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LBL investigates CrCoNi, the
toughest material on earth
BERKELEY, Calif. — Scientists have
measured the highest toughness ever
recorded, of any material, while inves
Top 10 (from 20)
VIS will see its capacity utilization rate fall
to around 70% as well.
Lastly, Nexchip is at risk of suffering down-
ward corrections to incoming orders for
driver ICs and other chips used in con-
sumer electronics (e.g., PMICs and CMOS
image sensors).
At the same time, the foundry is con-
strained from adjusting its product mix
because its other process technologies
have yet to reach the mass production
standard.
Capacity utilization will shrink
Due to these factors, Nexchip’s capac-
ity utilization rate will shrink to around
50~55%. trendforce.com
IPC releases report on “The Factory of the Future”
BANNOCKBURN, Ill., — IPC recently
convened a roundtable to discuss
trends driving the industry’s migra-
tion to the factory of the future.
Challenges and pitfalls
The executives came to a shared conclu-
sion that the transition to the factory of
the future features many challenges and
pitfalls but making the transition will be
increasingly critical to any company seek-
ing to compete in the global economy.
A summary of the discussion is now avail-
able: “The Evolution of Factories of the
Future: What You Need to Know.”
JANUARY 2023
tigating a metallic alloy made of chro-
mium, cobalt, and nickel (CrCoNi).
Extremely ductile
Not only is the metal extremely duc-
tile – which, in materials science, means
highly malleable – and impressively strong
(meaning it resists permanent deforma-
tion), its strength and ductility improve as
it gets colder. This runs counter to most
other materials in existence.
The team, led by researchers from Law-
rence Berkeley National Laboratory
(Berkeley Lab) and Oak Ridge National
Laboratory, published a study describing
their record-breaking findings in Science
on Dec. 2, 2022.
“When you design structural materials,
you want them to be strong but also duc-
tile and resistant to fracture,” said project
co-lead Easo George, the Governor’s Chair
for Advanced Alloy Theory and Develop-
ment at ORNL and the University of Ten-
nessee.
Typically it’s a compromise between these
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In reaching their conclusion, the round-
table participants discussed common bar-
riers in adopting smart manufacturing
technologies and skill disparities in the
electronics manufacturing workforce.
Increased digitization
They also shared practices they believed
to be important as companies work to in-
crease digitization and enhance manufac-
turing operations.
Among other topics, company leaders
talked about creating a workplace culture
that embraces change and innovation.
View the report at ipc.org/F2report.