Ceramic and glass business news of the week for January 17, 2022

PLANTS, CENTERS, AND FACILITIES

Ambev to invest in second Brazilian glass manufacturing facility

Brazilian glass manufacturer and brewer Ambev will build a new factory in the state of Parana to produce bottles made of recycled glass. The company is expected to invest 870 million reais (US $153.9 million) in the plant. Ambev, a subsidiary of Belgium’s Anheuser-Busch InBev, said the factory is expected to start operating in 2025.

Ukrainian dental firm deploys Photocentric LCD 3D printing tech to produce aligner models

Ukrainian dental aligner company Usmih established an additive manufacturing workflow comprising Photocentric’s LC Magna 3D printer and printing resin and a conveyor belt system to produce aligner models. The company decided to align with Photocentric because of its capacity to “enable large-scale production at a competitive cost.”

Lithoz dispatches first shipment from new XL production site

Austrian advanced ceramic 3D printing company Lithoz recently dispatched the first shipment from their new second production site in Vienna, Austria. This site is Lithoz’s fourth location worldwide after their headquarters in Vienna and bases in U.S. and China.

ACQUISITIONS AND COLLABORATIONS

Huber Engineered Materials completes acquisition of Magnifin

The Huber Engineered Materials acquisition of RHI Magnesita’s 50% ownership stake in the 50/50 joint venture, MAGNIFIN Magnesiaprodukte GmbH & Co. KG, signed in May 2021, closed effective December 31. Based in Breitenau, Austria, MAGNIFIN has been producing premium magnesium hydroxide products since 1990.

Wave energy firms Eco Wave Power, Ocean Power Technologies team up

Wave energy technology companies Eco Wave Power and Ocean Power Technologies, Inc. said they were working to use their complementary technologies and skills to accelerate wave energy projects, under an agreement previously signed.

HG Ventures invests in and partners with American Rare Earth to expand battery recycling

HG Ventures, a venture capital investment firm and division of The Heritage Group, has invested in and formed a strategic partnership with American Rare Earth LLC, a subsidiary of the American Resources Corporation, to scale up recycling of batteries, magnets, and e-waste to recover and supply critical and rare earth metals to U.S. and global markets.

Yotta Energy, Cal Solar Inc. partner to deploy energy storage, solar technology across Cali

As California requires solar plus storage systems for all new commercial and multifamily construction beginning in 2023, Yotta Energy is joining forces with Cal Solar Inc. to deploy statewide renewable energy solutions to meet California mandate requirements.

Messe Düsseldorf, VDMA: decarbXpo to become leading trade fair for Power-to-X tech

The Mechanical Engineering Industry Association Power-to-X for Applications work group and Messe Düsseldorf signed an agreement to turn the Expo for Decarbonized Industries > Energy Storage into the leading trade fair for Power-to-X tech and products. The fair will take place at the Düsseldorf trade fair center in September 2022, in parallel to glasstec.

OTHER STORIES

SIM Europe moves to June 2022

The Sustainable Industrial Manufacturing Europe conference is being postponed from the beginning of March until June 28–29, 2022. Aside from the dates, very little else changes.

ASTM International to support three new America Makes additive manufacturing projects

ASTM International’s Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence is participating in three new America Makes projects aimed at advancing the adoption of additive manufacturing. These projects, totaling over $1 million, address critical aspects of the AM industry, including training, inspection, qualification approaches, and in-process monitoring.

National Climate Assessment begins public workshop series

Last Tuesday, the interagency group responsible for coordinating the quadrennial National Climate Assessment began a series of 31 public engagement workshops organized around chapter topics for the fifth NCA, due for publication in 2023. The NCA team is also accepting input on annotated outlines for each of the 31 chapters.

DOE to help remote, island, and islanded communities with energy transition planning

The U.S. Department of Energy and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory announced that the Energy Transitions Initiative Partnership Project is accepting applications from remote, island, and islanded communities for technical assistance to transform their energy systems and increase energy resilience.

Department of Commerce seeks Internet of Things experts for new advisory board

The U.S. Department of Commerce seeks qualified nominations for a new Internet of Things Advisory Board to advise the recently established Internet of Things Federal Working Group. The advisory board will include a wide range of stakeholders outside of the federal government with expertise relating to the Internet of Things.

MARKET TRENDS

How the Log4j vulnerability is forcing change in federal cybersecurity policy

A Nextgov article looks at how the government could improve its approach to remediation of cybersecurity bugs in the future following the recent Log4j vulnerability situation.

NEW PRODUCTS

New LEDtronics linear high bay light features integrated dimmer, microwave motion sensor

LEDtronics introduces a new generation of  dimmable linear LED high bays to their product lineup. The low-profile fixture offers superior light output in a compact, lightweight body.

Munson high capacity rotary batch mixer resists abrasion

Munson rotary batch mixer 700-THCX-600-MSL blends abrasive materials in 6–8 minutes with little to no shear, degradation, or heat. Constructed of carbon steel, the mixer is meant for demanding applications such as concrete premix, ceramics, powdered metals, fertilizers, plastics, and catalysts. Its usable batch capacity is 600 cubic foot (17 m³).

ROSS VersaMix Triple Shaft Mixer for challenging mixing applications

ROSS VersaMix Triple Shaft Mixers offer fine dispersion, deagglomeration, emulsification, temperature control, and degassing in a highly repeatable process for mixing applications requiring efficient powder dispersion and critical homogenization of medium to high viscosity slurries, pastes, gels, creams, and suspensions.