Alliance Formed to Propel Australian Photonics Research

Swinburne University of Technology TAFE Centre for New Manufacturing in Hawthorn, Australia, will partner with Melles Griot of Ely, UK, to advance Australian photonics research. With the help of its distributor, Lastek Pty Ltd. in Thebarton, Australia, Melles Griot has provided the university with nanopositioning equipment suitable for use by researchers in medicine, engineering and telecommunications. The agreement is part of a broader arrangement with the state government's Victorian Photonics Network, of which Swinburne is a member.

As part of the collaboration, a $200,000 six-axis NanoMax 600 machine will be housed at the center for use by university researchers, start-up companies and others in Victoria's photonics industry. The equipment will help scientists create and align optical devices that can process information more rapidly. Ultraprecise instruments such as those created on the NanoMax have been incorporated in robots, microscopes, and optical and communications equipment.