3D Printing
PR Newswire | October 31, 2023
Seurat Technologies, the 3D metal printing leader that is making manufacturing better for people and the planet, today announced a $99 million Series C round led by NVentures, NVIDIA's venture capital arm and Capricorn's Technology Impact Fund focused on climate solutions. Seurat's latest funding round includes participation from new investors Honda Motor and Cubit Capital, among others, as well as participation from previous investors, True Ventures, SIP Global Partners, Porsche Automobil Holding SE, Denso Global, General Motors Ventures, Maniv Mobility LP, and Xerox Ventures.
Manufacturing is one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, responsible for 31% of emissions in the US. Current manufacturing processes take too long, prevent innovation, contribute to climate change, stretch supply chains, and offshore jobs. But the Biden Administration's historic investments in green manufacturing and $6 billion commitment to cut industrial emissions have brought this issue to the forefront.
Powered by 100% green energy, Seurat is reinventing and reshoring manufacturing with its Area Printing technology developed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. This 3D metal printing technology delivers high-precision, high-volume, decarbonized manufacturing, which Seurat anticipates will have the potential to directly mitigate as much as 100 million tons of CO2 by 2030.
said James DeMuth, co-founder and CEO of Seurat.
Our mission is to create a green manufacturing industry. With our additive manufacturing technology, our print factories will provide our customers with clean manufacturing that can compete with the volumes, quality, and price points of traditional manufacturing. This new funding will enable Seurat to unlock our next phase of growth, deploy our new machines and scale our factory capacity to meet current demands.
[Source:PR Newswire]
"Seurat's potential to disrupt and decarbonize the traditional metal parts manufacturing industry is tremendous," says Ion Yadigaroglu, Partner at Capricorn. "We have been impressed from the early days of the company by James and his team's technical expertise and acumen to build a highly scalable business, with applicability across numerous industries. We are excited to participate in this round of funding, which will enable the company to ramp up production capabilities at greater scale and ultimately grow its client base."
Seurat plans to deploy its printing factories at or near customer sites around the world, enabling parts to be produced in closer proximity to where they are needed while reshoring supply chains and reducing emissions from transportation and global logistics.
"Accelerated computing is unlocking new capabilities within the manufacturing industry, while creating a path toward sustainability," said Mohamed "Sid" Siddeek, corporate vice president and head of NVentures. "Seurat's green approach to manufacturing will help transform industry standards."
"Seurat has an innovative concept and technologies for metal additive manufacturing, and Honda has high expectations for their future potential, " said Manabu Ozawa, Managing Executive Officer of Honda Motor Co., Ltd. "The metal additive manufacturing technology will enable the enhancement of the value of products through innovative design, and as Honda strives to create the joy and freedom of mobility, we envision that this technology will be necessary for us. Honda will continue to search for, collaborate with and invest in companies with a promising future through our global open innovation program – Honda Xcelerator Ventures."
Seurat's pilot factory in the Greater Boston area, will have the capacity to produce more than 25 tons of metal parts annually and is already oversubscribed. Seurat also has commitments to develop 59 tons of additively manufactured metal components for Siemens Energy turbines over a six-year period for parts meeting the material qualification requirements. In all, Seurat has LOIs from six customers totaling 4,000 tons of material and over $750 million in projected revenue over the next several years. This business growth showcases the demand for change in the status quo of manufacturing.
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Manufacturing Technology
PR Newswire | November 01, 2023
Toyota announced a new investment of nearly $8 billion that will add approximately 3,000 jobs at Toyota Battery Manufacturing North Carolina (TBMNC). This brings total investment to approximately $13.9 billion and job creation to more than 5,000 – further supporting Toyota's multi-pathway approach to global vehicle electrification.
This investment adds capacity to support battery electric vehicles (BEV's) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV's). An additional eight BEV/PHEV battery production lines will be added to the two previously announced, for a total of ten battery lines. Production will be increased in a phased approach, with line launches planned through 2030 to reach a total production of more than 30GWh annually.
said Sean Suggs, president of Toyota North Carolina.
"Today's announcement reinforces Toyota's commitment to electrification and carbon reduction, bringing jobs and future economic growth to the region. We are excited to see the continued energy and support of this innovative manufacturing facility."
[Source:PR Newswire]
In 2021, Toyota, in partnership with Toyota Tsusho, announced the new Liberty location with an initial investment of $1.29 billion for battery production and the creation of 1,750 new jobs. With today's announcement, Toyota North Carolina solidifies its position as the company's epicenter of lithium-ion battery production in North America. Overall, the campus will boast seven million square feet, equating to 121 football fields of battery production.
"Through the last few years of building relationships, including my most recent trip to Tokyo and meeting with President Sato, our partnership with Toyota has become stronger than ever, culminating in this historic announcement," said North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper. "North Carolina's transition to a clean energy economy is bringing better paying jobs that will support our families and communities for decades to come."
A pioneer in electrified vehicles, Toyota has put more than 24.6 million hybrid, plug-in hybrid, fuel cell and battery electric vehicles on the road globally. By 2025, the company plans to have an electrified option available for every Toyota and Lexus model globally.
The company is steadfast in its promise of being best-in-town by supporting local nonprofits and education initiatives. This year, Toyota announced donations totaling $200,000 to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Asheboro and Greensboro, Junior Achievement of the Triad, Shift_ed and Volunteer Center of the Triad. Last year, the company announced a $1 million investment in North Carolina students enrolled with Communities in Schools Randolph County and North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.
Additional Quotes from North Carolina Officials
"Toyota's latest expansion in North Carolina is monumental," said Senator Phil Berger. "The additional jobs and increased capital investment are proof that the Triad and our rural communities are prepared to support high-tech manufacturing. I'm thankful for Toyota's dedication to our state and I look forward to seeing it continue to grow and employ hard-working North Carolinians."
House Speaker Tim Moore said, "Today's announcement that Toyota will make an additional investment of nearly $8 billion at its newest North American facility right here in North Carolina is a tribute to the hard work the General Assembly has done to ensure North Carolina is the best state for business and innovation." He continued, "Toyota's success is a prime example of how a balanced budget, a strong workforce, and a AAA credit rating pave the way for business growth. Toyota's additional investment in North Carolina is a sign that we are on the right track."
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Manufacturing Technology
PR Newswire | November 01, 2023
DigiKey, a leading global commerce distributor offering the largest selection of technical components and automation products in stock for immediate shipment, announced that it has partnered with Ambiq to distribute their ultra-low power semiconductors globally.
Through the new partnership, DigiKey is now stocking Ambiq's Apollo4 Blue Plus. With one of the lowest dynamic powers for microcontrollers currently on the market, the new SoC allows designers of next-generation wearables and battery-operated smart devices to accelerate their innovation.
said David Stein, vice president, semiconductors at DigiKey.
DigiKey is pleased to add Ambiq to our core supplier line card. As a leader in low-power SoC solutions, Ambiq has raised the bar with their new MCU & SoC, and we're excited to support designers, engineers and builders globally as they work with these innovative solutions to accelerate progress.
[Source:PR Newswire]
The Apollo4 Blue Plus is a 4th generation system processor solution built upon Ambiq's proprietary Subthreshold Power-Optimized Technology (SPOT®) platform. The device's complete hardware and software solution enables current and future battery-powered endpoint devices to achieve a higher level of intelligence without sacrificing battery life.
The Apollo4 Blue Plus with Bluetooth Low Energy has more than enough compute and storage to handle complex AI algorithms and neural networks, always-on voice recognition, and display capability for smooth graphics.
"Ambiq shares the same value of meeting and exceeding customer's expectations with DigiKey," said Mike Kenyon, vice president of sales and business development at Ambiq. "We're excited to partner with DigiKey to offer our portfolio of ultra-low power, AI-enabled semiconductor solutions to help ease the customer's search for the best electronic components in one place."
About Ambiq
Ambiq's mission is to develop the lowest-power semiconductor solutions that enable intelligent devices everywhere to drive a healthier, cleaner, and more productive world. Ambiq has helped leading manufacturers worldwide develop products that last weeks on a single charge (rather than days) while delivering a maximum feature set in compact industrial designs. Ambiq's goal is to take Artificial Intelligence (AI) where it has never gone before in mobile and portable devices, using Ambiq's advanced ultra-low power system on chip (SoC) solutions. Ambiq has shipped more than 200 million units as of March 2023.
About DigiKey
DigiKey, headquartered in Thief River Falls, Minn., USA, is recognized as the global leader and continuous innovator in the cutting-edge commerce distribution of electronic components and automation products worldwide. We get technical by providing more than 17.2 million components from over 2,800 quality name-brand manufacturers with an industry-leading breadth and depth of product in stock and available for immediate shipment. DigiKey also supports engineers, designers, builders and procurement professionals with a wealth of digital solutions, frictionless interactions and tools to make their jobs more efficient.
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