A new way of growing graphene without the defects that weaken it and prevent electrons from flowing freely within it could open the way to large-scale manufacturing of graphene-based devices with applications in fields such as electronics, energy and healthcare. [ + ]

Kählig Antriebstechnik GmbH has appointed maxon motor Australia as its distributor for Australia and New Zealand. [ + ]

Eric Lidow was co-founder of International Rectifier in 1947 and served as chairman of the company’s board of directors until his retirement in May 2008. Sadly, he passed away on 18 January 2013. [ + ]

Baxter Innovation Hub has launched its commercialisation service, Baxter Commercialisation, comprising an experienced team of industry specialists dedicated to assisting Australian inventors and entrepreneurs in expanding their business and selling their ideas to the world. [ + ]

Fluke is voluntarily recalling its 373, 374, 375 and 376 digital clamp meters that were manufactured between 1 September 2010 and 1 October 2012. [ + ]

The world’s fastest 3D printer of micro- and nanostructures has been developed. With this printer, smallest three-dimensional objects, often smaller than the diameter of a human hair, can be manufactured with minimum time consumption and maximum resolution. The printer is based on a novel laser lithography method. [ + ]

A new ferroelectric material has been created by an international team of researchers. With properties analogous to those of a magnet in electricity, this new material has a lower impact on the environment. [ + ]

IAR Systems has released an IAR Embedded Workbench for RX with 256 KB licensing option. Reducing costs for small footprint applications, the V2.41 of full tool suite brings new features for all Renesas MCUs. [ + ]

Technology transfer kit combines education and technical support to further advances in next-generation flexible displays for use in smartphones and tablets. [ + ]

The Embedded Microprocessor Benchmark Consortium (EEMBC) announces plans to develop an industry-standard method to evaluate the energy efficiency of ultralow-power microcontrollers. The benchmark will give designers a much-needed way to test, validate and compare the real-world energy consumption of MCUs used in products with extended battery life. [ + ]

Renesas Electronics Corporation, a supplier of advanced semiconductor solutions, and J-Devices Corporation have announced that they signed a memorandum of understanding regarding the transfer of the semiconductor back-end production business of three facilities. [ + ]

One market research company is expecting the BioMEMS sector to grow from $1.9 billion in 2012 to $6.6 billion in 2018 - offering good times for canny electronics developers. [ + ]

Navman Wireless, a provider of fleet and asset management technology used to optimise business and government fleets as well as heavy equipment operations, has announced its acquisition by Danaher Corporation. [ + ]

ams and Mouser Electronics have announced a new distribution partnership. [ + ]

RS Components, a leading high service distributor of electronics and maintenance products, has signed an EMEA and APAC-wide distribution agreement with Samtec, an industry-leading manufacturer of connectors and associated products. [ + ]