Important Innovations Collection

2 New EV Mega Manufacturing Plants in the US                        Source:  Ford New EV Plant & EV Trucks $11.4 Billion for Electrification Ford, along with South Korea's SK Innovation energy company, are investing $11.4 billion to build two, huge manufacturing facilities for electric vehicles in Kentucky and Tennessee.  Ford is partnering with SK on the development and manufacturing of much less expensive lithium-ion batteries to bring down the price of Ford electric vehicles and make them much more affordable to the average consumer.  Ford is investing $7 billion in the project.  SK is investing $4.4 billion. That is the biggest manufacturing investment in Ford's 118 year history.  The projects will create 11,000 new US jobs and the facilities are expected to be up and running by 2025. Ford's Big Electric Plans Ford's plans for electric vehicles are big as it shifts away from gas powere...

Northwestern's HARP: Full Size Structures in Two Hours Source:  Northwestern University Future of Manufacturing On-Demand A team at Northwestern University have invented a 3D printer that provides rapid, on-demand manufacturing of large objects in a few hours.  It can be used to make parts for planes, cars, medical devices and more.  The HARP (high area rapid printing) device prints 100 times faster than other 3D printers.  It can create an object the size of a human in 2 hours. Record Breaking Throughput Northwestern University says this type of rapid manufacturing on-demand is the future of manufacturing that could put an end to molds and warehouses. The new printer will be commercially available within a year and a half.  It prints both hard, durable parts and elastic objects.  The throughput is record breaking and enables it to manufacture parts on demand. Non-sticky Liquid & Ultraviolet Light The printer itself is large...

Adhesive With Stickiness of Gecko Legs Source:  North Carolina State University New Liquid Manufacturing Process This is a new and very novel approach to manufacturing.  A new adhesive has been created by harvesting liquid driven chaos.  It's the invention of scientists at North Caroline State University.  It's said to pave the way for a new generation of soft  nanomaterials including for gels, food, pastes, nonwovens and coatings. Stickiness of Gecko Legs The adhesive created by the process can adhere to virtually any surface.  The team employed liquid manufacturing which involves dissolving a polymer and rapidly mixing it with another liquid.  The chaotic turbulence results in branched particles.  The thinnest particles create a corona of nanofibers that result in adhesive.  The material, according to the team, has the stickiness of Gecko legs. New, Scalable, Inexpensive Manufacturing This new invention is a uni...

Robotic Manufacturing Source:  Automotive Robotic Assembly Line - Stock Image New Numbers for US The number of robots working in US factories has hit a record level.  In 2018, the amount of robots shipped to US factories climbed to 36,000, up 7%.  Automotive manufacturing factories are leading the way.  But the use of robots in manufacturing is also growing in industries like food, plastics and semiconductors.  This information has just been released by the Robotics Industry Association. Robotics and AI Another big trend is emerging in the US concerning AI.  The number of artificial intelligence research center at US universities is significantly on the rise.  The race for domination in robotics and AI, and the investments behind it, are a big competition worth watching between the US and China, with China leading at the moment.  For more news blogs on innovation, go to  amazon.com/author/ekane