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IDTechEx Discusses Ag Sintering and Cu Sintering

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BOSTON, June 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Thermal management for EV power electronics has long posed significant challenges. The ongoing shift from Si IGBT and SiC MOSFET to potentially GaN HEMT in the future results in higher junction temperatures and increased demand for die-attach materials in EV power modules. In traditional Si IGBT power modules, die-attach materials like Pb95Sn5 and Pb92.5Sn5Ag2.5 struggle to meet reliability requirements for packaging power devices in high-temperature applications due to creep-fatigue concerns. Additionally, substrate-attach materials such as Sn96.5Ag3Cu0.5, with lower melting temperatures than solder used for die attachment, further constrain the reliability of SiC power modules for high-temperature applications. These challenges drive the market toward silver sinter materials, with the potential to extend to copper sinter materials, offering cost reductions.

Despite cost advantages, the IDTechEx report “Thermal Management for EV Power Electronics 2024-2034: Forecasts, Technologies, Markets, and Trends” identifies barriers hindering the widespread commercialization of copper sintering, such as challenging manufacturing environments due to copper oxidation and comparable or even higher costs than silver sintering as of early 2024 due to smaller commercialization scales.

Conventional die-attach and substrate-attach materials typically consist of solder alloys, featuring bondline thicknesses ranging from 50 to 100µm for die attachment and 100 to 150µm for substrate attachment. Despite their satisfactory performance, IDTechEx observes a growing preference for Ag sintering, driven by major automotive OEMs like Tesla, BYD, and Hyundai. Compared to traditional solder alloys, Ag sintering offers higher thermal conductivity (between 200 and 300W/mK), potentially reducing thermal resistance from junction to case by over 40%, along with significantly higher melting points and decreased electrical resistivity.

With the adoption of SiC MOSFETs, IDTechEx forecasts that Ag sintering will capture nearly or over 50% market share in regions like China in the near future, presenting significant market opportunities for thermal material suppliers.

Much of the available sintered Ag on the market requires pressure during sintering to enhance bond characteristics and reduce porosity, significantly reducing sintering time. However, this approach has drawbacks, including decreased yield and efficiency for bonding multiple chips, especially with complex architecture. Further, it also requires additional steps and machines, leading to higher costs. Therefore, manufacturers tend to avoid this and wait for solutions that are easy to implement in their already existing infrastructure: pressure-less sintering. Pressure-less sintering offers lower cost barriers and benefits in sinter-bonding multiple chips but is reliable only for surfaces with areas between 4 and 25mm2. More details about the pressure-less sintering process are included in IDTechEx’s report, ‘Thermal Management for EV Power Electronics 2024-2034: Forecasts, Technologies, Markets, and Trends’.

The cost of Ag sintering can vary significantly based on factors like customer relationships, order volumes, and suppliers. Ag sintered paste costs can easily be five to ten times higher than solder alloys. For instance, IDTechEx learned of an Ag sintered paste developed by a Japanese company costing around US$2-3/g, though this price has the potential to decrease significantly with increased volume and other material properties. Another supplier suggests that its sintered silver paste costs around US$1,400/kg. Overall, driven by leading automotive players, there is a discernible trend toward replacing solder alloys with Ag sintering pastes, creating market opportunities for material suppliers.

Cu sintering is proposed as an alternative approach to address the cost factor. Compared to Ag sintering, Cu sintering aims to offer similar performance at a lower cost. A supplier informed IDTechEx that Cu sintering technology can cost as little as half as much as Ag sintering technology. However, oxidation remains a significant challenge for Cu sintering. Therefore, a combination of a controlled atmosphere and reducing solvent/binders is the focus on the production of reliable materials. Cu sintering pastes have pressure and pessure-less variants under N2 or H2. However, this presents challenges during processing, leading to concerns around reliability.

IDTechEx is not aware of any automaker using Cu sintered materials as of early 2024, but given the historic timeline for Ag sintering adoption, IDTechEx forecasts that the large-scale commercialization will happen within five years and potentially as soon as late 2024 or early 2025.

IDTechEx’s ‘Thermal Management for EV Power Electronics 2024-2034’ provides a comprehensive overview of Ag and Cu sintering technologies market opportunities, competitive landscapes, supply chains, and key players in the substrate-attach and die-attach sectors. To find out more about this report, including downloadable sample pages, please see www.IDTechEx.com/TMPE.

IDTechEx has also published a report on thermal interface materials, which includes details on die-attach and TIM2s for other emerging applications, including advanced driver-assisted systems (ADAS), 5G, data center semiconductors, EV batteries, and consumer electronics. To find out more about this report, including downloadable sample pages, please see www.IDTechEx.com/TIM.

For the full portfolio of thermal management market research from IDTechEx, please visit www.IDTechEx.com/Research/Thermal.

About IDTechEx:

IDTechEx provides trusted independent research on emerging technologies and their markets. Since 1999, we have been helping our clients to understand new technologies, their supply chains, market requirements, opportunities and forecasts. For more information, contact research@IDTechEx.com or visit www.IDTechEx.com.

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Lucy Rogers
Sales and Marketing Administrator
press@IDTechEx.com
+44(0)1223 812300

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LYT ANNOUNCES DEPLOYMENT OF TRANSIT PRIORITY SOLUTIONS BY PARTNERING WITH ORANGE COUNTY TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY (OCTA)

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LYT.Transit Will Move Bus Transit Vehicles Through Congested Harbour Blvd. Corridor Safer and Faster

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Sept. 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — LYT, a leader in NextGen intelligent connected traffic technology solutions, announced today it has signed a contract with the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) and the city of Fullerton for a one-year pilot program and the implementation of LYT’s leading NextGen transit priority solution (TSP), LYT.transit. 

Serving as the primary contractor for TSP under the Master Service Agreement with Arcadis, a leading global design and consultancy organization for natural and built assets, LYT.transit will help solve congestion issues for traffic signals across the busy corridor of Harbour Blvd. The Orange County TSP deployment extends LYT’s rapid expansion throughout the west coast. 

LYT’s leading transit signal priority solution, LYT.transit, moves bus transit vehicles through congested intersections faster, safer, and more intelligently. Harnessing the power of a single-edge device installed in the Traffic Management Center (TMC), bus transit vehicles speak directly to networked traffic signals through LYT’s open architecture cloud platform. This results in a consistent and reliable green light for every bus transit vehicle in the network.

Cities are realizing the distinct benefits of this technology due to LYT’s machine learning models and artificial intelligence technology that knows when to prioritize and activate a traffic signal. LYT’s system uses automotive data in an actionable way as it takes a broader traffic pattern ecosystem into account to have an impact on other surrounding signals, not just the one signal that traffic is heading toward. 

“As the Southern California region continues to thrive, it is essential to implement advanced traffic signal prioritization technology to improve the daily commutes of Orange County residents,” said Tim Menard, CEO and Founder of LYT. “Our cutting-edge AI-powered technology ensures smoother traffic flow, reduces congestion, and enhances safety on today’s roads. By prioritizing public transportation and optimizing traffic signals, we are committed to creating a more efficient and sustainable transportation network that benefits all residents and businesses throughout Orange County.” 

Gabriel Murillo, ITS and Connected Mobility Market Leader at Arcadis, said: “We are pleased to partner with LYT on LYT.transit, to help ease the impacts of traffic congestion for buses in Orange County. By harnessing the power of advanced AI and machine learning, LYT.transit is set to elevate transit efficiency, enhance safety, and contribute to a more sustainable transportation network for the residents and businesses of Orange County.” 

About LYT

LYT is the leading provider of smart cities NextGen intelligent connected traffic technologies that orchestrates today’s Intelligent Transportation Systems. LYT’s AI-powered, open architecture, machine learning technology enables a suite of transit signal priority and emergency vehicle preemption solutions that utilize pre-existing vehicle tracking sensors and city communication networks to dynamically adjust the phase and timing of traffic signals to provide sufficient green clearance time while minimally impacting cross traffic. LYT is headquartered in Silicon Valley and serves municipalities across the US and Canada. Learn more at LYT.ai.

ABOUT ARCADIS

Arcadis is the world’s leading company delivering data-driven sustainable design, engineering, and consultancy solutions for natural and built assets. We are more than 36,000 architects, data analysts, designers, engineers, project planners, water management and sustainability experts, all driven by our passion for improving quality of life. As part of our commitment to accelerating a planet positive future, we work with our clients to make sustainable project choices, combining digital and human innovation, and embracing future-focused skills across the environment, energy and water, buildings, transport, and infrastructure sectors. We operate in over 30 countries, and in 2023 reported €5.0 billion in gross revenues. www.arcadis.com

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SOURCE LYT

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Safire Group Raises $8 Million in New Financing to Deliver Lithium-ion Battery Safety Technology to Government, Automotive Markets

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Canaan Partners Leads Round to Establish SAFIRE™ Technology as New Benchmark for Battery Safety

KNOXVILLE, Tenn., Sept. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Safire Technology Group, Inc. (“Safire Group”), today announced $8 million in new financing led by Canaan Partners, with participation from Correlation Ventures, Higher Life Ventures, Ajinomoto Co., Inc., Automotive Ventures, Outpost Ventures, Potomac Angel Capital, and MaC Venture Capital. This Pre-Series A priced round of financing brings total funding to $11 million and fuels continued development of the company’s Safe, Impact-Resistant Electrolyte (SAFIRE™) technology to transform the safety benchmarks of Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries across government and automotive industries. Canaan’s Hrach Simonian will join co-founders John Lee and Mike Grubbs on the board of directors.

“We are grateful to have a highly regarded, deeply experienced, and values-aligned investor in Canaan, and we are eager to continue building Safire Group together,” said Mike Grubbs.

“Safire Group is revolutionizing Li-ion battery technology with a focus on safety. Their innovative solutions are addressing the critical issue of battery volatility and setting new standards in the industry,” said Hrach Simonian, General Partner of Canaan Partners. “Safety should be intrinsic to battery design, not an afterthought. Safire Group’s commitment to redefining how these batteries are used in mobility and government applications promises to unlock unprecedented opportunities on a global scale.”

SAFIRE is the world’s only patented and proprietary drop-in additive for Li-ion batteries that prevents fires through an instantaneous liquid to solid transformation upon kinetic impact, such as an electric vehicle (EV) crash or ballistic event. During an impact, Safire Group’s shear thickening electrolyte technology enables the battery to resist deformation and prevents a short circuit – providing EV makers with lightweight crash protection and enabling Li-ion batteries to be used in novel ways.

Invented after nearly a decade of research and development by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), SAFIRE is currently being deployed by the company in four distinct use cases across broad domains: a ruggedized electric motorcycle, a rapidly deployable sensor tower, an unmanned ground vehicle, and multifunctional body armor.

“There is significant demand across the government to integrate SAFIRE technology into novel, ruggedized applications. This financing allows us to expand our operations in the Knoxville, Tennessee area, continue collaboration with ORNL, and further demonstrate the benefits of SAFIRE in government and automotive markets,” said John Lee, CEO of Safire Group. “We are excited about our partnership with Canaan and the opportunities it brings for the next stages of growth in deploying safety solutions for energy systems. Our focus remains on protecting people and critical assets while driving innovation in safety.”

About SAFIRE

Safire Group is a venture-backed company developing advanced Li-ion battery technologies for government and automotive markets. The company’s core technology, SAFe Impact Resistant Electrolyte (SAFIRE™), is the world’s only patented and proprietary drop-in additive for Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries that prevents fire through an instantaneous liquid-to-solid transformation upon kinetic impact, such as an electric vehicle (EV) crash or ballistic event. For more information, visit: www.safire.co.

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info@safire.co

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SOURCE Safire Technology Group, Inc.

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Logistics Automation Market to Reach $55 Billion by 2030, Driven by E-Commerce and Supply Chain Transformation – LogisticsIQ

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NEW DELHI, Sept. 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — According to LogisticsIQ‘s latest report (5th edition), Logistics Automation Market is expected to grow to $55 Billion by 2030, at a CAGR of 15% between 2024 and 2030. The drivers of growth are the growth in the e-commerce industry, multichannel distribution channels, digital services, increasing e-grocery penetration and dark stores, globalization of supply chain networks, emergence of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) and increasing demand for same day / same hour delivery.

Market Trends and Key Drivers

E-Commerce Boom and Its Impact on Logistics
The exponential growth of the e-commerce industry has significantly transformed the $5 trillion global logistics industry. Online retail requires more complex logistical processes, including individual picking, packing, and shipping, which contrasts with the bulk transportation model of brick-and-mortar retail. This surge in online retail, coupled with the increasing need for faster delivery times, is putting immense pressure on logistics providers to automate.Challenges and Market Conditions (2021-2025)
In 2021, logistics automation companies had a huge order intake, however, revenue growth was constrained by supply chain disruptions. Thus, the industry entered in 2022 with a backlog of orders, which was eventually reduced by 2023 due to macroeconomic uncertainties. In 2024, order volumes began to rise again, but cautious capital expenditure from retailers slowed down investments due to inflation, low consumer spending, and geopolitical tensions. We expect order volumes expected to rebound in 2025 as retailers aim to meet increasing consumer demand.Emerging Technologies and Market Players
The past few years have seen the emergence of cutting-edge technologies like automated picking systems, mobile manipulators, and automated cold storage solutions. Significant investments in companies like Symbotic, Geek+, Fabric, and Exotec Solutions reflect this growth. At the same time, established players such as Dematic, Honeywell Intelligrated, SSI Schafer, and Toyota Advanced Logistics continue to innovate. Additionally, major retailers including Walmart, Kroger, Amazon, Ocado, and Carrefour are actively adopting these technologies to enhance their supply chain capabilities.Apart this, piece picking players such as Righthand Robotics, Nimble, Fizyr, Kindred, Covariant, OSARO, Plus One Robotics, Berkshire Grey, and AWL have established a new attractive capability for order picking in ecommerce fulfillment as picking is least automated process in existing warehouses.

Download a Free Sample of our report on the Logistics Automation Market

Industry Consolidation in Logistics Automation Market

Over the last decade, the logistics automation market has experienced significant consolidation. Traditional industry players are acquiring innovative technology leaders to stay competitive and address evolving market demands. Notable examples include:

Rockwell Automation’s acquisition of Clearpath Robotics and OTTO MotorsZebra’s acquisition of Fetch RoboticsToyota’s acquisition of Vanderlande, Bastian Solutions and ViaStoreHoneywell’s acquisition of Intelligrated and TransnormJungheinrich acquired Magazino and ArculusSSI Schafer acquired DS AutomotionABB acquired ASTI Mobile Robotics and SevensenseKPI Solutions acquired Kuecker Logistics Group, Pulse Integration, QC SoftwareKörber acquired Cohesio Group, Siemens Logistics, HighJumpTeradyne acquired MiR, Energid, AutoGuide Mobile Robots

These mergers and acquisitions reflect the ongoing shift towards automation and the integration of cutting-edge technologies across the supply chain.

Read full report on the Logistics Automation Market Size, Growth, Share, Trends, and Forecast

Key Markets and Growth Opportunities

Top Markets: The United States, China, and Germany account for more than 50% of the demand for logistics automation, with strong market penetration in Europe, particularly in Germany, Italy, France, and the Netherlands. Western Europe represents around 30% of the global market. Emerging markets in APAC, particularly in India and Southeast Asia, are also showing strong growth potential, as are regions like the Middle East and Latin America.Emerging opportunities: Latin America is still under-penetrated with regards to automation; however, things are set to change and market is set to observe a high growth in Brazil and Mexico. Within Europe, Central and Eastern Europe is a fast-growing region, with Poland and Czech Republic emerging as logistics hub and showing good growth prospects.Grocery Industry: The grocery sector is a key area for logistics automation, driven by the need for high-frequency deliveries and the growing demand for online grocery services. Grocery distributors ship high cubic volumes of merchandise to retail stores with frequent deliveries to ensure product freshness.  Grocery distribution center operations are amongst the most labour intensive of any industry. Grocery automation market is expected to reach over $7 billion by 2030.AGV and AMR Market Growth: The market for Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) and Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) is projected to experience rapid growth, with a CAGR of over 20% by 2030. AMRs, which can operate without external guidance systems like optical tape or sensors, are becoming increasingly popular due to their ease of deployment in existing warehouse infrastructures.We expect AGVs/AMRs to have more than 20% market share by 2030 in this market led by players such as Seegrid, Balyo, Hai Robotics, Geek+, GreyOrange, HikRobot, Quicktron, Locus Robotics, Fetch Robotics (Zebra), 6 River Systems (Ocado), Teradyne (MiR, AutoGuide Mobile Robots), Rocla, JBT, ek-robotics, Omron, Rockwell Automation (Clearpath Robotics, OTTO Motors). We further see more consolidation and M&A in the mobile robots space as larger System integrators look to complete their product portfolios.

Order Picking and Automation Trends

Manual vs. Automated Picking: The order picking process remains one of the most labor-intensive tasks in the warehouse, especially in e-commerce fulfillment. While manual picking is still preferred for operations with a large variety of SKUs, automated picking systems and robotic solutions are gaining traction. Technologies such as RFID, pick-to-light, and pick-to-voice systems help improve efficiency even in semi-automated environments.Piece Picking Robots: Companies such as Righthand Robotics, Berkshire Grey, Osaro, and Covariant are leading the charge in developing piece picking robots that are ideal for e-commerce fulfillment. These robots significantly reduce labor costs and increase throughput, offering a high return on investment for businesses.

Purchase the full report on the Logistics Automation Market By Technology (AGV/AMR, ASRS, Conveyors, Sortation, Order Picking, Automatic Identification and Data Capture, Palletizing & Depalletizing, Overhead Systems, MRO Services and WMS/WES/WCS), By Industry (E-commerce, General Merchandise, Grocery, Apparel, Food & Beverage, Pharma, 3PL), By Geography – Global Forecast to 2030

What will you get in this report?

500+ Pages, 290+ Exhibits and 350+ Market tables for7 major Industry Verticals (eCommerce, Grocery, General Merchandise, Apparel, Food & Beverage, 3PL, Wholesale)10 Technologies (Mobile Robots, AS/RS, Conveyors, Sortation, Order Picking, Automatic Identification and Data Capture (AIDC), Palletizing and Depalletizing Robots, Overhead systems, Software (Warehouse Management, Warehouse Execution, and Warehouse Control), and MRO services.6 regions and 28 countries (United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Nordics, China, Japan, India, Australia, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia, South Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Turkey, South Africa, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico)Pivot-friendly Excel file with 350+ market tables including forecast till 2030In-depth analysis of 700 companies in the ecosystem with more than 140+ company profilesFocus Group Discussion with 100+ key industry stakeholders across the value chain to collect the first-hand information to validate our analysis2 Analyst Sessions to brainstorm furtherInvestment details with 150+ M&A and 750+ funding dealsLogisticsIQ™ Exclusive Market Map (~700 Players across 15+ categories)

About LogisticsIQ

LogisticsIQ is a dedicated market research and advisory firm in Logistics & Supply Chain sector, empowering decision makers from top fortune 1000 companies, financial and research institutions, private equity and high potential start-ups with market insights to make better decisions. We enable this by analysing the right mix of the best data, the best research methodologies, and the best industry panel to deliver value to our clients.

Media Contact
Name: Sunny M.
Email: sunny@thelogisticsiq.com
Phone: +91-952-918-4938

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