Best of the week – the five most popular stories among @AuManufacturing’s readers

Curious about what people were most interested in during the week just finished? Here’s what visitors to this site were reading.

1) A YEAR ON, THE SHAPE OF SUBMARINE CONSTRUCTION TAKING SHAPE

A year on from the cancellation of contracts with French Naval Group to build conventionally powered submarines in Adelaide, and the announcement of the Aukus agreement, the shape of future submarine construction is taking shape.

With neither the US or the UK having the capacity to build extra submarines for Australia despite wishful thinking from many, a tri-lateral new submarine design and construction programme is emerging in statements from defence minister Richard Marles.

And the good news is that it involves not only substantial submarine work, and technology and skills development, in Australia, but that Australian industry will become part of a global supply chain, enmeshed with industry in the US and UK.

2) LACK OF SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING WILL CONSIGN AUSTRALIA TO “SECOND-TIER STATUS”: REPORT

The nation’s dearth of semiconductor manufacturing creates a strategic vulnerability and it should build up manufacturing capability in areas matched to research strengths, according to an Australian Strategic Policy Institute report published today.

“Opting out of semiconductor manufacturing will severely constrain Australia’s growth as a technological nation and consign it to second-tier status,” write authors Alex Capri and Robert Clark in Australia’s semiconductor national moonshot, released on Wednesday

Capri, a research fellow at the Hinrich Foundation, and Robert Clark, a former CEO of the Defence Science and Technology Organisation, do not downplay the ambition of the recommended development – hence the report’s title – while pointing out the criticality of semiconductors to every facet of an advanced economy.

3) SPACE PARK SEARCHES FOR MANUFACTURING PARTNER

The Australian Space Park (ASP), Australia’s first dedicated space manufacturing hub, has called for expressions of interest for a partner to operate its Common User Facility (CUF).

The park, which includes companies Fleet Space Technologies, Q-CTRL, ATSpace and Alauda Aeronautics as investors and partners, is being constructed at Adelaide airport.

The space park CUF will enable local space manufactures to increase capacity which will help to accelerate the country’s sovereign space manufacturing capability.

4) JAYCO EXPANDS MANUFACTURING OF MOTORISED HOMES

Leading caravan manufacturer Jayco has taken advantage of recent growth of the motorhome and campervan market in Australia by expanding its South Dandenong manufacturing facility while also implementing a number of upgrades to support new product development.

The company went on social media to reveal that motorhome manufacturing had been relocated from a 9,000 m2 space to a larger 14,000 m2 facility, which includes two production lines for motorhomes and campervans allowing an increase in manufacturing volume.

Jayco said: “We’ve created a dedicated R&D area, where R&D staff can work closely with the products to develop new prototypes and ideas.”

5) MICRO-X SECURES STRATEGIC PARTNER AND $15 MILLION BACKING

Carbon fibre nanotube x-ray technology company Micro-X has secured a strategic partner and $15 million in licence fees and capital funds that will support the company as it brings new products to market.

The Adelaide company announced today a long-term strategic relationship with x-ray component manufacturer Varex Imaging Corporation giving it an exclusive global licence to use its technology in multi-beam x-ray tubes – an area not being exploited by Micro-X itself.

In return Varex, which turns over US$800 million annually, will pay Micro-X a licence fee of Au$7.5 million and invest $7.5 million into Micro-X shares, taking a $9.9 percent stake in the company.

Picture: Partially completed submarine construction yard, Osborne, north Adelaide.