China leads way for solar energy

China leads way for solar energy

Andrew S. Ross – San Francisco Chronicle
September 29, 2009

Next month, Santa Clara’s Applied Materials Inc. is scheduled to open a giant solar energy R&D center. The company is investing up to $300 million in the facility. It will not be situated in California, nor in the United States, but in Xian, China. Because China’s where t he action is.
“If the U.S. doesn’t get serious, China’s going to own this industry,” said Applied Materials spokesman David Miller. He points to the Manhattan Project-like push for alternative energy adopted by Chinese officials, which includes up to $60 billion annually in government investment. And here? “Here, we’re way behind,” said Miller. “We’re still messing around with energy bills. We need to get serious, to get capital spending flowing, to get the government truly behind it, to get focused.”

Miller and his company are not simply blowing smoke. In as little as two years, analysts predict, China will be the world’s biggest consumer of solar energy. By 2013, its clean tech market could amount to $1 trillion annually, according to a report earlier this month from the China Greentech Initiative, a consortium of U.S. and Chinese companies that includes Cisco Systems and the Silicon Valley VC firm VantagePoint Venture Partners, which specializes in clean tech investments
Neither is Applied Materials alone in its views. I’ve heard them similarly expressed by numerous Bay Area executives and investors with b usiness ties to China. “They get that these are the industries of the 21st century,” says VantagePoint managing partner Alan Salzman, whose Bay Area clean tech investments include Tesla Motors, BrightSource Energy and Solazyme. “The level of support for green tech there is breathtaking. It exceeds anything done here on a state or federal level.”
As if any more wake-up calls were needed, two other VantagePoint Venture Partners’ portfolio companies, Santa Clara’s Miasolé, which produces advanced, thin-film solar panels, and Sunnyvale’s Bridgelux, developer of energy-efficient LED lighting, are reluctantly considering locating their manufacturing facilities outside the United States.

“From a global competitiveness perspective, we’re just not there,” said Salzman.

Kinetic Die Casting is a aluminum and zinc die casting company. If you would like to know more information, please visit our website:Kinetic Die Casting Company

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Aluminum Die Casting Everywhere

Aluminum Die Casting Everywhere. Aluminum is turning out to be one of the most important metals in this age of modern industry. It has a lot of uses. One of them is as material for die casting parts. A cursory inventory will show us aluminum castings in a wide range of industries, from the automotive industry, the communications industry, the aircraft manufacturing industry, the computer industry, the consumer electronics industry, and the communications industry. A more detailed catalog of aluminum castings to be found around us would include lights and streetlamp housing, lawnmower gear, instrument cases, electronic gadget cases, cooking utensils, automotive parts, airplane parts, outboard motor, aluminum lighting parts.

Aluminum and metal castings in general can be produced by the processes of plaster casting, continuous casting, investment casting, sand casting, permanent mold casting, and die casting. The versatility of aluminum makes this material suitable for all of the metal processing methods mentioned here, but the die cast method is the most common method for aluminum castings. The die casting process entails the melting of the metal, then injecting it into a die cast mold, but not before applying a separating medium on the mold, then cooling the molten metal to harden it. Once it hardens, it takes the shape of the die mold. Next is the process of extracting the product from the mold. The whole thing from start to finish might take only a few seconds on a die tooling machine. The whole process is then repeated on and on. This is how the world is being supplied with aluminum die castings.

Kinetic Die Casting is a aluminum and zinc die casting company. If you would like to know more information, please visit our website:Kinetic Die Casting Company

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Mitsubishi to Build Turbine Manufacturing in Georgia USA

Lake Mary, Fla.-based Mitsubishi Power Systems Americas Inc. (MPSA) is preparing to break ground on an advanced turbine manufacturing and service center near Savannah, Ga.

Mitsubishi Power Systems to Build Turbine Manufacturing Center in Georgia

The company is building the $325 million facility to manufacture and service gas and steam turbines and related components for power-generation and utility customers throughout North and South America.

Mitsubishi said it chose the 119-acre site in the Chatham County Industrial Site after an extensive search throughout the Southeastern United States that began in late 2007. Major advantages of the site include ready access to the Port of Savannah, a nearby rail spur, extensive modern infrastructure and its status as a “shovel-ready” location, according to the company.

The new facility will create 500 jobs, according to the state.

“This expansion is a vital part of our long-term strategy to further globalize our manufacturing and service capability,” said Dave Walsh, senior vice president of service and manufacturing at MPSA. “This state-of-the-art plant will provide combustor components for both Western Hemisphere customers as well as for global new turbine needs. It will also provide Mitsubishi a service capability for large components supporting Western Hemisphere power providers. Finally it will be the Western Hemisphere assembly site for out latest-technology large-frame gas turbines. This location boasts convenient access by road, rail and sea, an excellent workforce and it has the capacity to support our power generation product growth for decades to come given its size.”

Company Will Begin Making Components as Early as Fall 2010

Construction will begin in 2009 on the first phase of the plant, which will manufacture gas turbine combustor components to support operating units in the Western Hemisphere and new turbines worldwide.

The company will begin hiring in early 2010, and the Quick Start workforce training program will provide training on the assembly and service of the turbines. Aluminum Boxes and enclosures.

The company expects to begin making components as early as the fall of 2010.

In Phase 2, Mitsubishi will build comprehensive service capabilities to support turbine rotor, rotor balancing, valve and other large component repairs and upgrades for gas and steam turbines.

During the third and final phase, the company will manufacture and assemble high-efficiency, low-emission gas turbines.

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Tooling Changes to Remove Porosity

Tooling Changes to remove porosity. Die casting porosity is a type of factory output flaw wherein the products of die casting small to large air pockets inside the molded substance. Usually, the substances used for die casting are molten metallic substances, resins and thick plastics. When the consistency of the molten materials becomes too loose, the tendency for air bubble formation increases. Faulty machines such as cracks and chinks on the surface can also be the culprit for casting porosity as small amounts of air can leak inside the substance causing bubbles. Die cast porosity is considered to be a sign of low quality and substandard techniques used, because it causes the product to become weaker than those non-porous outputs. If you are wondering if there are any tooling changes to remove porosity, then you may need to consider these tips.

Holes which are found particularly in thicker regions of the castings may be caused due to the inadequacy of molten substance introduced in the machine. This causes porosity and exposure to air. It should be of adequate amount to lessen or eliminate the presence of air inside. You can also change your tools by cleaning and checking your casting machines. Smoothen it out and seal any cracks on the surface to prevent air from seeping inside the machine. Vacuum devices are also recommended as it largely diminishes the chances of air bubbles and porosity of your output as it sucks up the air that is present inside the mold. The negative pressure will also help in the molding of the substance. However, investing on vacuum devices are quite an expense, so you still need to consider your budget.

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Aluminum Castings in the Die Casting Industry

The Purpose of Aluminum Castings in the Die Casting Industry. Before you dig further about aluminum castings, do you have any idea about where these are utilized? Aluminum castings are one of the alloys that are being used by the process that produces the most number of mass produced products in the metalworking industry. This is none other than die casting. This is when molten metal is being forced under high pressure into mold cavities.

Aside from aluminum castings, most products made through die castings are made out of non-ferrous metals such as magnesium, lead, tin, copper and zinc. Through time, ferrous metal die castings can also be created. Some companies opt for injection-molded plastic parts when they want their venture to be light and cheaper. But this is only recommended when only little strength is required and not much in the aspect of hardness.

The products from aluminum castings and other types of alloys used in die castings are utilized in various aspects and fields. These include automobiles, chocolate fountains, sink faucet, shower accessories, connector used in building homes, toys and a lot more.

Choosing the proper alloy is integral on the vitality of the outcome. You must know about these alloys strengths and weaknesses before you can utilize them for the purpose that you have in mind.

As for the aluminum castings, these can be relied on in terms of strength. Aluminum is a lightweight alloy that has high dimensional firmness for thin walls and compound shapes. This is also known as to having a good corrosion resistance property. This also presents a high electrical conductivity.

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