Frontiers in additive manufacturing – the future of Australia’s nascent machine manufacturing sector

@AuManufacturing’s latest editorial series, Frontiers in Additive Manufacturing turns to the thriving startup world of metal additive manufacturers. Here, Peter Roberts looks back in time, and asks how can Australia make sure today’s crop of young companies grow and prosper, and remain in Australian hands. Cast your mind back to the 1990s and the rapid…

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XTEK delivers $US 3.3 million armour order, ‘finishes FY22 on a high’

ASX-listed defence supplier XTEK has announced delivery of a second tranche of armour from a “transformational” order valued at $US 33.2 million and announced in late-May. The total order by the unnamed client totalled “tens of thousands of individual advanced ballistic protection items”, and the second tranche delivery – announced on Tuesday – was worth…

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Fortescue to explore green hydrogen production in Djibouti

Fortescue Future Industries has announced a new partnership with the government of Djibouti, signing a framework agreement providing the company access “to study the possibilities of renewable energy resources” in the East African nation. According to a statement from FFI on Tuesday, the agreement was “a  major step towards the country’s first ever production of…

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New procurement rules are great news – by Shane West

New federal government procurement rules announced on Friday have doubled the share of $70 billion in annual spending open to Australia’s SMEs. But as Shane West argues here, they also open up the possibility of other benefits to the economy and environment. The revised Commonwealth Procurement Rules (CPRs) now requiring that procuring officials consider a…

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Quickstep to test new composites for hypersonic vehicles

Composites manufacturer Quickstep and defence researchers will develop new high temperature resistant materials to be used in producing hypersonic aerostructures. The company has begun a jointly funded project with the Department of Defence, through the Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG) in collaboration with R&D group DMTC Ltd, to identify, analyse and test high materials…

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