Puzzle Precision completes 20,000 circuit board order for CSIRO

Newcastle-based electronics assembly business, Puzzle Precision is close to completing an order for 20,000 circuit boards which will be the heart of the receivers for Australia’s Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) radio-telescope. As reported in @AuManufacturing news, the $188 million pathfinder will form part of the world’s largest telescope, the SKA being built at sites…

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Neometals proves up Kwinana li-ion battery recycling plant

Advanced materials group Neometals (ASX: NMT) has reported ‘robust’ economic outcomes from a scoping study of a lithium-ion battery recycling plant proposed for Kwinana south of Perth. The company has been testing its processes for recycling batteries based on lithium cobalt oxide (LCO) and nickle-manganese-cobalt battery types at its pilot plant in Canada. Now Primero…

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The economy slows as capital expenditure, R&D fade

Analysis by Peter Roberts Australia’s Productivity Commission has pointed to a deep seated sickness holding back the Australian economy caused by falling levels of company investment and R&D. The Commission’s Productivity Bulletin 2019 just released shows labour productivity rose in 2017/16 by 0.2 per cent. This measure of output per hour worked is way below…

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Orica launches new mine blast fragmentation technologies

Chemicals and explosives manufacturer Orica (ASX: ORI) has released a new automated rock sizing measurement technology called FRAGTrack. The automated fragmentation measurement device is part of the company’s BlastIQ digital blast technologies suite used to control blasting in mines worldwide. FRAGTrack uses binocular cameras and a 2D/3D image processing algorithm to capture real-time fragmentation measurement…

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