AI Will Give Humanity the Moon, Mars and Supersonic Travel
Boom Supersonic secured a public order for 29 Superpower 42 MW natural‑gas turbines, delivering 1.21 GW of capacity to AI‑focused data‑center operator Crusade and creating a $1.25 billion backlog. The deal prices the turbines at roughly $1,033 per kilowatt, or $43 million per unit, and is backed by a $300 million funding round led by Darsana Capital Partners. Boom will pair the turbines with Baker Hughes BRUSH DAX 7 generators, offering 39 % simple‑cycle efficiency and heat‑resilient performance. The company aims to scale production to over 4 GW annually by 2030 to fund its Overture supersonic airliner program.
Only 22% of China's 310 GWh Lithium-Ion Output Reached a Domestic EV
China’s lithium‑ion battery output surged to 309.7 GWh in Jan‑Feb 2026, yet only 68.3 GWh (22%) fed domestic electric‑vehicle (EV) installs, a steep drop from 50% in 2024. CATL lifted its 2026 production target by roughly 30% to 1,300 GWh, prompting regulators from MIIT,...
How Rare Earth Elements Power Modern Electric Lawn Equipment: From Motors to Manufacturing
Electric lawn tools have shifted from noisy gas engines to quiet, battery‑powered devices thanks to rare‑earth permanent magnets and phosphor‑based displays. Neodymium‑praseodymium (NdFeB) magnets provide high torque in compact motors, while dysprosium and terbium preserve magnetic strength at high temperatures....
Is the NoClogger Really Effective for Desktop 3D Printers?
The NoClogger is a metal rod tool marketed to clear nozzle clogs in desktop FFF 3D printers by pushing material through the hot end. Traditional methods include the cold‑pull technique, which melts debris and retracts filament, and thin metal probes...
20 Years Later: How Toyota’s Product Development Principles Are Still Core to a Lean Enterprise
The Lean Enterprise Institute podcast revisits the seminal book *The Toyota Product Development System*, highlighting how its core principles still guide modern product development. Co‑author Jim Morgan discusses the research behind Toyota’s integration of people, process, and technology and how...
SCADA Systems Slow Only During Shift Change
Industrial plants often experience SCADA sluggishness precisely at shift handover. The slowdown stems from a sudden surge in server activity as multiple operator workstations restart, alarms are bulk‑acknowledged, and shift‑based reports, data resets, and backups run concurrently. These actions overload...
General Motors (GM) to Invest Over $150M in Saginaw Casting Operations
General Motors announced a $150 million infusion into its Saginaw Metal Casting Operations to equip the plant for sixth‑generation V‑8 engine block and cylinder head production, targeting a 2027 start‑up. The funding adds to a $500 million expansion at the...
Fabrinet (FN): One of the Best Strong Buy AI Stocks to Invest In Now
Fabrinet (NYSE:FN) is highlighted as a strong‑buy AI stock. iPronics announced a partnership to build a dedicated silicon‑photonic manufacturing line, slated for Q2 2026, to meet hyperscaler demand for energy‑efficient optical switches. Analyst Rosenblatt raised its price target to $715 from...
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[OFC 2026] Part 1 of 5: 300mm SiPh Foundry: Who Is Actually Ready?
The OFC 2026 conference showcased seven papers from Samsung, GlobalFoundries and NVIDIA that dissect the state of 300 mm silicon‑photonic (SiPh) foundries. While the headline race to 200 Gbit/s per wavelength still dominates headlines, the papers reveal that success now hinges on...
Reading List 04/04/2026
The Iran‑Israel‑U.S. conflict has crippled Gulf aluminum production after an Iranian drone disabled the world’s largest smelter in Bahrain, forcing major EV manufacturers to trim output. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has removed roughly 20 million barrels of crude...
How to Build Shop Floor Accountability Without Becoming a Micromanager
Plant managers often fear stepping away from the shop floor, fearing chaos and missed decisions. The article argues that constant check‑ins are symptoms of missing systems rather than leadership flaws. It proposes a three‑step framework—clarity, consistency, accountability—to build processes that...
Preview Tool Helps Makers Visualize 3D-Printed Objects
Researchers at MIT unveiled VisiPrint, an AI‑driven preview tool that renders aesthetically accurate images of 3D‑printed objects before they are fabricated. By uploading a slicer screenshot and a material photo, the system predicts color, gloss, and translucency, delivering a visual...
Personalized Without Compromise: AI Keeps Custom 3D Prints Durable
Artificial intelligence is reshaping additive manufacturing by coupling large language models with real‑time vision to monitor and correct 3D prints, delivering up to a five‑fold boost in peak load strength. At Carnegie Mellon, a multi‑agent framework adjusts printer parameters layer‑by‑layer,...
Alarms That Keep Reappearing Even After Acknowledgement
Industrial operators often see alarms reappear after they acknowledge them, creating confusion and fatigue. The core reason is that acknowledgment only clears the visual cue, not the underlying process condition, which may still be out of range. Additional factors such...
Leading Through Complexity: Building Resilient Operations in High-Pressure Environments
Senior operations executive Nanda Kishore outlines how resilient, technology‑driven supply chains thrive in high‑pressure, volatile markets. Drawing on experience across aerospace, marine and clean‑tech, he emphasizes stabilizing delivery, building adaptable supplier ecosystems, and bridging strategy with execution. The pandemic accelerated...
Kalmar Corporation to Supply Hybrid Straddle Carriers to PSA Antwerp
Kalmar Corporation will deliver 14 hybrid straddle carriers to PSA Antwerp, with delivery slated for Q4 2026. The order, booked in Q1 2026, supports the Port of Antwerp‑Bruges modernization and aims to cut emissions. The hybrid carriers blend diesel engines...
Manufacturing Employment and Hours
Recent data show US labor‑force participation slipped to 61.9% in March, the lowest in over four years. Total non‑farm employment fell 1.14 million since December and is down 661,000 year‑over‑year, pushing the employment‑to‑population ratio to a 53‑month low of 59.2%. Manufacturing...
Robotiq Automates Palletizing for Martin Ray Winery
Martin Ray Winery in California has installed Robotiq’s PE20 robotic palletizer, paired with a UR20 collaborative robot and PowerPick 30 vacuum gripper, to automate its end‑of‑line case stacking. The system handles 15 kg wine cases at 6–10 picks per minute, building...
Enforcers Project Plans to Strengthen European Cybersecurity
The EU‑funded Enhanced Cooperation for Cybersecurity (Enforcers) project launched in February, bringing together manufacturers, security providers, and research institutes to build a unified platform for industrial automation protection. The system will interconnect private SOCs, trusted hardware anchors, automated mitigation playbooks,...
Centrifugal Resin Printer Patent Targets Post Processing
A Chinese patent proposes a single‑material photopolymer 3D printer that integrates washing and curing steps by adding a high‑speed rotating platform and interchangeable tanks. The system centrifuges uncured resin back into the vat, then dips the part into a cleaning...
Oil’s New Arms Race: Efficiency, Geopolitics, and the Rise of Industrial 3D Printing
Oil and gas firms are turning to industrial 3D printing to cut lead times, lower inventories, and boost resilience amid price pressure, geopolitical shifts, and supply‑chain bottlenecks. Companies such as Petrobras, SLB, and Baker Hughes have built dedicated additive‑manufacturing labs...
Admixtures Tune Geopolymer Concrete For 3DCP
Researchers evaluated four chemical admixtures—barium chloride, tartaric acid, sucrose, and sodium tripolyphosphate—to expand the printability window of geopolymer concrete used in extrusion‑based 3D construction printing. The study measured impacts on static and dynamic yield stress, thixotropic rebuild, setting time, and...
Henry Ford — From Humble Beginnings to Billions
A warehouse automation firm highlighted in a MarketBeat report has secured over $23 billion in orders before 2024, deploying AI‑driven systems in all 47 Walmart distribution centers and expanding to Target, Albertsons, and a SoftBank‑backed global leasing venture. The post juxtaposes...
Bulk Containers: The Best Options for Storing Large Quantities in Industrial Settings
Industrial operations rely on bulk containers to move large volumes of parts, liquids, and raw materials efficiently. The article outlines major container types—plastic pallets, steel bins, IBC totes, Gaylord boxes, and wire baskets—highlighting their optimal applications and key features such...
OT Network Segmentation: A Practical Guide for Security Teams
Network segmentation is the most effective control for safeguarding operational technology (OT) environments, limiting attackers to isolated zones rather than allowing lateral movement. Implementing segmentation in OT differs from IT because industrial protocols and legacy equipment resist typical firewall solutions...
A Holiday Across Much of Asia, but Japan Is Open. We Get PMI Data From There & From China
A rare Good Friday holiday left most of Asia quiet, but Japan stayed open and released its latest services PMI. China also published its services PMI, adding to a week of mixed manufacturing data from both economies. Japan’s services sector...
American Manufacturing in Decline? Nope... Ignore the Naysayers
The Institute for Supply Management reported a third consecutive month of expansion in its Manufacturing PMI, signaling continued growth in the U.S. manufacturing sector. This upbeat data directly challenges recent headlines that linked rising job losses to the perceived failure...
Nexperia’s China Unit ‘Nears Fully Local Production’ of Chips
Nexperia’s China unit is close to achieving full local chip production, having shifted from European wafer imports after Dutch restrictions. The plant in Dongguan and a new wafer fab in Shanghai are operating at 60‑70% capacity and aim to reach...
Cohu Announces $30M Follow-On Orders for High Performance Computing Test
Cohu announced two customers placed follow‑on orders worth $30 million for its Eclipse platform with active thermal control, targeting next‑generation high‑performance computing (HPC) processors. The deals include a PAICe Prescriptive software subscription valued at roughly $330 K in annual fees, aimed at...
![[NEW] Cliff Note #138: An Aerospace Supplier with a Decade of Aircraft Backlogs and a Generational Defence Spending Surge](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vD14!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F063eafec-fa90-4003-8987-7401ddb62ff2_512x512.png)
[NEW] Cliff Note #138: An Aerospace Supplier with a Decade of Aircraft Backlogs and a Generational Defence Spending Surge
A leading aerospace parts supplier that serves Boeing, Airbus and major defense primes is riding a dual tailwind of a ten‑year, roughly 15,000‑aircraft backlog and a resurgence in global defence spending as NATO allies pledge 3.5% of GDP. Gross margins...
A Long-Needed Database For Filament Management
3D Filament Profiles launched a massive online database cataloguing nearly 24,000 filament options from over 900 manufacturers, positioning it as the largest collection globally. The platform lets users add filaments to personal portfolios, search by RGB hex code, and generate...
HIMA Expands Into Colombia and Peru
HIMA Group announced the opening of new facilities in Lima, Peru on March 3 and Bogotá, Colombia on March 5, expanding its Latin American footprint. The sites will deliver safety automation, engineering, commissioning and after‑sales services to oil, gas, chemical and petrochemical...
OT vs IT Security: Why Industrial Environments Need Different Protection
The 2021 Oldsmar water‑treatment hack exposed how connected operational technology (OT) can be weaponised, highlighting the stark contrast between OT and traditional IT security. In OT, availability outweighs confidentiality, because a brief outage can trigger safety incidents or regional blackouts....
Creality’s Compact Filament Cutter Patent Targets Smaller Toolheads
Creality has filed a patent for a compact filament cutter integrated directly into a 3D printer's printhead, aiming to streamline material swaps. The blade pivots around a shaft parallel to the filament path and uses the printer's existing gantry motion...
Webinar – How to Reclaim Margin in Advanced Nodes
The ClockEdge webinar highlighted a hidden crisis in sub‑5 nm chip design: excessive guard‑banding caused by modeling uncertainty, which can strip 25‑35% of the clock period and cut performance‑per‑area (PPA) by up to 35%. Dave Johnson explained the “abstraction tax” and...
Impacts of the RAM Shortage
Since late 2025, a global RAM shortage has emerged as leading chipmakers pivoted to higher‑margin AI data‑center memory, curtailing production for smartphones, PCs and other consumer devices. In Q4 2025, demand outstripped supply by roughly 10%, pushing RAM prices up...
Gallium, Supply Chain Security, and the Next Frontier of 3D Printing
The United States is pouring federal money into domestic gallium production to curb reliance on China, which supplies roughly 98% of the global market. The Pentagon allocated $150 million to Atlantic Alumina and $29.9 million to ElementUS Minerals for gallium extraction and...
Dual Self-Assembly Hydrogel Enables Responsive 3D Printing
Researchers at National Taiwan University have created a dual‑component chitosan hydrogel (CGB) that combines gallol‑ and boronic‑acid functional groups to form reversible covalent bonds. The material can be extruded through a 160 µm nozzle and stacked up to 60 layers while...
Port of Rotterdam Develops Liquid Hydrogen Facility
Air Products is building a liquid hydrogen plant in the Port of Rotterdam that is now more than 65% complete and slated to start operations in 2027. When online, it will be Europe’s largest liquid hydrogen facility, bolstering Rotterdam’s status...
Mobile AM Robots to Roam Factory Floors
Researchers introduced a closed‑loop control framework that enables mobile additive manufacturing robots to print while navigating dynamic factory floors. The system tightly couples real‑time motion planning, obstacle avoidance, and material deposition, allowing the robot to adjust its path without stopping....
Nicolas Appert and the Invention of Canned Food
In 1795 the French government offered a 12,000‑franc prize (≈$2,400) for a food‑preservation solution, prompting confectioner Nicolas Appert to experiment with sealed glass bottles boiled in water. After fourteen years of trial and error, he demonstrated that food could remain...
Li Qiang Inspects Sichuan; Iran War; Another Call for Balanced Trade; Museum Scandal Fallout
Premier Li Qiang’s three‑day Sichuan tour emphasized clean energy, AI‑driven manufacturing, and advanced technology integration, urging firms to target frontier science and market demand. He highlighted nuclear, hydro‑power and AI integration as pillars for new breakthroughs. Meanwhile, the UAE’s push...
Musk’s Terafab: Is It Real Or Not?
Elon Musk unveiled a joint Tesla‑SpaceX semiconductor fab, dubbed Terafab, slated for Austin, Texas with an estimated $20‑$25 billion investment. The plant would integrate logic, memory, and radiation‑hard chip production, targeting a 2nm process and on‑site packaging. No concrete timeline was...
Trump to Overhaul Steel, Aluminium Tariffs, Lifting Effective Import Costs
The Trump administration is preparing a major overhaul of the Section 232 steel and aluminium tariff regime, proposing a flat 25% duty on the full customs value of finished goods containing these metals. While the headline rate is lower than the...
Sparkling Water Support Filament Has A Surprising Catch
Effervex Materials unveiled AquaLux S, a support filament that only dissolves in carbonated water with a precise CO₂ concentration. The material targets high‑detail desktop AM prints, promising less residue and faster post‑processing than traditional water‑soluble supports. Priced at $79 per 500 g...
Climate Specific PLA Might Fix Your Bad Prints
PrintShift Materials, a Rotterdam‑based startup, has launched three seasonally tuned PLA filaments—WinterDry, CoastFlow and SummerStable—designed to counteract the effects of cold, humid and hot workshop environments. The formulations adjust plasticizers, nucleating agents and moisture‑buffering packages to improve layer adhesion and...
(PR) SEMI Projects Double-Digit Growth in Global 300 Mm Fab Equipment Spending for 2026 and 2027
SEMI’s latest 300 mm Fab Outlook projects worldwide fab equipment spending to jump 18% to $133 billion in 2026 and 14% to $151 billion in 2027, marking the first time the market exceeds $150 billion. The surge is driven by exploding AI chip demand...
Silence Mode Claims To Fix Weak Layer Bonds
Researchers at the University of West Bohemia’s Acoustic Process Control Lab introduced Quiet Phase Fabrication, an acoustic‑controlled workflow that encloses FFF printers in sound‑absorbing material and isolates vibrations. Their experiments showed up to an 18% increase in tensile strength for...
Europe’s Battery Supply Chain: From Permits to Progress
Europe's battery supply chain is gaining momentum as several key projects move from planning to construction. In France, Orano and XTC New Energy broke ground on a cathode material plant in Dunkirk slated for 2028, while Germany's Vulcan Energy secured...
One Ticket, Eight Events: The UK’s Leading Manufacturing and Engineering Gathering Returns in June 2026
The UK’s premier manufacturing and engineering exhibitions will converge at the NEC Birmingham on 3‑4 June 2026, offering a single ticket to eight distinct events. Attendees can explore med‑tech, plastics, additive manufacturing, smart factories, drives, controls and more across multiple halls. Hundreds...