America Makes’ second satellite center to be located on Texas A&M University campus
America Makes announced its second America Makes Satellite Center will be located within the facilities of the Institute’s Platinum-level member, the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station, a part of The Texas A&M University System. The objective of the Satellite Center is to extend the reach of the existing America Makes mission.
CeramTec North America to expand operations in South Carolina
Advanced ceramics manufacturer CeramTec North America will again expand its existing facility in Laurens County, South Carolina. CeramTec’s announcement includes the investment of at least $20 million and the creation of 14 new jobs at their Laurens facility.
Ocean-going nuclear plants for South China Sea
China will start building its first floating nuclear power plant this year. Mobile nuclear reactors could power man-made islands being created in South China Sea; transmitting electricity from mainland would be expensive and conventional diesel generators could not meet demand.
BMW plans 12 all-electric models by 2025
BMW laid out plans to bring 12 new all-electric cars to market by 2025, including five in the next two years. Along with the existing i3, the first five will include the Mini Electric, the iX3 SUV, and the i4 sedan and iNext SUV. Additionally, BMW said it will sell 13 plug-in hybrids.
New AFRL lab capability poised to change the face of high-power electronics
The Oxide Molecular Beam Epitaxy laboratory is poised to become a major developer of high-quality semiconductor materials that are the basis for a new breed of lighter, smaller, more agile electronics. At the lab’s center is the MBE chamber, a specialized piece of equipment that enables growth of semiconducting materials.
Biesse Group to open its first Diamut manufacturing facility in North America
Biesse Group will open its first Diamut manufacturing facility in North America at the Biesse Charlotte Campus in North Carolina. The facility will assemble Italian-engineered Diamut diamond profiling wheels for glass, stone, and ceramic processing.
Ahlstrom-Munksjö develops carbon fiber-based unidirectional fabric
Ahlstrom-Munksjö developed a carbon-fiber-based unidirectional fabric. The newly developed fabric can be laminated to 165 layers or more in one shot (previous record was 120 layers). The fabric is designed for wind turbine blades to enable larger new-generation wind turbines.
Bilfinger wins refractory order at Cemex Polska
Bilfinger’s Engineering & Maintenance Continental Europe division won an order to install refractories at the Cemex Polska Rudniki plant in Poland. The Rudniki plant is being equipped with a new clinker cooler. Bilfinger will install the refractory linings for parts of the plant, which entails using around 2,000t of refractory material within a five-month period.
ARPA–E announces $36M for high-temperature materials projects
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy announced $36 million in awards for 18 projects as part of the High Intensity Thermal Exchange through Materials and Manufacturing Processes (HITEMMP) program, as well as the final OPEN+ Cohort, High Temperature Devices.
Custom Glass Solutions opens new facility in Fostoria
Custom Glass Solutions, a leading glass fabricator focused on transportation applications, opened their third Ohio manufacturing facility in Fostoria. CGS was recently acquired by Stellex Capital Management, a private equity firm that invests in middle-market companies in North America and Europe.
First university master’s program in machine learning in Germany
The University of Tübingen is the first German university to start a master’s program in machine learning, coming this winter. Students from around the world can apply to take part in the four-semester program, which teaches machine learning basics and allows a choice of specialization in a broad range of theory and applications.
Goodfellow offers boron nitride nanotubes with bandgap about 5.5 eV
Goodfellow announced the addition of boron nitride nanotubes. Goodfellow supplies two grades of BNNTs in powder form: product with purity of 70 wt% or higher for their applied research; product with purity of 90 wt% or higher for characteristic research through high-purity products.