Welcome to the South Australian Node of the Australian National Fabrication Facility
SA-made precision mirrors head to USA for LIGO upgrade
2026_03
World leading Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) innovations are being supported by Adelaide University researchers and South Australian advanced manufacturing.
LIGO is a major international physics experiment that routinely detects gravitational waves and is operated by USA Universities Caltech and MIT. Adelaide University Professor David Ottaway’s ongoing collaboration with MIT, developing new techniques for gravitational wave detection, led to the partnership with the South Australian Node of the Australian National Fabrication Facility (ANFF-SA) and Billet Lab.
Prof Ottaway said “ANFF-SA delivered a precision diamond turned surface that is currently being evaluated at MIT for use in an upgrade to the world leading LIGO Gravitational Wave Detectors.”
“The ANFF-SA advanced facilities were critical for achieving the tight specifications needed at a cost that made this viable,” said Prof Ottaway.
The highly precise heating element assembly was single point diamond turned by ANFF-SA Ultraprecision Technologist, Brendan Schawl, within the world-class ANFF-SA Precision Engineering Centre (PEC) at Adelaide University’s Mawson Lakes campus. With support from Commonwealth, Government of South Australia and a decade long relationship with Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG), the PEC’s recent expansion has seen the facility grow into a $15million capability, featuring instruments unique to the southern hemisphere.
Brendan said “ANFF-SA’s Precision Engineering Centre recently doubled in size, further enhancing our abilities in optical communication and placing SA at the forefront of advanced manufacturing in space and defence.”
To successfully machine the Frosti Lite Reflector Mirrors within the quick manufacturing turnaround times, ANFF-SA engaged support from local industry partners Billet Lab.
Jordan Agnew, General Manager of BilletLab in Millicent, SA, machined the reflector blanks prior to transporting them to the ANFF-SA for diamond turning.
Jordan said “having all the facilities accessible locally is a big advantage for projects in space and defence industries. It was a pleasure collaborating with Mark Cherrill and Brendan Schawl on this project whose quick communication and clear understanding kept the project always moving forward.”
The industry and research partnership to deliver ultra precise optics from regional SA to USA demonstrates South Australia’s leadership in advance manufacturing.
Prof Ottaway said “we look forward to working with Brendan and his team to develop new precision optical surfaces for advancing this extremely high precision science.”
ANFF-SA is one of Australia’s leading micro and nanofabrication hubs providing open access to cutting-edge equipment housed in state-of-the-art facilities with support from world-leading experts.
If you require support or assistance with your project or research, contact us on 08 8302 5226.