Ceramic and glass business news of the week for May 31, 2021

PLANTS, CENTERS, AND FACILITIES

Enel starts work on 150MW Spanish solar trio

Enel Green Power Espana started the construction of the Veracruz, Puerta Palmas, and El Doblon solar farms in Spain with a combined capacity of 150MW. The projects, which are located between Merida and Almendralejo, will cost about €96m to build and are expected to be completed by the end of the year.

Brokk relocates Washington state facility for increased service

Brokk, a manufacturer of remote-controlled demolition machines, relocated its Monroe, Washington headquarters, consolidating service for customers in western North America. The new facility will function as the North American headquarters for Brokk and Aquajet and the main parts distribution center for North America.

Visy to invest $70 million in South Australian furnace rebuild

As part of Visy Executive Chairman Anthony Pratt’s recent $2 billion investment pledge in Australian manufacturing, Visy will invest over $70 million over the next 12 months on a furnace rebuild in South Australia. This investment will completely rebuild Visy’s West Croydon based glass furnace.

Innovation pioneers score world first for sustainable construction with graphene concrete

Graphene specialists at The University of Manchester and alumni-led construction firm Nationwide Engineering laid the world’s first graphene concrete slab engineered for sustainability in a commercial setting. The new material is strengthened by around 30% compared to standard concrete, significantly cutting material use.

ACQUISITIONS AND COLLABORATIONS

Impossible Objects, Owens Corning set to develop fiberglass composites for 3D printing

3D printer manufacturer Impossible Objects and Owens Corning entered a joint development agreement to develop specialized composite materials for Impossible Objects’ composite-based additive manufacturing process. The fiberglass composites will reportedly offer high strength-to-weight ratios along with excellent chemical resistances.

End of wind power waste? Vestas unveils blade recycling technology

Wind turbine maker Vestas unveiled new technology that it says enables wind turbine blades to be fully recycled. The project is a cooperation between Vestas; chemical producer Olin, which produces resin for turbine blades; the Danish Technological Institute, an independent research and technology institute; and Denmark’s Aarhus University.

CleanSpark executes partnership with FlowGen, adding advanced renewables to portfolio

CleanSpark, Inc. and FlowGen Ltd. entered into a collaborative memorandum of understanding. FlowGen agreed to use CleanSpark’s mPulse controls solution in all of its microgrid projects worldwide, and CleanSpark was granted exclusive distribution rights for FlowGen’s advanced wind turbine solutions throughout North and South America.

Reusing reclaimed precast concrete elements in new buildings

Tampere University, Finland, is coordinating the new international ReCreate project, which aims to discover how used concrete elements can be deconstructed without damaging them and reused in new buildings—and to turn the process into a profitable business.

Lockheed Martin, General Motors partner on autonomous Moon rover

Lockheed Martin and General Motors are partnering to build an electric car meant to allow astronauts to travel across the surface of the Moon. Lockheed Martin has previously built other deep space robotic spacecraft.

OTHER STORIES

Glassman Latin America rescheduled for May 2022

Glassman Latin America will now take place in Monterrey, Mexico, from May 11–12, 2022. The event focuses on the hollow glassmaking industry. All existing bookings remain in place and will be transferred automatically to the new dates.

Safran to host Aircraft Cabin Additive Manufacturing Summit

RedCabin’s Aircraft Cabin Additive Manufacturing Summit 2021 will take place virtually from June 8–10, hosted by aerospace company Safran. The focus will be on unveiling the latest 3D printing technologies and understanding their impact on aircraft interiors and the wider aviation industry.

ACerS UK Chapter/TFI Network+ : Sustainable ceramic manufacturing workshop

The ACerS UK Chapter invites attendees for a virtual presentation exploring sustainability in ceramics manufacturing on July 6. This meetup, co-hosted with TFI Network+, includes a number of speakers focusing on a range of topics, such as challenges in the refractories industry, research in solid-state batteries, and advanced manufacturing of ceramics.

Israeli startup aids hunt to discover materials for tomorrow’s world

The Times of Israel looks at the research made possible thanks to the Materials Zone platform, which uses machine learning and artificial intelligence to collect and analyze the results of multiple lab experiments, enabling data-driven and guided research.

Portugal kicks off €10 million call for agrivoltaics

The Portuguese Ministry of Agriculture launched a €10 million call to select innovative photovoltaic projects built in combination with agricultural activities. The ministry said selected developers may secure funds to cover up to 70% of a project’s upfront costs and that it will give priority to vulnerable territories and disadvantaged mountainous areas.

America Makes completes successful scenario testing for crisis response program

America Makes announced the completion of a series of crisis scenario tests for its Advanced Manufacturing Crisis Production Response program. The successful tests mark a major milestone for additive manufacturing, showing the technology’s potential as a solution to a variety of supply chain crises.

Stoelzle launches revamped website

Stoelzle Glass Group has reworked its online presence and launched its new website. The new website is said to be another milestone on Stoelzle’s path towards digitalisation and industry 4.0, and a virtual B2B customer journey.

Gasbarre Thermal Processing Systems ships high-temperature pusher furnace

Gasbarre Thermal Processing Systems announced the shipment of a high temperature pusher furnace to a supplier of specialty tungsten alloy products in the eastern United States. The furnace is designed for high temperature sintering with operating temperature capabilities up to 2,750°F (1,510°C).

MARKET TRENDS

Argonne study finds rare earth supply disruptions can have long-range impacts

Argonne National Laboratory researchers analyzed the potential effects of three supply disruption scenarios on 10 rare earth elements, along with a handful of associated compounds, to determine market effects. The largest price increases occurred for dysprosium oxide, which is used in permanent magnets and specialty alloys.

Ethereum closes in on long-sought fix to cut energy use over 99%

Software developers at Ethereum, the most actively used blockchain, have been working to transition the blockchain to what’s known as a proof-of-stake system, which uses a different approach to secure the network that also eliminates the carbon emissions issue. Learn more about this system and how it can make cryptocurrency more sustainable.

Sheet glass blowing added to list of UK’s endangered crafts

The age-old craft of sheet glass blowing was added to a “red” list of skills feared to be threatened with imminent extinction in the United Kingdom. More than 20 extra crafts were added to the updated red list drawn up by researchers for the Heritage Crafts Association, taking the total to more than 130.

NEW PRODUCTS

Solid Power unveils all-solid-state platform technology

Solid Power, an industry-leading producer of all-solid-state batteries for electric vehicles, unveiled details on its All-Solid-State Platform technology and the three unique battery designs it enables.

Kanthal announces price increase

Heating technology provider Kanthal has notified customers globally of a price increase, effective June 7, 2021. The increase is a result of higher costs related to raw material, logistics, and personnel and will vary by products and regions in the range of 4–10%.