wiredinUSA July 2015

INDEX

Solution challenge solved

Conducting print

New facilities

Force of nature

InnoVites BV has reported that Prakab Pražská Kabelovna (Prakab) has selected InnoVitesCableERPandCableBuilder after a year spent in evaluation of the available business solutions. Based in the Czech Republic, Prakab is a member of the SKB Group and a major cable manufacturer in the region. Mr Krňák, CFO at Prakab, said: “The cable industry has unique requirements for its business solutions. These requirements are not covered by standard ERP systems. That’s why our old system has been heavily customized to support our processes. “We were excited when we learned more about InnoVites CableERP. It addresses the key issues of our industry in sales, logistics, planning, production and scheduling. The full integration with CableBuilder minimizes product data maintenance. With InnoVites CableERP we have a complete and sustainable solution for the future.”

European researchers are developing a method to 3D print in metal using tiny drops of copper and gold. The ability to print structures to conduct heat and electricity could lead to entirely new devices and components. The method, developed at the University of Twente in the Netherlands, involves microscopic drops created from a thin metal film melted by a pulsed laser. Precision melting allows microscopic metal drops to be placed onto a substrate and stacked to create high resolution metal structures. The team claims it can stack thousands of metal drops into a tiny pillar just 2mm tall and 5 microns in diameter. Just about any shapecanbecreatedusing the technique, including electrodes and copper circuits. The process is distinct from micro laser sintering or direct metal laser sintering, both of which use a laser in combination with metal powders to create new structures. Themethod requires refinement as the high energy laser also causes droplets to land next to the desired placement. The team plans to look into this effect to improve printing capability not just in metals, but also using gels, pastes and thick fluids.

Romania-Insider.com reports that the cable producer Romcab is planning to invest €18m to modernize its production facility in Târgu-Mureş, in the north of the country. Funding will be supplied by the Black Sea Trade and Development Bank (BSTDB). The Romanian government will guarantee the investment loan through the government-run EximBank. The company also has plans to establish a new production facility in Străşeni, in neighboring Moldova. Active in the local cable industry since 1950, Romcab’s product range includes molded products, electrical conductors and wiring which it supplies to producers from the automotive, construction and infrastructure sectors.

Tidal Lagoon Swansea Bay has secured planning consent from the UK department of energy and climate change for the constructionof £1billion tidal lagoonproject in Swansea Bay, Wales. The company will begin work on the 320MW project in 2016. Expected to be the largest tidal power plant in the world, the Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoonwill generate low-carbonelectricity by capturing high tides and releasing it through turbines. On commissioning in 2019, the plant is expected to provide 500GWh, with an operational life of 120 years. Thecompany has so far identified six lagoon locations across the UK with potential to meet up to 8 percent of the electricity requirements in the country. These sites could add approximately £27billion GDP by 2027.

EUROPE NEWS

wiredInUSA - July 2015

wiredInUSA - July 2015

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