DEFENCE R&D & ADVANCED PROTOTYPING LAB

Private applied R&D laboratory delivering end-to-end design, diagnostics, and secure in-house development of complex electro-mechanical systems for Defence, Aerospace, Government, and MedTech.

With an established history of supporting Defence delivery, much of it behind the scenes under confidential engagements, we are now available for direct discussions across all levels of the Defence sector, including Government, Prime contractors, MSPs, and SME partners.

We work on projects where tolerances matter, failure is unacceptable, and confidentiality is assumed. Our focus is on small, complex, tolerance-critical parts and assemblies that require careful engineering judgement rather than volume production.

All machining, fitting, inspection, validation, and prototype assembly is performed entirely in-house at our Northern and Southern South Australian Labs, enabling close control over quality, rapid iteration during development, and secure handling of sensitive programs.

DEFENCE FOCUS & ENGINEERING APPROACH

Our work sits at the intersection of precision engineering, regulated technology, and high-consequence device development.

We support engineers, technical teams, and organisations developing early-stage and pre-commercial systems. Many of the core challenges in Defence prototyping and Aerospace — including tolerance stack-up, materials behaviour, functional reliability, and systems integration — are technically equivalent.

We prioritise engineering correctness over throughput, working closely with clients to refine, test, validate, and de-risk precision devices prior to scale-up or transfer into production environments.

DEFENCE INDUSTRY ENGAGEMENT & SOVEREIGN CAPABILITY

McMahon Micro Pty Ltd is listed on the official South Australian Government DEFENCE SA and South Australian Space Industry Centre supplier directories as an industry capability partner.

We are an integral part of the Tonsley Innovation District, providing expert advisory support to both industry and university programs.

McMahon Micro is an active participant in Australia’s advanced manufacturing ecosystem and maintains memberships with industry bodies aligned to its Defence, Aerospace, and MedTech focus, including the Medical Technology Association of Australia (MTAA), AusBiotech, and the Defence Teaming Centre (South Australia).

These affiliations reflect ongoing engagement in sectors where precision, traceability, regulatory awareness, confidentiality, and professional integrity are essential to complex device design, process engineering, and early-stage prototype development.

McMahon Micro has a well equipped Adelaide, South Australia based micro engineering facility specialising in small volume mechanical and electro mechanical prototyping, assembly and testing. Specialising in aerospace, defence and MedTech. All carried out in-house at our Tonsley Innovation District workshop and Adelaide University Mawson Lakes, South Australia teaming up with the Australian National Fabrication Facility resources. Stainless steel, titanium, aluminium, Inconel and brass small parts machined. PEEK, Delrin and Ultem for low magnetic and strength properties. Tantalum, silver and other specialist materials for special projects. Mechanical and electro/mechanical devices assembled and tested. Prototype development. Process engineering advice. Bringing manufacturing back to South Australia. Our Lab specialises in experimentation with different materials, for materials optimisation and lightweighting strategy.

Our micro-machining work in most cases do not allow us to publish photos or our work. We are asked often, "Why don't you showcase on your website parts you have made, micro device development work or post photos on socials? People would love to see them".

To answer this, small precision-manufacturing companies like ours do not publish case studies, cannot disclose which defence programs we support or medical companies we consult with. We by default only provide general descriptions of our capabilities. This is why advanced micro parts and device experts like McMahon Micro Machining only use broad industry terms like "defence", "aerospace", "government"' and "medical devices". If we were given express permission, we would happily share our work.

Our core consulting and engineering business works by default with, and not limited to -

• Early Stage Defence Prototype Development
• Complex Mechanical & Electro-Mechanical Systems Development
• Rapid Concept-to-Prototype Engineering
• Confidential In-House Development Under NDA
• Strict NDA-Based Development Engagements
• Controlled Access to Design, Prototype & Test Information
• Non-Disclosure Protocols for Prime, Government, Aerospace & MedTech Clients
• Precision Mechanical & Micro Device Prototyping
• Prototype Assembly & System Integration
• Design Iteration & Engineering Validation
• Functional Proof-of-Concept Assemblies
• Precision Machining & Custom Components
• Fast-Turn Defence Engineering Support
• Special Projects & Discreet Prototype Work
• Restricted Imagery, Components, Testing & Supply Chain Disclosure
• TRL Concept Demonstrator Development
• Independent Defence R&D Engineering Partner
• Sovereign Australian Prototype Capability
• Confidentiality & Information Control Provisions
• Secure Handling of Sensitive Client Programs

McMahon Micro is an Adelaide-based precision engineering firm providing in-house rapid prototyping, micro-machining, and precision assembly services for medical device development and defence-aligned engineering programs.

McMahon Micro specialises in: Tolerance-critical mechanical and micro-mechanical components Precision device sub-assemblies and prototype mechanisms Iterative prototype development under NDA and IP constraints Low-volume, high-accuracy manufacture where repeatability and inspection are critical All machining, inspection, and assembly activities are conducted internally to support fast design iteration, dimensional control, and secure project handling. McMahon Micro Machining operates across both MedTech and Defence domains, applying the same precision methodologies, quality controls, and engineering discipline required in regulated and high-consequence environments.

The company is a member of the Medical Technology Association of Australia (MTAA), AusBiotech, and the Defence Teaming Centre, reflecting active participation in Australia’s medical technology, defence, and advanced manufacturing sectors.

Precision milling machines, lathes and diamond micron lapping and polishing equipment. Ultrasonic and mechanical cleaning equipment. The advantage of the combined Tonsley and Mawson Lakes workshops gives us a range of machines from rapid prototyping on manual machines to precision repeatable parts manufacture on the Robodrill, Willemin-Macodel 8 axis or DMG Mori precision mills. Device troubleshooting and rapid small volume custom parts manufacture. Olympus OLS 5100 laser measuring microscope for final quality control and surface quality testing, QMS, QC. Our own small device pressure test equipment and electronic diagnostic test machinery. Richard McMahon as a certified master watchmaker has the ability to design, machine and assemble micro machinery himself, this is a huge advantage in vertical integration. Keeping tight control of the prototype and manufacture process from start to finish. We can identify issues and quickly adapt design and manufacture changes in hours, not weeks or months. Our own fabrication and prototyping facility and partnering with Adelaide University and the University of South Australia at Mawson Lakes South Australia. MCMAHON MICRO PTY LTD do NOT outsource our machining or parts design overseas as many of our local Adelaide competitors fail to disclose. We work with our clients to source as many materials, and component elements we can use in the prototype development chain as possible.

Prototype design, manufacture, quality control and testing.

McMahon Micro facilities include clean assembly spaces for complicated small machinery and instruments. All in secure spaces in the Tonsley Innovation District, South Australia and Future Industries Institute at Mawson Lakes, South Australia. CAD using Autocad Inventor and Fusion in-house. Precision assembly work carried out in our environmentally controlled micro-engineering workspaces. Complicated machinery assembled by qualified and certified horologists and watchmakers. We have access to clean rooms for assembly at both our Tonsley and Mawson Lakes machining centres for device assembly. Decades of experience manufacturing precision parts for the medical and defence industries. We have a network of advisors and experts in many engineering and design disciplines. We have a proven track record of designing, prototyping and testing devices for our clients in IVF, cardiology and ophthalmology disciplines. Members of AusBiotech biomedical organisation. We work closely with our clients offering quick modifications to our components and devices made by us, in-house. Our client feedback shows our strength is speed and communication. Keeping costs low by using a vertically integrated lab and workshop like ours can save months in development and many thousands of dollars. We have the capability to work on multiple devices in parallel to fast track testing and evaluation. ISO 9001 quality management system being implemented. We specialise in proof of concept, high quality working devices for venture capital demonstration meetings, potentially enabling access to funding quicker than other methods. Once a device is functioning, certification processes can be carried out. This is how many successful companies work today and is an advantage in the fast moving medical and tech industries.

Defence Teaming Centre Member (DTC), Australian Industry Defence Networking (AIDN), Medical Technology Association of Australia (MTAA).

Official government listings with DEFENCE SA and South Australian Space Industry Centre.

Proudly South Australian company.

Sovereign Australian defence prototype supplier.

Combining precision manual machining with modern CNC micro machining.

Precision assembly benches, clean and temperature controlled/monitored seperated Lab spaces. Security controlled access and register.

Just one of our R&D design, precision parts manufacture, precision assembly and test facilities. Very few in Australia have this combination of vertical integration in one organisation. Tightly controlled and overseen by a small expert team.