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Carbo mothballing its ceramic proppant facility in Georgia

Carbo Ceramics Inc. announced that it has decided to mothball its proppant manufacturing facility in McIntyre, Ga. CEO Gary Kolstad commented, “The Company’s actions were in direct response to a depressed commodity price for oil and the resulting negative impact on industry activity levels, which is having a negative impact on demand for ceramic proppant. Unfortunately, we have not seen improvement in demand for ceramic proppant, nor do we anticipate any change in the near term.”

Bayer MaterialScience buys composite materials specialist

Bayer MaterialScience has expanded its position on the future-oriented market for composite materials. The company recently concluded the takeover of Thermoplast Composite GmbH in Langenfeld, near Nuremberg, Germany, a technology leader specializing in the production of thermoplastic fiber composites. The company intends to market composites made from continuous fiber-reinforced thermoplastics. This is a new class of particularly thin and lightweight materials whose properties offer superior performance.

3M files patent infringement lawsuit to protect dental ceramic coloring technology

As part of its ongoing program to license to the dental industry 3M’s patented technology that enables the coloring of ceramic-based dental restorations, and to protect its technology against unlicensed users, 3M has filed a patent infringement lawsuit in Düsseldorf, Germany against Dental Direkt GmbH (Spenge, Germany). The lawsuit alleges infringement of 3M’s patent rights by Dental Direkt’s zirconia CAD/CAM blocks sold under the brand “DD Bio Z” and “DD Bio ZX2 translucent” and coloring liquids sold under the brands “DD Bio Z color classic” and “DD Bio ZX2 monolith Zero.”

Japan Display confirms new plant, source says for Apple

Japan Display Inc. said that it would build a new $1.4 billion liquid crystal display manufacturing plant, which a source said would supply smartphone screens for Apple Inc. The total cost of the plant in Ishikawa, central Japan, is estimated at 170 billion yen, Japan Display said in its statement. Japan Display said it aims to start operations at the plant in 2016 and expects the move to increase its LCD capacity by 20 percent.

Alcoa to acquire RTI International Metals, boosting value-add, multi-material aerospace portfolio

Lightweight, high-performance metals leader Alcoa is announcing another major milestone in its transformation, further building its value-add portfolio for profitable growth. The company has signed a definitive agreement to acquire RTI International Metals Inc., a global supplier of titanium and specialty metal products and services for the commercial aerospace, defense, energy, and medical device markets. Alcoa will purchase RTI in a stock-for-stock transaction with an enterprise value of $1.5 billion.

Kyocera named 2014 Top Global Innovator by Thomson Reuters

Kyocera Corporation was recognized as one of the 2014 Top 100 Global Innovators by Thomson Reuters, a worldwide provider of intelligent information for business enterprises and professionals. A trophy was presented at Kyocera headquarters in Kyoto recently. Kyocera recognizes innovation as a vital company asset and remains committed to creating intellectual property that protects and further develops its business.

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