WASHINGTON—The U.S. Department of Energy recently launched a $3 million prize to revitalize domestic solar panel manufacturing. The program will support entrepreneurs as they develop transformative ideas into concepts and then into early-stage prototypes ready for industry testing.
Engineers at Audi AG are using full-color, multimaterial additive manufacturing to produce plastic parts. The technology will help reduce prototyping lead times by up to 50 percent.
PITTSBURGH—Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing, a research consortium, has selected four projects to develop next-generation automation. The four R&D projects will focus on robotic composites manufacturing, automotive assembly line robots, robotic sanding and finishing, and robotic wire harness assembly.
A new research tool helps engineers quickly find the right adhesives for their assembly applications. The searchable Gluespec database from Ellsworth Adhesives was designed by engineers and contains curated, quality-checked data on more than 7,000 liquid adhesives, coatings, sealants and specialty chemicals from more than 70 suppliers.
A little positive feedback at work can go a long way toward improving assemblers' long-term mental health and well-being. Engineers at the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and the European Factory2Fit research consortium are studying the effects of work performance.
In the popular children's book, "The Little Engine That Could," the main character chants "I think I can, I think I can." Engineers at Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute are trying to use a similar approach to give robots the ability of self-assessment.
Engineers at HRL Laboratories LLC here recently developed a method to print metal matrix composite (MMC) parts. The nanofunctionalization process enables a geometric freedom to design parts that were not possible before.
PALMDALE, CA—Northrop Grumman entered full-rate production on the F-35 Lightning II’s centre fuselage in May to meet increasing order quantities from the Pentagon and international customers. According to FlightGlobal, Northrop hired 1,000 additional employees here between the beginning of 2017 and the end of the first quarter 2018 to accommodate the increased production.
HUNTSVILLE, AL—Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey announced last Wednesday that LG Electronics will establish a new factory at the company’s existing site here.The Associated Press reports that the project will add 160 jobs, bringing the total workforce at the site to 400. LG Electronics is investing $28 million in the facility.
TEMPE, AZ—American factories expanded at an unexpectedly fast pace in June, another sign of strength for U.S. industry. The Institute for Supply Management, a trade group of purchase managers, says its manufacturing index rose last month to 60.2, the highest level since February and up from 58.7 in May.
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