Seven-year industry-research partnership launched as the Western World looks to regain its AM mojo

APAC and applications are big parts to the current additive manufacturing story, attendees at a launch event for the new Additive Manufacturing Cooperative Research Centre heard last week. The AM CRC is a seven-year effort expected to invest over $250 million developing “a world-class additive manufacturing ecosystem” in this nation.  Keynote Terry Wohlers, founder of…

Australian-first bimetal rocket thruster printed at CSIRO for Space Machines Company vehicle

A project supported by the iLAuNCH Trailblazer program has yielded a bimetal rocket thruster printed using multi-material additive manufacturing, which is claimed to be an Australian first. According to a statement from iLAuNCH – part of the federal Trailblazer Universities Program – on Thursday, the thruster was developed by Space Machines Company (SMC) and made…

A Sydney company’s plan to build thousands of fast, cheap and out of this world first responder vehicles

Last month Space Machines Company, which plans to one day offer “roadside assistance in space”, completed what it says is an important milestone. The company successfully completed its 3D printed Scintilla engine, which passed a critical design review as well as more than 1,200 seconds of testing time at a private farm somewhere in Queensland.…

Despite disappointments, this founder is still adamant about high-tech gear made here

Appreciation has grown in the last decade or so for a modern, holistic view of manufacturing. It’s “more than just production”, you will have heard countless times, and production is the lowest point in the “smiley curve” model of where value is added.  The National Reconstruction Fund Corporation, for example, chose to open its inaugural…

RMIT engineers develop stronger, cheaper 3D-printed titanium

RMIT University engineers have created a new 3D-printed titanium alloy that is 29 per cent cheaper to produce than standard titanium whilst delivering improved strength and performance, according to research published on Monday. The team replaced expensive vanadium with readily available alternative materials to reduce costs. Lead researcher Ryan Brooke said the breakthrough addresses key…