News, Notes, and Quotes

Noran Provides Software for Cervelo Cycles
Noran Engineering announced that Cervelo Cycles, a manufacturer of professional competition road and triathlon bikes, has selected a portfolio of Noran Engineering’s finite element analysis software for use in product development. Cervelo explained that the level of design sophistication in the bicycle industry has been steadily increasing and computer-aided engineering tools are needed to meet the challenges of optimizing engineering materials like carbon composites and extending design metrics like strength-to-weight ratio, vibration characteristics, and flexural stiffness. Cervelo recently provided bikes in this year’s Tour de France to Team CSC, which earned two stage wins by Jens Voight and Frank Schleck, earned second in the team classification, and saw Carlos Sastre finish fourth overall. Dennis Sieminski: 714.899.1220; dennis.sieminski@noraneng.com.

Lockheed Unveils UAD at Air Show
Lockheed Martin unveiled the existence of a new high altitude, unmanned aerial demonstrator to reporters attending the Farn¬borough International Air Show in England. The announcement was part of a review of several Skunk Works projects highlighting technologies the company is exploring to enable technology for the future. Developed in only 18 months, using internal funding, unmanned system P-175, nicknamed ‘Polecat’—aligned with the well-known Skunk Works name—represents the key tenets for which the Skunk Works is known: new, cost effective rapid prototyping and manufacturing techniques of composite materials; projected aerodynamic performance required for sustained high altitude operations; and flight autonomy attributes, explained Frank Cappuccio, executive vice president and general manager of Advanced Development Programs and Strategic Planning at Lockheed Martin. Mary Jo Polidore: 817.308.5553; mary.jo.polidore@lmco.com.

Owens Corning & Saint-Gobain Plan to Merge Reinforcements Business
Owens Corning and Saint-Gobain jointly announced that they are in discussions to merge Owens Corning’s Reinforcements Business and Saint-Gobain’s Reinforcement and Composites Business (a part of Vetrotex) into a new company, to be called Owen’s Corning-Vetrotex Reinforcements. The partnership of these two businesses would establish a global company in reinforcements and composite fabrics products, with worldwide revenues of approximately $1.8 billion and 10,000 employees. The new company would have operations across Europe, North and South America, and Asia, including the following key emerging markets: China, India, Russia, Mexico, and Brazil. Saint-Gobain’s Textile Solutions business will remain part of Saint-Gobain’s High Performance Materials Sector. Owens Corning’s Veil Technologies and Fabwel businesses will remain part of the Owens Corning Composite Solutions Business. Jason Saragian: 419.248.8987.

Vermont Composites Expansion Creates 55 New Jobs
The Vermont Economic Development Authority recently approved a $304,400 direct loan and a $1million mortgage insurance guarantee that will allow Vermont Composites to expand and create an additional 55 new jobs, reported E-Composites. The company expects to grow from 245 employees to 300 over the next three years. The loan and mortgage insurance will help buy machinery and inventory, make capital improvements and pay for a pressurized oven that manufactures fiber composite components. Vermont Composites makes body panels for the Corvette, but other customers include General Motors, General Electric, and Lockheed Martin. Subscribe to E-Composites at www.e-composites.com.

Vail Resorts Buys Wind Power
Vail Resorts recently announced that the company will offset 100 percent of its energy use by purchasing nearly 152,000 megawatt-hours of wind energy for its five mountain resorts, its lodging properties including RockResorts and Grand Teton Lodge Company, all of its 125 retail locations (operated through Specialty Sports Venture) and its new corporate headquarters in Broomfield, Colo. By purchasing renewable energy credits equal to the company’s entire electricity use, Vail Resorts becomes the second largest purchaser of wind power of all corporations in the U.S. Vail Resorts announced this initiative as part of the company’s ongoing environmental efforts. Vail Resorts’ commitment to clean and renewable wind power will avoid over 211 million pounds of carbon dioxide pollution every year, which is equivalent to taking 18,000 cars off the road or planting over 27,000 acres of trees, according to the EPA. Kelly Ladyga: 303.404.1862; kladyga@vailresorts.com.

Pro-Environmental Provides RTO System
T Corporation has placed an order with Pro-Environmental for a Regenerative Thermal Oxidizer (RTO) system to handle the DDGS dryer emissions for the new Coshocton Ethanol, Coshocton, Ohio facility. The facility is designed to produce 60 million gallons of ethanol per year to be distributed nationally. The project is scheduled for completion in October 2007. Pro-Environmental is supplying one 51,800 scfm three canister RTO designed for 99 percent destruction reduction efficiency (DRE) and 95 percent primary heat recovery. PEI will design, fabricate and provide full-time installation supervision, start-up and diagnostic testing of the RTO system. Pro-Environmental: 909.989.3010.

Performance Fibers Makes New Acquisition
An affiliate of Performance Fibers will acquire INVISTA Resins & Fibers GmbH’s German polyester yarn business, which includes both commercial and manufacturing operations in Germany and represents the third major expansion of Performance Fibers’ business in the past year. Performance Fibers is a supplier of high-tenacity polyester and manufacturer of other man-made industrial fibers and fabrics. The acquisition includes three manufacturing facilities—one each in the German cities of Bad Hersfeld, Bobingen and Guben—which produce industrial fibers for sewing thread, technical textiles and other industrial and specialty applications. Sandy Frinton: 845.454.3895; sandy@mallen.com.

High Tech Business Comes to the Dayton Region
The Honorable Jon Husted, Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives, recently said that it was combined funding from local, county, and state incentives that brought San Diego, California-based DR Technologies (DRT) to Dayton, Ohio. DRT inked a deal with the National Composite Center (NCC) to purchase its spin-off company Vector Composites. Plans surrounding where to house Vector mean additional advantages for the Dayton Region. DRT owns and manages subsidiary companies that provide advanced composite products, including engineering and development, along with high volume production capabilities for government and industry clients worldwide. The company will rent 30,000 square feet of space in Building 28 located at 3251 McCall Street in Dayton. The building, owned by entrepreneur John Prikkel, is the site of NCC’s new Dayton Campus for Advanced Materials Technologies. In addition, DRT will invest $1.5 million in equipment and improvements to the campus. The move and improvements are expected to be completed April 1, 2007. Lynn Stanley: 972.409.9044; stanleymedia@comcast.net.

Beeting Corrosion in Norway
Beet Systems of Norway is currently working to correct the problem of corrosion along the Norwegian coastline by designing and engineering the largest FRP bridge in the world, reported COBRAE News. Currently, the design is measuring 1237 meters long and 42 meters wide with 254-meter high towers. The Norwegian Ministry of Roads recognized the durability of an all-composite bridge and commissioned the development of one in order to rectify the corrosion problem. Beet Systems developed a new production technology for the purpose of the bridge, which includes bi-directional woven strand technology, pultrusion technology, and linear fireproof honeycomb core inside a FRP panel, and is currently looking for partners, such as research institutes or engineering firms with similar interest, to develop the technology further. Subscribe to the COBRAE newsletter at www.cobrae.org. Jan Holm Hansen: +47.916.64.854; beet@c2i.net; www.beet.no.

Southwest Fiberglass and Corrosion Technology Form Joint Venture
Southwest Fiberglass (SWF) and Corrosion Technology International (CTI) have formed a joint venture to manufacture CTI’s patented Unicell polymer concrete electrolytic cells and related acid resistant products. The new operation is located in Tucson, Ariz., and will supply a cost effective source of CTI products for customers based in North America. LC Allmand, Jr.: lcapmandi@abts.net.

Carbon Look with Lower Costs
While design engineers agree that the carbon look of reinforced composites is “in,” the look is not cheap. Switching from metal or aluminum to a reinforced composite has always involved a huge cost premium. But the composite end cap on Nitrous Express’s new nitrous and fuel solenoid for performance and race cars costs about half as much as it did before a molding breakthrough. Diaphorm’s proprietary low-pressure FRP molding processes involve much lower tooling and machinery costs than traditional compression molding and much faster, more automated cycles than thermoset transfer molding. Diaphorm supplies the caps by the thousands to Nitrous Express in Wichita, Texas. Gary Dudman: gary.dudman@diaphorm.com.

Elk Adds Decking Division to Contractor Program
Elk Composite building Products announced today that Elk has added a decking division to its Elk Peak Performance Contractor Program, an exclusive sales-incentive program designed to give qualified decking contractors a leverage boost over the competition. Contractors can ear rewards and build their business with enhanced product warranty options and rebates, acquiring points for selling Elk CrossTimbers™ brand composite decking, CrossTimbers Signature Railing and RailWays™ composite railing systems. Points can be redeemed for targeted marketing materials, personal rewards or even ElkCorp common stock. The program also provides its members with an online lead generation program, custom web page development, a homeowner financing program and other benefits to help close more sales. Stephanie Elwood: 972.851.0472; Stephanie.elwood@elkcorp.com.

Wind Blade Facility Planned for South Dakota
With economic incentives provided by the State of South Dakota and Minter County Community Revitalization (MCCR), Knight & Carver Wind Blade Division is pleased to announce that it has reached agreement to lease and operate a 26,000 square foot wind blade repair and manufacturing facility in Howard, S.D. Under terms of a five-year lease, MCCR will build the facility to suit Knight & Carver’s specifications and needs. Work on the new facility is expected to begin mid-July. Located in the Howard Industrial Park, it is expected to hire 10-25 full-time employees, and projected to employ 46 people within the first three years. John Freeman: 619.336.4141; jfreeman@knightandcarver.com.

Cytec Plans New Carbon Fiber Line
Cytec Industries has completed the exploration phase of a major, new carbon fiber line development initiative and has begun assessing site selection and design details. This new project follows a carbon fiber capacity expansion slated for later this year at Cytec’s Greenville, S.C., plant as well as a sizeable carbon fiber research and development expansion. Employing capital best practices, Cytec is now framing the proposed new fiber line’s technical, product and process definitions, which will lead to the detailed design and final capital cost estimate in early 2007. www.cytec.com.

Plasticolors Appoints Market Development Manager
Ben Arnold was recently promoted to market development manager at Ashtabula, Ohio-based company, Plasticolors. In his new position, Arnold will be responsible for identifying new market opportunities, introducing new products to the marketplace by working directly with customers, and training sales representatives and distribution channel partners. In 2003 Arnold joined Platicolors as a product development specialist, where he worked primarily on expanding the company’s product offerings to the thermoset plastics industry. Arnold has a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the College of Wooster, and is working towards an M.B.A at John Carroll University, which he will complete in December 2006. Larry Haines: 440.997.5137; lhaines@plasticolors.com, www.plasticolors.com.

Creative Pultrusions Offers New SuperLoc™ Composites Sheet Pile System
SuperLoc™ 1610 Sheet Pile, a heavy duty 10” deep x 24” wide pultruded composite sheet pile that is highly impact and corrosion resistant, has been introduced by Creative Pultrusions. The 1610 is manufactured with the company’s SUPURTUF polyurethane matrix, which offers high impact strength, abrasion resistance, and more than double the tensile, shear and flexural strength as compared to laminates utilizing traditional polyester and vinyl ester matrixes. The patented SuperLoc Composite Sheet Pile System was designed to replace traditional steel, concrete, and wooden bulkhead systems for both new construction and the replacement market for waterfront bulkhead construction. The system consists of interlocking sheet piling panels, interlocking corner connectors, top caps, and waler and tieback rods and fasteners. The all-composite SuperLoc Sheet Pile System is available through Creative Pultrusion’s manufacturer representative, Lee Composites. Dustin Troutman: 814.839.4186; dtroutman@ pultrude.com, www.creativepultrusions.com.

PlayPump Spins Out Clean Water
More than 4.5 million children worldwide will die of water-related diseases this year, but PlayPump, a non-profit venture founded in 1994, is working to solve the clean water dilemma in Africa by supplying clean water via a merry-go-round, reported Springwise. The playground toy is attached to a water pump and water storage tank and provides up to 1,400 liters per hour with less effort than manually operated pumps. An initial investment of $9,000 installs a PlayPump near communities and schools, while a local carries out maintenance, the costs of which are covered by advertising. www.springwise.com; www.playpumps.org.

Garzolini Installed as 44th President of SWE
Judith Garzolini was officially installed as president of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) in August at a ceremony that formally inducted all elected officers and board of directors of the Society for fiscal year 2007. Garzolini’s term will last one year, and in this new role she will represent SWE to the public, and preside over all meetings of the board of directors and membership. As president of SWE, Garzolini will work to promote diversity within SWE and the broader profession. She joined SWE as a student at Wayne State University where she earned a B.S. in chemical engineering, one of three degrees Garzolini holds. She also earned her B.S. in textiles and clothing from Indiana Sate University, and an M.B.A. from the University of California, Davis. In addition to her duties as president, Garzolini also holds a program manager position at HP, where she is responsible for managing research and development, finance, marketing, procurement, manufacturing, and packaging for key media products in support of the company’s LaserJet printing business. Heidi Lerfald: 312.596.5223; heidi.lerfald@swe.org, www.swe.org.

One Step Closer to Quantum
Physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have designed and built a novel electromagnetic trap for ions that could be easily mass-produced to potentially make quantum computers large enough for practical use. The new trap may help scientists surmount what is currently the most significant barrier to building a working quantum computer—scaling up components and processes that have been successfully demonstrated individually. Quantum computers would exploit the unusual behavior of the smallest particles of matter and light. Their theoretical ability to perform vast numbers of operations simultaneously has the potential to solve certain problems, such as breaking data encryption codes or searching large databases, far faster than conventional computers. Laura Ost: 301.975.4034; laura.ost@nist.gov.

Industry

Georgia-Pacific and Kemrock Enter Investment Agreement
Georgia-Pacific Resins (GPRI) recently announced a mutual investment between itself and Kemrock Industries and Exports Limited of Gujarat, India. The two companies have formed Georgia-Pacific Kemrock International Private Limited, which will offer thermosetting resins to a variety of industrial markets in India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. GPRI is licensing its phenolic resins technology to Kemrock for the composites, coated abrasives, and foundry markets. The products will be manufactured by Kemrock at its facility in India and distributed by the mutual investment company. Caryn King: 404.652.8589.

Sekisui Voltek Acquires Youngbo America
Sekisui Voltek, a U. S. subsidiary of Sekisui Chemical of Tokyo Japan has acquired 100 percent of the stock of Youngbo America, a California Corporation, from Youngbo Chemical of Korea. Sekisui Japan is already a 51 percent shareholder of Youngbo Korea. Youngbo America’s California facility will serve as a West coast sales office and distribution center. In addition to this acquisition, Sekisui Voltek also announced that it has significantly expanded capacity of both XLPE and XLPP Volara® foam production to meet predicted strong growth in their three major business sectors of Automotive, Industrial, and Tape & Healthcare. Sekisui Voltek: 978.685.2557; www.sekisuivoltek.com.

FiberSIM® Software Chosen by NLR
The National Aerospace Laboratory NLR in the Netherlands has selected VISTAGY’s FiberSIM software for taking on more complex composite product and part design. As a result, all NLR member organizations will have access to FiberSIM for developing and automating groundbreaking designs that can provide significant competitive advantages and increase the demand for composites in the aerospace industry. Michael Antonellis: 781.250.6895; michael.antonellis@vistagy.com.

DSM’s Arnitel Brings Big Savings
DSM’s Arnitel® thermoplastic copolyester elastomer (TPE-E or COPE) for engine and under-hood air ducting offers up to 20 percent savings in processing as compared to its rubber counterparts. In under-hood air ducts, Arnitel offers greater stiffness and strength under both positive and negative air pressure compared to conventional rubber. The high level of crystallization in this Arnitel grade offers enhanced performance, particularly at high temperatures. As a result, both wall thickness and weight can be reduced by as much as 40 percent compared to other TPE-E materials. Due to much shorter cycle times and fitness for blow molding, Arnitel offers up to 20 percent additional savings in processing, as compared to rubber. Paula Wolfe: 812.435.7539; paula.wolf@dsm.com.

Force Protection Announces Additional Production Lines
Force Protection recently announced that it is expanding production to meet increased demand for its mine-protected vehicles. The company’s Buffalo and Cougar armored vehicles have been deployed in the global war on terror since July 10, 2003. Operated by combat engineers and explosive ordnance disposal teams, the vehicles have been used in dangerous detection and removal operations and are recognized as an effective solution to counter IEDs and other explosive threats. Despite inaccurate news reports, no fatalities have occurred in any Force Protection vehicle as the company continues to innovate and enhance the blast protection of its products to ensure that troops have the best protection available. More than 200 Buffalo and Cougar vehicles are currently deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Jeff Child: 202.737.5339; jchild@policyimpact.com.

Mosler Drops Forty Pounds
The Mosler MT900S will be the first production car factory-equipped with high-performance carbon fiber wheels, reported Composites News International. The ultra-lightweight rims are manufactured by Dymag and were exclusively designed for Mosler. The wheels are 18- and 20-inch, with nine-spokes and a magnesium center hub with carbon fiber rims. The new wheels have shaved off over 40 pounds compared to the previous aluminum wheels.

People

Reichhold Names Leydon as General Counsel
Reichhold has appointed Edward Leydon of New Hope, Pa. to the position of Reichhold general counsel, effective July 15, 2006. As Reichhold general counsel, Leydon will serve as the company’s chief legal officer, strategically planning and directing all aspects of the organization’s legal affairs on a global basis. He will provide counsel and advice to the executive management team, as well as other functional areas of the company. Leydon is a senior attorney with over 35 years of experience in domestic and international law, and his areas of expertise include licensing and distribution, mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, employment law, joint ventures, and intellectual property. He joins Reichhold from Schering-Plough, where he served as director if international law for the company’s global pharmaceutical business. A graduate of Bowdoin College in Bruswick, Maine, Leydon received his juris doctor (law degree) from Duke University School of Law. Leydon will be based out of Reichhold’s world headquarters in Research Triangle Park, N.C.

Rapp Named VP and GM of Glatfelter’s Composite Fibers Business Unit
Global manufacturer of specialty papers and engineered products, Glatfelter, has appointed Martin Rapp as vice president and general manager of the Composite Fibers Business Unit. Rapp will serve as a member of the senior executive team, responsible for business unit profit and loss performance, which includes operations in Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and the Philippines. Rapp joins Glatfelter after four years with Avery Dennison, most recently serving as vice president and general manager of the Central and Eastern regions for Avery’s Roll Materials Division. William Yanavitch: 717.225.2760.

New Sales Manager at Applied Manufacturing Technologies
Applied Manufacturing Technologies (AMT)—a supplier of factory automation design, engineering, and process consulting services—has appointed Chris Lohr as the company’s newest regional sales manager. With over 15 years of experience in the automation and machinery industries, Lohr will be responsible for sales in the Midwest and Southeast regions of the U.S. Prior to joining AMT, Lohr was senior sales executive for Thiele Technologies, a manufacturer of packaging machinery. Joseph Campbell: 248.409.2002; jcampbell@appliedmfg.com, www.appliedmfg.com.

New CTO at NaturalNano
NaturalNano—a materials science company that develops unique and proprietary processes for refining naturally occurring nanotubes and other nanomaterials that add competitive properties to a range of applications—announced the appointment of Cathy Fleischer as chef technology officer. In this role, Fleischer will focus on the commercialization of NaturalNano’s technology, and the expansion of its intellectual property portfolio. Fleischer is a highly recognized scientist and a manger with extensive experience leading diverse technical organizations and teams to deliver in research, business, and manufacturing. Fleischer holds 11 patents individually and has numerous publications in the fields of polymer materials science, composites, adhesion, and surface science. Fleischer previously served as R&D director for polarizer films at Eastman Kodak Company (Kodak). Jessica Tuquero: 212.843.9206; jtuquero@rubensteinpr.com, www.naturalnano.com.

Products

Get a Grip: New Tape Available from Ashland
Ashland Specialty Polymers & Adhesives has introduced a new acrylic double-sided tape for moldings and emblems for the automobile repair market. The new double-sided tape is water clear and features a solid core, which will not hold moisture or dust like other foam-core tapes. As the newest addition to the PLIOGRIP by Valvoline product line, the tape joins the core product line, which is segmented into four groups: SMC repair, panel bonding, plastic repair, and sealers and foams. The PLIOGRIP by Valvoline automobile body repair system utilizes urethane, epoxy, and MS polymer technologies. The tapes are available in 1/4-inch, 1/2-inch, and 7/8-inch sizes, and come in 20-foot rolls to reduce waste. Ashland: 800.754.6474; www.pligripbyvalvoline.com.

DSM Somos Introduces Four New Product Lines
DSM Somos, an Elgin, Ill.-based materials supplier for the rapid prototyping industry, has announced its 2006 new material lines. The company’s three new resin offerings are undergoing beta testing, with full commercialization expected in the coming months. NanoTool™ is the third resin to be introduced within DSM Somos’ line of reinforced composite materials for conventional stereolithography (SL). This new resin offers enhanced processing speeds (>30 percent increase) and ease of secondary processing, and is useful in composite SL resin applications, such as wind tunnel testing, rapid tooling, and metal plating of structural composites. Also introduced by Somos were the 18120 ProtoGen™ O-XT Clear and 18420 ProtoGen™ O-XT White resins. Both lines offer high dimensional stability via low water absorption, and high green strength. Somos 19120 ProtoCast™ AF is a completely antimony-free version of the ProtoGen™ O-XT Clear resin, targeted for the investment casting industry. The material boasts extremely low ash content and is targeted for use with both fused silica and alumina refractory shell systems. Eva Montgomery: 847.468.7741; eva.montgomery@dsm.com, www.dsm.com.

Aerospace Industry Report Now Available
Research and Markets has released a new report, Aircraft, Engines, Parts & Equipment Industry Report, analyzing the worldwide markets for aircraft, engines, parts, and equipment in units and millions of U.S. dollars. The report profiles 242 companies, including Airbus S.A.S., BAE Systems, Boeing, Bombardier, GE Transportation Aircraft Engines, Lockheed Martin, and other worldwide companies. The major product segments analyzed are commercial aircraft, general aviation, military aircraft, and engines and parts. The report also analyzed sub-product segments, including wide body aircraft, narrow body aircraft, single engine piston, multi-engine piston, military, and non-military. Separate comprehensive analytics for North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Middle East, and Africa are provided, including annual forecasts for each region and product segment for 2000 through 2010. The report can be ordered online at www.researchandmarkets.com/product/7f8ecl/aircraft_engines_parts_equipment_industry. Amy Cole: amy.cole@researchandmarkets.com, www.researchandmarkets.com.

On the Side

Wisconsin Plastics Wins Orion Environmental Stewardship Award
Wisconsin Plastics Products was recently awarded the Orion Environmental Stewardship Award for reducing the amount of power used from an annual 425,928 Kwh to 266,565 by switching to 6-tube Illuminator™ fixtures from Orion. The nearly 40 percent savings in energy also provides a better quality of light and reduces the negative effects on the environment caused by generating that much power. According to EPA formulas, the 158,363 kWh savings will mean that 154 tons of carbon dioxide, 42 tons of carbon, .7 tons of sulfur dioxide and .3 tons of nitrogen oxide will not enter the atmosphere each year. Brad Bruggink; 920.893.4500; brad@wiplastic.com.