The Elements of Innovation Discovered

Articles from the November 2, 2022 edition


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  • A large multi-mast ship sailing on the open ocean on a clear day.

    EV magnet rare earth price set to sail

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Jun 5, 2024

    Adamas forecasts NdPr prices to hit $150/kg to ensure supply keeps pace with auto demand Despite a widely held belief that soaring neodymium-praseodymium prices would press automakers to look at alternatives to these rare earths for magnets going into electric vehicles, Adamas Intelligence forecasts that NdPr oxide prices will double by the end of the decade. NdPr is a combination of the rare earths neodymium and praseodymium used in the powerful neodymium-iron-boron magnets...

  • An artist's rendering of the newest conductive plastic.

    Conductive Play-Doh breaks convention

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

    Going against all known rules of conductivity, researchers from the University of Chicago are astonished by a strange material that can be made like plastic but conducts electricity like metal, being likened to conductive Play-Doh. Conventional electronics, whether it be an iPhone, solar panel, or television, use conductive materials; otherwise, they would be no different than the raw materials they are transformed from. Metals, such as copper, gold, and aluminum, are by far t... Full story

  • Close-up of FastLion battery to be manufactured by EC Power.

    Team develops fast-charging tech for EVs

    Rose Ragsdale, For Metal Tech News|Updated Nov 14, 2022

    A team of researchers at Pennsylvania State University has developed a technology that enables electric vehicle batteries to obtain a full charge in just 10 minutes. The breakthrough in EV battery design, reported in the Oct. 12 edition of the journal Nature, produced a record-breaking combination of a shorter charge time and more energy acquired for a longer travel range. "The need for smaller, faster-charging batteries is greater than ever," said Chao-Yang Wang, the William...

  • A phone app that shows a diamond being tracked by Everledger technology.

    Everledger, Ford battery passport pilot

    A.J. Roan, Metal Tech News|Updated Nov 14, 2022

    To encourage greater transparency in the inevitable battery-powered world, Ford Motor Company has partnered with Everledger to deliver the world's first passport pilot for the responsible recycling of electric vehicle batteries. Founded in 2015, Everledger is an independent technology company that aims to help businesses monitor asset information with various security technologies, such as blockchain, artificial intelligence, smart labeling with near field communication (NFC)...

  • A helicopter equipped with geophysical survey equipment prepares for flight.

    USGS invests another $6M in Earth MRIs

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Nov 3, 2022

    Great Plains states, CO-WY border to be scanned for critical minerals. In its ongoing quest to identify domestic sources of the 50 minerals deemed critical to America's economy and security, the U.S. Geological Survey is investing $6 million to scan northern Great Plains states and mountains spanning the Colorado-Wyoming border for 40 of these minerals essential to powering everything from household appliances and electronics to clean energy and advanced technologies. This...

  • Metal 3D printed dice made with Fused Filament Fabrication printers.

    Microwaving metal with The Virtual Foundry

    A.J. Roan, Metal Tech News|Updated Nov 1, 2022

    To help spur the introduction of metal 3D printing, metal filament manufacturer The Virtual Foundry introduced a new method of debinding and sintering printed components – with a microwave. Still in a developmental stage, Virtual Foundry's Metal Microwave Sintering technology is among the first of its kind involving the use of a commercial microwave instead of a kiln or furnace to heat prints inside of a crucible. Though only tested on the company's own Aluminum 6061 F...