Ceramic and glass business news of the week for April 18, 2022

PLANTS, CENTERS, AND FACILITIES

MP Materials awarded DoD rare earth processing contract

MP Materials Corp. was awarded a $35 million contract through the U.S. Department of Defense Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment Program to support construction of a commercial-scale processing facility for heavy rare earth elements at the Mountain Pass facility, which MP owns and operates.

State could see economic jump from rare earth deposits in Northeastern Wyoming

Two companies are working to develop and process rare earth deposits in Wyoming. In March, Wyoming Rare USA began drilling in exploration of rare earth elements in Albany County west of Wheatland. Last October, Rare Element Resources started working on a rare earths demonstration processing facility to be built in Upton.

Siemens hub to speed industrialization of additive manufacturing

Siemens announced the opening of its new Charlotte Advanced Technology Collaboration Hub, located in Charlotte, N.C. This new strategic research-and-development hub will be used to collaborate with key machine builders, end-users, and U.S. national laboratories to ensure the successful industrialization of additive manufacturing.

Ørsted and partners sign agreement for offshore site in Scotland

Danish renewable energy firm Ørsted, in partnership with Falck Renewables and BlueFloat Energy, signed an option agreement for developing an offshore wind site off the north-east coast of Scotland. The agreement covers the development of a floating wind site with up to 1 GW of capacity.

ACQUISITIONS AND COLLABORATIONS

Glass Futures invites IS machine glass manufacturing collaboration

Glass Futures invited IS machine suppliers to partner with it in developing technologies for the glass sector. The U.K. research and development, and training hub said it was a great opportunity to support the industry, showcase machinery, and demonstrate the latest glass container forming technology at its pilot facility in St Helens, U.K.

Hertz and Polestar announce partnership to accelerate EV adoption

Rental car company Hertz and Swedish premium electric performance car maker Polestar announced a new global partnership that includes purchasing up to 65,000 electric vehicles over the next five years. Last October, Hertz placed an order for 100,000 Teslas to be delivered by the end of 2022.

OTHER STORIES

Webinar: Accessible and affordable hardness testing of thin coatings

Austria-based analytical instruments company Anton Paar GmbH will present a live webinar discussing the benefits and limitations of traditional hardness testing as well as new developments that enable accurate and affordable hardness measurements of ultrathin coatings. The webinar takes place May 5 at 1 p.m. Eastern.

Webinar: Selecting the optimal thermal resistance solution to meet your application

A Ceramics Expo-sponsored webinar will look at how high-performance plastics and advanced ceramic materials can effectively and efficiently solve thermal issues to improve overall performance. The webinar takes place May 5 at 12 p.m. Eastern.

ICG workshop for new researchers in glass science and applications

The next International Commission on Glass workshop for new researchers in glass science and applications will take place June 28–July 2, 2022, in Berlin, Germany, immediately before the ICG Congress. The workshop will follow the aims and format of the ICG Montpellier Summer Schools and is jointly hosted by BAM Berlin and ICG. Register here.

IPCC report charts steep path to limited warming

On April 4, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a nearly 3,000 page analysis of the prospects for mitigating future global warming and an associated summary for policymakers, representing the third and final working group report from its sixth assessment cycle. This fall the IPCC plans to publish a capstone synthesis report.

NEW PRODUCTS

FDA authorizes first COVID-19 diagnostic test using breath samples

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization for the first COVID-19 diagnostic test that detects chemical compounds in breath samples associated with a SARS-CoV-2 infection. The performance of the InspectIR COVID-19 Breathalyzer was validated in a large study of 2,409 individuals.

SCHOTT high-performance glass enables vivo’s first foldable phone, the vivo X Fold

vivo’s first foldable phone, the vivo X Fold, features SCHOTT’s flexible ultrathin glass and break resistant high-performance Xensation α cover glass. The X Fold’s camera, developed by vivo and SCHOTT’s sister company ZEISS, are also protected by Xensation glass.

Ubiquitous demonstrates large-area transparent solar glass coating

Ubiquitous Energy, a Silicon Valley-based developer of transparent solar technology for architectural glass, has demonstrated 1.5-metre (4.9 ft)-wide glass coated uniformly with its transparent solar organic semiconductor materials, called UE Power.

Sandvik introduces 3D-printed cemented carbide

Sandvik continues to expand its additive manufacturing offering through the introduction of 3D-printed components in cemented carbide. Compared to conventional component manufacturing techniques, in which prototyping can take 6–12 months, the lead time for Sandvik’s new method is a matter of weeks.

L&L ships box furnace to valve manufacturer for general heat-treating

L&L Special Furnace Co., Inc. delivered a high-uniformity box furnace to a worldwide, leading valve manufacturer located in the southeastern United States. The L&L model XLE 244 is a front-loading, refractory-lined box furnace and has an effective work zone of 22” wide by 22” high by 20” deep.