Keysight Technologies, Inc., Santa Rosa, Calif., has enhanced its double-pulse test portfolio enabling customers to benefit from accurate and easy measurement of the dynamic characteristics of wide-bandgap power semiconductor bare chips.
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The UK Battery Industrialization Center, United Kingdom, opened its new upgraded and extended Battery Development Laboratory, greatly increased the facility’s capabilities in key areas of battery materials characterization, cell analysis, and forensic activities.
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Constellium, Paris, announced the successful completion of the “ISA3” R&D project, an initiative launched in 2021 to advance lightweight aluminium solutions for automotive applications. Conducted in collaboration with Renault Group, ESI Group, the Institut de Soudure, and the University of Lorraine, the project was supported by a grant from the France Relance investment program. The research focused on developing cost-efficient, recyclable aluminium components to enhance vehicle performance and sustainability.
A key achievement of the project was the development of a lightweight aluminium door in partnership with Renault. Utilizing Constellium’s proprietary uni-alloy 6xxx rolled and extrusion-based solutions, the door design achieved a 14% weight reduction compared to existing aluminium doors used in compact battery electric vehicles. By employing a single alloy series, the project streamlined closed-loop recycling, reducing the door’s overall carbon footprint. This innovation resulted in a 33% reduction in Global Warming Potential (GWP), reinforcing the project’s emphasis on sustainability.
Beyond material advancements, the project also explored more efficient and flexible production processes to enhance performance while optimizing costs. Ludovic Piquier, senior vice president, manufacturing excellence and chief technical officer at Constellium, emphasized that the results highlight the company’s commitment to providing sustainable, high-performance aluminium solutions for the automotive sector.
Patrice Belliard, expert in flat products at Renault Group, noted that the project demonstrated how aluminium can support both weight reduction and cost efficiency in automotive manufacturing. Mathilde Chabin, manufacturing product director at ESI Group, added that the use of advanced pre-certification and validation technologies eliminated the need for physical prototypes, accelerating innovation while reducing costs and environmental impact.
The completion of Project ISA3 underscores the potential of aluminium to contribute to the automotive industry’s decarbonization efforts while delivering economic and environmental benefits.
Wisconsin Oven Corporation, East Troy, WI, announced the shipment of a two-zone belt conveyor oven designed for tempering steel parts following induction hardening. The system is engineered for precise temperature control and enhanced energy efficiency, meeting industry specifications for uniform heating.
The oven has the capacity to heat 2,400 pounds of steel per hour from 70°F to 350°F, with a maximum temperature rating of 500°F. It features a top-down airflow recirculation system with a 32,000 CFM blower, evenly distributed between the two heating zones. Temperature control is managed by a Watlow F4T digital recorder/controller, which includes Ethernet communication capabilities and adaptive PID temperature control. A temperature uniformity survey verified uniformity within ±10°F at 350°F, ensuring compliance with AIAG specification CQI-9.
The conveyor system utilizes a continuous belt with a variable frequency drive for speed adjustments, and the work zone measures 4’0” W x 21’0” L x 14” H. To improve energy efficiency, the oven is equipped with the E-Pack™ Energy Efficiency Package, which includes additional insulation and variable frequency drives on the recirculation blowers. These features reduce energy consumption and operational costs, potentially providing substantial annual savings depending on utility rates and operating conditions.
The system’s design optimizes heat-up efficiency and uniformity, making it well-suited for high-volume steel tempering applications. The oven incorporates programmable temperature controls with auto-tuning functionality, ensuring consistent and repeatable performance for industrial heat treatment processes.
Intel unveiled the new Intel Core Ultra (Series 2) processors, designed to revolutionize mobile computing featuring cutting-edge AI enhancements, increased efficiency, and performance improvements.
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The Department of Energy has announced funding $179 million for three Microelectronics Science Research Centers that bring together multi-institutional, multidisciplinary projects in partnership with industry organized around making microelectronics more energy efficient and able to operate better in extreme environments.
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Imina Technologies, Switzerland, is now the exclusive supplier of Electrical Failure Analysis solutions from point electronic GmbH, Germany.
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Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a new technique for creating simple electronic device components that proved effective in recent tests, indicating that self-assembly for more complex electronics, such as 3D computer chips, could be possible.
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Synopsys, Inc., Sunnyvale, Calif., announced the industry’s first Ultra Ethernet IP and UALink IP solutions, including controllers, PHYs, and verification IP, to meet the demand for standards-based, high-bandwidth, and low-latency HPC and AI accelerator interconnects.
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Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a technique to create a multilayered chip with alternating layers of high-quality semiconducting material grown directly on top of one another.
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TESCAN Group, a.s, Czech Republic, a leading global manufacturer of electron microscopes and advanced scientific instruments, has acquired EXpressLO LLC, Lehigh Acres, Fla., a provider of innovative FIB lift-out solutions for specimen preparation in STEM and other analytical techniques.
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Seco/Warwick, Meadville, Pa, announced that it will deliver a JetCaster induction vacuum furnace to a Turkish aviation company. The advanced furnace is designed for producing castings using directional solidification, single crystal, and equiaxed structure methods, as well as gas-cooled crystallization. The technology addresses the precision and quality requirements of aviation component manufacturing.
The JetCaster VIM50 DS/SC/EQ furnace, with a maximum load capacity of 50 kilograms, supports various crystallization techniques, offering flexibility and high performance. Its innovative Engineered Gas Cooling (DGCC) system shortens processing times while maintaining superior product quality, making it particularly suited to the stringent demands of the aviation sector.
Seco/Warwick’s CEO, Sławomir Woźniak, highlighted the increasing demand for the company’s vacuum metallurgy solutions within the aviation industry, noting its critical role in producing components for both civil and military aircraft. He emphasized the company’s collaboration with leading corporations globally to meet the sector’s high-quality standards.
This marks the first order of a melting furnace from this specific partner. Seco/Warwick customized the furnace design to accommodate future modifications, such as the addition of feeders for bulk materials or briquettes, ensuring adaptability to evolving production needs. The solution aims to enhance the partner’s production efficiency and innovation, solidifying its contribution to the aviation industry.
Researchers at the University of Virginia and Harvard University have made an exciting discovery in thermal barrier coatings that could significantly enhance the performance and efficiency of gas turbines, key components in power plants and jet engines.
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In a significant move to streamline mechanical testing and enhance material insights, Airbus, France, the global aerospace leader, is collaborating with Plastometrex, England, to support the standardization of profilometry-based indentation plastometry (PIP) – the innovative mechanical testing technique developed and commercialized by the Cambridge-based technology provider.
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In order to overcome a fundamental limit of silicon semiconductor technology that prevents transistors from operating below a certain voltage, Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers fabricated a different type of three-dimensional transistor using a unique set of ultrathin semiconductor materials.
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HORIBA STEC, Co., Ltd., Japan, released the fully automated thin film inspection system, Xtrology, that combines spectroscopic ellipsometry, Raman spectroscopy, and photoluminescence sensors making it possible to perform important inspections, such as film thickness measurement, defect analysis, and composition analysis of various wafers with a single instrument.
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The Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT, Germany, is pioneering a new approach in fuel cell production by using extreme high-speed laser material deposition to create wear-resistant functional metal layers on low-cost structural steel, replacing traditional milling methods and significantly reducing costs, construction time, and tool wear.
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Materials Analysis Technology Inc., Taiwan, and Swiss SGS Taiwan Ltd. signed a memorandum of understanding with the goal of providing comprehensive ISO 26262 functional safety product certification services, AEC-Q automotive electronic component reliability verification services, and soft error rate assessment and analysis in the automotive semiconductor and electronic component industries in Taiwan.
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A team of academic and enterprise researchers at Penn State has developed a synthesis process to produce a “rust-resistant” coating with additional properties ideal for creating faster, more durable electronics.
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Cornell University researchers, Ithaca, N.Y., in collaboration with a team at the Polish Academy of Sciences, have developed the first dual-sided – or “dualtronic” – chip that combines photonic and electronic functions simultaneously, an innovation that could shrink the size of functional devices, make them more energy efficient and reduce manufacturing costs.
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Wisconsin Oven, East Troy, WI, has announced the shipment of a gas-fired walk-in batch oven to a prominent manufacturer in the defense industry. The oven is designed for curing filament wound composite materials and is capable of processing a 78,000-pound load on a 40-foot long mandrel carried by a load car.
The work chamber measures 10 feet wide, 42 feet long, and 9 feet high, with a qualified work zone of 8 feet by 40 feet by 8 feet. The oven includes a rotation system to prevent drooping of uncured composites during the heating process, offering speed control flexibility through a variable frequency drive.
This oven operates at a maximum temperature of 500°F, with temperature uniformity of ±10°F at multiple setpoints. Equipped with a PLC-based Wisconsin Oven Premium Control System and an IoT system, it allows for real-time monitoring, predictive maintenance, and remote fault diagnosis.
Additional features include split-line construction for easier shipping, two powerful recirculation blowers, interior lighting, and safety-compliant railings and ladder access.
Researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Wash., have developed a novel method combining cold spray deposition and friction stir processing to produce oxide dispersion strengthened steel, providing a proof-of-concept for fabricating higher-quality materials for future fusion power plants at reduced manufacturing costs.
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Nearly $5 million has been awarded to 17 small businesses across nine states under the Small Business Innovation Research Program to fund projects exploring innovative metrology, measurement services, tools, and instrumentation, marking the first award for the CHIPS Research and Development Office in support of the U.S. semiconductor ecosystem.
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Researchers on a team led by University of Michigan unveiled that phase separation, alongside oxygen diffusion, crucially supports the long-term retention of information in memristors, specifically in resistive random access memory.
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For the first time, researchers at Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, N. M., have used silicon photonic microchip components to perform a quantum sensing technique called atom interferometry, an ultra-precise way of measuring acceleration and the latest milestone toward developing a kind of quantum compass for navigation when GPS signals are unavailable.
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Engineers at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, developed a new chip that uses light waves rather than electricity to perform the complex math essential to training AI.
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Metex Heat Treating, Mississauga, ON, has announced the acquisition of Exactatherm Ltd, a specialist in heat treating for the aerospace, stainless, and tool steels industries. This acquisition is a key part of Metex’s strategy to expand its capabilities and provide comprehensive solutions to clients across the automotive, aerospace, nuclear, commercial, and tool and die sectors.
With this acquisition, Metex will leverage Exactatherm’s industry expertise alongside its own advanced technologies, further strengthening its market position. Exactatherm will continue to operate as a separate entity under the Metex group, maintaining its established reputation for delivering high-quality services.
“This acquisition reinforces our commitment to providing unmatched solutions to our customers,” said Surjit Bawa, President of Metex Heat Treating Ltd. “Together, we will build on our shared strengths and create new opportunities for growth.”
Metex Heat Treating was founded in 1983 and has grown to be the largest heat treater in Canada, specializing in various heat treatment process
Plasmatreat Gmbh, Germany, presents plasma as a pretreatment method in the manufacture of fuel cells.
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Amkor Technology Inc., Tempe, Ariz., signed a preliminary agreement with the U.S. Department of Commerce for up to $400 million in funding under the CHIPS and Science Act to create a new $2 billion semiconductor packaging facility in Peoria, Arizona, the largest outsourced advanced packaging and test facility in the United States, generating approximately 2,000 jobs.
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