Fortescue to acquire Williams Advanced Engineering

Fortescue Future Industries has entered into an agreement to buy F1 racing-related Williams Advanced Engineering. FFI said today the purchase would set the pace for ground-breaking innovation in the green energy space, bringing together leading thinkers and engineers in areas such as high performance battery systems and electrification. WAE, an offshoot of the Williams F1…

SA defence grants for five projects

A new virtual reality tool that manipulates digital human mannequins to solve ergonomic challenges posed by military vessels is one of five cutting-edge ventures to receive funding as part of the latest round of grants from the Defence Innovation Partnership’s Collaborative Research Fund (CRF). The University of South Australia, with partners The University of Adelaide…

UNSW claims error-free quantum computing

A defence department backed team at the University of New South Wales has demonstrated that near error-free quantum computing is possible, paving the way to build silicon-based quantum devices compatible with current semiconductor manufacturing technology. UNSW’s Professor Andrea Morello said: “Today’s publication shows our operations were 99 per cent error-free. “When the errors are so…

Manufacturing news briefs – stories you might have missed

FYI Resources and Alcoa continue pilot plant operation FYI Resources and alumina and aluminium producer Alcoa have commenced their third extended pilot plant campaign in Perth developing processes to make high purity alumina (HPA). The extended series of one week pilot plant runs incorporates process and operating refinements, helping to optimise FYI’s refining processes. FYI…

Build Australian satellites – Australian Academy of Science

Australia should build, launch and operate a range of satellites to reduce sovereign risk, according to a new report from the prestigious Australian Academy of Science. The Australia in Space: a decadal plan for Australian space science 2021–2030 report released today said Australia’s complete reliance on data from foreign-owned satellites in weather forecasting, resource and…