Lean Manufacturing
Allient Inc. | January 15, 2024
Allient Inc. a global designer and manufacturer of precision and specialty Motion, Controls and Power products and solutions for targeted industries and applications, today announced the acquisition of SNC Manufacturing Co., Inc. (“SNC”), a premier designer and global manufacturer of electrical transformers serving blue-chip customers in defense, industrial automation, alternative power generation and energy, including electric utilities and renewable energy. SNC’s offerings are complementary to Allient’s current power quality capabilities while also providing needed incremental, low-cost manufacturing capacity. SNC will become a Technology Unit of Allient within the Allied Power Technology Pillar and will report to Ashish Bendre, Corporate VP and Group President.
Richard S. Warzala, Chairman, President and CEO of Allient, commented, “SNC is a solid addition to our Allied Power pillar. In addition to extending our capabilities in the clean power industry, SNC will provide us broader and deeper reach into industrial automation, defense, medical and in the energy and alternative energy markets. The business will also provide expanded opportunities to leverage sales channels and, additionally, we will gain much-needed manufacturing capacity and expertise to further grow our power quality business. And lastly, we are confident that through the utilization of Allient Systematic Tools we are in a good position to leverage our expertise to drive productivity and margin improvements over time.
“We are honored that John Vette III, selected Allient to carry the legacy of SNC forward after owning and leading the Company for 50+ years. John has built a strong leadership team and Jim Koepke the current President and COO of SNC will continue to lead SNC under Allient as the VP and General Manager of the Technology Unit. Jim will report directly to Ashish Bendre. We are confident that under the leadership of Ashish and Jim, the opportunities for Allied Power with this new addition will be greatly accelerated. We welcome the leadership team and the entire SNC workforce to the Allient family and we look forward to continued growth and success in the future.”
Founded in 1946, SNC is headquartered in Oshkosh, Wisconsin with approximately 440 employees in three locations. With approximately $40 million in revenue for the trailing twelve months, the business has other manufacturing facilities in Mexico and China. SNC’s leadership team will be staying with the business.
About Allient Inc.
Allient is a global engineering and manufacturing enterprise that develops solutions to drive the future of market-moving industries, including medical, life sciences, aerospace and defense, industrial automation, robotics, semi-conductor, transportation, agriculture, construction and facility infrastructure. A family of globally responsible companies, Allient takes a One-Team approach to “Connect What Matters” and provides the most robust, reliable, and high-value products and systems by utilizing its core Motion, Controls, and Power technologies and platforms.
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3D Printing
Align Technology, Inc. | January 04, 2024
Align Technology, Inc. a leading global medical device company that designs, manufactures, and sells the Invisalign® system of clear aligners, iTero™ intraoral scanners, and exocad™ CAD/CAM software for digital orthodontics and restorative dentistry, today announced that it has completed the acquisition of privately-held Cubicure GmbH, a pioneer in direct 3D printing solutions for polymer additive manufacturing that develops, produces, and distributes innovative materials, equipment, and processes for novel 3D printing solutions.
The acquisition of Cubicure will support and scale Align’s strategic innovation roadmap and strengthen the Align Digital Platform™. Cubicure will also extend and scale Align’s printing, materials, and manufacturing capabilities for our 3D printed product portfolio which now includes the Invisalign® Palatal Expander system, Align’s first direct 3D printed orthodontic device and a safe, comfortable, and clinically effective* alternative to traditional palatal expanders. Cubicure’s patented Hot Lithography technology uses a special heating and coating mechanism that enables the processing of highly viscous resins to produce particularly tough and temperature-resistant polymers. This high precision 3D printing process facilitates the unprecedented additive manufacturing of resilient components with an astonishing first of its kind material quality performance.
Commenting on today’s announcement, Joe Hogan, Align Technology president and CEO said, “The acquisition of Cubicure brings a talented team and unique cutting-edge technology into Align and will enable us to scale our 3D printing operations to eventually direct print millions of custom appliances per day. Direct 3D printing enables Align to create 3D printed solutions without the added step of first creating a mold, making 3D printing more sustainable and efficient. I am excited to take this important step in our relationship with Cubicure, which began several years ago as a joint development program.”
“Align has invested billions of dollars on innovation over the past 27 years, including next-generation 3D printing technologies to process high-performance polymers,” said Srini Kaza, Align senior vice president, product research & development. “We’ve been working with Cubicure for years and I am thrilled that they are now officially employees of Align and members of our R&D organization. We're at the beginning of this next wave of direct 3D printing additive manufacturing and I believe we're poised to transform the orthodontic industry again with our unprecedented ability to direct print devices.”
The acquisition closed on January 2, 2024, for approximately €79 million subject to final closing adjustments and adjustments for Align’s existing ownership of capital stock of Cubicure.
Based on a survey in August 2023 in Canada of 10 Invisalign trained orthodontists who participated in the Invisalign Palatal Expander System Technical Design Assessment and have treated at least 1 patient age 6-11 years with IPE. Data on file at Align Technology, Inc. as of October 30, 2023.
About Align Technology, Inc.
Align Technology designs and manufactures the Invisalign® system, the most advanced clear aligner system in the world, iTero™ intraoral scanners and services, and exocad™ CAD/CAM software. These technology building blocks enable enhanced digital orthodontic and restorative workflows to improve patient outcomes and practice efficiencies for approximately 252 thousand doctor customers and are key to accessing Align’s 600 million consumer market opportunity worldwide. Over the past 26 years, Align has helped doctors treat over 16.4 million patients with the Invisalign system and is driving the evolution in digital dentistry through the Align Digital Platform™, our integrated suite of unique, proprietary technologies and services delivered as a seamless, end-to-end solution for patients and consumers, orthodontists and GP dentists, and lab/partners.
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Robotics and Automation
Epson America, Inc. | January 10, 2024
The new Epson Robots GX-B Series SCARA robots models engineered to help users develop powerful automation solutions easily, are now available. The GX-B Series delivers optimal performance and is equipped with industrial-rated safety features, taking SCARA robot performance to the next level with ultra-high performance and flexibility for today's medical device, electronics and consumer electronics markets.
"The latest GX-B Series is our most advanced lineup to date, enabling integrators to meet a wider range of customer needs with high-performing, reliable solutions that fit seamlessly into workflows for a range of industries," said Scott Marsic, group product manager, Epson America, Inc. "These new SCARA robots are powerful, automation solutions with a low total cost of ownership, expanding opportunities for our partners."
Leveraging four decades of expertise, the GX-B Series robots are built to meet precise automation demands that help manufacturers tackle the most demanding tasks. Offering multiple arm configurations, handle payloads up to 10 and 20 kg, high throughput and high payloads, the GX10B and GX20B's versatile features empower machine builders to conquer challenging applications with leading-edge precision.
Making the robots even simpler to program, the GX-B Series robots seamlessly integrate with the Epson RC+® industrial Automation Development Software, use advanced GYROPLUS® vibration reduction technology to provide fast production speeds, smooth motion control and fast settling times and are powered by the RC700E next-generation controller with powerful motion control to enhance productivity.
Additional features include
Ultra-high performance and flexibility — high throughput with heavy payloads and multiple arm configurations for the most demanding tasks with leading-edge precision
Fast cycle times — high acceleration, smooth motion and fast settling times to maximize throughput with proprietary GYROPLUS vibration reduction system, plus no ringing or overshoot1
Ultimate ease of use — intuitive and feature-packed Epson RC+ development software helps create powerful solutions with a simple user interface, integrated debugger and advanced 3D simulator
Low total cost of ownership — includes battery-less encoders and Epson RC+ software with no recurring license fee; rich suite of safety features with RC700E controller
SafeSense™ technology — standard and advanced safety features can allow for increased productivity and worker protection while potentially minimizing machine footprint due to the reduction of physical barriers
Optimized footprint — table, wall- and ceiling-mount options; GX10B has 650 and 850 mm reaches available; the GX20B has 850 and 1,000 mm reaches available; longer Z axis available on both models
Built for demanding environments — Standard, Cleanroom (ISO3)2 and ESD, and Protected IP65 models available
Advanced integrated options — Vision Guidance, Parts Feeding, Force Guidance, Conveyor Tracking, Fieldbus and API.NET
Industry 4.0 ready — advanced OPC UA for robotics connectivity provides next-level integration and monitoring
About Epson Robots
Epson Robots is a global leader in PC-controlled precision factory automation, with well over 150,000 units sold worldwide1 and a product line of hundreds of models of easy-to-use SCARA and 6-Axis robots based on a common PC-based platform. Building on four decades of experience, Epson Robots delivers robots for precision assembly and material handling applications in the aerospace, appliance, automotive, biotechnology, consumer product, electronics, food processing, medical device, pharmaceutical, plastics, semiconductor, and telecommunication industries.
About Epson
Epson is a global technology leader whose philosophy of efficient, compact and precise innovation enriches lives and helps create a better world. The company is focused on solving societal issues through innovations in home and office printing, commercial and industrial printing, manufacturing, visual and lifestyle. Epson's goal is to become carbon negative and eliminate use of exhaustible underground resources such as oil and metal by 2050.
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Manufacturing Technology
MaxLinear | February 02, 2024
MaxLinear, Inc. a leading provider of high-speed interconnect ICs enabling data center, metro, and wireless transport networks, announced the availability of a comprehensive product design kit (PDK) to optimize performance and accelerate the time to market for high-speed Active Electrical Cables (AEC) using MaxLinear’s 5nm PAM4 DSP, Keystone. The PDK is a cost-cutting and time-saving tool for cable manufacturers who want to quickly integrate Keystone into their active electrical cables.
MaxLinear’s Keystone PAM4 DSP offers a significant power advantage in AEC applications, which is increasingly becoming a critical factor for hyperscale data centers. The use of 5nm CMOS technology enables designers and manufacturers to build high-speed cables that meet the need for low power, highly integrated, high performance interconnect solutions that will drive the next generation of hyperscale cloud networks.
Manufacturers taking advantage of MaxLinear’s PDK to optimize cable designs using Keystone PAM4 DSP will gain a distinct advantage over competitor solutions when trying to maximize reach and minimize power consumption. The PDK makes Keystone easy to integrate with strong applications support, multiple tools to optimize and monitor performance, and reference designs (SW and HW) to accelerate integration. Sophisticated software allows for quick design optimization for the lowest possible power consumption and maximizing cable reach. Cable designers can constantly monitor performance, route signals from any port to any port, and take advantage of hitless firmware upgrades.
“MaxLinear is focused on providing not only industry-leading interconnect technologies but also a comprehensive suite of tools to support our manufacturing and design partners,” said Drew Guckenberger, Vice President of High Speed Interconnect at MaxLinear. “Our development kit for our Keystone products provides them with a path to take products to market more quickly and more cost-effectively.”
Active electrical cables (AECs) are revolutionizing data center connections. Unlike passive cables, they actively boost signals, allowing for longer distances (up to 7 meters for 400G), higher bandwidth, and thinner, lighter cables. This makes them ideal for high-speed applications like top-of-rack connections (connecting switches to servers within the same rack); direct digital control (enabling flexible interconnectivity within racks and across rows); and breakout solutions (splitting high-speed connections into multiple lower-speed channels). The high-speed interconnect market – which includes active optical cables, active electrical cables, direct attach copper cables, and others – is expected to grow to $17.1B by 2028, up from $10.7B in 2021 according to a market forecast report from The Insight Partners.
The Keystone Family
The Keystone 5nm DSP family caters to 400G and 800G applications, featuring a groundbreaking 106.25Gbps host side electrical I/O, aligning with the line side interface rate. Available variants support single-mode optics (EML and SiPh), multimode optics and Active Electrical Cables (AECs), offering comprehensive solutions with companion TIAs.
Host side interfaces cover ethernet rates of 25G, 50G, and 100G per lane over C2M, MR, and LR host channels. The line side interfaces, tailored for 100G/λ DR, FR, and LR applications, also support these rates. These devices boast extensive DSP functionality, encompassing line-side transmitter DPD, TX FIR, receiver FFE, and DFE.
With exceptional performance and signal integrity, these DSPs occupy a compact footprint (12mm x 13mm), ideal for next-gen module form-factors like QSFP-DD800 and OSFP800. Additionally, they are available as Known Good Die (KGD) for denser applications, such as OSFP-XD.
About MaxLinear, Inc.
MaxLinear, Inc. is a leading provider of radio frequency (RF), analog, digital, and mixed-signal integrated circuits for access and connectivity, wired and wireless infrastructure, and industrial and multimarket applications. MaxLinear is headquartered in Carlsbad, California.
MaxLinear, the MaxLinear logo, any other MaxLinear trademarks are all property of MaxLinear, Inc. or one of MaxLinear's subsidiaries in the U.S.A. and other countries. All rights reserved.
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