The Elements of Innovation Discovered

Articles from the May 12, 2021 edition


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  • Caterpillar MineStar Command AHS autonomous haulage systems milestone mining

    Caterpillar exceeds 3B tons autonomously

    A.J. Roan, Metal Tech News|Updated Jul 10, 2022

    Caterpillar Inc. recently surpassed an initial three billion tons of material hauled using its MineStar Command autonomous haulage system fleets. As a milestone for CAT and autonomous industrial technologies in general, this incredible achievement is a true testament to the potential and growth autonomy has for industrial sectors. "Since surpassing the 2 billion ton milestone, we've equipped more mines with Command trucks and have established the world's first gold mining...

  • Northern Dynasty Minerals copper gold mining Exeter University

    Scientists develop key-hole copper mining

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Jul 10, 2022

    A team of international researchers have developed a new mining technique that will advance humans beyond the Bronze Age when it comes to extracting copper, gold, silver, and other conductive metals out of buried bodies of ore. Since humans began using metals on an industrial scale some 5,500 years ago, we have depended on physically digging up the metal-bearing rocks from underground tunnels or quarries, crushing the ore, and then using various techniques such as heat or... Full story

  • GM Ultium battery recycling mega-factory Li-Cycle Lordstown Ohio

    Li-Cycle to recycle GM Ultium batteries

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Jul 10, 2022

    While it is still several years before any significant quantities of the Ultium batteries going into the next generation of General Motors electric vehicles will reach the end of their lifecycle, the automaker is already establishing lithium-ion battery recycling capabilities at its Ultium battery cell manufacturing mega-factory in Lordstown, Ohio. To establish this capacity, Ultium Cells LLC, a joint venture between GM and LG Energy Solution, has entered into a multi-year con...

  • graphene self-assembling yarn nanotechnology self-generating innovation research

    Graphene strands self-assemble into yarn

    A.J. Roan, Metal Tech News|Updated Jul 10, 2022

    A team of researchers from Zhejiang University, Xi'an Jiaotong University, and Monash University has developed a method to bind multiple strands of graphene oxide into a self-assembling yarn. Published in the journal "Science," the group has described the process and possible uses, comparing the discovery to how biological systems work. Borrowing terms from physics, the team compared the process to fusion, where two materials self-assemble into a third material. As well as...

  • critical minerals IEA clean energy transition supply chain EV electric vehicles

    IEA urges swift critical minerals action

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Jul 10, 2022

    Policymakers must take swift and decisive action to ensure that the minerals critical to the global transition to renewable energy and electric vehicles are not the bottleneck that prevents governments from meeting their climate goals, according to a new report by the International Energy Agency. "Today, the data shows a looming mismatch between the world's strengthened climate ambitions and the availability of critical minerals that are essential to realizing those... Full story

  • Epiroc Ericsson NEXTGEN SIMS Smart Intelligent Mining Systems Helena Hedblom

    EU funds next-gen smart mining project

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Jul 10, 2022

    Mining companies, equipment manufacturers, engineering firms, tech companies, and universities have come together under a European Union-funded program aimed at developing new technologies, methods, and processes to increase the efficiency and sustainability of global mining operations. This three-year project known as Next-Generation Carbon-Neutral Pilots for Smart Intelligent Mining Systems, or NEXGEN SIMS, is building upon the successful sustainable mining operations...