Tag: manufacturing
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Worker Deaths Linked to Paint Stripping Chemical
An investigation by researchers at Michigan State University has found that 13 deaths since 2000 involved the use of paint-stripping products containing methylene chloride. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) includes the findings in the 24 February 2012 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Methylene chloride is a volatile, colorless and toxic chemical…
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University Research Spinoff To Build Manufacturing Plant
Aquion Energy Inc. in Pittsburgh, a developer of sodium ion batteries and energy storage systems, says it will build its first large-scale manufacturing plant in southwestern Pennsylvania. Aquion Energy that makes energy storage systems for electrical power grids expects to create over 400 high-tech manufacturing jobs by the end of 2015. The company’s systems are…
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Energy Efficient, Low CO2, Lower Cost Cement Developed
Engineers at Drexel University in Philadelphia have developed a new cement that reduces energy use and carbon dioxide output by 97 percent compared to standard Portland cement. The research behind the new cement is described in the March 2012 issue of the journal Cement and Concrete Composites (paid subscription required). The new type of cement…
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Mass Production Process Devised for Micro Robots, Devices
Engineers at Harvard University have developed a technology that makes possible the mass production of miniature electronic and robotic devices, using layering and folding processes similar to the Japanese paper-folding art of origami. Doctoral candidates Pratheev Sreetharan and Peter Whitney say their discovery is scheduled for publication in the March 2012 issue of the Journal…
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Instrument Company to License Scripps Screening Technology
Brooks Life Science Systems, a division of Brooks Automation in Poway, California, and Scripps Research Institute in Jupiter, Florida have agreed for Brooks to commercialize technology developed at Scripps to manage compounds in high-throughput screening, a process for drug discovery. Brooks Automation is a provider of instrumentation technology for manufacturing, energy, and life sciences companies.…
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Online Simulator Optimizes Solar Cell Materials Efficiency
An online tool offered by MIT helps companies and researchers determine the tradeoffs in manufacturing strategies for solar cells based on planned materials and processing steps. The simulator, which takes about a minute to run, can provide a preview of the efficiency of resulting solar cells in converting sunlight to electricity, a process previously determined…
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Energy Dept Seeks $20M Battery/Storage Research Hub
The Department of Energy (DoE) says it will open competition for a new research center to speed development of advanced battery and energy storage technologies. The new energy innovation hub, as these programs are called, will have up to $20 million in funding in the current (2012) fiscal year. Energy innovation hubs bring together researchers…
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Semiconductor Sales Gain in 2011, Decline in 4th Quarter
The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) in Washington, D.C. says worldwide semiconductor sales for 2011 reached a record $299.5 billion, an annual increase of 0.4 percent from $298.3 billion recorded in 2010. But sales for semiconductors at the end of 2011 dropped off compared to the same period in the previous year. In the last quarter…
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Challenge Seeks Sustainable Material Substitute for Wood
A new challenge on Innocentive seeks materials or processes that can be used create materials with the physical properties of softwoods, but are more sustainable than natural wood. The competition has a prize of $20,000 and a deadline of 31 March 2012 for submissions. InnoCentive in Waltham, Massachusetts is a company the conducts open-innovation crowd-sourcing…
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High Levels of MRSA Found in Retail Pork Products
Researchers at University of Iowa College of Public Health and Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy in Minneapolis have found a higher prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteria (MRSA) in U.S. pork products than previously identified. The team’s findings appear in the online journal PLoS One. MRSA is a serious bacteria, causing infections resistant to…