Ceramic and glass business news of the week for May 16, 2022

PLANTS, CENTERS, AND FACILITIES

First floating tidal power delivered to Nova Scotia grid

Ocean energy firm Sustainable Marine delivered the first floating in-stream tidal power to Nova Scotia’s grid to harness tidal currents in Canada’s Bay of Fundy. Nova Scotia allocated 30 MW of capacity via demonstration permits and berths to demonstrate cost, effectiveness, and environmental effects associated with this form of energy generation.

TDK to build $380 million EV component factory in Japan

Japanese electronics manufacturer TDK plans to spend about 50 billion yen (US$383 million) to construct a domestic factory that will make electric vehicle parts. The new factory, which the company hopes to set up by 2024 in Kitakami in Iwate prefecture, will manufacture ceramic capacitors.

Japan’s Subaru to build its first electric vehicle factory

Subaru Corp. aims to build a dedicated electric vehicle factory in Japan in the late 2020s as part of a $1.9 billion ramp-up to respond to surging demand for battery cars in its main North American market.

Vital Metals to produce mixed rare earth carbonates with feed from its own mines

Vital Metals Limited is currently constructing a Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, based cracking and leaching facility, with first feed to the facility expected in June 2022. An additional C$5 million of funding/reimbursement was recently achieved to help support the commissioning and ramp-up stage.

South Korea hunts tungsten treasure

A mine in Sangdong, southeast of Seoul, is being brought back from the dead to extract blue tungsten. Sangdong is one of at least 30 critical mineral mines or processing plants globally that have been launched or reopened outside China over the last four years.

ACQUISITIONS AND COLLABORATIONS

MakerBot and Ultimaker agree to merge to accelerate global adoption of AM

MakerBot and Ultimaker, two leaders in desktop 3D printing, announced they came to a business combination agreement that will accelerate the adoption of additive manufacturing by providing a comprehensive desktop 3D printing ecosystem of hardware, software, and materials.

Porsche AG acquires stake in innovative producer of battery materials

Porsche is forging ahead with its drive to develop and manufacture high-performance battery cells—the sports car manufacturer acquired shares in U.S. company Group14 Technologies, a producer of advanced silicon-carbon technology for lithium-ion batteries.

Hexagon expands its portfolio of clean fuel solutions

Hexagon Composites, a world leading designer and manufacturer of clean fuel solutions for commercial vehicles, signed an agreement to acquire a 40% stake in Cryoshelter GmbH, an Austria-based company specialized in the development of cryogenic tank technology for liquid natural (renewable) gas and liquid hydrogen.

JSW and Adani set to battle for Holcim’s India cement assets

India’s JSW Group plans to compete aggressively with Adani Group for assets of Holcim AG’s local cement businesses, setting the stage for a bidding battle to become the country’s second-biggest player in the industry.

Cannon Ergos and Boeing trial recycled carbon fiber in cabin sidewall panels

Composite-conversion equipment expert Cannon Ergos is working with Boeing on molding trials for the feasibility of using recycled carbon fiber for the fabrication of aircraft cabin interior sidewall panels.

OTHER STORIES

Ford launches factory-certified Glass Repair Network

Ford Motor Co. in Dearborn is launching the Ford Certified Glass Network, a comprehensive OEM network to help ensure that replacement glass has the fit, function, safety, and structural integrity during the repair.

Corning named US EPA ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year

Corning Incorporated was named a 2022 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for its continued commitment to energy efficiency. The company also received a Sustained Excellence designation.

CEMEX USA named US EPA ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year

CEMEX USA announced that for the fourth consecutive year, it was named US EPA ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year, earning the Sustained Excellence Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Energy for the company’s ongoing and longstanding efforts in energy management and sustainability.

ERDC scientist tapped to lead new American Concrete Institute council

Brian Green, senior research geologist with the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory, was selected by the American Concrete Institute to lead its newly established Concrete Innovation Council as part of its ACI Foundation.

MARKET TRENDS

US invests $3.1 billion in battery manufacturing, processing, and recycling

Joe Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is awarding more than $3 billion to American-made batteries, with a separate $60 million allocated to support second-life applications for used electric vehicles batteries, as well as developing processes for recycling materials back into the battery supply.

Ghana in the spotlight in global drive to decarbonize cement

An advancement in cement manufacturing that could significantly reduce the industry’s carbon footprint is underway in Ghana, after a Danish multinational engineering company agreed to provide the country with advanced equipment for the project. The new manufacturing technique uses calcined clay in place of Portland cement clinker.

NEW PRODUCTS

Lancaster Products: Beneficial use of fly ash/coal ash in the utility industry

Lancaster Products offers both mixing equipment and technical expertise to provide a complete solution to its customers. The Lancaster Products K-Series mixer for coal combustion products mixing allows for consistent, repeatable mixes. Lancaster Products specialists help customers determine optimal formulation for processing needs.

CoorsTek: Proton ceramic membranes for hydrogen production

CoorsTek announced that a development team from CoorsTek Membrane Sciences, in collaboration with international research partners, successfully used ceramic membrane technology to develop a scalable hydrogen generator that makes hydrogen from electricity and fuels with near zero energy loss.

NEW byko-visc RT rotational viscometer

The byko-visc RT viscometer line offers robust measurement, repeatability, and reporting with intuitive navigation and a large capacitive, color touch-screen. Available in two models, the byko-visc RT and byko-visc RT Lite, each feature versatility and compatibility with three different sensitivities and optional accessories.

L&L: Floor-standing heat-treating furnace and large fiber-lined furnace

L&L Special Furnace Company recently received orders for a floor-standing box furnace for heat-treating saw blades (XLE3648) along with a large floor-standing, fiber-lined furnace that will be used to stress-relieve and temper large steel castings (FB336).

French company’s self-service concrete dispenser growing in popularity

French company Selfbeton set up almost 40 self-service concrete mix dispensers around France. The idea is that customers can go to the site where the dispenser is located and order their preferred concrete mix using a type of ticket machine. There is a choice of up to 50 different mixes.