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Altium and Macrofab Collaborated to Create an Industry-first Integrated PCB "Design with Manufacturing" Application

Altium | January 28, 2022

Altium and Macrofab Collaborated
On January 27, Altium LLC (ASX:ALU) and MacroFab, Inc. announced the immediate availability of Altimade, the electronics industry's first "design WITH manufacturing" application. Altimade, which is hosted on the Altium 365 cloud platform and is directly connected to MacroFab's fully digital, elastic manufacturing platform, enabling customers to obtain an instant price and place an order for PCB assembly production without leaving their design environment.

While the electronics sector is renowned for generating cutting-edge technology, the process of manufacturing a newly designed printed circuit board has persistently remained low-tech. Incompatible tools and data formats and a lack of up-to-date supply chain information all slow down the process and result in costly rework for both design engineers and their manufacturers. Altimade modernizes and accelerates the prototyping process by linking design, production, supply chain data and professionals via the Altium 365 cloud platform, resulting in an intuitive user experience.

"By integrating Altium’s cloud platform for PCB design with MacroFab’s modern, digital-first manufacturing platform, Altimade represents a huge step towards the digital transformation of the electronics industry,We’re no longer designing FOR manufacturing as a separate activity, but designing WITH manufacturing in a collaborative environment."

-Ted Pawela, Chief Ecosystem Officer of Altium.

Altium and MacroFab have modernized PCB design and manufacturing, by bringing them to digital-first, cloud platforms," stated Misha Govshteyn, CEO of MacroFab. "Combining them truly redefines the PCB design for the manufacturing process and has the potential to accelerate product development and unlock enormous value for our customers.

Altium users can use Altimade to receive continually updated component and manufacturing pricing and lead times and place orders for printed circuit boards right within the design environment. Without file translations or exports, the entire data essential for manufacturing is communicated via the secure, cloud-based Altium 365 platform. As a result, MacroFab's network of manufacturers fulfills orders in a fraction of the time and effort required by the traditional design-to-manufacture procedure. Altimade produces, preserves, and displays a comprehensive and continuous digital data trail for each step of the PCB design, procurement, and manufacturing processes. Any modifications to the original bill of materials or design specifications update the golden record automatically.

Altimade assists customers in achieving higher-quality printed circuit boards by keeping a digital thread between the design intent and what is physically created, eliminating the possibility of misinterpretation-related errors. Additionally, Altimade assists engineers in ensuring manufacturability by running design rule checking (DRC) on the Altium Designer software to ensure the design meets MacroFab's manufacturing specifications.

Supply chain teams use the MacroFab digital platform to manufacture everything from PCB assemblies to thoroughly tested and packed electronics products. MacroFab pools underutilized capacity among 75+ facilities in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, providing a viable alternative to offshore in an environment where capacity is becoming increasingly constrained and lead times are being impacted by supply chain and freight delays. MacroFab transforms its production network of plants, logistics centers, and warehouses into a cloud resource powered by software and connected to Altium 365 via modern APIs.

Altimade is now available to all customers of Altium Designer 22 and 365. Altium.com/altimade contains further information, images, and the most recent Altium Stories film highlighting Altimade.

Spotlight

Lean manufacturing in the age of the Industrial Internet

From Henry Ford’s moving assembly line to Taiichi Ohno’s Toyota production system, now known as lean production, manufacturers globally have constantly strived to make their operations better. The concept of lean, widely known for its tools to eliminate non-value added processes, has been at the forefront of management for the last five decades.

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Spotlight

Lean manufacturing in the age of the Industrial Internet

From Henry Ford’s moving assembly line to Taiichi Ohno’s Toyota production system, now known as lean production, manufacturers globally have constantly strived to make their operations better. The concept of lean, widely known for its tools to eliminate non-value added processes, has been at the forefront of management for the last five decades.

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businesswire | March 27, 2023

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NuScale Places First RPV LLM Production Order with Doosan Enerbility

NuScale Power | March 10, 2023

On March 9, 2023, NuScale Power Corporation, a leading proprietary and innovative advanced nuclear small modular reactor (SMR) technology provider, announced that it has placed the first upper reactor pressure vessel (RPV) long lead material production order with Doosan Enerbility, a world-class manufacturing and engineering company. As scheduled, the order was made at the end of 2022 for the materials required to begin producing the first NuScale Power Modules, which are anticipated to commence commercial operation in 2029 at the Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems' Carbon Free Power Project. The companies will produce more modules with comparable delivery schedules for future NuScale VOYGRTM SMR power plant projects. NuScale and Doosan started an effort in April 2022 to complete manufacturing the forging dies for the upper RPV in preparation for the long lead order. The new LLM order is comprised of heavy forgings, steam generator tubes, and welding material for six upper RPVs. The anticipated overall weight of the components for six higher RPVs exceeds 2,000 tonnes. In addition to Doosan, NuScale is strengthening its supply chain preparedness by working with its extensive network of world-class suppliers and manufacturers in the United States and internationally. NuScale's President and Chief Executive Officer John Hopkins commented, “Finalizing and submitting this order to our valued partner, Doosan, showcases NuScale’s transition to the manufacturing phase of our modules and highlights our advanced position in the market to deploy our SMR technology to customers by the end of the decade.” He further emphasized, “Our strong relationships with experienced partners like Doosan demonstrate NuScale’s robust global supply chain and positions us to meet the growing interest for NuScale VOYGR power plants that we are seeing around the world.” (Source – Business Wire) About NuScale Power NuScale Power Corporation is a leading advanced nuclear small modular reactor (SMR) technology solutions provider. Its innovative SMR technology involves modular designs allowing easy installation and scalability, making them ideal for small and medium-sized power applications. The company's flagship product is the NuScale Power ModuleTM, which has a capacity of 60 MWe and can be combined to create larger power plants. In 2020, the company received approval from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission for its SMR design, making it the first and only SMR technology to receive such approval in the United States. With its cutting-edge technology and commitment to innovation, NuScale Power Corporation is well-positioned to play a leading role in the future of clean energy.

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Rootstock Software Partners with Climate Vault to Help Drive Carbon-Neutrality Efforts in the Manufacturing Industry

Businesswire | June 01, 2023

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Redwire Wins NASA Contract to Advance New In-Space Manufacturing Capability for Journeys to Moon, Mars and Beyond

businesswire | March 27, 2023

Redwire Corporation, a leader in space infrastructure for the next generation space economy, has been awarded a $5.9 million contract from NASA to complete the design of FabLab, a new in-space manufacturing system. FabLab is expected to be tested onboard the International Space Station (ISS) and serve as a precursor for Artemis missions to the Moon and Mars. The multi-material 3D printer will allow NASA crews in deep space to manufacture tools and components on demand using materials such as metal, plastic, ceramics and electronics, enabling a sustainable human presence on and around the Moon, Mars, and beyond. “FabLab is a solution for some of the key logistics challenges with sustained human deep space exploration aboard the Lunar Gateway and on the Moon and Mars,” said Redwire Executive Vice President John Vellinger. “Astronauts won’t need to pack their spacecraft with every tool or part they may need millions of miles from Earth. Make it, don’t take it.” In 2017, Redwire was selected to prototype FabLab through NASA’s Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships program. This latest contract will see the FabLab design fully matured to spaceflight-ready status. An anticipated follow-on contract will support the construction of a FabLab unit and its test aboard the ISS in low-Earth orbit (LEO). Testing FabLab on the ISS will be an important step toward building versions for use at destinations beyond LEO, such as NASA’s Gateway. With FabLab technology, crews on the Moon, Mars, and in deep space will be able to manufacture critical assets, such as tools, replacement parts, and printed circuit boards on demand. “Having an integrated capability for on-demand manufacturing and repair of components and systems during space missions will be integral for sustainable exploration missions,” said Jim Reuter, associate administrator for NASA Space Technology Mission Directorate programs. “This is a rapidly-evolving, disruptive area in which NASA wants to continue working with industry and academia to develop these technologies through collaborative mechanisms such as this one.” FabLab leverages Redwire’s leadership in in-space manufacturing. Redwire’s Additive Manufacturing Facility (AMF), the first permanent commercial manufacturing platform to operate in LEO, has manufactured over 200 tools, parts, and assets onboard the ISS. AMF’s versatility and durability have made it a reliable resource for government and commercial customers since its activation in 2016. Building on this expertise, Redwire is continuing to develop new capabilities that will leverage in-space manufacturing for unprecedented applications to meet future space exploration goals. About Redwire Redwire Corporationis a leader in space infrastructure for the next generation space economy, with valuable IP for solar power generation and in-space 3D printing and manufacturing. With decades of flight heritage combined with the agile and innovative culture of a commercial space platform, Redwire is uniquely positioned to assist its customers in solving the complex challenges of future space missions.

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NuScale Places First RPV LLM Production Order with Doosan Enerbility

NuScale Power | March 10, 2023

On March 9, 2023, NuScale Power Corporation, a leading proprietary and innovative advanced nuclear small modular reactor (SMR) technology provider, announced that it has placed the first upper reactor pressure vessel (RPV) long lead material production order with Doosan Enerbility, a world-class manufacturing and engineering company. As scheduled, the order was made at the end of 2022 for the materials required to begin producing the first NuScale Power Modules, which are anticipated to commence commercial operation in 2029 at the Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems' Carbon Free Power Project. The companies will produce more modules with comparable delivery schedules for future NuScale VOYGRTM SMR power plant projects. NuScale and Doosan started an effort in April 2022 to complete manufacturing the forging dies for the upper RPV in preparation for the long lead order. The new LLM order is comprised of heavy forgings, steam generator tubes, and welding material for six upper RPVs. The anticipated overall weight of the components for six higher RPVs exceeds 2,000 tonnes. In addition to Doosan, NuScale is strengthening its supply chain preparedness by working with its extensive network of world-class suppliers and manufacturers in the United States and internationally. NuScale's President and Chief Executive Officer John Hopkins commented, “Finalizing and submitting this order to our valued partner, Doosan, showcases NuScale’s transition to the manufacturing phase of our modules and highlights our advanced position in the market to deploy our SMR technology to customers by the end of the decade.” He further emphasized, “Our strong relationships with experienced partners like Doosan demonstrate NuScale’s robust global supply chain and positions us to meet the growing interest for NuScale VOYGR power plants that we are seeing around the world.” (Source – Business Wire) About NuScale Power NuScale Power Corporation is a leading advanced nuclear small modular reactor (SMR) technology solutions provider. Its innovative SMR technology involves modular designs allowing easy installation and scalability, making them ideal for small and medium-sized power applications. The company's flagship product is the NuScale Power ModuleTM, which has a capacity of 60 MWe and can be combined to create larger power plants. In 2020, the company received approval from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission for its SMR design, making it the first and only SMR technology to receive such approval in the United States. With its cutting-edge technology and commitment to innovation, NuScale Power Corporation is well-positioned to play a leading role in the future of clean energy.

Read More

MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY

Rootstock Software Partners with Climate Vault to Help Drive Carbon-Neutrality Efforts in the Manufacturing Industry

Businesswire | June 01, 2023

Rootstock Software, a recognized leader in the Manufacturing Cloud ERP space, today announced that it has renewed its partnership with Climate Vault, an award-winning non-profit that reduces and removes carbon emissions. “Today, the way we live and do business continues to impact our planet and environment,” said David Stephans, CEO of Rootstock Software. “As a cloud ERP provider with a remote workforce, our carbon footprint is relatively small, but the audiences we serve, which are mainly mid- to large-sized manufacturers, have a huge potential to make an impact.” Rootstock Software initially became a Climate Vault partner in 2020, which means the company has been one of Climate Vault’s first and original champions. Since then, Rootstock’s contributions have allowed Climate Vault to purchase and vault carbon allowance permits, equivalent to 1,623 metric tons of CO2 from government-regulated compliance markets. In other words, the company’s contributions have neutralized CO2 emissions that would have occurred if 182,626 gallons of gas were consumed, or 1.8 million pounds of coal were burned. “Atmospheric levels of CO2 have reached the highest levels ever recorded. To help combat this climate challenge, we’re proud to support Climate Vault’s innovative approach to carbon reduction. It’s a fast, credible, and verifiable way for manufacturers to neutralize their carbon footprint and can serve as a valuable component to their sustainability plans,” added Stephans. “This year, we’ll be working with Climate Vault to raise awareness of their program among our manufacturing audiences and looking at ways our Cloud ERP can help manufacturers track carbon reduction and offsetting efforts.” "We are thrilled to work with Rootstock on this important commitment to reduce their emissions footprint and support their sustainability goals," said Michael Greenstone, Co-Founder of Climate Vault and Milton Friedman Distinguished Service Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago. Climate Vault’s breakthrough solution has driven significant impact since its inception and is poised for scaling. In just over a year, the company has reduced nearly one million metric tons of carbon emissions, the equivalent to eliminating 185,304 cars from the road for one year. About Rootstock At Rootstock Software, our connected Manufacturing Cloud ERP enables hundreds of manufacturers to turbocharge their operations in a dynamic, post-pandemic world. With our solution natively built on the Salesforce Platform, our customers leverage the industry’s leading Cloud ERP, Rootstock, to connect with their suppliers, trading partners, and the broader ecosystem. Ranked as a leading ERP solution provider by industry analysts, Rootstock has vertical expertise in discrete manufacturing, medical devices and high-tech verticals. Rootstock team members partner with customers as trusted advisors in driving change and transformation to what’s next. About Climate Vault Founded at the University of Chicago, Climate Vault pioneered the world’s first integrated carbon reduction and removal program in order to knock out carbon in days, not decades. This climate solution neutralizes organizations’ carbon footprints through government-regulated markets, so the impact is verifiable, auditable, and quantifiable. Climate Vault’s innovative system ultimately advances cutting-edge carbon removal technologies to take emissions out of the atmosphere for good and make an immediate, enduring difference for the planet. Learn more at www.climatevault.org.

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