Kongsberg grows its Australian presence

Norwegian defence contractor Kongsberg Defence Australia has announced a significant investment in a dedicated facility at Mawson Lakes in Adelaide to support the delivery and support of Defence acquisition programmes. The company is involved in numerous Australian defence programmes, and in April the Commonwealth announced the accelerated acquisition of the Kongsberg Naval Strike Missile to…

A new type of material called a mechanical neural network can learn and change its physical properties to create adaptable, strong structures

By Ryan H. Lee, University of California, Los Angeles The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. The big idea A new type of material can learn and improve its ability to deal with unexpected forces thanks to a unique lattice structure with connections of variable stiffness, as described in a new…

IMCRC-APR PhD manufacturing intern partnership finishes up

The Innovative Manufacturing CRC and Australian Postgraduate Research Intern (APR.intern) program have announced the successful fulfillment of a partnership that began in 2019 and delivered 23 PhD student internships, with nine students securing ongoing employment at their host companies. The three- to six-month internships were sponsored by the IMCRC – which is finishing its work…

“Extraordinary” action needed for Australia to avoid severe skills shortfall: Weld Australia

Professional body Weld Australia has advised urgent action to address a predicted shortfall of 70,000 welders by 2030. In a proposal for a “radical four-pronged approach” made on Thursday, the organisation’s CEO Geoff Crittenden said the situation was “not unique” to the nation, with US industry expected to lack 500,000 welders by 2030 and Japan…

Calix raises funds for Boral and Adbri low-emission industrial plants

Low emission industrial technology company Calix has moved to raise $80 million from investors to fund its share of planned low emission processing plants being constructed with Australian building products companies Boral and Adbri. The plants, which will utilise Calix’s new kiln technology enabling the capture of CO2 in the manufacture of cement and lime,…