Diverse Industry Group of Australia

We manufacture high precision turned components using various materials.

ABOUT US

Autotherm Pty Ltd is a family manufacturing business that was established in 1928. Over many years our products and capabilities have changed and developed towards new and improving technologies.

Our management and shop floor tradespeople have on average 20+ years of service at Autotherm. Our staff are highly skilled and well trained in their fields. They will be able to assist you through the entire design and manufacturing process.

The company has over many years expanded both the clientele and the machining capacity and offerings, utilising single and multi-axial multi-spindle CNC lathes and machining centres.

The business is actively involved in water infrastructure, with fittings manufactured for both potable and recycled water business and household connections, medical and surgical equipment and fixtures, mining equipment fittings, aeronautical, agricultural and automotive components and assemblies.

We specialise in the manufacture of a unique and broad range of components supplied to Australian industries.

We supply to State and Local government as well as local and international business.

happy group of people
DIGA logo
Autotherm logo

OUR HISTORY

AUTOTHERM Pty Ltd is a family owned, Australian repetition engineering company, manufacturing quality precision components based north of Adelaide at Direk , South Australia. The company is in the enviable position of being small enough to offer personal contact with the owners of the business, yet large enough to provide the most sophisticated technology available.

In 1928 Donald Hugh Smith started in business, he formed Autotherm into a limited company in 1928. The company grew over time through the skills and knowledge of Don Smith, who went on to become one of the icons of the repetition sector in South Australia. Production component manufacture has been the focus throughout our long history, with Autotherm being one of the first repetition engineering company’s in Australia to purchase a then modern Swissturn  Bechler Cam Automatic Lathes.

By 1940 Autotherm had 6 employees and grew considerably in the early 1940’s, when it produced considerable components to support the war effort in the munitions sector. By the 1940s and 50s the company had a little over 20 employees and were a supplier to the Koster Pottery – heating element and connector pins etc for kettles.

Don Smith unfortunately passed away in 1974. Oldest son Rodney was by then managing the business; as an engineering graduate with a young family he had previously spent two years in working Switzerland at Brown Boveri (now ABB, one of the largest engineering companies in the world).

Rodney owned and operated the company as a small business until an opportunity arose to acquire the machining shop of SA Water in 1995; completion of this transaction saw the acquisition of various new technologies, product lines and business relationships as well as welcoming eight new employees – this was the beginning of a new growth phase for the business. Autotherm was an early adopter of CNC lathe technology in the 1990’s and gradually replaced most of its old ‘Swiss-style’ turning machines with new automated single and multi-axis machining centres.

Over the next few years the company manufacturing base was expanded with the acquisitions of Premier Electroplating Pty Ltd and Hendon Heat Treatment Pty Ltd as well as early explorations into alternative electric motor technologies that led to the establishment of a technology offshoot company which continues to operate today.

In 1998 Rodney established a business succession plan involving his oldest son Matthew Smith and key employees to establish Diverse Industry Group of Australia Pty Ltd (‘DIGA’) as a holding company for the various operating businesses including Autotherm Pty Ltd.

In 2002 DIGA was selected to participate in a fixed-term contract for the machining of engine blocks for Victa Lawnmowers, resulting in the entire manufacturing and assembly process relocating from NSW to Adelaide. This contract saw DIGA rapidly acquire new technology in the form of robotic machining centres, and contributed to a decade of strong business growth.

In 2012 the business owners decided to seek new accommodation in a more suitable industrial precinct and this culminated in the construction of a new purpose-built manufacturing premises located at Direk, some 30km north of Adelaide CBD.

Autotherm once again remains a truly family-owned business. Today we near our 100 year centenary and can look forward to a future with the same innovative spirit and enthusiasm that Don and Rodney demonstrated during their tenure over this small but important SA success story.

Capabilities

Materials

At Autotherm we manufacture high precision turned components using many different materials. We commonly use steel, stainless steel, brass, bronze, copper, plastic and titanium. Depending on your requirements, we are also able to machine other more exotic materials.

Quality

Our company is internationally accredited and certified to ISO 9001:2015 and we adhere to a documented Total Quality Management System, certified by TQCSI Pty Ltd. We believe this provides the best system for achieving the highest level of quality product required by our customers.

AU667-QC-Certification-Mark

Capacities

Our CNC lathe machining capabilities allow us to produce parts from 1mm to 120mm in diameter. Our CNC machining Centres capabilities allow us to securely machine 3D castings and billets of approximate sizes up to X-Axis 560mm x Y-Axis 510mm x Z-Axis 630mm.

Our manufacturing processes enable us to rapidly respond to customer requests for urgent and “Just in Time” deliveries. In addition, our rapid response time and consequential high turnover, allows us production runs in low volumes (e.g. 10 to 100 parts) or high volume quantities of many thousands of parts. We utilize fully automated bar loading and robot loading carrousels for lights out 24hr manufacturing where possible.

services

Autotherm can assist you with your design and will manufacture your components in almost any material metal including steel, stainless steel, copper, brass, titanium as well as plastics and in either bar stock, billet work, castings or forgings.

Our machines are all high-quality Japanese, Swiss and Korean CNC lathes and CNC Machine Centres. We have Mazak and OKUMA single spindle capacity models with live head milling and 6 axis capability, Swissturn lathes – Deco model numbers 10, 13, and 20 multi axis, multi spindle with the capacity of in cycle and out of cycle machining lathes. All our machines have automatic bar loaders and robotic parts handling pre and post machining.

Of course, we recognize that many components require additional treatment after the machining process, and we can arrange that also. Some of the services available include:

  • Zinc, nickel, chrome, brass or copper electroplating for anticorrosion and aesthetic finishes
  • anodising for aluminium products
  • heat treating
  • grinding for extreme tolerances

2D CAD Drawings

All of our manufactured components are generated from either customer supplied drawings our from drawings generated by Autotherm and approved by the customer prior to manufacturing.

Secondary Operations & Assemblies

If you have an existing product that needs additional operations performed, such as turning or drilling and tapping, or component assembly then please contact us.

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