A new report from BCC Research pegs the North American market for advanced structural ceramics at $2.7 billion in 2007 and predicts it will grow to $3.7 billion in 2012, for a compound annual growth rate of 6.0 percent. BCC breaks down the market by application into these segments: cutting tools and inserts; wear and corrosion;…
Read MoreWe know from watching the blog post traffic that the post last week about the Solyndra’s cylindrical photovoltaic system was popular. Today, we offer a short video from Solyndra that illustrates some of the production (very robotic) and installation techniques. [flashvideo filename=wp-content/video/Solyndra2.flv /]
Read MoreWhat can a team of highly trained researchers from four different U.S. universities learn from the feet of a gecko lizard? According to the researchers, how to improve carbon nanotube-based material so that, for the first time, it demonstrates “directionally varied (anisotropic) adhesive force” and gripping power nearly three times the level of existing nanotube…
Read MoreBusiness is beginning to take shape at Solyndra, and the shape it’s taking is tubular. The Fremont, Calif.-based solar power manufacturer began selling its novel cylindrical-shaped solar tubes in July ’08 and, according to CEO Chris Gronet, the firm already has racked up $1.2 billion in contracted orders. The differences between Solyndra’s solar tubes and conventional…
Read MoreIf you can get beyond the heavy hype, it appears Planilum – billed by its developers as “the world’s first light-emitting material,” a “technology that redefines our relationship with light” and light that “establishes a dialogue between the ethereal and the functional” – might actually be a great product. Its codevelopers – Paris’ Saazs Institute and Saint-Gobain – say the technology…
Read MoreAs part of The American Ceramic Society’s recently concluded 110th Anniversary Celebration, the Society identified the 11 best papers published by ACerS to commemorate the 11 decades that ACerS has continually operated. A total of 171 papers from Journal of the American Ceramic Society and International Journal of Applied Ceramic Technology were considered in the…
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This video is part of our ongoing efforts to collect videos that document some of the basic methods used in industrial ceramics. This video is produced by the Discovery Channel as part of its “How It’s Made” series, and shows the methods used to prepare the raw materials and then to mold, transport, fire and…
Read MoreMy neighbor recently picked up a couple of “solar” outdoor planters/urns at a discount center. What’s a solar urn? Turns out that each urn has about six tiny LEDs around its rim that are visible at nighttime, and each had a little external solar panel that could be plugged in to charge the urn’s batteries.…
Read MoreResearchers, entrepreneurs, students, professors, business people – MS&T is the place for the latest buzz on materials applications, innovation, supplies and production. Seriously. The dates are Oct 5-9 and the place is Pittsburgh. The deadline for registration is coming up very quickly, so put down the cup-o-joe and click on that MS&T’08 box on the…
Read MoreASTM International has issued a new global standard to address the use of honeycomb ceramics in automotive catalytic converters, diesel particulate filters and combustion burner plates. The standard, ASTM C1674, Test Method for Flexural Strength of Advanced Ceramics with Engineered Porosity (Honeycomb Cellular Channels) at Ambient Temperatures, has been developed by group’s Subcommittee C28.04 on Applications,…
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