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September 2015 • SMT Magazine 21 tHe "NeW FACe" OF AutOmOtIve trACeAbILIty continues als including all sub-assemblies, it is far more likely that the specific exception that may have occurred, such as a specific combination in the use of alternative materials, deviation of the re- flow process temperature, or a particular repair that was actioned, could have been the unique trigger to cause the defect. Once known, the specific set of circum- stances can be engineered out of the produc- tion operation so as to prevent the defect from recurring. Without traceability, finding the root cause would have been almost impossible. The approach to the need for traceability in today's automotive manufacturing environ- ment should no longer be a simple reaction to what is required by a customer to meet some specified standard, especially where products with complex use categories are made togeth- er. The real traceability solution lies with the full consideration of the ability of key process- es such as SMT and key supporting functions such as supply chain, engineering, production management, and quality to communicate in automated ways, sharing data that can be made visible and used to obtain multiple opera- tional benefits, and as a result, a complete and detailed traceability record. Doing this should make adherence to any standard imposed from the customer something that becomes just a routine "tick in the box," because everything is covered as a fundamental part of the produc- tion operation, in a way that is a benefit, rather than being a potentially costly add-on control and management function. smt FeAture michael Ford is senior marketing development manager with valor division of Mentor graphics cor- poration. To read past columns, or to contact the author, click here. researchers at the universitat Jaume i in Spain have developed materials based on graphene that can catalyse reactions for the conversion and storage of energy. The technology patented by the uJi combines graphene and organometal- lic compounds in a single material without alter- ing the most interesting properties of graphene, such as its electrical conductivity. The technology, developed by the group of organometallic chemistry and Homogeneous catalysis (QoMcaT) of the uJi, is of great in- terest to the energy industry and is part of the so-called "hydrogen economy." an alternative energetic model in which energy is stored as hy- drogen. in this regard, the materials patented by the uJi allow catalysing reactions for obtaining hydrogen from alcohols and may also serve as storage systems of this gas. it is a novel technology since it uses graphene for the first time as a support of organometallic compounds. These hybrid materials have cata- lytic properties and are modular and recyclable. Thus, the catalyst developed at the uJi can be re- cycled ten times without suffering a loss of activ- ity, a very attractive property from the industrial viewpoint. The new material is also obtained from a novel system of obtaining hybrid materials in a single step. an easy and affordable system that allows that all the technology that is currently based on graphene can be easily converted using these new materials. Thus, the patented materials can be used both in the development of catalysts as well as storage batteries or other energy types. New Graphene-based Catalysts for the Energy Industry