manufacturing - What We're Reading - StockBuz2024-03-29T15:35:00Zhttp://stockbuz.ning.com/articles/feed/tag/manufacturingGraphene: The Game-Changing Material of the Futurehttp://stockbuz.ning.com/articles/graphene-the-game-changing-material-of-the-future2017-03-15T16:14:09.000Z2017-03-15T16:14:09.000ZStockBuzhttp://stockbuz.ning.com/members/1t2xbcvddkrir<div><p>Technology is only as good as the materials it is made from.</p>
<p>Much of the modern information era would not be possible without silicon and Moore’s Law, and electric cars would be much less viable without recent advances in the material science behind <a href="http://www.visualcapitalist.com/critical-ingredients-fuel-battery-boom/">lithium-ion batteries</a>.</p>
<p>That’s why graphene, a two-dimensional supermaterial made from carbon, is so exciting. It’s harder than diamonds, 300x stronger than steel, flexible, transparent, and a better conductor than copper (by about 1,000x).</p>
<p>If it lives up to its potential, graphene could revolutionize everything from computers to energy storage.</p>
<h2 style="margin-top: 0;">Graphene: Is It the Next Wonder Material?</h2>
<p>The following infographic comes to us from <a href="https://www.911metallurgist.com/graphene/">911Metallurgist</a>, and it breaks down the incredible properties and potential applications of graphene.</p>
<p><img src="http://2oqz471sa19h3vbwa53m33yj.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/graphene-infographic.png" alt="Graphene: The Game-Changing Material of the Future" /></p>
<p>While the properties and applications of graphene are extremely enticing, there has one big traditional challenge with graphene: the cost of getting it.</p>
<h2 style="margin-top: 0;">The Ever-Changing Graphene Price</h2>
<p>As you can imagine, synthesizing a material that is one atom thick is a process that has some major limitations. Since a sheet of graphene 1 mm thick (1/32 of an inch) requires three million layers of atoms, graphene has been quite cost-prohibitive to produce in large amounts.</p>
<p>Back in 2013, Nature reported that one micrometer-sized flake of graphene costed more than $1,000, which made graphene one of the most expensive materials on Earth. However, there has been quite some progress in this field since then, as scientists search for the “Holy Grail” in scaling graphene production processes.</p>
<p>By the end of 2015, Deloitte estimated that the market price per gram was <a href="https://www2.deloitte.com/global/en/pages/technology-media-and-telecommunications/articles/tmt-pred16-tech-graphene-research-now-reap-next-decade.html">close to $100</a>. And today, graphene can now be ordered straight from a supplier like <a href="https://www.graphenea.com/collections/graphene-products">Graphenea</a>, where multiple products are offered online ranging from graphene oxide (water dispersion) to monolayer graphene on silicon wafers.</p>
<p>One producer, NanoXplore, even estimates that graphene is now down to a cost of <a href="http://www.thegraphenecouncil.org/blogpost/1501180/Graphene-Updates">$0.10 per gram</a> for good quality graphene, though this excludes graphene created through a CVD process (recognized as the highest level of quality available for bulk graphene).</p>
<p>The following graphic from Nature (2014) shows some methods for graphene production – though it should be noted that this is a quickly-changing discipline.</p>
<p><img src="http://2oqz471sa19h3vbwa53m33yj.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/graphene-production.png" alt="Graphene Production" /></p>
<p>As the price of graphene trends down at an impressive rate, its applications will continue to grow. However, for graphene to be a true game-changer, it will have to be integrated into the supply chains of manufacturers, which will still take multiple years to accomplish.</p>
<p>Once graphene has “real world” applications, we’ll be able to see what can be made possible on a grander scale.</p>
<p>Courtesy of <a href="http://www.visualcapitalist.com/graphene-material-future/" target="_blank">VisualCapitalist</a></p>
</div>Are Companies Ready For The Internet Of Things?http://stockbuz.ning.com/articles/are-companies-ready-for-the-internet-of-things2016-10-29T20:06:50.000Z2016-10-29T20:06:50.000ZStockBuzhttp://stockbuz.ning.com/members/1t2xbcvddkrir<div><div style="clear:both"><a href="http://www.visualcapitalist.com/industrial-internet-iiot-companies-ready/"><img src="http://2oqz471sa19h3vbwa53m33yj.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/iiot-infographic.jpg" border="0" /></a></div>
<div>Courtesy of: <a href="http://www.visualcapitalist.com">Visual Capitalist</a></div>
</div>Take A Moment To Reviewhttp://stockbuz.ning.com/articles/take-a-moment-to-review2014-10-26T22:52:07.000Z2014-10-26T22:52:07.000ZStockBuzhttp://stockbuz.ning.com/members/1t2xbcvddkrir<div><p>Let’s take a moment and put the market’s current trading action into perspective. Earlier this year bullish sentiment reached levels not seen in years or even decades depending upon data source. Market volatility had also fallen to levels not seen in years as the market was steadily making new all-times highs. S&P 500 actually went 63 trading days without a 1% percent daily move higher or lower. A feat last accomplished in 1995. And it has been more than three years without a 10% or greater S&P 500 correction. This is four times the average duration of time between corrections. Not to mention the market shrugged off tensions in Ukraine, Ebola in West Africa, the rise of ISIS in the Middle East, slowing global growth concerns and the Fed slowly easing up on stimulus. Honestly the market had gotten ahead of itself and was in need of a cool-off period. More likely than not, that is what it is doing.<br />
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Yes, weak economic data out of Asia and Europe is a concern as they are major U.S. trading partners, but that weakness has not yet materialized in U.S. manufacturing reports. Just yesterday Industrial Production was reported to have climbed 1% in September. This was better than twice the consensus estimate of 0.4%. This report was further supported by the Philadelphia Fed manufacturing index climbing to 20.7, again besting expectations. Furthermore, weekly initial jobless claims fell to 264,000 last week, the lowest reading since 2000. If business activity was slowing due to weakness overseas, it would stand to reason that weekly claims would be rising, not falling as employers began cutting employees.</p>
<p>Of course U.S. mid term elections are a little over a week away.  What Congressman wants to see the S&P500 failing going into that? </p>
<p>75% of companies who have reported thus far are beating estimates although guidance seems lackluster in many areas.  CNBS (sic) will intentionally parade the "beats" in an effort to <span style="text-decoration: line-through;">cheer lead</span> promote risk appetite.</p>
<p>Commodities are, for the most part, in a bear market and crude oil is looking like a bearish flag.  Another drop lower won't help support the market.  To the contrary, any reported fighting near oil fields or disruption in oil supplies could create a vicious short-covering rally.  We can only watch the news for this.  Not worth a bet.</p>
<p>EU bank stress tests have been released with 20% failing to meet requirements.  Are their lows near?<br />
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Ebola is also an issue, but honestly it feels as if the media is causing more harm than good. Not so many weeks ago it was ISIS or ISIL that was going to destroy the world, now it is Ebola. The reality is the “outbreak” that they constantly speak of is three patients in the U.S. Unfortunately the medical community was not as prepared as they thought they were. Their initial mistakes and miscues have prompted action and it now appears they are getting better organized to deal with any future patients. A full-blown global pandemic just does not seem all that probable.<br />
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Perhaps more than any other issue or concern out there, European markets appear disappointed that the ECB has not done more and in turn Asian and U.S. markets are suffering. Honestly, it is somewhat puzzling that the ECB has not moved from merely words to a more decisive plan of taking action. The region is on the verge of its third recession in six years and deflation is refusing to abate. Sovereign debt levels maybe high now, but deflation and a lack of growth are not going to help this situation at all. Should the ECB step up (which it was rumored they would in January 2015), the current market rout could end just as quickly as it started.</p>
<p>Hat tip <a href="http://blog.stocktradersalmanac.com/post/Lets-All-Take-a-Deep-Breath-SPY-DIA-QQQ" target="_blank">Stocktradersalmanac</a></p>
</div>Manufacturing In Americahttp://stockbuz.ning.com/articles/manufacturing-in-america2014-10-10T20:06:46.000Z2014-10-10T20:06:46.000ZStockBuzhttp://stockbuz.ning.com/members/1t2xbcvddkrir<div><p></p>
<p><img src="http://www.census.gov/how/img/manufacturing_2014.jpg" alt="Manufacturing in America 2014" height="4430" width="612" /></p>
<p>[Source: <a href="http://www.census.gov/how/infographics/manufacturing_2014.html" target="_blank">U.S. Census Bureau</a>]</p>
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