Praxis Aeronautics pioneering solar powered flight – by Kerryn Caulfield

Decarbonising airplanes and drones is a major challenge as we move towards decarbonising the economy. Here Kerryn Caulfield profiles Praxis Aeronautics, whose novel composite structural systems are making solar-powered flight a possibility. The Adelaide based startup Praxis Aeronautics specialises in the design and manufacture of solar energy harvesting composite structures, using a process that directly…

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Manufacturing news briefs – stories you might have missed

SEA Electric to display four truck models at Expo Australian electric vehicle drive manufacturer SEA Electric will display four Ford and Hino-based electric trucks and vans at the Ride & Drive experience scheduled for Long Beach, California in September. The vehicles feature the Melbourne-made electric SEA-Drive Power System (pictured), which are fitted to chassis in…

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Coles and Woolworths are moving to robot warehouses and on-demand labour as home deliveries soar

Australia’s supermarket duopoly, Coles and Woolworths, have raced to implement new technology and transform labour arrangements to keep up with the e-grocery boom. Both are investing in “smart” warehousing and distribution systems with various degrees of automation, as well as making extensive use of app-driven gig workers for grocery picking and delivery via platforms such as Uber and Airtasker.

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Nutromics raises cash to develop wearable device

Medical wearables device developer Nutromics has raised $5.7 million in new funding to further development of its wearable patch device which continuously monitors key dietary biomarkers, helping patients ensure they receive the correct dosage of the common life-saving antibiotic called vancomycin. Typically 60 per cent of administered doses of vancomycin are not in the therapeutic…

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Titomic to establish hypersonic space vehicle manufacturing

Large scale metal additive manufacturer Titomic will create a hypersonic space vehicle component manufacturing capability following the award of a $2.3 million federal government Modern Manufacturing Initiative grant. In a $4.65 million project the company will utilise its Titomic Kinetic Fusion additive manufacturing system to manufacture and commercialise low carbon emission ‘green’ titanium space vehicle…

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Government presses ahead with autonomous vehicles

The federal government is pressing ahead with development of autonomous vehicle capability, which could have implications for defence, backing innovation efforts by Rheinmetall Defence Australia. Autonomous capabilities were announced yesterday as a new sovereign priority defence capability at the same time Rheinmetall was awarded a grant to support R&D into autonomous technology utilising 5G and…

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WorldSkills Australia National Championships begin

The WorldSkills Australia National Championships and Skills Show began on Thursday, with over 400 apprentices, trainees and students competing in 45 skills and trades. The competition is being held in Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre, alongside the SkillsWest Careers and Employment Expo. This year WA and Tasmanian teams are competing at Perth.  WSA announced last…

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The digital path to growth – sovereign Australian defence manufacturer NIOA

@AuManufacturing’s editorial series – the digital path to growth – comes to an end today with a look at how a company creating sovereign defence capability from scratch makes the most of data in a secure environment. Here Peter Roberts profiles munitions manufacturer NIOA. For most of its half century in business Queensland munitions manufacturer…

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