Don’t rush into a hydrogen economy until we know all the risks to our climate
There is global interest in the potential for a hydrogen economy, in part driven by a concern over climate change and the need to move away from fossil fuels.
Westlab ramps up manufacture of face shields
Laboratory and hospital supplier Westlab has cranked up production of reusable face shields locally. The company will begin delivery to state and federal stockpiles over the next 4-5 weeks. Westlab wrote on social media: “The team in full swing manufacturing Reusable Face Shields here in Australia. “We are currently producing 125,000 reusable shields per week.”…
Defence moves into autonomous overdrive
By Peter Roberts Daily the media receives a literal deluge of media releases from the Defence Department and defence and defence industry ministers. It is part of the federal government’s ‘government by announceable’ style, and most are the dolings out of tiny amounts of money on government grant schemes released one at a time. Such…
We can’t let STEM skills become a casualty of COVID-19
In May, a group led by Australia’s Chief Scientist Alan Finkel forecasted severe impacts for our research workforce. These included the loss of the equivalent of up to 21,000 full-time jobs in universities this year, including around 7,000 related to research.
Perseverance: the Mars rover searching for ancient life, and the Aussie scientists who helped build it
Every two years or so, when Mars passes close to Earth in its orbit around the Sun, conditions are right to launch a spacecraft to the red planet. Launches during this period can complete the seven-month voyage using a minimum of energy.
Dessert exporter chases boost from wellness products
@AuManufacturing spoke to Frosty Boy managing director Dirk Pretorius about the company’s recent diversification into health products, and aims to capitalise on trends such as the demand for probiotics.
Learning from nature: a new flapping drone can take off, hover and swoop like a bird
We have developed four-winged bird-like robots, called ornithopters, that can take off and fly with the agility of swifts, hummingbirds and insects. We did this by reverse engineering the aerodynamics and biomechanics of these creatures.
Manufacturing news briefs – stories you may have missed
Australia is the least self-sufficient in manufacturing – report A report by The Australia Institute’s Centre for Future Work reveals Australia is the least self-sufficient of all OECD Countries. Australia is 36th in the OECD in terms of the amount of goods we manufacture versus the amount of manufactured goods we use. The Centre’s Jim…
Matrix Composites’ revenue hit sparks strategic review
Oil and gas industry composites manufacturer Matrix Composites has been hard hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, reporting subdued revenue in the latest financial year and sparking a strategic review of its businesses. The company, which supplies buoyancy systems for undersea gas and oil installations and pipelines (pictured below), reported unaudited fourth quarter revenue of $27.5…
Bluglass installs commercial-scale semiconductor equipment at Silverwater plant
Semiconductor technology developer Bluglass has completed the installation of its largest-ever remote plasma vapour deposition (RPCVD) manufacturing system (main picture) at its Silverwater plant in Sydney. The commercial-scale system, known as BLG-500, is capable of creating 6×6 semiconductor wafers or 42 two inch wafers for the production of laser diodes, LED and microLED industries. It…