The Elements of Innovation Discovered

Articles from the June 22, 2022 edition


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  • A digital photo of a haul truck driving through a cyber like space.

    Hexagon total mine platform, Power of One

    A.J. Roan, Metal Tech News|Updated Apr 16, 2023

    Keeping in alignment with overall mining safety and efficiency, Hexagon AB's mining division unveiled its Power of One platform, a holistic, life-of-mine smart solution connecting sensors, software, infield apps, and cloudware to complete an ecosystem of monitoring and productivity. Hexagon, a global information technology company specializing in hardware and software solutions, has an extremely diverse portfolio of subsidiaries that branches into multiple market sectors,... Full story

  • Green Berets on patrol with a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter in the background.

    Russia's war heightens antimony concerns

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Aug 31, 2022

    The supply chain repercussions of Russia's war with Ukraine have policymakers in Washington, DC concerned about securing supplies of antimony, which is critical to renewable energy storage technologies and national defense. Antimony is a metalloid, which means it falls between metals such as zinc and solid nonmetals like sulfur, with some interesting properties that make it a strategic material for the U.S. military. "Antimony is a key ingredient in communication equipment,...

  • A USGS geologist collecting samples from an outcrop of rocks in Alaska.

    White House funds critical minerals search

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Jul 12, 2022

    The U.S. Department of the Interior is distributing more than $74.6 million to 30 states for critical minerals investigations under the U.S. Geological Survey Earth Mapping Resources Initiative, or Earth MRI. These investments, which include $64 million in funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, aim to help improve the understanding of domestic critical mineral resources, a key to securing a reliable, domestic, and sustainable supply of minerals and metals critical t...

  • A rare earths separation machine set up at a facility in Saskatchewan, Canada.

    Vital start of Canadian rare earths plant

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Jul 12, 2022

    To forge the second link in a wholly North American rare earths supply chain, Vital Metals Ltd. has begun feeding ore mined from its Nechalacho project in Northwest Territories into a dense media separation plant at its new rare earths extraction facility in Saskatchewan, Canada. The first link in this REE supply chain was established when Vital began mining high-grade ore from Nechalacho last year, which made the Australia-based miner Canada's first and only producer of the...

  • Underground miners and equipment with position and proximity sensors.

    Komatsu to acquire Mine Site Technologies

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Jul 12, 2022

    As its mining clients increasingly go underground to provide the minerals and metals needed for a technology-driven clean energy future, global heavy equipment manufacturer Komatsu Ltd. continues to position itself to offer the low-emissions, digital, and automation solutions to help bring these essential raw materials to the surface. In the latest move to achieve this strategy, Komatsu has agreed to acquire Mine Site Technologies, an Australian firm better known as MST...

  • Metal 3D printed parts made from the Metal Expansion Kit by Ultimaker.

    Metal expansion kit for plastic printers

    A.J. Roan, Metal Tech News|Updated Jul 12, 2022

    With a small, intuitive leap, Netherlands-based 3D printer manufacturer Ultimaker is providing a simple yet ingenious addition to its line of polymer printers, a metal expansion kit that enables thermoplastic 3D printers to print metal parts. Founded in 2011, Ultimaker has been designing and building 3D printers during a time when the tech was all but nonexistent in the public eye. With its line of printers having survived a gamut of iterations and upgrades in the ensuing...

  • Side-by-side hydrogen fuel cell and battery-electric Volvo Trucks.

    Volvo testing hydrogen fuel cell trucks

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Jul 12, 2022

    Electric-powered 18-wheelers that never need to charge and emit water vapor as exhaust – this is Volvo Trucks' vision for the future of heavy long-haul transport. Hydrogen fuel cells are the technology behind this eco-friendly dream, and the Swedish automaker's truck manufacturing division is already testing hydrogen-powered semis. In the most basic terms, a fuel cell transforms hydrogen and atmospheric oxygen into electricity, water vapor, and a little heat. Platinum catalyst...

  • Rendering of Energy Dome CO2 storage system at a large photovoltaic solar farm.

    Ironic dome stores clean energy with CO2

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Jul 12, 2022

    What if the very carbon dioxide being blamed for global warming was the secret ingredient of massive batteries for the storage of renewable energy meant to prevent additional CO2 from entering the atmosphere in the first place? Italy-based startup Energy Dome has created such a battery that could help fully utilize low-carbon energy while also helping to stabilize electrical grids. The primary problem with renewable energy sources like wind and solar is the electricity they... Full story