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Tesla To Build Electric Car Parts In Palo Alto, CA
August 18, 2009 4:24 am | News | CommentsPALO ALTO, Calif. — Tesla Motors will open a new power train production facility and corporate headquarters in Palo Alto, Calif., as the electric-car maker moves to expand production after a recent award of government loans, the company said Tuesday. The three-building facility at the Stanford Research Park will build components for Tesla's electric vehicles as well as parts for other automakers.
GM Exploring Low-Cost Vehicle
August 17, 2009 12:21 pm | News | CommentsDETROIT (AP) — General Motors Co. said Monday it would explore developing an inexpensive small vehicle for emerging markets to compete with Tata Motors' Nano compact car. The Nano, which went on sale in India last month for about $2,000, is forcing automakers such as GM to consider a way to bring automobiles to consumers in developing countries at an affordable price point.
Voltage, Resistance, Capacitance, Oh My
August 17, 2009 12:07 pm | Product Releases | CommentsExtech Instruments (Waltham, MA) has developed the new EX840, the first-ever 1000A CAT IV clamp meter with built-in infrared thermometer with double-molded housing. The EX840 features non-contact IR temperature measurements with a laser pointer. Other features include: Measurements of AC/DC voltage, resistance, capacitance, frequency, diode, and continuity.
Assume The Position
August 17, 2009 12:06 pm | Product Releases | CommentsHerkules Equipment Corp. (Walled Lake, MI) has designed a cart positioner for a plant’s F2 cart to reduce ergonomic issues that inevitably arise. Operators can easily raise and lower material on the cars to a desired height, reducing back strain and other potential injuries when loading or unloading.
Fighting Back Against The Recession
August 17, 2009 5:26 am | by by Amy Radishofski, Features Editor, Manufacturing.net | Blogs | CommentsThe manufacturing sector has taken a beating by the recent economic downturn. While no industry has escaped unharmed, companies are beginning to fight back, according to the 2009 Manufacturing and Wholesale Distribution Survey by RSM McGladrey. Does that mean there is some good news on the horizon? Well, sort of.
Chrysler To Bring Fiat 500 To US, Built In Mexico
August 17, 2009 4:35 am | News | CommentsNEW YORK (AP) — Chrysler Group LLC is planning to build the Fiat 500 small car at a plant in Mexico, according to a report published Monday. The automaker could also build an engine for the 500 at a plant in Trenton, Mich., and is weighing building another compact car similar to the 500 in the U.
Poop-To-Power Plant Gets OK From Idaho Power
August 17, 2009 4:30 am | News | CommentsBOISE, Idaho (AP) — Cargill Inc. has gotten the green light from the state Public Utilities Commission for a plan to supply Idaho Power Co. with 2.13 megawatts of electricity from the Minneapolis-based agricultural conglomerate's poop-to-power plant near Jerome. Cargill's cow manure digester at the 10,000-cow Bettencourt Dairy in Hansen in southern Idaho is scheduled to begin operation on Sept.
Clash At China Smelter After 100s Of Kids Poisoned
August 17, 2009 4:25 am | by Christopher Bodeen, Associated Press Writer | News | CommentsVillagers in northern China clashed with police outside a lead smelter blamed in the poisoning of more than 600 children, reports said Monday. Several hundred villagers tore down fences and blocked traffic outside the Dongling Lead and Zinc Smelting Co.
8 Dead, 54 Missing In Russian Hydroelectric Accident
August 17, 2009 4:20 am | by Nataliya Vasilyeva, Associated Press Writer | News | CommentsAn accident during repair work at Russia's largest hydroelectric plant killed at least eight workers Monday, while 54 others were missing, investigators said. The explosion of a transformer caused the engine room to flood at the Sayano-Shushinskaya power station in southern Siberia, the Investigative Committee of the federal prosecutors office said.
Prescott, AR Plant To Cut 90 Workers
August 17, 2009 4:11 am | News | CommentsPRESCOTT, Ark. (AP) — Ninety workers will be laid off at the Firestone Building Products plant at the start of next month, company officials say. The cuts represent a 21-percent employee reduction at the Prescott plant, which makes a synthetic rubber compound for roofing. They follow the layoffs of 71 plant workers in April.
MI Cruisers Worry Days Of Classic Cars Are Over
August 17, 2009 4:07 am | by David Grant, Associated Press Writer | News | CommentsJack Beller's blue 1966 Corvette has the classic big-block engine and the enormous carburetor that make putting the keys in the ignition a roaring ode to muscle car history. He and his classic ride have been coming to Saturday's Woodward Dream Cruise, billed by its sponsors as "the world's largest one-day celebration of car culture," since it began 15 years ago.
$1B In Battery Grants May Recharge MI Talent Base
August 17, 2009 4:03 am | by David N. Goodman & Jeff Karoub, Associated Press Writers | News | CommentsAs a business professor and former auto executive in Michigan, Gerald Meyers has seen his share of former colleagues and students leave the state. The state's economy has been shrinking along with its struggling auto industry.
The Ultimate In Accuracy
August 14, 2009 12:14 pm | Product Releases | CommentsLudeca (Doral, FL) has developed INCLINEO, a level/plumbness measurement system utilizing high-precision inclinometer technology with a resolution of 0.0003 degrees. The product can measure relative or absolute angularity, flatness, levelness, or parallelism or surface — its flexibility makes it possible to check the geometry of CNC machines in addition to the plumbness of hydro turbines.
Environmentally-Conscious Cleaning
August 14, 2009 12:13 pm | Product Releases | CommentsLPS Laboratories (Tucker, GA) introduces the G-49 Orange Degreaser with a low volatile organic compound (VOC) content. G-49 conforms to the VOC regulations of CARB, OTC< and LADCO. G-49 is ideal for cleaning equipment, whether it is afflicted with grease, grime, or oil, and is an excellent alternative to methyl ethyl ketone.
The Future of Energy Harvesting
August 14, 2009 11:30 am | by Jonathan C. Smith, IDSA, Senior Industrial Designer | Articles | CommentsEnergy Harvesting? Let’s begin by establishing a definition for the phrase. Energy harvesting as defined on Wikipedia - is the process by which energy is derived from external sources (e.g., solar power, thermal energy, wind energy, salinity gradients, and kinetic energy), that is captured, and stored.
