Manufacturing news briefs — stories you might have missed

Foundations laid for Australia's first liquid hydrogen flight test programs

AMSL Aero and Stralis Aircraft, two Australian companies that are developing hydrogen-powered aircraft, have successfully registered a family of liquid hydrogen tanks. According to a statement from AMSL Aero on Monday, the tanks will be used for refuelling and enabling zero-emission flights, are known as “Dewar vessels”, and “operate like supersized thermos flasks; they contain a vacuum that insulates super-cold liquid hydrogen.” BOC Australia had led the registration process, it said, “laying the foundation for Australia's first liquid hydrogen flight test programs.” The 30 kilogram capacity Dewars are the first of this capacity to arrive in Australia, and will be used by AMSL Aero and Stralis Aircraft to transport liquid hydrogen from production plants to their aircraft. Simon Coburn, a Hydrogen Systems Engineer at AMSL Aero, said: “There is now a strong global consensus about liquid hydrogen as an aviation fuel. AMSL Aero is delighted to help build another link in a liquid hydrogen supply chain for Australian aviation alongside BOC and Stralis.”

Professor Sharath Sriram named as Western Australia’s new Chief Scientist

Researcher Sharath Sriram began his three-year term as Chief Scientist of Western Australia on Tuesday. The RMIT Professor replaced Peter Klinken, who had been in the role for more than a decade, and is a specialist in engineering and medical devices. The role provides strategic advice to government on science, technology and innovation – “areas Sharath has blazed a trail in as an RMIT research leader and as Science & Technology Australia President, both roles he will continue” — a release from premier Roger Cook states. Sriram jointly led the Functional Materials and Microsystems Research Group at RMIT and created the new $15 million Discovery to Device research facility, a statement from RMIT reads. “But Sharath has also become a leading voice in driving Australia’s innovation agenda, speaking at the National Press Club and heading national peak body Science & Technology Australia, where he’s been a board member since 2018.”

Iondrive awarded grant to explore urban mining

Battery recycling company Iondrive announced on Monday that it is evaluating expansion of its proprietary Deep Eutectic Solvent (DES) platform into the electronic waste “urban mining” market, and targeting “high-value materials such as copper, gold, silver, palladium and rare earth elements from printed circuit boards (PCBs).” The company said that PCBs were selected for their high recoverable metal content and proven compatibility with Iondrive’s tuneable DES process, which it says is a sustainable alternative to traditional acid leaching or smelting. Testing is part-funded by a Green Industries SA grant of $100,000. It will be carried out at the University of Adelaide, demonstrate how Iondrive’s DES process can selectively extract metals from complex feedstocks such as PCBs using biodegradable, closed-loop chemistry, and also confirm whether it can establish an IP position for its technology in e-waste. Iondrive CEO Dr Ebbe Dommisse said, “It’s exciting to expand our environmentally friendly, closed-loop process to recover valuable metals beyond batteries.”

Australian Steel Institute seeks relief from Trump tariffs

Peak body the Australian Steel Institute (ASI) has said it will continue to work with the federal government to secure an exemption from the USA’s global tariffs on steel imports. US president Donald Trump's administration announced plans over the weekend to up the tariff from 25 per cent to 50 per cent from June 4. “One of concerns we have is that the subsequent disruptions to global steel trade could see Australia become a dumping ground for imported steel,” ASI chief executive Mark Cain said. “And it could exacerbate the surge in imported low-priced steel that is damaging the industry.” The Trump administration’s announcement comes amid a court battle over the legality of some of the Trump tariffs, which an appeals court has allowed to continue after the US Court of International Trade ordered a halt.

SA exports to Canada soar

South Australia's trade to Canada has almost doubled in the past 12 months to $663 million, according to an announcement from the state government this week. The new ABS data to March 2025 makes the nation SA's fifth largest export market, up from 15th place over the period. A surge in energy and mining exports (up 177 per cent to $494.4 million), beef (up 262 per cent to $17.4 million), medical products (up 45 per cent to $10.8 million), and fruit and vegetables (up 44 per cent to $4.8 million) were credited. In the past three years, Canada has also been SA's top source of foreign direct investment, attracting $328.4 million in FDI. “What we are seeing here is our business community adapting and leveraging the recent changes in global trade dynamics, capitalising on the world-class reputation of our state's produce to increase sales and engagement with the Canada market,” said Joe Szakacs, SA trade minister.

Picture: CLH 400 Cryofab LH2 Dewar (credit AMSL Aero)