Nucor Corp., Charlotte, N.C., announces the successful start-up of production at its direct reduced iron (DRI) facility in St. James Parish, Louisiana. Production began on Tuesday, December 24, and has continued at planned ramp-up levels since that time. Within the first 24 hours of operation, output quality began matching the best-in-class levels routinely achieved at the DRI plant in Trinidad.

Instron, Norwood, Mass., announces digital image correlation (DIC) hardware and software designed to optically detect strain and displacement. The DIC system enables users to visualize these changes in real-time on a computer screen, so that they can be traced over the entire duration of the test. The associated DIC-software provides visualization and also saves the data at an adjustable rate of up to 50 Hz.

Granta Design, U.K., announces Granta MI—Version 7, which includes its latest advances in simulation and materials information management for additive manufacturers to improve research, design, testing, and simulation. These developments are the result of Granta’s involvement in two European Framework Seven (NanoMicro and AMAZE) projects focused on the field of additive manufacturing.

3D-Micromac AG, a leading provider of laser micromachining systems, and EOS GmbH, a leader in additive manufacturing, both of Germany, are joining to form a new corporation called 3D MicroPrint GmbH. Its goal is to advance the development and commercialization of micro laser sintering (MLS) technology, and to identify and establish more solutions in the field of micro technology.