Tag: manufacturing
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Student Engineers/Entrepreneurs Develop Child Safety Device
Two engineering students at Michigan Technological University in Houghton are taking to market a device they built to keep children from unbuckling their seat belts. Collin Veele and Alex Cotton say they have secured a provisional patent and trademark, and now their Buckle Blocker is ready for the marketplace. The Buckle Blocker, which would typically…
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Manufacturing Process Devised for More Economical LEDs
Materials scientists at University of Florida in Gainesville have developed a new manufacturing process for light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, used in flat-panel displays and solid-state lighting. The process is described in an article now appearing in the journal Nature Photonics (paid subscription required), and has been licensed to a company for commercialization. Two research teams…
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Small Business Grant Funds University Biodiesel Start-Up
NextCAT Inc., a Wayne State University start-up company in Detroit, has received a Phase 2 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) of nearly $500,000. The company commercializes catalysts for the production of biodiesel developed at the National Biofuels Energy Laboratory at Wayne State. NextCAT plans to bring to market…
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Lab to Advise Battery Company on Technology Management
Dow Kokam in Midland, Michigan and Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee are collaborating on enhancements to the company’s capabilities to develop and commercialize advanced lithium ion batteries. Dow Kokam is a joint venture of Dow Chemical Company, TK Advanced Battery LLC, and Groupe Industriel Marcel Dassault, founded in 2009 that develops advanced batteries for…
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Energy Dept Funding Hydrogen Fuel Cell Cost Models
The U.S. Department of Energy is funding four projects to better determine the costs of making fuel cells and hydrogen storage systems. The awards, totaling $7 million over five years, will cover studies to provide data that help the department focus future research and development funding on fuel cell components and manufacturing processes. The Energy…
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Better Building Codes Urged for Tornado, Hurricane Regions
Researchers and engineers from universities and industry that reviewed the damage caused by destructive Spring 2011 tornadoes in the U.S. call for more intensive engineering design and more rigorous, localized construction and inspection standards to reduce property damage and loss of life. The report of the group’s research on the Tuscaloosa, Alabama tornado on 27…
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USDA Develops Cooked Corn-Soy Meal Supplement Product
The Agricultural Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture has developed a fully cooked food-aid product called Instant Corn Soy Blend that supplements meals, particularly for young children. The work was led by food technologist Charles Onwulata at the USDA’s Eastern Regional Research Center in Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania. A nutritionally fortified and processed corn-soy blend…
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Laser-Printed Drone Aircraft Developed, Flown
Engineers at University of Southampton in the U.K. have designed and flown an unmanned aircraft made with a three-dimensional laser printing process. The university worked with 3T RPD Ltd, a company in Newbury, U.K., for the aircraft’s manufacturing. The Southampton University Laser Sintered Aircraft (SULSA) project led by engineering professors Andy Keane and Jim Scanlan…
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DuPont Acquires Nanotech Solar Materials Developer
The global chemical company DuPont says it has acquired Innovalight Inc. in Sunnyvale, California that develops silicon inks and process technologies to increase the efficiency of crystalline silicon solar cells. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Innovalight’s silicon ink is made of silicon nano-particles dispersed in an environmentally friendly blend of chemicals, according…
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Companies Join National Lab in Composites Consortium
Oak Ridge National Lab in Tennessee, part of the U.S. Department of Energy, has established a consortium with 14 companies to promote the development and commercialization of carbon fiber and composites materials. The Oak Ridge Carbon Fiber Composites Consortium will hold its first meeting in September. Oak Ridge Lab has been involved in composite materials…