Ceramic and glass business news of the week for September 12, 2022

PLANTS, CENTERS, AND FACILITIES

Wolfspeed selects North Carolina for world’s largest silicon carbide materials facility

Wolfspeed Inc. announced it will build a new, multibillion-dollar materials manufacturing facility in Chatham County, North Carolina. The investment is targeted to generate a more than 10-fold increase from Wolfspeed’s current silicon carbide production capacity on its Durham campus. The facility will primarily produce 200-mm SiC wafers.

Italy to allocate US$1.5 billion for 375MW of agrivoltaics

The Italian Ministry of Agricultural, Food, and Forestry Policies launched a €1.5 billion (US$1.5 billion) scheme to promote solar panel installation in agricultural, livestock, and agroindustrial sectors and ultimately add 375 MW of solar across Italy. Applications are to be presented through the Gestore dei Servizi Energetici from Sept. 27–Oct. 27, 2022.

Oman set to build glass manufacturing facility

Sur Industrial City, an affiliate of Oman’s Public Establishment for Industrial Estates Madayn, signed two investment contracts to establish glass and perfume manufacturing projects in the industrial city.

Air Products and Associated British Ports plan green hydrogen facility for UK

Air Products and Associated British Ports formed a partnership to bring the first large scale, green hydrogen production facility to the United Kingdom. The facility will import green ammonia from production locations operated by Air Products and its partners around the world.

China’s SVOLT picks same German state as Tesla for second battery cell plant

Chinese battery manufacturer SVOLT Energy Technology unveiled plans to build an additional cell assembly in Germany to supply electric vehicles, picking the state of Brandenburg—also home to Tesla’s gigafactory—as a location.

ACQUISITIONS AND COLLABORATIONS

NanoXplore acquires assets of XG Sciences

NanoXplore Inc., a leading graphene company, announced that it was the winning bidder for a significant portion of the assets of XG Sciences Inc., a developer of silicon-graphene anode materials. NanoXplore is planning to move all the assets from Lansing, Mich., to Canada to establish a dedicated battery material R&D facility.

Cornell professor and industry partners win grant to 3D print for clean energy reactors

Cornell University assistant professor Sadaf Sobhani is leading a $50,000 FuzeHub grant in partnership with ceramic 3D-printing company Lithoz America and energy startup Dimensional Energy. They aim to develop 3D-printed ceramics that can be used to more efficiently break apart carbon emissions and turn them into clean energy.

RHI Magnesita leads refractories recycling project

RHI Magnesita is heading a European Union Horizon project called ReSoURCE. The project seeks to develop a sensor-based refractory waste sorting and powder handling system. It involves academic partners in Austria, Germany, Ireland, Norway, and the U.K.

Emirates Glass and SCHOTT partner to provide fire-resistant glass

Emirates Glass LLC, one of the leading processors of architectural flat glass in the Middle East and wholly owned by Dubai Investments PJSC, signed a deal with SCHOTT to provide architects in the Middle East and beyond with high-performance glazing that combines fire-resistance and design freedom in a unique way.

Forglass partners with Mexican machinery supplier to expand into Central America

Forglass, one of the top European engineering companies producing furnaces and batch plants for the glass industry, partnered with Graphiteglass, a top seller of forming machines and other glass production equipment in Mexico, to expand its operations into Mexico and Central America.

NSF and Intel Corp. to train and build a skilled semiconductor manufacturing workforce

The U.S. National Science Foundation announced a $10 million endeavor with Intel Corporation to educate and train the nation’s semiconductor manufacturing workforce and advance opportunities for equitable science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education.

OTHER STORIES

Data analytics and monitoring tools for extreme materials: A workshop

The National Academies is hosting a workshop on frontiers in data analytics and monitoring tools for extreme materials on Oct. 5–6, 2022, from 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Eastern in Washington, D.C. and online. ACerS Fellow Olivia A. Graeve is serving as lead organizer.

Cali bottle bill adds wine, spirits, plus last-minute funding for glass recycling

A significant update to California’s bottle bill, SB 1013, will add wine and distilled spirits to the state’s container deposit system starting Jan. 1, 2024. The bill also provides millions of dollars in market development initiatives, grants for recycled glass, and funding for local programs aimed at collecting more containers.

II-VI changes name to Coherent and launches new brand identity

II-VI Incorporated, a leader in engineered materials and optoelectronic components, announced a corporate name change to Coherent Corp. (Nasdaq: COHR) and a new brand identity, following the successful completion of II-VI’s acquisition of Coherent, Inc., on July 1, 2022.

Biden creates council to steer CHIPS+ initiatives

President Biden issued an executive order creating a steering council to implement the CHIPS and Science Act’s semiconductor initiatives, led by the heads of the National Economic Council, National Security Council, and White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Implementation updates will be reported on CHIPS.gov.

MARKET TRENDS

Nigeria launches energy transition plan, including doubling of gas

The Nigerian Government aspires to provide universal access to electricity and transition to cleaner energy sources. In pursuit of this goal, the government seeks international funders for a $10 billion jumpstart to its energy transition plan, including a doubling of gas power generation. Nigeria is counting on gas as a transition fuel.

The Biden administration aims to make nature a measurable part of the US economy

On Aug. 18, the White House released a draft national strategy for assigning value to “nature” for the purposes of regulatory and economic decision-making. President Biden directed his administration to produce the document through an executive order last spring. The draft is open for public comment until October 21.

NEW PRODUCTS

FRITSCH disk mill P-13 premium line with high-performance cyclone separator

The FRITSCH Disk Mill P-13 premium line can now be combined with a high-performance cyclone separator. This ability simplifies filling and cleaning considerably, and allows use of finer gap widths for higher final fineness.

Flexible glass: Xiaomi MIX Fold 2 foldable phone features SCHOTT UTG

SCHOTT confirmed that its ultrathin and flexible Xensation Flex glass is present on the Xiaomi MIX Fold 2 foldable phone’s display. The Xensation Flex glass can reach a bending radius below 1 millimeter after processing.

Zendure unveils plug-and-play solid-state battery for residential applications

U.S. startup Zendure announced a new plug-and-play residential storage system with semisolid-state batteries for household backup power, mobile living, and portable EV charging applications. One SuperBase V 6400 unit has a storage capacity of 6.438 kWh and can be scaled with up to four battery modules, reaching a capacity of 32 kWh.

GaNo Opto launches first silicon carbide EUV photodiode

GaNo Optoelectronics Inc., a spin-off from China’s Nanjing University that offers ultraviolet detectors and modules based on wide-bandgap semiconductors, formally released what it claims are the first commercial silicon carbide-based extreme ultraviolet photodiodes.

Transparent solar glass to debut at RE+ in Anaheim

Toledo Solar, an Ohio-based solar manufacturer, is introducing semi-transparent solar glass designed to be used in net-zero buildings, greenhouses, and more. Toledo Solar’s new see-through solar glass will be on display in booth #3674 at RE+ in Anaheim, Calif., from September 19–22.

Southworth Products’ high-duty cycle lift tables extend time between maintenance

For applications that require frequent cycling of lift tables, Southworth offers high duty cycle packages that increase recommended maintenance intervals from 50,000 cycles to 200,000 cycles. The dramatic increase in cycles is attributed to upgraded components including more rugged and durable wear parts.