Manufacturing news briefs -stories you might have missed

High speed rail authority sets sights on Sydney to Canberra route

Transport Minister Catherine King (pictured) has revealed plans for an “independent body to advise on, plan and develop the high-speed rail system in Australia”. She introduced a bill to Parliament on to create a High-Speed Rail Authority, which will be tasked with developing policy and planning to develop a network of fast trains In conjunction with the states, the authority will oversee the construction or improvement of railways. King told Parliament: “A high-speed rail network will revolutionise interstate travel in Australia, significantly reducing travel time to move between capital cities compared to other modes of travel,” King said in her speech introducing the bill.” While the first priority is the relatively modest Sydney and Newcastle route, the announcement was met with cynicism by some, who note that high speed rail has been mooted for decades.

UNSW engineers build record-breaking electric motor

UNSW engineers have built a new high-speed motor, which they say was inspired by the shape of South Korea’s longest railroad bridge and could potentially increase the range of electric vehicles. The prototype Interior Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor (IPMSM type) motor has achieved speeds of 100,000 revolutions per minute, “successfully exceeded and doubled the existing high-speed record of laminated IPMSMs” and “making it the world’s fastest IPMSM ever built with commercialised lamination materials” according to a statement from the university on Monday. The technology was developed by a team headed by Associate Professor Rukmi Dutta and Dr Guoyu Chu, and “most importantly… is able to produce a very high power density, which is beneficial for electric vehicles in reducing overall weight and therefore increased range for any given charge.” The release added there was also potential use in high-precision CNC machines, with the motor opening up a possibility of milling or drilling with minimal diameters.

Fortescue meets Egyptian President

Fortescue Future Industries (FFI) founder and Executive Chairman Dr Andrew Forrest has met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to discuss the development of green energy projects in the region. The meeting is in the lead-up to Egypt’s hosting of the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27.) FFI and Egypt have previously signed an MoU on studies exploring green hydrogen. According to FFI, the meeting discussed the potential development of a green hydrogen project 9.2 gigawatts of  installed capacity. “Egypt’s excellent wind and solar resources can generate the renewable energy required to produce large scale green electricity, green hydrogen and green ammonia,” said Forrest.

Cyber centre appoints Matthew Salier as CEO

The Australian Cyber Collaboration Centre is pleased to announce Matthew Salier has been appointed CEO, a role he will take up on 7 November. Matthew is currently the Director of RMIT Activator and the RMIT Cyber Ready Cloud Innovation Centre. His key interests lie in cyber security innovation, building scalable business models and the power of education delivered through innovative learning strategies. For the past 25 years, Matthew has worked with hundreds of start-ups, small, medium and large public and private organisations, helping them to apply creativity, strategic thinking, new ideas and new technologies to traditional business challenges.

Austal accepts penalty over disclosure of information to investors

Perth international shipbuilder Austal has reached an agreement with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission in relation to information it gave to investors regarding its construction of Littoral Combat Ships for the US Navy. ASIC will apply to the federal court seeking a declaration of the Corporations Act over period in late June, 2016. Austal will agree to the contravention and a penalty of $650,000. Austal chairman John Rothwell said: “We consider this settlement is in the best interests of Austal as we continue to focus on our development of our shipbuilding business globally.”

Picture: alp.org.au