Best of the week — the five most popular stories among readers, October 20 – October 24, 2025

What were the five biggest stories of the week? Here’s what visitors to @AuManufacturing were reading.

5) $250 million-plus Additive Manufacturing CRC launched at Boeing

A new seven-year Cooperative Research Centre, the Additive Manufacturing CRC, was officially launched at an event at Boeing Aerostructures Australia’s Port Melbourne facility on Wednesday.

The successful CRC bid was awarded $58 million in federal funding in April. According to the AMCRC, funding from partner organisations – with over 70 industry, research and other participants – will see a further $200 million contributed “to build a world-class additive manufacturing ecosystem that enhances industry capacity across the country.”

4) U.S. Export Import Bank considers loaning up to $200 million to Latrobe Magnesium

Latrobe Magnesium, which is commercialising a method of extracting magnesium and other useful material from brown coal fly ash, is one of seven Australian companies receiving Letters of Interest (LOIs) totalling over $US 2.2 billion (approximately $3.4 billion) from lender the U.S Export Import Bank (EXIM.)

According to a statement from Latrobe Magnesium, EXIM’s financing would be worth up to US $122 million ($200 million) over a 15-year repayment period, and cover construction of a Stage 2 commercial plant with 10,000 tonne per annum capacity for magnesium metal.

3) Graphinex secures a billion dollars for QLD graphene project

Graphinex has won $1.32 billion (US$ 860m) in funding from the U.S. for its Esmeralda Graphite Project and processing plant in Queensland.

It secured a Letter of Interest from the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) for the critical mineral that is used to make anodes in EV batteries.

“This is a pivotal moment for Graphinex and a strong signal from Washington DC that graphite matters,” Graphinex Managing Director Art Malone said.

2) Great Wrap enters voluntary administration

Husband-and-wife-led material science company Great Wrap is in administration, with a reported $39 million in debts, citing a slump in demand as retailers and FMCG businesses began to recycle plastic in-house.

Great Wrap was founded in 2019 by Jordy and Julia Kay, a winemaker and an architect respectively. They launched their first stretch wrap product to consumers in 2020, during the early days of the pandemic, and to positive media coverage.

1) Australian, US governments to invest in Wagerup gallium project

A plan by Alcoa and others to produce gallium alongside alumina at an existing Western Australian refinery has received a boost, with the Australian government making a $307 million financial commitment in the Alcoa-Sojitz Gallium Recovery Project in Wagerup following the meeting of the US’s and Australia’s leadership.

A Joint Development Agreement by the Japan Australia Gallium Associates (JAGA) JV of the Japanese Government and Sojitz Corporation with Alcoa was announced in August.

Alcoa said on Tuesday that, following completion of feasibility assessments, it expects a joint U.S., Australia and Alcoa special purpose vehicle (“SPV”) to enter into the JV with JAGA to build the gallium plant. It would be operated by Alcoa and have a planned annual capacity of 100 metric tons of gallium, the company said.

Picture: Gallium crystals (credit foobar, CC BY-SA 3.0)