Manufacturing news briefs — stories you might have missed

Astroscale, HEO partner on space monitoring This week Japanese satellite servicing company Astroscale Holdings and Sydney-based non-Earth imaging specialist HEO announced a three-year memorandum of understanding. According to a statement from Astroscale on Tuesday, the agreement deepens an existing partnership on monitoring, assessing and ultimately servicing allied defence, government and commercial assets. The pair will…

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Ag robot maker SwarmFarm raises $30 million in Series B round

Emerald, Queensland-based agricultural robotics company SwarmFarm Robotics has raised $30 million through its Series B round, with the Clean Energy Finance Corporation tipping in $7 million. According to a statement from the CEFC on Thursday, the round will accelerate the rollout of SwarmFarm’s lightweight, self-driving “SwarmBots”, which reduce herbicide use by up to 95 per…

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SolidHydrogen partners with Korea’s EN2CORE Technology

Sydney startup SolidHydrogen and South Korea’s EN2CORE Technology have signed a Memorandum of Understanding, aiming to demonstrate their combined technologies for producing and storing hydrogen in a “pilot at scale”.   SolidHydrogen is developing metal hydrides, a type of alloy, to “store, purify, and compress hydrogen at a fraction of the cost of existing technologies”. EN2CORE…

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Weld Australia, SEMMA strike new partnership

Professional body Weld Australia and regional manufacturer representative the South East Melbourne Manufacturers Alliance (SEMMA) have formalised a partnership, saying that a newly signed MoU between the pair creates a “clear, practical framework focused on collaborating to represent, connect, and advocate”. According to a joint statement from the organisations on Thursday, the partnership will deliver…

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Infrabuild to install new bowls for Laverton EAF as part of capacity-expansion program

The country’s second-largest steelmaker, InfraBuild, has said it’s upping capacity at its two electric arc furnace facilities, with the company announcing it has taken delivery of two new EAF bowls at its Laverton Melt Shop at Melbourne. According to a statement on Wednesday from the company, which runs the nation’s only steelmaking EAFs, the bowls…

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First Graphene features in new solar thermal and automotive products

Ireland-based Senergy has released a range of products covering on-roof solar thermal, integrated solar thermal and automotive technologies making use of First Graphene’s PureGRAPH. According to a statement from ASX-listed nanomaterials company First Graphene on Wednesday, Senergy’s polymer heat exchange materials incorporate PureGRAPH.  First Graphene CEO Michael Bell said Senergy’s commercialisation of several new material…

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ARENA awards three companies $12 million for process heat projects

McCain Foods, Sugar Australia and Blackmores will receive approximately $12 million in combined support, through the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), for projects trialling and demonstrating low-emission technologies for process heat. According to a statement from the federal government agency on Tuesday, the projects will demonstrate how to reduce reliance on natural gas, as well…

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Conflux Technology developing heat exchangers for Airbus’s hydrogen-electric aircraft project

Conflux Technology has revealed that it is part of Airbus’s ZEROe, with the Geelong-headquartered business contributing development of additively-manufactured heat exchangers for the hydrogen-electric aviation project. According to a statement from Conflux on Tuesday, its heat exchanger plays a critical role in thermal regulation within ZEROe’s fuel cell systems. The company said its exchanger was…

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Nominations open for next year’s Queensland Women in Manufacturing Apprentice Awards

Nominations have opened for the state government’s Women in Manufacturing Apprentice Awards 2026, which recognises outstanding female apprentices in the Queensland manufacturing workforce. The two awards on offer are: Leading Apprentice Award winner ($10,000 prize); and  The Highly Commended Apprentice Award for the runner-up ($5,000 prize) “These awards are about celebrating the trailblazing women leading…

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