Monash researchers show new way to ultra-strong titanium alloys Monash University engineers have led a world-first study, which the university says has demonstrated how 3D-printing techniques can be used to produce an ultra-strong commercial titanium alloy and provided a significant leap forward for aerospace and other industries. Australian researchers, led by Professor Aijun Huang and Dr Yuman Zhu of…
Production delays build inventories at Quickstep Production delays related to absenteeism, supply chain issues and equipment reliability issues were exacerbated by global labour and spare parts shortages in the fourth quarter of FY22 at Quickstep. The resulting lower aerostructure production volumes caused a build in inventory of $5.2 million in the quarter for the composites…
The Australian Missile Corporation and drone detection and countermeasure manufacturer Drone Shield have signed a collaboration agreement as the AMC continues to pursue its role in the Australian government’s $1 billion Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance (GWEO) enterprise. The AMC was one of the Australian-based GWEO enterprise panel partners invited by the federal government in…
Magnesium refinery plan for Collie Perth’s South West Development Commission has progressed a bid to establish a ‘game-changing carbon neutral magnesium refinery’ at the coal mining city of Collie in Western Australia. With the nearby state-owned Muja and Collie power stations to be retired in response to massive uptake of renewables, a pre-feasibility study has…
Today @AuManufacturing’s editorial series Excellence in maritime manufacturing turns to the involvement of Australian owned SMEs in defence contracts. Here Peter Roberts interviews Brent Clark, CEO of our largest SME defence body, the Australian Industry & Defence Network. @AuManufacturing: The appointment of a defence industry minister in 2016 began a more public effort by the…
Registrations of interest are being sought for this year’s week-long Inside Advanced Manufacturing Tour, running over May 16 – 20 in Queensland. The showcase coordinated by the state government will see a collection of manufacturing businesses open their doors, sharing “their innovative manufacturing techniques and technologies to other manufacturers.” On the schedule (see here) are…
By Peter Roberts The federal government has selected foreign defence contractors and allocated a supporting role to two genuinely Australian consortia in accelerating the rollout of ‘sovereign’ guided weapons capabilities. Minister for defence Peter Dutton announced a $3.5 billion investment in speeding delivery of new missile capabilities for the Royal Australian Air Force and the…
By Peter Roberts With governments round the world looking in their defence inventories to see what weapons or assistance they can send Ukraine, just what does Australia have sitting round that we could quickly send to the beleaguered nation? Turns out – not much. According to senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute Marcus…
Global defence technology and engineering company QinetiQ is to collaborate with the Australian Missile Corporation of SME defence companies created on the back of the Australian Government’s plan for a domestic guided missile manufacturing enterprise. QinetiQ has been entrusted with testing and evaluating high-tech weapons systems from small arms to ballistic missiles for AMC, a…
$158 million vehicle upgrade for defence The federal government has signed a $158 million contract with infrastructure services grkoup Ventia upgrade the current fleet of ADF engineering vehicles, providing the ADF with a further 291 vehicles. The acquisition and sustainment of the Engineer Support Platforms covers cranes, excavators, bulldozers, loaders, telehandlers, forklifts, graders and rollers.…
