ANFF helps its industry partners develop real, usable technologies by giving them access to the right tools and expert support.
Across the country, industry leaders are using this support to advance bold concepts and create practical outcomes. And because ANFF operates in an IP-neutral environment, clients can explore new directions and innovate freely without disrupting their core work.
The impact of this support is best seen in the companies who are already using ANFF’s facilities and expertise to push boundaries and bring new technologies to life. These clients exemplify how ANFF’s expansive network of tools, facilities and expertise empowers breakthroughs in micro and nanofabrication, accelerates commercial success and contributes to national capability.
Signals Beneath the Skin: WearOptimo’s Microwearable sensors enable minimally invasive access to the user’s bio-signals through electrodes that penetrate just a hair’s width beneath the skin, detecting hydration and physiological markers that traditional wearables cannot reach. Using advanced nanoimprint lithography (NIL), WearOptimo manufactures sensors rapidly and cost-effectively, enabling scalability and affordability. ANFF-QLD provides the silicon microfabrication infrastructure to support their NIL fabrication process. Designed for continuous hydration monitoring, the Microwearable sensor provides timely data to support peak performance and monitoring of emerging health issues.
Diraq at the Quantum Edge: Diraq advances silicon-based spin qubit technology toward scalable, fault-tolerant quantum processors. Through DARPA’s Quantum Benchmarking Initiative, this ANFF-NSW alumnus leads an international consortium spanning Australia, the US and the UK to set practical performance targets and pathways for future quantum systems. At the same time, participation in Quandarum – a US Department of Energy project led by Fermilab – leverages Diraq’s technology to develop ultrasensitive quantum sensors with the potential to shed light on dark matter. Together, these projects highlight Diraq’s dual focus on quantum technology and fundamental discovery.
Time for Precision: Adelaide master watchmaker Richard McMahon is one of the few, globally, who personally designs and manufactures nearly every component of his timepieces, including movements, cases, enamel dials and hands. An official restoration expert for Rolex, Cartier and Breitling, R. McMahon Watchmakers has expanded to prototyping for medical and defence projects in Australia and Europe. Supplementing its micromachining facility, McMahon Micro, the company works with ANFF-SA to produce prototypes and high-grade watches. Richard also contributes to ANFF-SA’s Microengineering School, sharing knowledge in the art and science of making precision timekeeping instruments
Chips Wired for Speed: Sydney-based Syenta is tackling performance limits in AI and quantum computing with its Localized Electrochemical Manufacturing (LEM) technology. LEM streamlines electronics production by combining deposition and patterning in a single electrochemical step. This innovation enables high-resolution interconnects – ultra-fine metallic ‘highways’ thinner than a human hair that link semiconductor chips with fast and efficient connections so they can exchange data far more quickly. By removing slow, complex steps in how chips are linked, Syenta’s patented process is poised to become part of semiconductor manufacturing in overseas markets.
Green Hydrogen Goes Global: Hysata is taking green hydrogen global with its high-efficiency, capillary-fed electrolysers. A $172M Series B raise, the largest for an Australian clean tech company, will expand Hysata’s electrolyser manufacturing capacity at its Port Kembla site. The company is backed by a global alliance of strategic investors and partners, such as South Korea’s POSCO, a steelmaking giant, and Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Power, a renewable energy pioneer. These collaborations will accelerate deployment of Hysata’s breakthrough technology and position green hydrogen to decarbonise hard-to-abate sectors like steel production worldwide.
Backing a Vaccine Breakthrough: Australian biotech Vaxxas has secured nearly $90M to accelerate commercialisation of its needle-free vaccine delivery technology, the high-density microarray patch (HD-MAP). Developed with R&D support from ANFF, the HD-MAP could eliminate needles, reduce cold-chain storage requirements and enable at-home vaccination. The device comes pre-packaged – peel, press, count to ten and you’re done. This recent funding round, including Series D equity and investors such as SPRIM Global Investments, LGT Crestone, OneVentures and Brandon Capital-Hostplus, will help Vaxxas continue to scale production, install semi-automated manufacturing lines and advance late-stage clinical trials.
By making world-class fabrication facilities and expertise available to Australian companies, ANFF helps industry grow its technical capacity and stay competitive. These strong foundations support the development of homegrown technologies and expand Australia’s industrial capability.
This article is republished with adaptation from the 2025 ANFF Casebook.
Posted 14 January 2026