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GE Aviation breaks ground on CMC production facility

GE Aviation will mass produce ceramic-matrix composite components for its LEAP aircraft engine in a new 170,000 ft2 facility in Asheville N.C. The company recently broke ground for the new plant, which is expected to house 340 employees within five years. Introduction of CMC components into the hot section of aircraft turbine engines represents a significant technology breakthrough for GE and the jet propulsion industry, the company says in a release. The components will consist of silicon carbide fibers in a ceramic matrix, and will be “manufactured through a highly sophisticated process and further enhanced with proprietary coatings,” according to the release. Production of CMC parts will begin with high-pressure turbine shrouds for the LEAP jet engine—the first application of CMC components in a commercial application.

Abakan expands thermal spray coating business

Abakan Inc. recently announced completion of the first phase of its PComP nanocomposite coatings expansion strategy, which involved installing additional powder microencapsulation equipment to double throughput. The company next plans to add nanoparticle production equipment and sintering furnaces to expand production of the highly engineered materials to 18 tons per year. Future phases of the plan call for production increases to 60 and then 180 tons per year over the next twelve months. Abakan also plans to acquire up to 10 US-based thermal spray production businesses over the next three years to serve the growing oil and gas sector.

Report covers transparent conductive films markets and technologies

The transparent conductive film and glass markets will grow to $6.3 billion by 2024, according to a new report from Research and Markets.
 Market growth will be fueled mainly by tablets and increased penetration of touch-screen capability in mobile phones, although OLED lighting, organic photovoltaics, and dye-sensitized solar cells are also potentially large markets, the report says. It provides 10-year forecasts of unit sales or market value 
for mobile devices and smart phones, notebooks and touch notebooks, monitors and touch monitors, tablets, OLED lighting, organic photovoltaics, dye-sensitized solar cells, and electroluminescent displays. The publication also includes 10-year projections for several technologies, including ITO on glass and polymer, silver nanowires, carbon nanotubes, graphene, and more.

PPG, Universal Display expand OLED production

PPG Industries and Universal Display Corp. recently launched production of organic light-emitting diode materials at a plant in Barberton, Ohio. Owned and operated by PPG, the new site will support expanded development and production of Universal Display’s phosphorescent OLED materials. The materials are used to produce thin, energy-efficient display and lighting products for mobile device, television, and solid-state lighting applications. PPG is the exclusive manufacturer of Universal’s PHOLED emitter materials, which the companies say offer significant advantages over conventional OLED technologies. Opened by PPG in 1900, the Barberton plant produces a variety of specialty materials.

Measuring instrument manufacturer Anton Paar acquires CSM Instruments

Anton Paar GmbH, a supplier of analytical instruments for density and concentration measurement, determination of dissolved carbon dioxide, rheology, and surface characterization, recently completed acquisition of CSM Instruments SA. The companies say CSM will continue to operate under its current name and at its present location in Peseux, Switzerland. CSM is a manufacturer of surface mechanical properties testing instruments, including indenters, tribometers, scratch testers, and coating thickness measurement equipment.

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