ProCESsing Tomorrow: Bold Bets Reshaping Industry
Shop Talk
Capturing this week's zeitgeist
Others echo the call for ambition. “Successful companies make big bets,” said U.S. Rep. Adam Smith (D., Wash.), whose district includes Boeing’s factory in Renton. “There’s an upfront cost but they do it.”
From “Can Boeing Be Fixed? Aerospace Leaders Offer a Repair Manual”
Boeing’s illustrious history is marked by numerous big bets. The Boeing 777 was the first commercial aircraft to be developed using an entirely computer-aided design (CAD) process. And the Boeing 787 Dreamliner was the first major commercial aircraft to use carbon fiber composite materials as its primary airframe material. Today’s industrial companies and their suppliers must embrace similar levels of ambition across digitalization, sustainability, and advanced manufacturing to endure.
Assembly Line
This week's most influential Industry 4.0 media.
NVIDIA Unveils ‘Mega’ Omniverse Blueprint for Building Industrial Robot Fleet Digital Twins
NVIDIA at CES announced “Mega,” an Omniverse Blueprint for developing, testing and optimizing physical AI and robot fleets at scale in a digital twin before deployment into real-world facilities. Advanced warehouses and factories use fleets of hundreds of autonomous mobile robots, robotic arm manipulators and humanoids working alongside people. With implementations of increasingly complex systems of sensor and robot autonomy, it requires coordinated training in simulation to optimize operations, help ensure safety and avoid disruptions.
Supply chain solutions company KION Group is collaborating with Accenture and NVIDIA as the first to adopt Mega for optimizing operations in retail, consumer packaged goods, parcel services and more. KION can capture and digitalize a warehouse digital twin in Omniverse by using computer-aided design files, video, lidar, image and AI-generated data. KION uses the Omniverse digital twin as a virtual training and testing environment for its industrial AI’s robot brains, powered by NVIDIA Isaac, tapping into smart cameras, forklifts, robotic equipment and digital humans. Integrating the Omniverse digital twin, KION’s warehouse management software can create and assign missions for robot brains, like moving a load from one place to another.
Forklifts Hurt Thousands of Workers Each Year. Factories Are Seeking Alternatives.
Plastic-pipe manufacturer Ipex designed its new factory in North Carolina to minimize the use of forklifts, relying instead on overhead cranes and hand-pushed electric pallet jacks. That made the plant, which opened in 2023, a safer, quieter and less stressful workplace, said Johnny Drummond, the company’s director of manufacturing.
Mercedes-Benz has been trying to reduce forklifts in its U.S. plants since 2018, replacing some with autonomous vehicles. Tesla is making a similar effort, using push carts and trailer-hauling “tuggers” inside its factories to cut down on traffic and injuries, a person familiar with the matter said. Whirlpool’s washing-machine factory in Clyde, Ohio, has eliminated forklifts from its production area, and uses robotic tuggers to deliver parts to assembly-line workers. Other company plants are following suit, said Kristin Day, Whirlpool’s vice president of U.S. manufacturing operations.
For now, even companies aspiring to forklift-free status still rely on the vehicles. Whirlpool uses them in parts of its Clyde factory where large, bulky items are transported. Older plants run by Ipex, the pipe maker, have floor layouts and production procedures for which forklifts are necessary.
Inside Rivian's Electrical Hardware Lab with Vidya Rajagopalan
New 3D printing platform 3Dock from Hamburg relies on IaaS and a flexible subscription model
Hamburg-based start-up 3Dock has presented a new type of platform for 3D printing solutions based on the “Infrastructure as a Service” (IaaS) concept. With a flexible subscription model, the platform offers companies the opportunity to use advanced 3D printing processes such as FDM, SLA and SLS without the need for large investments. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in particular should benefit from this approach, as they do not need their own equipment or specialized personnel.
Super-resolution Laser Machining
Super-resolution laser machining represents a cutting-edge advancement in precision manufacturing, striving to approach or even exceed the optical diffraction limit to produce structures with exceptionally fine feature sizes, minimal heat-affected zones, and intricate freeform patterns. The present paper provides an overview of two principal approaches developed to achieve super-resolution: one is reducing the diffraction limit through the adoption of shorter laser wavelengths or advanced focusing techniques, and the other is surpassing the diffraction limit by advanced manipulation of the laser and its interactions with materials. With a deep investigation of the principles of these super-resolution laser machining methods, the review mainly explores the recent advancements in laser characteristics manipulation, materials innovation, and the integration of adaptive optics, high-speed laser scanning equipment, and feedback systems, all of which aim at enhancing machining resolution and broadening its applicability. Focusing on research frontiers and industrial applications, we also critically discussed possible future directions, potential problems, and possible solutions to smaller structure manufacturing regarding the light source, optical system, laser-matter interactions, and the surface evaluation methods. It also highlights the prospects for super-resolution laser machining, emphasizing its potential to transform precision manufacturing across industries.
New Product Introduction
Highlighting new and innovative facilities, processes, products, and services
New paper batteries biodegrade in six weeks, offers safer energy storage
Flint, a Singapore-based company specializing in the development of sustainable energy solutions, is making waves in the world of battery technology with its cutting-edge paper batteries. These batteries promise to deliver impressive advantages over traditional energy storage options, thanks to their flexibility, lightweight design, safety, and eco-friendly features.
Flint’s paper batteries are a type of quasi-solid battery, utilizing an innovative hydrogel ring that acts as both a separator and an electrolyte within a piece of paper. This setup differentiates it from conventional lithium-ion batteries by replacing toxic and geopolitically sensitive materials like lithium, cobalt, and nickel, with safe and sustainable alternatives such as zinc and manganese. The hydrogel-based design also contributes to the battery’s ability to biodegrade completely within six weeks when buried in soil, leaving no harmful residues behind.
German Bionic Unveils Apogee ULTRA – the World’s Most Powerful Exoskeleton
German Bionic, the Berlin-based pioneer in robotic exoskeleton technology, proudly introduces the Apogee ULTRA – the world’s most powerful series-production exoskeleton, providing 80 lbs (36 kg) of lifting support. Available and designed to empower workers across logistics, manufacturing, construction, bagging handling, and healthcare industries, Apogee ULTRA sets new benchmarks in strength, adaptability, and worker safety, meeting the demands of various high-intensity tasks and enhancing productivity.
Driven by vast amounts of high-quality, relevant data collected from thousands of users over countless hours of real-world applications, Apogee ULTRA boasts intuitive, AI-driven features that adapt to individual users’ physiology and tasks, ensuring optimized performance and comfort during everyday work. Data serves as the cornerstone for continuous device evolution and the protection of workplace investments. Thanks to machine learning, the Apogee ULTRA is always up to date, with new features and capabilities delivered through over-the-air (OTA) updates. This ensures users consistently benefit from cutting-edge support, making it a future-ready solution for any workplace.
SPEE3D’S Cold Spray Additive Manufacturing Technology Successfully Prints Metal Parts In Sub-Zero Environments
SPEE3D, a leading metal additive manufacturing company, announced that their XSPEE3D system could successfully operate in a sub-zero environment and produce parts with comparable material properties to the same parts produced in a laboratory environment. SPEE3D was selected to participate in developing, demonstrating, and testing their Cold Spray Metal Additive Manufacturing (CSAM) equipment, along with partners from the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) COMET Project and Philips Federal, as part of the Office of The Secretary of Defense Manufacturing Technology’s Point of Need Challenge (PON).
The PON project was managed by LIFT, the Detroit-based Department of Defense Manufacturing Innovation Institute, and it concluded that the XSPEE3D system is well-suited to support the DOD’s goal of expanding expeditionary manufacturing capabilities in extreme cold weather environments for battle damage repair and large metal component production.
Business Transactions
This week's top funding events, acquisitions, and partnerships across industrial value chains.
Inari Raises $144 Million, Paving Path to Long-Term Growth
Inari, the SEEDesign™ company, announced the completion of a $144 million fundraise fueled by the performance of its first-generation products and progress toward commercialization. With cumulative equity raised of more than $720 million, the new capital underpins the leading pure-play seed technology company’s financial strength and paves the way for long-term growth. The fundraise attracted significant support from new investors, who represented most of the capital raised in the round - including a wholly owned subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), and a large financial investor collaborating on forthcoming agriculture projects. Existing investors including Hanwha Impact, NGS Super, the State of Michigan Retirement System and company founder Flagship Pioneering also contributed.
Inari is at the forefront of breeding innovation, combining AI-powered predictive design with an unmatched multiplex gene editing toolbox to deliver step-change outcomes. The company is singularly focused on seed technology for large-acre crops with its first wave of products, and its progress in soybeans, corn and wheat to date is generating excitement from seed companies both within and outside the U.S. The company brings a unique approach to the seed industry by focusing purely on innovation and operating an asset-light business model that reflects the company’s commitment to supporting, not rivaling, its customers.
RoboForce Secures $10M Early Stage Funding for AI-Powered Robo-Labor
RoboForce, the world’s most advanced “Robo-Labor” provider, announced it has raised $10M early stage funding with support from investors such as Nobel Laureate Myron Scholes, co-founder of Softbank VC (SBVC) Gary Rieschel, and Carnegie Mellon University. With this funding, RoboForce is emerging from stealth as it prepares to deploy its Robo-Labor this year for early customers, for whom robots can fulfill labor shortages in harsh outdoor conditions, complete the most hazardous tasks in dangerous work environments, and maximize project efficiency and cost savings. With 1mm accuracy in performing fine motor skills like picking, placing, pressing, twisting and connecting, the Robo-Labor has all-terrain mobility, precise manipulation, learning, communication, and safety compliance capabilities. RoboForce’s robots are unparalleled in the emerging field of AI Robotics.
The end use applications for RoboForce are diverse. The startup’s target industries include solar, space, manufacturing and mining, sectors which the U.S. Bureau of Labor found were among the most impacted by injuries and loss of labor due to unsafe summer temperatures and other work-related hazards. RoboForce’s first customers are developing commercial and utility-scale solar projects and are struggling to hire and retain skilled workers, due to extreme temperatures in remote locations where most large scale solar projects are being developed. By providing robots that can withstand harsh and extreme environmental conditions throughout a years-long project duration, RoboForce is helping solar developers complete the construction and installation of large-scale projects faster or on schedule, and at a reduced cost—pushing critical sustainability and renewable energy developments across the finish line faster than ever for immediate impact.
Advanced Ionics Raises $6.7M to Accelerate Technology Commercialization and Deployment
Advanced Ionics, the developer of a new class of green hydrogen electrolyzers aimed at accelerating decarbonization, announced that it has raised an additional $6.7 million in funding from strategic investors JERA, Lummus Venture Capital, and the Argosy Foundation as well as existing investors Clean Energy Venture Group and bp Ventures. This new capital will be used to increase the pace of development of its water-vapor electrolyzer technology, as well as build out the company’s manufacturing and research and development facility.
Alta Resource Technologies Raises $5.1M in Seed Funding to Transform Mineral Separation With Advanced Biochemistry
Alta Resource Technologies, a pioneer in using advanced biochemistry to transform mineral separation, announced it has raised $5.1 million in an oversubscribed seed round co-led by DCVC and Voyager Ventures, with participation from Orion Industrial Ventures, Overture, and WovenEarth Ventures.
lta, whose technology uses custom-designed proteins that act like microscopic robots to separate high-purity rare earth elements and other critical minerals with unprecedented selectivity and cost-effectiveness, is poised to dramatically reduce the environmental footprint of mining while expanding access to essential raw materials. As it emerged from stealth mode, Alta also announced that it has secured nearly $1 million in grant funding from the federal government, including the Department of Defense’s DARPA, and the State of Colorado. Earlier funding was provided by Baruch Future Ventures and Climate Capital (now Juniper).
Alta’s advanced biochemistry platform, which leverages technology licensed from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory co-developed with collaborators including researchers at Pennsylvania State University, represents a step-change over existing approaches. The ability to tailor proteins to bind selectively to individual elements greatly expands the scope and scale of what’s possible in mineral separation and processing. With its first products, the company aims to increase supplies of rare earth elements like neodymium and dysprosium – essential for electric vehicle motors, wind turbines, and defense technologies – by cost-effectively separating them from abundant low-grade sources and end-of-life products that cannot be processed using conventional methods.
DHL Supply Chain Acquires Reverse Logistics Leader, Inmar Supply Chain Solutions
DHL Supply Chain, the Americas leader in contract logistics, announced the acquisition of Inmar Supply Chain Solutions, a division of Inmar Intelligence and a leading returns solutions provider for the retail e-commerce industry. The strategic acquisition will make DHL Supply Chain the largest provider of reverse logistics solutions in North America.
Consumers expect retailers to provide a seamless returns process while retailers are faced with new challenges such as returns abuse and rising operational costs. Thus, the acquisition marks a logical step to foster DHL’s customer centric approach that involves collaboration, expertise, and integration to solve the greatest supply chain challenges.