Manufacturing news briefs – stories you might have missed

AML3D 3D printer gets to work in US submarine programme

AML3D’s industrial-scale ARCEMY ‘X-Edition 6700’ Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) metal 3D printing system has been commissioned and is in operation at the US Navy’s Additive Manufacturing Centre of Excellence (AM CoE) in Danville, Virginia. The $1.1 million order for the machine was placed through AML3D’s value added reseller Philips Corporation, with the commissioning process triggering the final payment for the system, representing half of the order value. AML3D has a focus on the US Navy’s submarine industrial base and will be able to pursue more opportunities that are often restricted to companies with US based operations due to the sensitive nature of the projects. AML3D CEO Sean Ebert said: “The successful commissioning of this system is a clear demonstration of the effectiveness of our US ‘Scale-up’ strategy, the benefits of having Phillips Corporation as a reseller partner to complement our US sales force, and very much supports exploring opportunities to establish US facilities.”

University of Adelaide to take part in NASA’s search for lunar volatiles

NASA has announced the selection of the Lunar Dielectric Analyzer which will search for lunar ice and other volatiles with input from the University of Adelaide’s Andy Thomas Centre for Space Resources (ATCSR). Director of the ATCSR Associate Professor John Culton said: “The Lunar Dielectric Analyzer (LDA) will measure the regolith’s ability to propagate an electric field, which is a key parameter in the search for lunar volatiles, especially ice.” The LDA experiment will gather essential information about the structure of the Moon’s subsurface, monitor dielectric changes caused by the changing angle of the Sun as the Moon rotates, and look for possible frost formation or ice deposits. Led by the University of Tokyo’s Professor Hirdy Miyamoto who is also Adjunct Professor at ATCSR, the LDA project is funded by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

New South Australian space innovation fund

A new South Australian government fund offering grants of up to $100,000 for the development of innovative space capability has been launched. The SA Space Collaboration and Innovation Fund will seek applications from local start-ups and small businesses in collaboration with at least one international partner organisation, with an emphasis on NewSpace technology. The first round will support projects that are focussed on proof-of-concept or delivery of space capability and have a clear commercial pathway. An initiative of the South Australian Space Industry Centre in collaboration with the Defence Innovation Partnership, two grants of up to $100,000 will be available for the first round of the Fund. SA Space Collaboration and Innovation Fund applications will open on Monday 15 April 2024 and close on Friday 17 May 2024.

Travis Beinke appointed MD of Australian Rare Earths

Australian Rare Earths has appointed Travis Beinke to the Board of Directors as Managing Director, effective immediately. Beinke, who was first appointed to the company as the Chief Executive Officer in June 2023, has more than 20 years’ experience in the resources sector, most recently with OZ Minerals where he initially held the role of Group Manager Commercial. Beinke brings a broad range of strategic, commercial, finance and business development skills to the board, particularly in exploration and growth projects. According to a statement he has a deep appreciation of what is required to sustainably deliver critical and energy transition minerals as the global economy seeks to decarbonise. Beinke has a Bachelor of Commerce and is CPA qualified. At the same time Rick Pobjoy stepped down from the while continuing his executive role with the company, where he is adding value to the Koppamurra project.

Chemistry Australia and CEW to give woman STEM leaders a career boost

Women in the Australian chemistry industry will again have an opportunity to transform their STEM careers through the 2024 Chemistry Australia CEW Woman Leader in STEM scholarship. Chemistry Australia is pleased to announce it will again partner with Chief Executive Women (CEW) to enable an emerging woman leader in the chemistry sector to attend the Women Transforming Leadership Program at Oxford University in the United Kingdom. An initiative of the Chemistry Australia Board, and funded by its Board member companies, the Chemistry Australia CEW Woman Leader in STEM scholarship is open to employees of Chemistry Australia member companies and their supply chain partners, and candidates from the chemistry industry nationally. Applicants must be employed in a mid- to senior executive role with 5-10 years of senior leadership experience and have the endorsement of a senior manager or Board member. Chemistry Australia CEO Samantha Read said: “The scholarship is an excellent opportunity for a woman leader in our industry to take the next step in her career and contribute to the transformation of our dynamic and strategically important sector.”

Lepidico to raise $5.7 million for growth opportunities

Lithium chemicals company Lepidico is to raise $5.7 million from investors through a renounceable rights issue, partly underwritten to $2 million. The funds will be used to complete financing for the company’s Phase 1 project including securing a strategic partner. The company is developing a new proprietary process for producing high purity, battery grade lithium carbonate from lithium hydroxide. The funds will also pay for business development activities of potential new large scale lithium mica deposits.

AnteoTech in $6.4 million capital raising

Surface chemical company AnteoTech has announced a $5.4 million share placement for sophisticated investors and a $1 million share purchase plan for existing investors. Directors of the company invested $1 million in the placement. The $6.4 million in funds will drive near term commercial development including clean energy development and partnering for its AnteoX and Ultra-high silicon anode projects. The funds also support production scale up and will enable AnteoTech to begin activities to be funded through grants from the Queensland Critical Minerals & Battery Fund.

Government receives PFAS review

The federal government received an independent review of land uses around key Defence bases impacted by per-and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination last Friday. The review was commissioned to deliver on an election commitment to explore alternative uses for land impacted by PFAS and focussed on communities around RAAF Base Williamtown, in NSW, the Army Aviation Centre Oakey, Queensland, and RAAF Base Tindal in the Northern Territory. Jim Varghese was appointed to undertake the review, visiting communities surrounding the three sites, conducting a series of public hearings and stakeholder engagements.

Ocean floor a ‘reservoir’ for plastic pollution, CSIRO and others find

Research from CSIRO and the University of Toronto in Canada estimates up to 11 million tonnes of plastic pollution is sitting on the ocean floor, calculating that every minute a garbage truck’s worth of plastic enters the ocean. Dr Denise Hardesty, Senior Research Scientist with CSIRO, said this is the first estimate of how much plastic waste ends up on the ocean floor, where it accumulates before being broken down into smaller pieces and mixed into ocean sediment. “While there has been a previous estimate of microplastics on the seafloor, this research looks at larger items, from nets and cups to plastic bags and everything in between,” Hardesty said. Scientific data was used to build two predictive models to estimate the amount and distribution of plastic on the ocean floor – one based on data from remote operated vehicles (ROVs) and the other from bottom trawls. Using ROV data, 3 to 11 million metric tonnes of plastic pollution is estimated to reside on the ocean floor. This research is part of CSIRO’s Ending Plastic Waste Mission.

OCP, Fortescue form partnership on green energy, hydrogen and ammonia in Morocco

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