Third Dimension, Three Awards

3D printing items and ideas take three spots in Fast Company’s 2020 Innovation by Design Awards The technology of 3D printing, AKA additive manufacturing, continues to show versatility and promise…and receive plenty of recognition in the process. For Fast Company’s 2020 Innovation by Design Awards, at least three of the chosen accolades were of the […]

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Machine Tool Days

Siemens event offers further insight on the hotly debated “remote diagnostics” trend Two weeks ago, we discussed the integration of “remote” applications permeating the plant and field maintenance industries. Centered around the release of Schneider Electric’s new platform, this item led to valuable discourse, both in our comments and e-mail inboxes, about the concerns and […]

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Remotely Troubling

New services for power distribution, augmented reality from Schneider A new service from a global industrial-electric powerhouse may be exciting technology, but it also sheds light on where the industry could be headed in terms of demand for field technicians. Schneider Electric has launched Remote Expertiseä, a new package of services for electrical and power […]

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Goodenough for a Lifetime

Nobel prize winning inventor of lithium-ion battery, 97, still looking forward How about this for a resume? See below: Dr. John B. Goodenough, Professor, Cockrell School of Engineering, UT-Austin -Invented lithium-ion battery -Served as military meteorologist, U.S. Army, WWII -Oldest Nobel Prize winner -Still working at age 97 Education -Undergraduate degree, Yale University -PhD, Physics, […]

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The “Quiet” Rise of the VFD

Noise reduction by combining variable frequency drives with hydraulics By combining Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) technology with electric motors in hydraulic power units, Green Hydraulic Power, Inc (GHP), a renewable energy company based in Huntington Beach, Calif., says it can lower customer energy usage by up to 80% while simultaneously reducing noise in the workplace […]

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Paint It, Black

Norwegian wind farm reportedly cut bird deaths by 70 percent with simple change A Norwegian wind farm says it painted its turbine blades black and reduced bird deaths by 70 percent, according to a study published in scientific research journal Ecology and Evolution this August. Researchers from the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research and Lake Annsjon […]

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Earthquake-Resistant Transformers

Swiss manufacturer unveils new design to prevent network failures, damages Earthquakes, whether mild or severe, pose a threat for transformers in operation. To make sure the transformers will not move or fall in case of an earthquake, and thus cause network failures or damages such as oil leaks, R&S Rauscher & Stoecklin, the Swiss manufacturer, designed […]

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Has Precision Winding Found the Airborne Antidote?

Concrete evidence of airborne transmission is disputed. It’s good to see a product from a trusted source. PWI, the Wichita, Ks., manufacturer, says it has developed a virus neutralizing system for use in fighting airborne contaminants aboard commercial aircraft. The device, called Biotek Shield, is designed to be installed in the air conditioning systems of […]

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Progress Pod

Esteemed organization demonstrates fluid transition to new media The Association of Facilities Engineering has a new podcast. The AFE Factor, a solid exhibition of how historically rooted workforce organizations can transition to new media, premiered July 31. Hosted by Amir Clayton Powell aka “AC”, the organization’s executive director and CEO, the podcast is already rolling […]

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Lightning Strikes Twice

Charging station/fleet brand stems from Colorado-based EV company Lightning Systems, the Loveland, Co., developer and manufacturer of zero-emission commercial electric vehicles, announced the launch of Lightning Energy, its new fleet division, on July 29. The company does design, installation, service, and management for charging infrastructure in the EV industry, “providing fleets with turnkey options to […]

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