What's New in Process Technology

Thursday, 06 August, 2026 Additive manufacturers across Australia are entering into a qualification program for opportunities in the United States and United Kingdom submarine programs under AUKUS. The Australian Submarine Agency (ASA) says that Adelaide-based advanced manufacturer AML3D is among the first companies participating in the Defence Industry Vendor Qualification (DIVQ) Program’s Additive Manufacturing stream.

Australian company EcoJoule Energy has announced the completion of the first export of its EcoVAR low-voltage distribution STATCOM to Portugal, opening a new European market for the company. The 40 kVAR three-phase units were built at the company’s Brisbane facility and dispatched this month. With the sale, EcoVAR technology is now in service across four continents — Oceania, Asia, the Middle East and Europe.

The Heavy Industry Low-carbon Transition Cooperative Research Centre (HILT CRC) has announced that Nanjing Iron & Steel Co (NISCO), one of China’s established steelmakers, has become the first Chinese steel company to join HILT CRC’s collaborative ecosystem.

The Queensland Government recently launched a plan that it says outlines its vision to be a globally recognised supplier of critical minerals that support secure and resilient supply chains. The government says Queensland holds significant strategic reserves of critical minerals, established processing and refining capabilities, mining expertise and a highly skilled workforce that is ready to take advantage of a once-in-a-generation resource opportunity.

Now is the time for robust conversations and new thinking as we seek solutions to support mining in creating national resilience and global prosperity. Mining’s critical delivery and sustainability challenges will be examined from all angles at the International Mining and Resources Conference + Expo (IMARC), which returns to ICC Sydney on 27–29 October after a record 2025 event.

A scientific team led by the Université de Montpellier and Adelaide University has developed a system that uses a special organic liquid to efficiently convert CO2 from industrial emissions into carbon monoxide (CO), a key building block used to manufacture fuels and chemicals. The breakthrough, published in Nature Communications, overcomes one of the biggest challenges facing carbon capture technologies: the complex mix of gases found in industrial flue, a major source of global CO2 emissions.

MCi Carbon has announced a collaboration with Hatch to support the engineering, assessment and commercial deployment for MCi’s mineral carbonation technology. Engineering, project delivery and consulting firm Hatch will support MCi in the development of commercial-scale mineral carbonation projects, including feasibility studies, engineering, plant development and project delivery planning.

LAPP Australia has expanded its variable speed drive (VSD) cable portfolio with the Black Sheath VSD ECO UV-resistant range, engineered to deliver stable motor control performance in demanding industrial and outdoor environments. Designed for use between frequency converters and motors, the cable features a low-capacitance design that supports longer cable runs while helping to maintain efficient power transmission and drive performance.

The Fatek M series micro-modular PLC combines advanced technology, flexible configuration and a high level of computing and motion control capabilities, and is widely used in 3C manufacturing, food processing, coating technology, packaging and box stapling, textiles, and other industries.

Interworld Electronics has released the AAEON BOXER-6649-RAP, a fanless embedded computer engineered for industrial automation, machine vision, smart surveillance, transport and edge AI environments. Powered by 13th Generation Intel Core i7/i5/i3 processors with integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics, it is designed to efficiently handle data processing, machine control and visual workloads.