Allegro Energy secures US patent for electrolyte tech

Startup battery maker Allegro Energy has announced a US patent for its “micro-emulsion electrolyte” technology.  According to a statement from the company on Tuesday, a key advantage of the now-patent protected technology is its ability to “dissolve a wider range of electrochemically active species, while maintaining stability at high voltage”. It follows patents in Europe…

Ariarne Titmus named Australian Made Week ambassador for 2025

Swimming champion Ariarne Titmus, the gold medal winner in the women’s 400-metre freestyle at the last two Olympics, has been announced as the ambassador for this year’s Australian Made Week. Titmus – who is also the world record-holder in the 200-metre and 400-metre freestyle – said in a statement on Tuesday that she is “super…

A decade following Flow Hive, another Australian company rethinks beekeeping

Ten years after the runaway success of the Flow Hive, HiveKeepers has started a Kickstarter to fund a new, Australian-made method of harvesting honey for hobbyists and beekeepers, following what it says is five years of research and development. According to a statement from the company on Tuesday, the Micro Honey Harvester system (pictured) is…

Manufacturing news briefs — stories you might have missed

Memphasys claims defining milestone for Felix Reproductive technology company Memphasys has announced the successful data from a “pivotal clinical trial” for the Felix System, “confirming its best-in-class performance in sperm selection for Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART).” Conducted in partnership through Monash IVF, Memphasys said on Monday that the trial results show Felix as “non-inferior to…

Volgren Queensland celebrates 2000th locally built bus

Bus manufacturer Volgren reached a historic milestone with the delivery of its 2000th locally built bus from its Eagle Farm facility in Brisbane, the company announced this week. Since opening in 2009, the Queensland facility has been central to bus manufacturing in the state, delivering over 1000 buses to Brisbane City Council and achieving a…

Aurora Labs completes next-gen micro gas turbine for drone market

Aurora Labs has completed the design, build and test phase of its AU4 micro gas turbine engine, paving the way for commercialisation by mid-202. The 40 kilogram thrust engine, designed for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), leverages 3D printing technology to achieve significant advances in lightweighting, parts consolidation, fuel efficiency and simplified assembly. “Our mission is…

RME appoints Simon Thompson as new Chief Engineer

Mill relining systems manufacturer Russell Mineral Equipment (RME) appointed Simon Thompson to the role of Chief Engineer, the company announced on Sunday. Thompson, who will officially commence in the role on 26 March, brings more than a decade of experience in the mining machinery original equipment manufacturer sector. He joined RME in 2018 as Global…

Visy debuts beer cans with 83 per cent recycled content for Stone & Wood

Recycling and packaging company Visy has announced a pilot project with brewer Stone & Wood, aluminium coil supplier Novelis and metals company Rio Tinto, named “Re-In-Can-Ation”, producing a beverage can with an average of 83 per cent recycled content. In a statement on Monday, Visy said the Re-In-Can-Ation is expected to run for 18 months.…

CSIRO’s free innovation program opens for WA agrifood SMEs 

Applications have opened for a new cohort of CSIRO’s free Innovate to Grow program, with Western Australian SMEs involved in food and beverage, aquaculture, alternative protein and other sectors invited to apply. In a statement on Monday, CSIRO announced the return of its Innovate to Grow: Agrifood program for WA. The eight-week, online-delivered program is…

Best of the week — the five most popular stories among readers, March 17 – March 21, 2025

What were the five biggest stories of the week? Here’s what visitors to @AuManufacturing were reading. 5) Applications open for regional NSW lean manufacturing pilot program The NSW government has launched a pilot program budgeted at $800,000, providing lean manufacturing audits to regional SME (between 20 and 200 full-time employees) companies. The Lean Manufacturing Pilot Program opened on…

$70 million Powering the Regions Fund: Industrial Transformation Stream opens for applications

The federal government’s Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) opened a second round of the Powering the Regions Fund: Industrial Transformation Stream (ITS) program on Friday, with $70 million allocated to assist industrial businesses to decarbonise. Following Thursday’s announcement of a $39.8 million grant awarded through the fund to the nation’s only silicon producer, Simcoa Operations,…

Mapei releases range of SCM-boosting concrete admixtures, including Australian-developed variant

Construction industry chemicals company Mapei has officially launched Mapecube, a range of concrete admixtures, with an Australian formulation developed at the company’s Brisbane plant. According to a statement from the Milan, Italy-based company on Friday (Australian time), Mapecube is “designed to strengthen and reduce the CO2 footprint of concrete” and allows concrete producers to “use…