Ceramic and glass business news of the week for August 5, 2024

PLANTS, CENTERS, AND FACILITIES

AeroShield Materials opens new facility to innovate energy-efficient windows

AeroShield Materials opened a manufacturing facility in Waltham, Mass. The company’s silica aerogels can be added as a coating to the inner glass of windows and doors to improve energy performance by up to 65%.

World’s biggest soda ash company gears up for operations in Wyoming

London-based mining company We Soda, the world’s largest supplier of natural soda ash, is gearing up for a major Green River operation that aims to produce up to three million tons of trona annually. Wyoming is currently the nation’s leading supplier of trona, and this project would entrench the state’s position in the global trona market.

New rare earth oxide deposit discovered in China’s Yunnan Province

A Chinese research team told the Global Times that they have discovered rich rare earth oxides, estimated at one million tons, in China’s Yunnan Province. The deposit’s location near the borders of Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar, provides the potential for further exploration to build a larger, connected rare earth resource base.

Sandia National Laboratories expand R&D with a second Lithoz CeraFab 3D printer

Sandia National Laboratories expanded its research and development capacity with a second Lithoz CeraFab 3D printer. This acquisition represents a step in Sandia’s attempt to create more reasonably priced and efficient advanced ceramic components.

AFRL Collaborative Automation for Manufacturing Systems Laboratory officially opens

The Air Force Research Laboratory Materials and Manufacturing Directorate celebrated the opening of the Manufacturing, Industrial Technologies, and Energy Division’s Collaborative Automation for Manufacturing Systems Laboratory on July 23, 2024. This lab will support the research efforts of its Digital Manufacturing Research Team.

ACQUISITIONS AND COLLABORATIONS

Kraken Technologies opens clean tech superhub in Manchester

Kraken Technologies launched what they are calling the U.K.’s first energy technology superhub, which will house engineering teams and work as a testing hub for integrating third-party devices with Kraken. Kraken secured more than a dozen partners for the launch, including automotive companies, battery developers, and heat pump providers.

ClearVue integrated solar window tech cracks Middle East construction market

Western Australia-based integrated solar glazing technology company ClearVue Technologies cracked the Middle East and Indian construction markets after signing a five-year agreement with Qatar’s largest glass and façade manufacturer.

CNL launches new nuclear and emerging technologies program

Canadian Nuclear Laboratories announced the launch of the New Nuclear & Emerging Technologies (N2ET) program. The program is aimed at facilitating collaboration between CNL and other pioneering technology developers to help fast-track promising research and technologies toward commercialization and deployment.

A coalition of companies is replacing thin-film plastic with seaweed

The Tom Ford Plastic Innovation Accelerator powered by Lonely Whale brought together a group of companies to speed up the adoption of seaweed-based alternatives to the thin-film plastic commonly used to package clothes and other products.

OTHER STORIES

Canada’s Cement association appoints new VP construction innovation

Rob Cooney joins the Canadian Cement Association as its new vice president of construction innovation, where he will be leading the association’s efforts on standards, research, and innovation in low-carbon cement and concrete.

Solvay to supply Europe with rare earth metals to reduce reliance on China

Belgian chemicals group Solvay aims to supply Europe with rare earth metals for permanent magnets used in electric vehicles and wind turbines from its refurbished plant in France. The group confirmed regular production at the plant should start in early 2025 and said it aimed to meet 30% of Europe’s needs for permanent magnets by 2030.

Cyclic aims to build domestic rare earths supply chain

Ontario-based metals recycler Cyclic Materials is aiming to collect magnets from discarded consumer products and bring them back to the beginning of the supply chain in the form of rare earth oxides.

New Additive Manufacturing Certification Committee launched by ASTM’s AM CoE

ASTM International’s Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence launched the Additive Manufacturing Certification Committee. Consisting of 23 members, the committee aims to establish standardized audit criteria for evaluating AM supply chain reliability.

BOEM cancels offshore wind auction in the Gulf of Mexico

The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management canceled the Gulf of Mexico seabed auction after only one participant, RWE, declared itself ready to bid on one or more of the three areas on offer. A similar instance occurred last year when an auction for three sites off the U.S. south coast ended after only one participant, again RWE, showed interest.

MARKET TRENDS

Collateral damage: The domestic impact of US semiconductor export controls

Just as the United States is prioritizing the redevelopment of its semiconductor industry, these export controls may undercut its innovation agenda. The Center for Strategic and International Studies investigates these possible impacts.

NEW PRODUCTS

ROSS offers CDA-300 Dual Shaft Mixer

The ROSS CDA-300 Dual Shaft Mixer features two agitators: a two-wing anchor agitator driven by a 20 HP TEFC high-efficiency inverter duty motor and a high-speed disperser powered by a 60 HP TEFC high-efficiency inverter duty motor. The open disc blade of the disperser travels at roughly 5,000 feet per minute to induce vigorous turbulent flow.