thompson after it was chosen to supply a friction welding machine to one of the country's top drilling equipment manufacturers.

The award-winning Halesowen company has produced a custom-built system for joining drill rod and pipe components at Remet Engineers, a subsidiary of mining services provider Ausdrill, based in Perth.

Thompson's machine features a specially designed spindle and chuck so it can accommodate an intricate variety of tooling required for different drill pipe and inner tube shapes.

The versatile equipment, which has a 60 tonne forging force, is capable of friction welding a wide array of pipes and rods in diameters and lengths ranging from 1.5m up to 9m.

Thompson has also added an internal modular boring tool so that flash removal on narrowing tubes can be performed on the same machine without the need to transfer parts to another workstation.

It is the first time that Thompson has integrated the fully programmable device on a 60 tonne model, which has been made possible by a sliding head design developed for its complete machine range.

"After Remet undertook a study to research and identify the fundamentals of friction welding in the manufacture of drill rods, the company not only realised it was a common method used around the world, but also that its offshore competitors were using the process extensively and importing their product," explained Simon Jones, Thompson's sales manager.

"Remet said it chose Thompson to supply the machine because it is a long-established company whose technology and design concepts are both reliable and achievable," he added.

Remet plans to integrate a number of automated material handling systems with the Thompson machine in the near future to further improve its production rates.

Thompson produces a range of linear and rotary friction welding machines designed to join components for the aerospace, automotive, mining, mineral and water exploration industries. It holds a Queen's Award for Enterprise for International Trade.

Ausdrill (ASX: ASL) is a diversified mining services company. Since its formation in Kalgoorlie in 1987, Ausdrill has grown significantly and now has operations across Australia, Africa and the United Kingdom.  Ausdrill is a leader in providing services in contract mining, grade control, drill & blast, exploration, mineral analysis, procurement & logistics and manufacturing. The Ausdrill Group employs over 4,000 staff worldwide.