Despite record numbers of daily COVID-19 virus cases across the United States, manufacturing activity rose to new heights during October to its best mark in more than 2 years. The Institute for Supply Management posted its monthly Purchasing Managers Index—a highly regarded barometer of the U.S. manufacturing economy—for the month of October on November 2, showing a sixth-straight month of expansion following recession territory readings from March through May.

Manufacturing.net
NASA has partnered with Wisk, the creators of the Cora all-electric, self-flying air taxi to collaborate on the safe integration of autonomous aircraft systems into Urban Air Mobility applications at a national level. The partnership with Wisk is part of NASA’s Advanced Air Mobility National Campaign to develop critical guidance for UAM operations while addressing challenges, like certification and standards development.

AGMA
The AGMA website is updated daily through Emerging Tech news, Member news, Videos-of-the-week, and more — information that you can use to empower your staff, and move your business forward.

Associated Press
General Motors says a pending breakthrough in battery chemistry will cut the price of its electric vehicles so that they equal those powered by gasoline within five years. The technology also will increase the range per charge to as much as 450 miles. The company’s product development chief promised a small electric SUV that will cost less than $30,000 and pledged to roll out 30 battery-powered models worldwide by 2025.

Drive AU
Honda’s first electric vehicle, the Honda e, has made history in Germany, awarded the prestigious German Car of the Year 2021 title. It’s the first time a Japanese manufacturer has claimed the award, judged by a panel of German automotive journalists.

Science Alert
Volcanoes rank among the most destructive and awe-inspiring phenomena on the planet. But these fiery fissures do much more than just destroy. They also create. In a new study, researchers in Russia report the discovery of one such creation — an unusual mineral never before documented by scientists: an alluring, vibrantly blue-and-green crystallised substance the team have called petrovite. Due to the behavior of the new substance, scientists are interested in its possible applications in material science, potentially enabling new ways of developing cathodes for use in batteries and electrical devices.

Machine Design
A recent A3 and Landing AI survey suggests the industry has higher confidence in the adoption of AI.
The Association for Advancing Automation and Landing AI, an industrial AI company, released survey results of 110 manufacturing companies on the topic of AI-based vision inspection solutions. Their analysis included four key findings outlined in this article. 

Robotics and Automation News
The telecommunications technology company, Ericsson, recently launched its Connected Manufacturing report, which explores challenges the industry is up against and how smart solutions will be key to helping manufacturers gearing up for Industry 4.0. 

Automotive World
The joint service enables retrofitting of conventional diesel as well as hybrid and gas powered solo, double-decker and articulated buses as well as light and medium trucks. 

AGMA
The AGMA Foundation has awarded $312,500 in scholarships to engineering students at the Technical/Associate, Undergraduate and Graduate levels. 87% of scholarship recipients are employed in the gear industry. Learn more about how you can give back today.

Gear Solutions
The NeuBeam metal additive manufacturing process from Wayland Additive eliminates the trade-off many users have to navigate between stability and flexibility with their industrial metal applications. 

Wind Power Monthly
GE Renewable Energy is understood to be negotiating with UK government officials over a wind turbine factory in northeast England or eastern Scotland. 

Aerospace Manufacturing and Design
French company NAWA Technologies, a pioneer of next-gen energy storage systems, has created NAWA America, a company focused on industrializing advanced composite materials. Based in Dayton, Ohio, NAWA America will bring to market multifunctional ultra-strong composites based on proprietary technology, aimed at sectors including automotive and aerospace. 

Alabama.com
Toyota’s engine building plant in Huntsville, Alabama, is getting a new leader as the company announced an array of leadership changes across the country. Jason Puckett will become president of Toyota Motor Manufacturing Alabama, a facility that will produce almost 1 million engines annually once an ongoing expansion is completed. 

Press Release
University of Texas – San Antonio has formally launched the Cybersecurity Manufacturing Innovation Institute, a $111 million public-private partnership. The university will lead the institute, entering into a five-year cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy to head up a consortium of 59 proposed member institutions in introducing a cybersecure energy-ROI that drives American manufacturers and supply chains to further adopt secure, energy-efficient approaches, ultimately securing and sustaining the nation’s leadership in global manufacturing competitiveness. 

Tech Crunch
Transfr leverages virtual reality to create simulations of manufacturing-plant shop floors or warehouses for training purposes. The platform’s entry-level gives workers a way to safely and effectively learn a trade, and gives companies a solution on mass up-skilling needs. 

Industry Week
By instilling a mix of innovation, ingenuity and state-of-the-art technology into each tractor, combine or planter, John Deere has made a name for itself as a leading producer of smart agricultural equipment. As a result, the company empowers today's farmers to efficiently utilize every inch of useable land.
This is ultimately what drove John Deere to participate in the FCC’s auction to acquire 5G spectrum this summer. 

Industry Week
You’ve likely seen mobile phone commercials touting the wonders of 5G and how these networks are now available across the United States. As a cellular service for consumers, 5G obviously remains a work in progress. But as a driving technology for manufacturing, the introduction of private (and eventually public) networks in the coming years is going to be a game-changer. 

New Atlas
Spanish company Quaternium has destroyed its own record for gasoline-electric drone endurance with a 10-hour, 14-minute flight. But how does that stack up against hydrogen and batteries, and what are the implications for the emerging eVTOL market? 

Metrology News
The smart factory is the heart of Industry 4.0. Sandvik is carrying out a reorganization with the aim of expanding digital technology to make customers even more productive and sustainable. Sandvik Machining Solutions, the business area for metal-cutting processing, has changed its name to Sandvik Manufacturing and Machining Solutions and has been divided into two separate business area segments: Sandvik Machining Solutions and Sandvik Manufacturing Solutions. 

AGMA
Each year, authors selected by AGMA write peer-reviewed technical papers on topics relevant to the gear industry. These may include subject matter related to: design and analysis; manufacturing and quality; materials, metallurgy and heat treatment; operation, maintenance and efficiency; and gear failure. The authors then present the results of their work at the FTM to an audience of knowledgeable engineering professionals from the United States and around the world.
Abstracts for next year’s FTM are due January 15, 2021.