Nation lowers tax rate on heavy rare earths to support industry

China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology formalized a new law that reduces the resource tax on heavy rare earths from 27 percent to 20 percent, a move that analysts said shows China’s resolve to support the industry’s development amid a heated trade war.

Tiama and Bucher Emhart Glass collaboration

Tiama, Emhart and other major glass industry players are collaborating to define a standard for laser marks on glass containers. Tiama granted Bucher Emhart Glass a royalty to its patents, which secures the possibility to include information about originating cavity and/or mould number in the laser mark on the container.

Admatec adds vision-based process monitoring for metal & ceramic additive manufacturing

Admatec Europe BV, Goirle, the Netherlands, added vision-based process monitoring to its Admaflex 130 machine for metal and ceramic additive manufacturing. The vision-based system is said to allow a higher degree of user control for the AM of metal and ceramic components through layer detection, foil movement, and time-lapse videos of builds.

Siam Glass inaugurates Sorg furnace and second production line at Ayutthaya

Siam Glass inaugurated a Sorg furnace and second production line at its Ayutthaya plant, Thailand. The new line will produce glass bottles for the popular energy drink M150. This is the first greenfield project for the Sorg Company with this customer in Thailand.

Sherwin-Williams confirms it is looking for a new global headquarters

The Cleveland-based Sherwin-Williams Co. confirmed it is looking for a new global headquarters. The company “initiated a process to explore options” for both a new headquarters and a new research-and-development facility, which “comes as a result of the company’s ongoing review of its facilities requirements.”

How two US rare-earth companies are looking past the trade war

Texas Mineral Resources Corporation and USA Rare Earth are launching a joint venture to extract rare earths from Round Top Mountain outside El Paso, Texas. They aim to become the sole supplier of heavy rare earths for the U.S. Department of Defense and help move government and commercial markets in the U.S. away from their reliance on China.

BC Construction Industry set to launch certification program for concrete pump operators

The B.C. Construction Safety Alliance, in partnership with industry and labour organizations across the province, launched North America’s first certification program for concrete pump operators. The program was created to meet International Standards Organization (ISO 17024) requirements and be accredited by American National Standards Institute.

US Marines conduct first concrete 3D printing operation

Teams from the Marine Corps Systems Command and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers conducted the first 3D concrete printing operation at the Construction Engineering Research Laboratory in Champaign, Ill. The teams tested a new continuous mixer and a three-inch print nozzle to additively manufacture multiple structures, such as barracks and a bridge.

O-I set to install Magma technology at Holzminden plant

Owens-Illinois earmarked its plant in Holzminden, Germany, for installation of a new furnace with its new Magma glassmaking technology. The Magma technology was revealed in November last year and  will allow for ultra-flexible glass production that can be expanded rapidly and at low capital intensity.

Georgia Power’s automation solutions in North America’s first smart city laboratory

Georgia Power and the City of Peachtree Corners opened the Curiosity Lab, a 1.5-mile intelligent mobility and smart city laboratory. The facility will offer a unique opportunity for testing to be done in a 5G and Internet of Things environment that includes interaction with real-world vehicular and pedestrian traffic.

Author

Lisa McDonald