South East Melbourne outstripping Western Sydney in manufacturing jobs growth, according to new report

Greater South East Melbourne (GSEM) is the leading manufacturing region in Australia in terms of employment and output, according to new research by Deloitte Access Economics. According to a statement on Tuesday from the GSEM group of councils – which commissioned the research – the region accounts for 75,046 manufacturing jobs (a quarter the state’s…

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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.…

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Thermoplastic Elastomers (TPE) – six major types and their applications

Sponsored article Elastomers are materials that can return to their real shape when the external force is removed. Not all elastic materials are elastomers.  There are thermoplastic elastomers and thermosetting elastomers. Thermosetting elastomers are traditional rubber. In domestic habits elastomers are usually known as thermoplastic elastomers and, as a result, rubber might sometimes be excluded…

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Austeng-led project will demo onsite green hydrogen generation and use for high-heat purposes

Engineering business Austeng has been awarded $500,000 through the federal government’s Go Green Co-Innovation Program to support a project aiming to demonstrate safe, cost-effective green hydrogen generation and blending for high-heat industrial applications. According to a statement from Austeng last week, it will lead a project involving Singaporean electrolyser company SunGreenH2 (SGH2), Deakin University’s Hycel…

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Magnetic resin for removing PFAS from wastewater to be developed through CRC-P

A new magnetic resin sorbent developed at University of Queensland will soon be trialled to remove PFAS, enabling treated biosolids to be reused as fertiliser. The substance was developed at the university’s Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN) by Dr Cheng Zhang, whose team will work with collaborative partners to apply it to semi-solid…

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New report estimates $220 million in economic activity, $4.8 billion in potential “pandemic preparedness benefit” generated through from Moderna factory

Oxford Economics modelling commissioned by Moderna has predicted that the US biotech company’s Melbourne mRNA facility will add $220 million annually to Australian GDP, support 990 ongoing jobs, and deliver “pandemic preparedness benefits” worth as much as $4.8 billion over 30 years “based on the likelihood of a future pandemic”. The Moderna Technology Centre in…

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Pacific Green gets planning permit for “Australia’s largest grid-scale battery” at Portland

Grid-scale battery energy storage business Pacific Green has received a planning permit from the state government to build the planned gigawatt-scale Portland Energy Park, Victoria. According to a statement from the company on Monday, the project will be its second battery energy park in Australia, and located on Madeira Packet Road, near both the Portland…

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Researchers’ “breakthrough catalyst” could deliver much more useful zinc air batteries: Monash University

Researchers have developed a new catalyst that Monash University says could bring zinc-air batteries “closer to real-world, grid-scale and transport uses”. According to a statement from the university on Monday, the catalyst is able to make the batteries oxygen reactions “much faster and more efficient”, and “[offer] more power, longer life and lower costs.” The…

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