The Victorian government has announced $500,000 in funding for a feasibility study on Portland as a renewable methanol and hydrogen hub, to be conducted by Portland H2. In a statement on Tuesday, the government said the study would examine the economics of converting plantation forestry residues to green methanol at the site. It would also…
Individuals and schools are being invited to name the upcoming Australian-made rover, which will be deployed on the moon to collect soil samples for NASA. Two Australian consortiums, AROSE and ELO2 are developing lunar rover concepts under Stage One of the Trailblazer program. Each was awarded $4 million in March to design early-stage prototypes. The…
Nestlé Australia has invested $2 million in new state-of-the-art technology to reduce water use in its Gympie Nescafé factory. The new technology will cut Gympie factory’s water use by around 20 percent, saving 45 million litres, the equivalent of 18 x 50 metre swimming pools, each year. The water savings are possible thanks to a…
A consortium of Halocell Energy, First Graphene and Queensland University of Technology has shared a few details about a three-year project to develop perovskite solar cell fabrication, recently awarded a $2 million grant under Round 14 of the federal Cooperative Research Centre Projects (CRC-P) initiative. Halocell makes perovskite solar cells containing halide, and describes itself…
Professionals Australia has stepped up its advocacy of a specific STEM classification and pay structure to attract, recognise and retain the engineering and technical capabilities needed by the federal government to roll out the initiatives recommended by the Defence Strategic Review (DSR). Professionals Australia’s CEO Jill McCabe said that the lack of critical engineering and…
Lockheed Martin Australia has announced Toni-Anne Munn as Deputy Program Director for JP9102, the multi-billion-dollar military satellite communications project that LMA was named preferred bidder on in April. According to a statement on Monday, the new role would “facilitate further growth in the region” as LMA prepares for the project’s execution phase. The company added…
By Paul Cureton, Lancaster University Innovative design choices can have a massive impact in the theatre of war, so it is important to understand the principles behind their development. Recent use of low-cost cardboard drones by Ukraine, supplied by Australia, to attack targets in Russia is a good example of how this can work. Australia…
Rapid welding technology manufacturer K-TIG has failed to meet its planned transaction date for the purchase of UK advanced manufacturer Graham Engineering Limited (GEL). The company’s share purchase agreement (SPA) to acquire the business as an entrée to the UK nuclear decontamination field reached its sunset date of 31 August with a number of conditions…
The federal government is criminalise wage theft, introducing big penalties for employers who deliberately underpay workers. Signalling the government’s move – foreshadowed before the election – the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations Tony Burke said: “If a worker steals from the till, it’s a criminal offence – as it should be. “But in many…
The Queensland government has named September “Manufacturing Month” for the state ahead of the Inside Advanced Manufacturing 2023 showcase, which will be held September 4 – 15. The month-long celebration was launched on Friday at Pinkenba’s Austrack Equipment, an equipment hire specialist that also makes SafeVac pipe lifters used on the Fitzroy to Gladstone Pipeline. …