Tokamak Energy and Furukawa Electric Group to build fusion magnet manufacturing base in Japan

Tokamak Energy and Furukawa Electric Group, Tokyo, Japan announced that they will establish a joint operational base in Japan to manufacture high-temperature superconducting magnets critical for fusion power plants. The facility will support the Fusion Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (FAST) development project, which aims to demonstrate electricity generation from fusion by the 2030s, under a private-sector collaboration led by Starlight Engine Ltd.

The partnership leverages Tokamak Energy’s network of government, commercial, scientific and academic collaborators in Japan alongside Furukawa Electric’s expertise in REBCO-coated HTS tape production through its SuperPower subsidiary. Beyond fusion, the companies plan to explore applications of their HTS magnet technology in sectors such as data-centre cooling, zero-emission electric motors, power generation and propulsion systems for land, air, water and space.

Warrick Matthews, chief executive of Tokamak Energy, explained that scaling up magnet manufacturing will be pivotal to translating the promise of clean, limitless fusion into commercial reality and will unlock new performance levels across multiple industries. Hideya Moridaira, president of Furukawa Electric Group, added that deepening the collaboration reflects Furukawa’s long-standing commitment to superconducting research and its ambition to support energy and healthcare innovations.

The agreement follows a UK-Japan government fusion partnership announced during ministerial talks in London, underscoring both nations’ strategic push for sustainable, safe and abundant fusion energy.

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Constellium and renault group complete r&d project advancing lightweight aluminium solutions

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.

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Automaker modernizes heat-treatment operations with Nitrex technology

Automaker modernizes heat-treatment operations with Nitrex technology

Nitrex, Quebec, announced that a major automotive manufacturer has selected its EndoFlex L generators to upgrade heat-treatment operations. This initiative supports the automaker’s commitment to improving production efficiency while advancing sustainability and cost management efforts.

The facility specializes in manufacturing engine components that require carburizing, a heat-treatment process that enhances surface durability by introducing carbon into the material. Previously, the site relied on aging, gas-heated generators to produce endothermic gas for this process. However, these generators had become inefficient, consuming excessive natural gas and increasing CO₂ emissions. To address these challenges, the manufacturer has chosen Nitrex’s electrically heated EndoFlex L endothermic gas generators to optimize efficiency and reduce environmental impact.

Designed specifically for carburizing applications, the EndoFlex L features a multi-retort design and precise temperature control, ensuring a consistent and stable supply of high-quality endothermic gas. The system operates on demand, significantly reducing gas consumption and emissions, making it a more sustainable and cost-effective solution.

Daniel Panny, head of sales Europe at Nitrex, emphasized the company’s long-standing relationship with the automaker, noting that previous projects included upgrading legacy generators with the EndoInjector gas injection system. He stated that this latest investment demonstrates how sustained partnerships can drive meaningful advancements in industrial manufacturing.

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Johnson Matthey signs agreement for hydrogen investment in China

Johnson Matthey, Beijing, China, has signed an investment agreement with the Jiading District in Shanghai to help accelerate the hydrogen economy in China.

At a signing ceremony in Sonning, UK, JM and the Shanghai Jiading District announced plans to build a new catalyst coated membrane (CCM) production facility, providing CCM production capability for multiple proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell applications and PEM electrolysers.

The facility, which will have an initial capacity of up to 5GW, will occupy 22,000m2 in the Jiading district of Shanghai, in a designated Hydrogen industrial zone and is due to be operational in 2025. It will have potential to expand further in line with customer demand.  

The investment, which is backed by customer demand, is part of JM’s £1.1 billion global stated capital expernditure for the three years to 2024/25 and will include government support and incentives. 

The new production facility will enable Johnson Matthey to supply existing Chinese and international customers with locally produced CCMs, and in addition there is a strong pipeline of further customer interest across both fuel cell and renewable (green) hydrogen technologies.

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Confluent Medical Technologies announces grand opening of Costa Rica expansion

Confluent Medical Technologies, Scottsdale, Ariz., has announced the grand opening of the latest addition to their large scale manufacturing center of excellence in Alajuela, Costa Rica, expanding their capacity for Nitinol processing and catheter manufacturing.

This new facility will be co-located with the existing Confluent Costa Rica facility and will add an additional 66,000 square feet to this location. The new site greatly expands Confluent’s capacity to process Nitinol components, as well as produce complex catheters using a combination of clean rooms and white-space manufacturing.

“Confluent has experienced consistent and strong growth in recent years,” said Confluent president & CEO, Dean Schauer. “This expansion supports our new product pipeline which continues to grow at a rate greater than Confluent has previously experienced.”

Confluent supports some of the fastest growing medical device markets such as interventional neurovascular, electrophysiology, structural heart, and peripheral vascular. As a result of the double-digit growth of these currently served markets, a substantial number of new products are coming into production and will utilize this new facility space immediately. Additionally, Confluent is considering additional expansion options beyond this new facility.

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Wisconsin oven ships pin conveyor oven to automotive manufacturer

Wisconsin Oven Corp., East Troy, has shipped one electrically heated conveyor oven to an automotive manufacturer, which will be used for tempering automotive parts. The conveyor oven features a chain style conveyor system with vertical pins, ensuring the uniform transfer of parts through the heating and cooldown zones of the oven. The maximum temperature rating of the conveyor oven is 260° C, with interior chamber dimensions of 3’6” W x 20’10” L x 9” H.

The conveyor oven also features a top-down bottom-up airflow configuration designed with a 55,000 CFM @ 50 HP blower, ensuring optimal temperature uniformity of ±2.5° C at 163°C, documented with a temperature uniformity test. The oven is equipped with a continuous chain conveyor with vertical pins, programmable temperature controller, and recorder with Ethernet capabilities.

The unique features of this tempering oven include the ability to automatically scan the parts while being loaded onto the conveyor and validate that the correct part is being loaded, providing a pass/fail regarding heating time and temperature. The conveyor oven also includes an ambient cooldown zone and supervised installation with start-up and training.

Mike Grande, vice president of sales,said that, “Our continuous designs provide customers with innovative solutions to meet their load and process requirements. This conveyor oven was designed with high-velocity impingement air nozzles for rapid, uniform heating and optimal part results.” The equipment was fully factory tested and adjusted prior to shipment from the facility, ensuring it met all Wisconsin Oven quality standards. The equipment comes with a 2-year warranty, providing peace of mind for the automotive manufacturer.

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Nupress and SPEE3D partnership brings patented cold spray technology to Australian manufacturers

SPEE3D, Australia, announced its WarpSPEE3D printer will be hosted at Nupress headquarters in Australia. Meaning local Australian manufacturers and businesses will be able to access the machine through a subscription without having to lease or purchase it.

This unique subscription model will provide Nupress’s existing clients in the mining, building, aerospace, defense, and medical industries, and other Australian manufacturers’ access to SPEE3D’s patented cold-spray technology. It will provide them the opportunity to source parts locally and quickly from a selection of 12 different metals.

Nupress is a leading manufacturer of precision machined components and assemblies with over 50 years of expertise. Together with SPEE3D, the game-changing subscription service will enable Nupress clients and other Australian manufactures to produce parts at the time of need, rather than waiting weeks or months via other supply chains. Because metal parts can now be sourced locally, this will help manufacturing companies improve their operations and reduce costs – many of which have been impacted negatively due to ongoing global supply chain issues. The subscription model offers one to six slots, each delivering 25 hours per month of printing for 12 months.

“Democratizing access to SPEE3D’s WarpSPEED printer will help solve real-world problems around broken supply chains, manufacturing challenges, and massive delays for some of the world’s most significant industries. Local Australian companies can now access our technology thanks to Nupress, enabling smaller production runs, prototyping needs, material developments, and other advanced manufacturing capabilities,” said Steven Camilleri, Co-Founder, and CTO of SPEE3D.

 

Image – WarpSPEE3D, the technology that will be available at Nupress on a subscription-based service for local Australian organizations.

 

For more information:

Nupress

https://www.nupress.com.au/

 

SPEE3D

https://www.spee3d.com/