Oxford Instruments completed acquisition of FemtoTools AG

Oxford Instruments plc, United Kingdom, a leading provider of high technology products and services to industry and scientific research communities, completed the acquisition of FemtoTools AG, Switzerland. The acquisition was first announced on 11 June 2024, and has been completed following the satisfactory conclusion of closing conditions.

FemtoTools specializes in measuring and imaging the properties (primarily the hardness and stiffness) of materials for research and semiconductor applications at very high resolution via a technique called nanoindentation. It joins Oxford Instruments’ Imaging & Analysis division, where its products will be sold in conjunction with the Group’s existing range of materials analysis tools, including electron microscope micro-analyzers and Raman microscopes.

Richard Tyson, chief executive officer, Oxford Instruments plc, said: “We are delighted to have completed the acquisition of FemtoTools. We welcome our new colleagues and look forward to working with them to integrate nanoindentation – a new technique to Oxford Instruments – into our extensive portfolio of materials analysis capabilities.”

Christian Lang, managing director, Materials Analysis, Oxford Instruments plc, said: “We’re so pleased that the FemtoTools team have chosen to join Oxford Instruments. We’ve had a number of very positive meetings since the announcement and are already making plans for our future together.

“I’m looking forward to integrating FemtoTools’ brilliant technology into our wider product range, and to working with this talented group of people.”

Felix Beyeler, co-founder of FemtoTools, said: “The team and I are very excited for the journey ahead as part of Oxford Instruments. Working together will enable us to extend the reach of our technology and provide even richer analysis to our combined customer base. We’re also looking forward to learning from the hugely experienced Oxford Instruments team.”

For more information:
Oxford Instruments plc
https://www.oxinst.com

Artificial intelligence helped scientists create a new type of battery

Researchers at Microsoft, Redmond, Wash., and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Wash., used artificial intelligence to identify 23 promising battery materials from more than 32 million candidates in just 80 hours, creating a working prototype that could significantly reduce lithium use and advance sustainable energy storage solutions.

Continue reading

NSL Analytical Services relocates Metallurgical Testing Laboratory

NSL Analytical Services, Cleveland, Ohio, an independent analytical and metallurgical testing services company serving U.S. and global customers, announces a significant milestone in its growth trajectory with the relocation of one of its two Cleveland-area testing laboratories and the addition of high-temperature stress rupture testing to its offerings.

Continue reading

SkyWater and Lumotive announce qualification and production start for world’s first commercially available optical beamforming chip

SkyWater Technology, Bloomington, Minn., the trusted technology realization partner, and Lumotive, Redmond, Wash., a pioneer in optical semiconductor technology for 3D sensing, announced a collaboration on the production implementation of Lumotive’s groundbreaking solid-state optical beamforming technology in SkyWater’s manufacturing environment.

Continue reading

Constellium Ravenswood to receive $75 million for zero carbon technology

Constellium, Ravenswood, WV, announced that it has been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations to begin award negotiations for up to $75 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act funding as part of the Industrial Demonstrations Program (IDP). This investment will help fund the implementation of breakthrough low-to-no emissions technologies in Constellium’s Ravenswood facility, supporting the decarbonization of the casthouses, the plant’s most energy intensive operation.
This investment will support the installation of low-emissions SmartMelt furnaces that can operate using a range of fuels, including clean hydrogen, paving the way towards a zero carbon casthouse. In addition to reducing carbon emissions, the project is expected to help maximize recycled scrap intake, and to improve worker safety with the introduction of a hands-free casting process.
The project will also contribute to the local communities around Ravenswood with a dedicated budget to build a new training and wellness center for all employees and an onsite childcare, and to provide financial and technical resources for local schools and universities.
Constellium Ravenswood will now enter negotiations on the specific terms of the investment, including operational milestones, and timing of access to funds throughout the life of the project, estimated to be approximately five years. The final details of the project investment are subject to these negotiations.

https://www.constellium.com/news/constellium-ravenswood-selected-by-us-doe-to-receive-usd75million-investment

Compressor cracks cited in Canadian helo crash

Fractures in the sixth-stage compressor wheel triggered a catastrophic engine failure and caused the April 2022 fatal crash of a Kestrel Helicopters 1981 Hughes 369D during long-line slinging operations in British Columbia, according to a recently released report from Canada’s Transportation Safety Board.

Continue reading