2007 ACE and Pinnacle Award Winners
 
Awards for Composites Excellence (ACE)
sponsored by:AOC and Composites One
WINNER
Infinite Possibility

COMPOSOLITE® Bridge Repair Scaffolding by Strongwell
WINNER
Process Innovation

Hollow Thermoset BMC Appliance Handles by Bulk Molding Compounds
WINNER
Best of Show and People’s Choice

Modular Ballistic Protection System by The AEWC Center, University of Maine
WINNER
Superior Quality (in an Open Molded Part)

Kawasaki Rail Car Cabe End Front Bonnet by Able Manufacturing & Assembly
WINNER
Most Creative Application

Safe Haven Rescue™ Chamber by Graftech International
WINNER
Technical Innovation for Corrosion Application
sponsored by: Ashland, Inc
88-foot Diameter Scrubber by Ershigs, Inc.
Pinnacle Award Nominees
sponsored by:Reichhold
WINNER
Best of Show – People's Choice

IMI Pinnacle Swirled Cast Granite by International Marble Industries
WINNER
Most Sustainable Market Growth & Attractiveness

"The Loft" Urban Master Bath by Six-Eleven Limited, Inc./The Finishing Touch, Inc.
WINNER
Most Creative Application

Dibbs Cultured Marble Hydrotherapy Shower, Bath, and Vanity by Dibbs Marble Products
WINNER
Best Installation

Double Ogee Master Vanity by Marble Works
   
Awards for Composites Excellence (ACE)
COMPOSOLITE® Bridge Repair Scaffolding by Strongwell

COMPOSOLITE® panels were pultruded in a safety yellow color and a fine grit surface was added for skid resistance. A total of 8,074 eight-foot long pieces of COMPOSOLITE® were shipped to the site and were assembled to create 22 ft x 66 ft platforms that were suspended about ten feet below the bridge deck, serving as a scaffolding/platform system.

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Kawasaki Rail Car Cabe End Front Bonnet by Able Manufacturing & Assembly

This part is the complete front end of the New York City passenger subway train. The enclosures are manufactured in molds built by Able Manufacturing by an open mold construction with multiple die locks. The process consists of the use of a fire retardant priming gel coat backed with a heavily filled fire retardant resin system reinforced with multiple layers of chopped strand mat. Incorporated into/onto the laminate of each part is 105 metal tapping pads and brackets. Each enclosure is finished in house with a primer, 2 colors of paint (black and metallic silver) and then completed with a graffitti resistant clear top coat.

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Hollow Thermoset BMC Appliance Handles by Bulk Molding Compounds

The Gas Evacuation Technique (GET) was developed to provide the appliance industry with a BMC handle that uses approximately 50% less material, allowing for an approximate 50% reduction in molding cure time. This patented process has significantly reduced the overall cost of the BMC molded handle while providing the appliance market with a high gloss and very rigid product that is unmatched relative to thermoplastic materials. This technology has allowed the BMC materials to successfully compete against the thermoplastic products by providing a higher quality part with superior aesthetics at a lower cost.

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Safe Haven Rescue™ Chamber by Graftech International

Safe Haven™ Rescue Chamber is a safe house for miners in the advent of an explosion, fire, cave-in, or flood. Constructed from Safetfoam™ Composite Panels, it is the only safe house designed to sustain life for 4 days, provide protection from 50 PSI blast or cave-in, provide protection from fire with temperatures of 1500F, and provide a sealed system to protect against floods or toxic air. The panels are constructed from a 5 pcf carbon foam core material which offers the thermal/fire protection. It is reinforced using the Tycor wrapping process and laminated with woven glass and fire resistant epoxy resin to provide the mechanical strength and an additional thermal barrier

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Modular Ballistic Protection System by The AEWC Center, University of Maine

The Modular Ballistic Protection System (MBPS) turns a standard U.S. Army tent into a big "walk-in helmet." The system consists of composite ballistic panels that are mounted to the inside of the tent frame using an energy-absorbing connection system. Requiring no tools, the MBPS can be used to up-armor a 20 ft X 32 ft tent in less than 30 minutes with 4 soldiers. Developed at the University of Maine under contract from the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Center, the MBPS provides soldiers with ballistic protection where it never existed before - in their tents where they work, eat and sleep. The up-armored tent meets fragmentation and blast protection requirements against mortar rounds and other explosive devices, including 220 lbs of TNT. The advanced thermoplastic composite panels are lightweight, reusable, and inexpensive. The MBPS provides immediate protection to troops in tents at the beginning of a deployment before sandbags and concrete barriers are erected. It also provides mobile protection to units on the move. Development of the MBPS progressed from concept to field evaluation in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Southwest Asia in less than 18 months thus offering significant near term improvements in troop protection.

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88-foot Diameter Scrubber by Ershigs, Inc.

This product is an 88 ft Diameter X 77 ft H FRP JBR Scrubber wound on-site by Ershigs' Construction Division and included turnkey supply and installation of all scrubber internals (FRP & PVC) by Ershigs, Inc. The scrubber is the largest FRP scrubber in commercial operation in North America erected by a single FRP company. The scrubber is part of a Flue Gas Desulfurization System at a Mid-West coal fired power plant and one of five being constructed by Ershigs for the same power company.

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Pinnacle Award Nominees
IMI Pinnacle Swirled Cast Granite by International Marble Industries

IMI's Pinnacle Swirled Cast Granite exemplifies the marriage of cast granite particles, dried & liquid pigments, offset color integral bowls, special edge profile, and artistry. With the vast selection of colors available to the manufacturer, there is a myriad of color combinations that can mimic natural stone. The consumer will recognize the ease of care, seamless installation, and beauty as driving forces to choose cast polymer products over natural stone. Our entry is a 32" vanity top with a white Malibu Flair bowl and a ¾ Bullnose edge.

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Double Ogee Master Vanity by Marble Works

The installation we performed helped design and coordinate the flow of beauty throughout the bathroom. The customer desired a color that was easy on the eyes (white with white veins), and wanted to make a statement of elegance. Collectively we chose to incorporate a Double Ogee, Double-Angled vanity accompanied by a make-up area. The use of a cultured marble backsplash gave the installation a crisp, clean look verses that of tile. We were able to utilize the space and make the statement that we intended. The homeowner brags that the master bath has become a focal point in their house.

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"The Loft" Urban Master Bath by Six-Eleven Limited, Inc./The Finishing Touch, Inc.

This innovative modular bathroom addresses a growing urban trend of converting commercial buildings to residential properties – often as lofts or condominiums. Often, these conversions include minimal bathroom amenities. “The Loft” master bath offers a stylish, modern, all-in-one modular bathroom can be placed anywhere, and can be configured in various ways to suit its location. This bathroom is a fully featured master bathroom – requiring only a water supply and a drain. With the rising popularity of commercial conversions, this master bath offers an innovative alternative to traditional bathrooms for today’s urban professionals. Materials include steel frame, cast polymer wall panels, cast polymer tub and shower, cast polymer bowl and acrylic glass.

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Dibbs Cultured Marble Hydrotherapy Shower, Bath, and Vanity by Dibbs Marble Products

We have been a proud manufacturer of cultured marble products for over thirty years in Tampa, FL. We have shipped our products all over the world and more than a million people have enjoyed our unique creations of cultured marble. We are very happy and excited to present our cultured marble displays. This product display represents a practical yet elegant and therapeutic design. This product has a uniquely lit shower, hydro tub and very attractive vessel vanity. Our bathroom designs brings out the happiness in people, soothing to the eyes and touch. Product Suppliers and/or Materials include: gel coat, resin, cultured onyx filler, Dinks Spray gun, Gruber mixer, and Gruber molds.

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