“Even after allowing for weaker demand growth and higher nickel pig iron production than previously expected, our global nickel supply/demand balance still points to the emergence of a significant deficit between supply and demand in 2015,” it said.
There is a potential for a sharp rise in Chinese primary nickel imports in 2015 compared to 2014 because a significant portion of Chinese primary demand has been met by destocking this year, Macquarie said.
Read more at: http://www.platts.com/latest-news/metals/singapore/next-nickel-boom-may-not-be-too-far-away-macquarie-26932780
Today’s innovations in science and technology are being driven by new capabilities in additive manufacturing. Also known as 3-D printing, this approach is changing the speed, cost and flexibility of designing and building future machines for space and earth applications.
NASA’s Game Changing Development Program in the Space Technology and Mission Directorate has been actively funding research in 3-D printing and co-funded a recent groundbreaking test series with Aerojet Rocketdyne (AR) at NASA’s Glenn Research Center.
Read more at: http://www.nasa.gov/content/3-d-printed-engine-parts-withstand-hot-fire-tests/index.html
Currently, machines capable of printing with various metal alloys run anywhere from $500,000 on up, making them basically untouchable to the general pubic. Those machines which are currently under development usually combine technologies such as welding with Cartesian-based movement systems of a typical FFF/FDM printer to produce objects which are pretty rough, lacking any type of precision.
This may all be about to change thanks to research being conducted on an entirely new method of metal printing called Selective Inhibition Sintering (SIS). Developed by Dr. Behrokh Khoshnevis and his team at the University of Southern California, this new method of printing is basically the inverse of selective laser sintering and other forms of metal printing.
Read more at: http://3dprint.com/24009/selective-inhibition-sintering/
Acting Deputy Director of Trade Investment South Africa Yunus Hoosen says there are a lot of business opportunities in Burundi for South African companies.
Speaking in an interview on Morning Live, Hoosen says South Africans should look into investing in different sectors of Brurundi’s post conflict economy.
Last Tuesday the Burundi Business Forum took place in Cape Town under the leadership of President Jacob Zuma and his Burundian counterpart, Pierre Nkurunziza.
Burundi and South Africa enjoy friendly relations with South Africa having played mediator to end a civil war in Burundi in 2005.
Hoosen says Burundi is in a reconstruction and development phase where South Africans companies can provide expertise in industries such as mining and agriculture.
Source: http://investing.einnews.com/article/233771444
Rusnano, Russia’s nanotech giant, has been in talks with India over the setup of a fund to finance high technology projects the two countries are pushing together, the Russian news agency TASS reported.
TASS quoted Russian Deputy Minister of Economic Development Alexei Likhachov as saying that, “we talk about the creation of a $1-2bn fund together with an Indian partner which has yet to be chosen later.”
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Cycle life and coulombic efficiency of a 5V solid state lithium-ion battery
A high-voltage (5V) solid state battery has been demonstrated to have an extremely long cycle life of over 10,000 cycles. For a given size of battery, the energy stored in a battery is proportional to its voltage. Conventional lithium-ion batteries use organic liquid electrolytes that have a maximum operating voltage of 4.3 V. Operating a battery above this limit causes short cycle life and serious safety concerns.
Read more at: http://www.ornl.gov/ornl/highlights/a-high-energy-solid-state-battery-with-an-extremely-long-cycle-life-
Two new printers, designed in-house, will be taken into production at the end of Q2 2014, making a total of four printers. Staff numbers have also been increased.
The original printer design was implemented in Q2 2013 and has been the base for the two new printers. With added capacity Digital Metal will be ready for increased interest in the technology, the company said.
Read more at: http://www.metal-powder.net/view/40571/h-gan-s-expands-3d-printing/
“The more materials we can print, the more useful the technology becomes.” As an example, researchers exploring possibilities with strength-to-weight material ratio are coming up with surprisingly strong yet lightweight composites for industries such as aerospace.
Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2014-11-princeton-team-explores-3d-printed-quantum.html#jCp
It’s one of the biggest design trends of the year, and now software company Autodesk is launching a new initiative aimed at pushing the boundaries of 3D printing.
The group will invest up to US$100mil (RM334.31mil) into “The Spark Investment Fund”, pumping the money into the work of pioneering entrepreneurs, startups and researchers within the industry.
Read more at: http://www.thestar.com.my/Tech/Tech-News/2014/11/06/Autodesk-launches-US$100mil-3D-printing-initiative/
The London-listed company, which makes almost half its profit from the red metal, said copper output from its sources rose to 1,148,600 tonnes in the first nine months of the year, driven by expansion at its Mutanda and Katanga mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Read more at: http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/11/04/glencore-output-idUKL6N0SU11I20141104
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