HexaTech, Inc. has announced the immediate production release of its new 100 mm diameter single-crystal aluminum nitride (AlN) substrate, marking a significant step in the company's efforts to scale up manufacturing of the advanced semiconductor material. The launch builds on its earlier three-inch diameter substrate introduction and strengthens its product portfolio for commercial optoelectronic and high-power radio frequency (RF) applications. The company, which describes itself as the world's leading commercial supplier of single-crystal physical vapour transport (PVT)-grown AlN substrates, said the new product combines material performance with production scale and customer value. 100 mm launch marks another step in substrate development The latest product launch follows a focused...
Phinergy and electrical contractor Rosendin Electric have published a second white paper examining how aluminium-air generators (AAGs) could support data centre power needs beyond conventional backup systems. The paper outlines three potential uses, including providing power for AI and cloud facilities, increasing available grid capacity and supporting renewable microgrids. Titled “From Backup Power to Grid Enabler: Use Cases for Aluminum-Air Generator (AAG) in AI-Era Data Centers,” the paper compares aluminium-air generators with diesel generators and lithium-ion battery systems. The report comes amid growing pressure on electricity infrastructure from data centre expansion. In Northern Virginia, more than 9,000 backup diesel generators serve data centres, according to Virginia Mercury....
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B&O Play has taken the wraps off its smallest Bluetooth speaker to date, adding the BeoPlay A1 to its line-up, which it states provides up to 24 hours portable playtime during everyday use. Fitting “comfortably in the palm of your hand”, the BeoPlay A1 measures in at 5.2” x 1.9” and weighs 600 g – built for life on the go. B&O Play states that a unique, dedicated DSP algorithm with advanced high-slope filtering sees the BeoPlay A1 “create a spacious 360-degree soundscape”, with the speaker sporting a fully active, two-way design using an aluminium cone mid-woofer, a silk dome three-fourth” tweeter and advanced DSP filtering. The aluminium cone mid-woofer employs a neodymium magnetic system and high-peak power amps, with the BeoPlay A1 delivering “a full-range deep bass to as low as 40 hz...
OpenAire, a Canadian designer of eco-friendly roof structures, said it has won a contract to manufacture a huge, aluminium elliptical-shaped dome for a 280,000-sq-ft shopping mall in Sharjah, UAE. Located less than 10 km from Dubai, the 31-storey complex will rise from the city's waterfront like an oasis of luxury retail and residential space. With an area of almost 300,000 sq ft and over 30 floors of space, the Sharjah Mall will be more than just a shopping centre. OpenAire has partnered with Aluminium Light Industries Company (Alico) to complete this flagship Sharjah Mall project. It will be, in short, a vibrant city within a city with inviting interiors. As its centrepiece, the mall will feature a remarkable aluminium elliptical dome skylight designed and manufactured by OpenAire....
The 4th Automotive Lightweight Supply-Chain Symposium will be kicked off on the 11th of July 2016 at the Jumeirah Himalayas Hotel in Shanghai, China. The AluMag Symposium, which was held the first time in Düsseldorf (Germany) back in 2014, has experienced a steady growth of attendance from international OEMs. Different from most Chinese conferences, the AluMag Symposium focuses on more intensive discussions with more international attendees under a much closer but also a warm atmosphere. Attendees will get to network with important lightweight supply-chain executives who will be coming from all around the world. The 4th symposium agenda features a number of high ranked industry executives. Among the booked speakers are: • Mr. Stefan Zangerle – Head of Purchasing Cast Parts BIW / Body and...
There is a sense of 'economic' cheer in the air, so to speak, after the February IIP stood at 2 per cent versus (-) 1.5 per cent in January. After spending three months in the negative territory, factory output finally rose on the back of a strong performance by mining and electricity sectors, while retail inflation moderated further in March. Also just recently, the Reserve Bank of India in its monetary policy review cut policy rate by 25 basis points and announced several steps increase liquidity. The General Index for the month of February 2016 stands at 184.6. The cumulative growth for the period April-February 2015-16 over the corresponding period of the previous year stands at 2.6 per cent. The Indices of Industrial Production for the Mining, Manufacturing and Electricity sectors...
The car that got everyone in a lather at the Goodwood 2014 Festival Of Speed in 2014, the aluminium-bodied Jaguar F-TYPE Project 7, has made its Australian debut. Just 10 of the 250 cars produced by Jaguar Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) skunkworks were earmarked for Australia and all have already been sold to customers who have stumped up $339,610 for the most exclusive limited-edition road-going Jaguar ever available here. Jaguar’s 5.0-litre supercharged V8 engine, as seen in the F-TYPE R Coupe, is installed in the F-TYPE Project 7 but SVO has fettled it to produce 423kW (19kW more than the F-TYPE R Coupe) and 700Nm of torque. The eight-speed Quickshift automatic transmission and second-generation Electronic Active Differential delivers the power to the rear wheels, with...
Toyota and Clemson University have joined forces in creating uBox, a concept car ideally aimed at the next-generation auto buyers. This new concept is a result of the partnership between the graduate students at the International Center for Automotive Research at the Clemson University and engineers at Toyota Motor North America. Deemed Deep Orange, the collaboration between Clemson University and Toyota aims to immerse students into the step-by-step process of developing vehicles. The vehicle is fitted with composite carbon fiber rails bonded with aluminum so as to support a curved glass roof, thanks to a distinctive technique employed by the Clemson University students, dubbed pultrusion. Other key features of the uBox include: • Dashboard display bezels, vents along with customized...
Salsa is a brand known for their out-of-the-box take on the world of bikes. But now they have shouldered their way into the full-bore gnarmobile arena with their latest launch, the power bike- Redpoint in carbon and aluminium versions. The Redpoint is Salsa’s 27.5 inches wheeled 150mm trail bike for ‘tackling the roughest and most remote all-mountain terrain’. It is boosted, so Salsa claims increased stiffness coupled with ‘massive amounts of mud clearance.' The power bike comes in carbon and aluminium flavours, with slight differences in geometry between the models. In the US the Carbon XO1 and GX1 are $5499.99 and $4499.99 respectively, while the aluminium is $3499.99. In the US versions, finishing kit between the GX1 and aluminium version is largely the same, although the aluminium...
Swedish furniture giant Ikea is all set to take on the transport market by launching a self-assembly aluminium bicycle. In grand Ikea tradition, the new product will receive a guttural Scandinavian moniker – the Sladda, Swedish for "to skid" or "to slip sideways". Made in partnership with Veryday, a design studio whose clients range from Swedish supercar maker Koenigsegg to Scandi-stroller firm BabyBjörn, the new unisex bicycle will be available in one colour, two sizes, and have a host of customisable add-ons and extras. The aluminium bicycle is being billed as a lightweight, low-maintenance bike perfect for urban living. "Sladda is like a tablet with apps," says Oskar Juhlin, Director of Industrial Design at Veryday, "in the sense that you can customise it with several different...
AB Glass, one the UK’s leading architectural aluminium manufactures and installers, has launched a new range of bespoke, aluminium folding doors for homes, which are all made from sustainable materials. Smart Bi-folds by AB Glass will feature high specification aluminium lifestyle designer products including: aluminium bi-folding doors, sliding doors, entrance doors, roof lights and windows. This type of door has grown in popularity in recent years as more architects and homeowners opt for designs that offer a more seamless transition between indoor and outdoor spaces. Alan Brayley, managing director of AB Glass, said: “Aluminium is the alpha material for modern day living and products are highly resistant to corrosion with a life span measured in decades rather than years. The natural...
Apple has always been held in high esteem globally for being a premiere mobile handset maker excelling in design and technology. But due to its high price-points, the brand has never been able to penetrate much deep into the markets like India, as the majority of the consumers here belongs to the middle income group. This year, Apple has positioned itself across the Indian market by unlocking aluminium-body iPhone SE at a price of affordable place and installment scheme. According to a report of TECH 2, the gadget giant aims to disrupt the Indian market by convincing the Indian corporate to use the newly launched product. iPhone SE is beautifully designed with the same bead-blasted aluminium which has already been used on 5s. The smart touch of aluminium gives it a divergent look that...
NASA has begun testing components of a new propulsion system that could see spacecraft ride the solar wind into interstellar space. The system, called the Heliopause Electrostatic Rapid Transit System, would consist of 10 to 20 electrically charged, bare aluminium wires radiating from the centre of a spacecraft to form a circular “E-Sail”. The wires would electrostatically repel the fast-moving protons of the solar wind, with the momentum produced creating the spacecraft’s thrust. “The Sun releases protons and electrons into the solar wind at very high speeds – 400 to 750 kilometres per second,” said Bruce Wiegmann, leading engineer on the project. “The E-Sail would use these protons to propel the spacecraft.” Each tether would be just one millimetre thick but about 20 kilometres long....
Audi has built an extended, custom-made version of the A8 L for an European customer. With a length of 6.36 meters and a wheelbase of 4.22 meters, the A8 L extended offers a total of six seats and six doors. Less than a year’s time has been invested in development and construction of the unusually long luxury sedan, while the safety and rigidity of the XXL-body, as well as the design of the silhouette mirrors that of the production model. Audi has already bagged more requests for such a custom-made limousine. The Audi A8 L extended features the lightweight body of the production model, which is almost completely made of aluminium. Audi engineers extended the side skirts and the transmission tunnel by extruded aluminium profiles. A double rear wall separates the passenger compartment from...
Ford Motor Co’s F-150 Super Cab pickup truck was the only 2016 model large pickup truck to receive a “top safety pick” after new tests by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the agency said today. Two pickups built by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles — the Ram 1500 Quad Cab and the Ram 1500 Crew Cab — received marginal overall ratings for their performance in a test designed to simulate what happens when a vehicle strikes a tree or another vehicle with just the driver’s side fender. One model made by General Motors Co and one made by Toyota Motor Corp also received marginal ratings in the latest round of tests, the IIHS said. The IIHS is a research arm of the insurance industry, and its crash tests are increasingly influential in guiding vehicle safety design. Automakers strive...
The European Aluminium Foil Association (EAFA) is honoring achievements in pharmaceutical blister packaging in its annual Alufoil Trophy Awards in the category of Resource Efficiency. According to EAFA, the program is open to products either made from aluminium foil or containing aluminium foil as part of a laminate, structure, or packaging system, as well as aluminium closures. Amcor Flexibles was honored for its Formpack Ultra cold form blister for pharmaceutical products. According to the company, the material can be elongated more than standard cold form solutions, resulting in cavities that can be drawn deeper and with sharper wall angles than ever before. The resulting package can be either a smaller blister card or one featuring more cavities without an increase in blister card...
Once again the Alufoil Trophy competition has underlined the versatility and practical advantages of aluminium foil to create highly original new developments as well as fresh ideas to enhance existing products. The aluminium foil sector’s annual premier awards competition, the Alufoil Trophy brings out the best in both multinational and specialist foil manufacturers and converters. This year is no exception with 65 entries across the five major categories producing 10 outstanding winners, plus an Overall Excellence winner, which scored extremely high marks in all categories. “The ability to meet environmental and sustainability targets without losing any degree of performance or quality is very clearly demonstrated. In addition the technical innovations, to solve complex problems or meet...
The UK's leading aluminium foil tray manufacturers, i2r Packaging Solutions, have recently launched a range of tulip muffin aluminium foil wraps and greaseproof papers to expand their bakery offering. The initiative aims to position the firm as the only UK manufacturer to provide the baking industry with a one-stop-shop for both aluminium foil containers and FSC accredited tulip paper products, which can be branded and personalised. With a rustic and ‘made-at-home’ feel, filled samples of i2r’s tulip muffin wraps will launch the product on Stand B212 at the forthcoming Farm Shop and Deli Show at the NEC on 18-20th April. The wraps are available in a range of colours and print options. “With the requirement for food-to-go increasing and the demand for branded, personalised paper on the...
After the launch of Gatiman Express, the country's fastest train, Indian Railways is now going to hold trials for a faster train on the Palwal-Mathura route in May. Manufactured by Spanish locomotive-maker Talgo, the train made of aluminium is lighter and faster than Gatiman and can run at speeds of up to 220 kmph. Anil Saxena, additional director general and public relations officer of Railway Board said, "After Gatiman's successful launch, Railways is expected to conduct a guided trial run between Palwal and Mathura, a distance of 83.8 km, in May. If the trials are successful, then these trains will be operated between New Delhi and Mumbai, cutting the travel time from 17 hours by Rajdhani at present to around 12 hours." "Since the current track on New Delhi-Agra route is capable of...
Jaguar F-pace, the brand new crossover, which debuted at the Frankfurt Motor show and then at New Delhi Auto Expo earlier this year, is all set to hit the roads. It is the 3rd car to be built on Jaguar’s new Lightweight Aluminium Architecture following the XF and the XE. With it, Jaguar aims to gather attributes from other cars in the portfolio – not just the F-Type’s stunning design and performance, but also the XE’s value and accessibility, and the XF’s technology and brand image. What makes F-pace stand out among the recently lauched crossovers is its exclusive aluminium built. Jaguar has overcome a host of cost and formability related challenges and stuck to aluminium as the metal of choice. Such extensive use of aluminium in Jaguar F-pace has also endowed the car with a number of...
