Siemens Gamesa Talks European Production with Chinese Rare Earth Suppliers
Wind turbine maker Siemens Gamesa is in talks with Chinese suppliers of rare earth permanent magnets about the possibility of bringing production to Europe, in a bid to cut the region's reliance on imports after curbs on supplies from China.Delays in Chinese rare earth export permits have caused European car makers and their suppliers to scramble for alternatives in a market that is dominated by the world's No. 2 economy, threatening production stops across the continent.The wind sector also depends on rare earths processed in China…
Greensea’s New Ship Hull Crawler Tech Launches with VideoRay Defender ROV
Greensea introduces a new hull crawler that easily attaches a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) to a ship hull without magnetics, allowing the operator to “drive” the ROV and payloads over the hull. Initial hull crawlers are designed to work exclusively with the VideoRay Mission Specialist Defender ROV. The hull crawler represents a milestone in Greensea’s hull robotics program, which is advancing navigation and localization capabilities for a fully autonomous robotic hull inspection and proactive in-water cleaning solution. “VideoRay is a valued Greensea partner with a dynamic and powerful ROV.
Electric Motors for Marine Applications
Empire Magnetics President Richard Halstead discusses the critical considerations necessary for engines operating in Arctic waters. A large number of vessels sail in more than one ocean, from warmer seas to arctic waters, so motors for marine applications must be versatile enough to operate in a variety of conditions. While the greater majority of my experience involves building motors for use in fin controls on mini submarines, robot arms on deep sea remotely operated vehicles (ROVs)…
Bauer Gear Motor Hosts Energy Efficiency Tech Forum
Electric motors are estimated to consume 70 percent of all the energy used in industry. Bearing this in mind, it’s no small wonder that there is an ongoing process of legislation requiring new technologies to adhere to ever higher standards of efficiency. Bauer Gear Motor offers a range of energy efficient solutions that meet current IE2, and future IE3 and IE4, regulations; it recently hosted a technology forum to help its customers understand the latest developments in the industry and discuss the best practices for maximizing energy efficiency in the drive train.
World Magnetic Model Updated
NOAA officials announced today the World Magnetic Model (WMM), a representation of Earth’s large-scale magnetic field and an indispensable complement to GPS devices used by NATO, the United States and United Kingdom militaries, as well as civil applications ranging from mineral exploration to smartphone apps, has been updated. Changes in the Earth's outer core trigger unpredictable changes in its magnetic field, an invisible force that extends from Earth's interior to where it meets a stream of charged particles emanating from the Sun.
Oceans '13 MTS/IEEE San Diego Preview
Heeding the call to join “An Ocean in Common,” authors flooded the Oceans ‘13 MTS/IEEE San Diego technical program committee with a record number of abstracts in a single day. Special topics include an Ultra-deep track discussing current and prospective robotic technologies, plus a panel of scientists to consider research questions. Oceans2013 Chair Bob Wernli, and Co-Chair Kevin Hardy, developer of the unmanned landers for James Cameron’s DeepSea Challenge Expedition, will be the session conveners. “James’ intention is to be certain the door remains open to other explorers,” Hardy said.
L-3 Contract to Manufacture Siemens Transformers
L-3 Power Paragon announced that its Power Magnetics division has been awarded a multi-million dollar contract by Siemens Industry, Inc. The contract calls for L-3 to manufacture an undisclosed number of Siemens’ 17-megawatt Perfect Harmony Medium Voltage Converter Transformers, which Siemens will use for a large pipeline project in Asia. L-3 Power Paragon engineers, develops, manufactures and integrates power conversion and distribution systems for defense, government and advanced industrial applications. www.L-3com.com
Port Authority Commission Delivers Security Equipment
The Port of Houston Authority (PHA) commission approved several recommendations involving contract awards, bids and proposals, professional services and general administrative and operational matters during its meeting on Monday, January 26. Chairman Jim Edmonds presided over the public meeting. The commission approved recommendations to issue purchase orders to Motorola, Inc., Dictaphone Corporation, and SBC, respectively, for radio system equipment, voice recorder equipment, and telephone lines that will be installed in the PHA's Emergency Command Center. The combined total amount of the purchase orders is not expected to exceed $385,000.
