Axiom Precision Manufacturing of Adelaide and Nupress Group of Newcastle have been commissioned by Lockheed Martin to produce precision machined components for the next-generation Orion spacecraft.
Originating from automotive and tool manufacturing, these companies are capitalising on the opportunities that advanced Australian manufacturers can access by diversifying into the space.
The Orion spacecraft will be the primary astronaut crew capsule used for NASA’s Artemis program, which will return humans to the moon this decade and aim to continue on to Mars.
Fred Hull, Axiom’s director of aerospace and defense, said entering the defense sector was his first step into the space industry.
Hull said: “From the beginning of Axiom’s transition away from the automotive sector all those years ago, we knew that our high-end CNC machining and precision manufacturing were ideally suited to the defense business.
“Having gained traction in the defence sector, we then focused on aerospace… once we achieved our AS9100 aerospace certification and had success with many of the big names in Australian and international aerospace, we knew the space industry had to be highlighted in our business plan.”
Axiom supplies machined titanium components to BAE Systems Australia which are then processed to form part of the twin tails of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighters.
In the Hunter Valley of New South Wales, Nupress began producing press tools for the steel, rail and construction industries in the 1970s, and adopted advanced manufacturing capabilities in the 1980s.
Craig McWilliam, CEO of Nupress, said: “In 2012, when the mining bubble burst, Nupress made the strategic decision to enter the aerospace and healthcare markets.
“The space was a logical step…we are also constantly looking for exciting work opportunities that interest our current very talented engineering staff.”
Axion and Nupress are suppliers to Lockheed Martin, and its entry into space was encouraged by the AS9100 aerospace quality management standard.
Editor’s note: This article was adapted from an article published by the Australian Space Agency.
Photos: Australian Space Agency