Based on Natural Ingredients
The American Composites Manufacturers Association (ACMA, Arlington, Va.) has announced the winners of its ACE (Awards for Composites Excellence) and Pinnacle Awards at the organization’s COMPOSITES 2012 trade show and conference in Las Vegas.The award for the Composites Sustainability went to e2e Materials Inc. (Ithaca, N.Y., USA) for Transform Worksurface. e2e’s proprietary biocomposites, featuring 28 pending patents, are made from plentiful feedstocks that include soy flour and natural grass fiber such as jute, flax and kenaf. In addition, the company employs a unique 3-D forming capability that eliminates costly manufacturing processing steps and associated waste. e2e Materials develops, designs, engineers and produces proprietary biocomposites for the furniture, cabinetry and other markets.
e2e’s proprietary composites are made from soy flour and natural grass fiber such as jute, flax and kenaf. Products made from e2e’s biocomposite are stronger, lighter, safer and cheaper than those made from formaldehyde-laden wood composites. Additionally, e2e uses only a small fraction of the energy required for wood composites, saving billions of pounds of CO2.
e2e Materials, a spin-out from Cornell University, based on over 15 years of research has developed an ecologically friendly version of particle board that consists of natural grass fibers and soy resins. During this period was made a number of scientific discoveries on which base had been developed the technology for production of new material.
It all started when the scientists start thinking about what can be replaced by strong, but not ecofriendly materials such as Kevlar or carbon fiber? How to preserve the strength of building materials and at the same time ensure their “purity”? A Cornell University research spin-off company called e2e Materials has developed such a material, it is natural, but at the same time has a wide range of properties that can be used in many fields and processes.
“Being acknowledged as a key innovator by the American Composites Manufacturing Association is the ultimate validation of our highly differentiated approach to developing sustainable biocomposites that are the ultimate in sustainability, American made and cost-effective,” said Patrick Govang, CEO of e2e Materials. “We’re fortunate to be at a key intersection in our industry where market demand for sustainable composite-based materials is exploding globally.”
e2e Materials, a spin-out from Cornell University, has developed an ecologically friendly version of particle board that consists of natural grass fibers and soy resins. Jason Salfi, co-founder of Comet Skateboards, appealed to the e2e Materials with a request to try to make a skateboard without using harmful epoxy resins and fiberglass. Now Comet Skateboards manufactures environmentally friendly products and spends much less time for its manufacture. This was a good test of the strength and qualities of e2e, because skateboarding has to withstand the tremendous loads during skating, which also increase manifold when performing tricks.
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Text by Maxim Ni kolaev