Last September, solar panel manufacturer Solyndra filed for bankruptcy and laid off 1,100 workers. The moves came just two years after the company received a $535 million loan guarantee from the Obama administration. Republicans have rightly criticized the administration over the loan, alleging that the Energy Department overlooked warning signs of Solyndra’s pending collapse.
The Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery AB factory in Finspang, Sweden, is one of the leading suppliers of steam turbines to the solar energy industry worldwide. In fact, two out of every four steam turbines made there will be used in the solar industry.
College is a great time to experiment. That’s exactly what the Medical Devices Center (MDC) at the University of Minnesota encourages students to do. The 4,000-square-foot facility promotes interdisciplinary medical device development, including needs assessment, creative brainstorming, prototyping and testing.
Cornell Dubilier is a leading manufacturer of capacitors for the power electronics market. For the past several years, the company has used ultrasonic spot welders to weld multiple layers of foil to capacitor posts.
This past year, baby boomers began turning 65. Because these individuals tend to live more active lives than previous generations, some medical device companies, like Skeletal Dynamics, are developing implants to withstand up to 1 million load cycles without loosening or backing out.
Orion RED has fabricated several sets for the Academy Awards. For the 2011 ceremony, the company was asked to create an elegant, crystal-studded “Winners Circle” in which the honorees would receive their Oscars. The project involved building a 15.5-foot circular stage studded with more than 40,000 Swarovski Elements crystals.
Canadian manufacturers such as Plastech Inc. have high natural gas bills, especially in the winter. Over time, Plastech’s natural gas bill has increased to $6,000 annually (Canadian) just to heat its shipping area. So the company began looking into solar technology to lower its heating costs and learned about Lubi solar air heaters.
Automotive components are increasingly being manufactured in smaller lot sizes. Aware of this trend, German Tier 1 automotive supplier Neumayer Tekfor GmbH recently automated the feed system for a cold forming press used to form drivetrain components.
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