Manufacturing & Industrial Technology

Milwaukee – September 17, 2026 -- The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) has released a whitepaper mapping how artificial intelligence is being embedded into agricultural machinery to help farmers manage rising operational pressures. The report, titled "AI in Agriculture Equipment: Supporting Productivity, Efficiency, and Decision-Making Through Technology," is now available on AEM's Insights & Resources page.

AEM defines three tiers of AI integration in farm machinery

The whitepaper categorizes AI deployment into Assist-Level AI, which supports operators through guidance systems, implement control and automated equipment functions while keeping humans in control; Advise-Level AI, which processes machine and operational data to generate recommendations; and Act-Level AI, which enables machines to execute tasks autonomously, including targeted spray applications and unmanned field operations.

NEW YORK – September 17, 2026 -- Intrinsic Advanced Materials is widening commercial deployment of its CiCLO® fiber technology into home and hospitality textiles through new collaborations with ADVANSA and HeiQ Materials AG, ahead of a joint activation with Lonely Whale during NYC Climate Week on Sept. 21-22.

ADVANSA integrates CiCLO into its premium Suprelle fiberfill line

ADVANSA is launching Suprelle® fiberfill made with CiCLO fibers for bedding, home and hospitality applications, embedding the microplastic-persistence-reduction technology into an established fiberfill portfolio built around comfort attributes such as cooling, down-like feel, loft retention and moisture management. Jean-Christophe Rouyer, head of global business development at ADVANSA, said the addition lets customers differentiate Suprelle products without altering core fiberfill performance.

Lehigh Valley, Pa. – September 16, 2026 -- Air Products (NYSE: APD) will donate up to $15,000 to the Ceramic & Glass Industry Foundation and the Glass Manufacturing Industry Council through a donation tied to attendance at the 87th Conference on Glass Problems in Toledo, Ohio, running Sept. 14-17.

Air Products Foundation Ties Donation to Booth Visits

For each visitor to its exhibit and hospitality event, the Air Products Foundation will contribute $100, capped at a total of $15,000, to support the next generation of ceramic and glass professionals. The event runs 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET on Sept. 14 and 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET on Sept. 15 in Salon 2 of the Renaissance Toledo Downtown Hotel.

San Francisco – September 16, 2026 -- Voxel, an industrial intelligence company, has appointed Hal Mady as Chief Revenue Officer, Krishna Gopalakrishnan as Vice President of Perception and AI, and Asaf Elani as Field Chief Technology Officer, expanding its leadership team as the company ranks No. 71 on the Inc. 5000 list of America's fastest-growing private companies.

Three executives join to scale go-to-market, AI and field engineering functions

Mady will lead Voxel's global go-to-market strategy and commercial operations. Gopalakrishnan will run the engineering organization behind the company's computer vision systems and operational AI models. Elani will serve as the technical bridge between enterprise customers and Voxel's product teams under a forward-deployed execution model, working directly with site leaders to convert applied AI models into enterprise-grade capabilities.

Pittsburgh – September 16, 2026 -- MSA Safety has launched the A1X, a next-generation WinGrip vacuum anchor that weighs 7 kg -- 35% lighter than its predecessor -- and cuts its diameter to 350 mm from 480 mm, aiming to speed up aircraft maintenance checks.

Redesigned pneumatics double anchoring positions per bottle

The A1X uses vacuum suction technology to create a non-invasive attachment point on aircraft wing surfaces, powered by refillable air or gas cylinders that generate the required negative pressure. A redesigned pneumatic system doubles the number of anchoring positions achievable with a single bottle, reducing how often technicians must carry replacement cylinders during time-critical checks.

San Jose, Calif. – September 16, 2026 -- Arasan Chip Systems will test its full I3C IP portfolio at the MIPI I3C Interoperability Session in Taipei on October 19-20, 2026, alongside other industry vendors validating compliance with the sensor-control standard.

Arasan brings three I3C IP variants and software stack to Taipei testing

The company will run interoperability tests on its I3C Host IP, I3C Dual Mode IP -- which supports both host and device functions -- and I3C Device IP. Arasan will also validate its licensable proprietary I3C software stack during the session, held alongside the MIPI Member Meeting.

Shenzhen – September 16, 2026 -- XtraMaker has surpassed $500,000 in Kickstarter pledges for its M1 Series desktop DTF printer, with the campaign set to close on September 13 at 8:45 AM PDT.

Super Early Bird pricing offers up to 54% off before tiers sell out

Backers who order before the deadline lock in discounted rates and qualify for exclusive final-countdown giveaways tied to the closing hours of the campaign.

M1 Series positions itself as the industry's first desktop DTF printer

The system prints designs onto PET film and transfers them onto fabric via hot-melt adhesive and heat pressing, targeting T-shirts, shoes and canvas bags. It combines printing, powdering, curing and air purification into a single compact unit, and includes G7-certified color accuracy, automatic white-ink circulation and built-in power backup.

Boca Raton, Fla. – September 16, 2026 -- deviceWISE, a Telit Cinterion company, will run three live production demonstrations at IMTS 2026 in Chicago, September 14-19, showing agentic AI that detects faults on a live robotic cell and guides automated recovery.

Three live demonstrations show layered factory automation at Booth 236475

Visitors will see visual inspection, robotic sorting and automated assembly running on the deviceWISE platform. A visual inspection station using deviceWISE Visual Intelligence will check circuit boards and other objects for defects or missing components. A robot will sort colored cubes in an agentic AI and digital twin demonstration, while a second robot performs a FANUC AI auto assembly of industrial parts.

Sartell, Minn. – September 16, 2026 -- Niron Magnetics marked a construction milestone at its 287,000-square-foot Sartell, Minnesota facility with a steel-raising ceremony, alongside a new investment from Honda Motor Co. through its Honda Xcelerator Ventures program. The financial terms of Honda's investment were not disclosed.

Sartell plant will produce 1,500 tons of rare-earth-free magnets annually by 2027

CEO Jonathan Rowntree joined Sartell Mayor Ryan Fitzthum, Mark Ford of Ryan Companies and John Shaw of Wood to raise a ceremonial steel column at the plant, which is slated to become operational in 2027. At full capacity, the facility will manufacture up to 1,500 tons of permanent magnets per year and employ 175 full-time workers, representing the first commercial-scale phase of Niron's manufacturing platform.

Billerica – September 16, 2026 -- E Ink Corporation has made an early-stage investment in NewCopper, a privately held U.S. startup developing conductive copper ink, to accelerate a lower-cost alternative to silver ink used in printed electronics and display materials.

E Ink structures investment through a post-money SAFE agreement

The deal gives E Ink's R&D team the opportunity to evaluate NewCopper's copper ink as a conductive material for future displays and electrode applications, given its compatibility with E Ink's existing roll-to-roll coating capabilities. E Ink will also apply its display manufacturing expertise to support NewCopper's production scale-up and commercialization.