— Scientists including UW-Madison researchers have developed a method for 3D printing a type of stainless steel that could help manufacturers reduce production costs.
That’s according to an overview from the National Institute of Standards and Technology, which collaborated with the university and the Argonne National Laboratory on the research project. It focused on a metal alloy called 17-4 precipitation hardening stainless steel, which is used in a variety of applications including the aerospace industry due to its durability and anti-corrosion properties.
While 3D printing can offer advantages over traditional manufacturing such as lower costs and enabling flexibility for more complex designs, NIST notes that it can also produce results “that are too inconsistent for certain applications.” That’s of particular concern for metals because of the rapid changes in temperatures involved, according to study co-author and physicist Fan Zhang.
“When you think about additive manufacturing of metals, we are essentially welding millions of tiny, powdered particles into one piece with a high-powered source such as a laser, melting them into a liquid and cooling them into a solid,” Zhang said in the overview. “But the cooling rate is high, sometimes higher than one million degrees Celsius per second, and this extreme nonequilibrium condition creates a set of extraordinary measurement challenges.”
By using a particle accelerator located at the Argonne National Lab to image the steel with X-rays during the printing process, the researchers were able to identify how various factors at play influenced the metal structure. With this improved understanding, they found a specific mix of metals that consistently resulted in 3D printed steel that “matched the strength” of steel produced in the traditional way.
Lianyi Chen, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at UW-Madison and fellow co-author, says the steel they produced “is reliable and reproducible, which lowers the barrier for commercial use. If they follow this composition, manufacturers should be able to print out 17-4 structures that are just as good as conventionally manufactured parts.”
According to UW-Madison, the researchers are patenting their technology through the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation.
See more details: https://www.nist.gov/news-events/news/2022/09/researchers-uncover-how-3d-print-one-strongest-stainless-steels
— Gov. Tony Evers has announced $235 million will be coming to Wisconsin in the next cycle of funding from the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
These funds will be supporting more than 150 local road and bridge projects in 66 counties, according to the guv’s office. They will be distributed over the next four federal fiscal years, the release shows, between Oct. 1 of this year and Sept. 30, 2026.
“With this once-in-a-generation funding, we’re improving the quality of life for Wisconsinites in every corner of the state and strengthening our state’s economic future,” Evers said in the release.
See a funding breakdown here: https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/WIGOV/bulletins/32fe935
— Alliant Energy has submitted plans to add new battery storage at solar energy sites in Grant and Wood counties.
According to a release, the company filed the plans Friday with the state Public Service Commission. If they are approved, Alliant Energy says it aims to begin construction on the battery projects next year and bring them online in fall 2025.
The company’s Grant County battery project, which would be located at a solar site in the town of Potosi, could store enough energy to power over 100,000 homes in the state for four hours. And the Wood County batter project, planned for a solar site in the town of Saratoga, would have capacity for enough energy to power over 80,000 homes for four hours.
“As we transition to cleaner, more cost-effective renewable energy, the added capacity and unique capabilities of these energy storage solutions will strengthen our generation portfolio, improve reliability and help meet customer needs,” David de Leon, president of Alliant Energy’s Wisconsin energy company, said in the release.
See the release: https://www.wisbusiness.com/2022/alliant-energy-supercharges-battery-deployment/
See more on the company’s plans: https://www.alliantenergy.com/cleanenergy/ourenergyvision/poweringwhatsnext/cleanenergyblueprint/cebwisconsin
— While this year’s potato harvest is running behind last year and the five-year average, winter wheat growth and alfalfa cutting are proceeding slightly more quickly.
The latest USDA crop progress report shows 65 percent of potatoes were harvested as of Sunday, which is four days behind last year’s rate and three days behind the average.
Meanwhile, 54 percent of winter wheat was planted, which is one day behind last year and three days ahead of the average. Thirty-five percent of winter wheat had emerged — three days ahead of last year and five days ahead of the average.
And the fourth cutting of alfalfa was 94 percent complete, which is four days ahead of last year and more than two weeks ahead of the average, according to the report.
See the full report: https://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/Wisconsin/Publications/Crop_Progress_&_Condition/2022/WI-Crop-Progress-10-03-22.pdf
— Wisconsin’s seven-day average for new COVID-19 cases continues to fall, recently reaching 841 cases per day according to state health data.
That’s just over half as many as at the start of June, when the seven-day average was around 1,600 cases per day. While the average has seen some variation since then, it’s largely been declining over the summer, the state Department of Health Services site shows.
Meanwhile, the percent positivity rate for COVID-19 testing has been steadily declining since the start of August. After reaching a recent peak of 15.3 percent positivity in the first week of August, that rate has since fallen to 8.8 percent, reflecting the improvement in virus activity seen throughout much of the state.
And only three counties are currently seeing high levels of COVID-19 activity based on a CDC metric that includes cases, hospitalizations and hospital bed occupancy: Sawyer, Rusk and Barron. Thirteen other counties are seeing “medium” levels of disease activity, while the rest of the state is in the lowest category.
No significant changes in hospitalization levels were seen in the two-week period ending Sept. 27, the DHS site shows. The Wisconsin Hospital Association dashboard shows 374 patients are currently hospitalized with COVID-19, including 59 intensive care patients. While the ICU number hasn’t changed much over the summer, the total hospitalization figure has largely been declining since mid-August.
Vaccination progress has largely stalled in the state, with 65.5 percent of residents having received at least one dose and 61.7 percent having completed the vaccine series. And 35.9 percent of residents have gotten an additional or booster dose.
See the latest DHS figures: https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/covid-19/data.htm
See the WHA site: https://www.whainfocenter.com/Covid-19Update
— Madison’s Venture Investors took part in a $30 million financing round for Delphinus Medical Technologies, the Michigan business recently announced.
This medical imaging company has developed technology under the name SoftVue to improve breast cancer screenings. According to a release, this technology can identify up to 20 percent more cancers “with greater accuracy and potentially fewer biopsies” than another screening method called full field digital mammography.
The funds raised will be used for global commercialization efforts. Other participants in the financing round include Arboretum Ventures and Beringea, also based in Michigan. Specific investments by the venture groups were not disclosed.
See more at Madison Startups: https://www.madisonstartups.com/venture-investors-invests-in-delphinus/
See the company’s release: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220929005310/en/Delphinus-Raises-30-Million-in-Series-D-Funding-to-Transform-Dense-Breast-Screening
<i>For more of the most relevant news on COVID-19, reports on groundbreaking health research in Wisconsin, links to top stories and more, sign up today for the free daily Health Care Report from WisPolitics.com and WisBusiness.com.</i>
Sign up here: http://forms.gle/o8FtqTLviGJPja8C9
#TOP STORIES#
# Caregiver shortage increasing strain on families, survey says
# Rockwell Automation planning acquisition of Denmark manufacturer
# Apartments, ice rink, crypto mine: What replaced 12 closed paper mills
#TOPICS#
# AGRIBUSINESS
– Wisconsin’s all milk price fell to $22.10 in August
– Wisconsin’s small grain production forecast released
# ECONOMY
– Wisconsin to get $235M in federal funds for road, bridge projects
– La Crosse mayor: Community faces challenges ‘well beyond funding’ in caring for rising homeless population
# EDUCATION
– Without universal free lunch, Wisconsin school districts see some students skipping meals
– UW-Superior professor starts organization to tutor Ukrainian students whose lives were upended by war
– These are the best Milwaukee-area high schools for 2023, according to Niche.com
– UW System task force advocates for student, faculty caregivers
# ENVIRONMENT
– Update: Eau Claire water’s PFAS levels remain within state standards
# FOOD AND BEVERAGE
– Let’s Eat: Takarajima is a hidden treasure on Madison’s east side
– BelAir Cantina ownership change makes co-founder Kristyn Eitel majority owner
– Two partners in BelAir Cantina restaurants exit business, sell shares to third partner
# HEALTH CARE
– Nexus Pharmaceuticals names new CEO
# REAL ESTATE
– Care center wins national award for transforming 50-year-old brownfield site
– Judge upholds demolition order against deteriorating Northridge Mall
– From Caledonia to Port Washington, Rinka designs affect how thousands interact with Lake Michigan
# SPORTS
– Controlling emotions: Jim Leonhard to rally Badgers Football after head coach Paul Chryst ousted
– Updated: Paul Chryst fired as UW-Madison head coach
# TECHNOLOGY
– Former Aurora CEO Nick Turkal joins Lohman Technologies
# TOURISM
– World Dairy Expo kicks off in Madison with new schedule
# TRANSPORTATION
– Climate resilience program could yield grants for Wisconsin roads
# UTILITIES
– Alliant Energy files plan to develop battery storage facilities
# PRESS RELEASES
<i>See these and other press releases:
https://www.wisbusiness.com/press-releases/ </i>
DATCP: Accepting applications for Export Expansion Grants through November 16
