PlastiComp™, Inc. and Woodshed Technologies have reached agreement on a business relationship to market and sell Woodshed’s Direct Long Fiber Thermoplastics (D-LFT) manufacturing process.

Steve Bowen, President and CEO of PlastiComp™, Inc., and Ron Hawley, Woodshed President and inventor of the D-LFT technology, announced the partnership today. PlastiComp™, Inc. will hold exclusive global marketing rights for Woodshed’s D-LFT process, and sell the technology and know-how as well as offer strategic consulting services on its uses in thermoplastics parts manufacturing.

Bowen and Hawley rejoin forces through the PlastiComp-Woodshed relationship. The two previously worked together to make Polymer Composites, Inc. a world leader in the Long Fiber Thermoplastics market segment in the 1980-90’s.

In Woodshed’s D-LFT process, raw material formulation ingredients are compounded and molded in a single operation. This eliminates the need for pre-compounded pellets, resulting in improvements in production efficiency and reduced material costs. http://www.woodshedtech.com

The Woodshed process is completely in-line. Fiber is combined with molten polymer and fed directly into the injection-molding barrel while still hot. Molders can maintain longer fiber lengths, improving product performance. In-line compounding eliminates a major link in the supply chain – the pre-compounded pellet supplier – resulting in reductions in raw materials costs. The Woodshed technology is compact and retrofittable for conventional injection molding machines.

“Woodshed’s D-LFT technology will revolutionize the injection molding industry. The process offers a compelling economic advantage to molders,” said Hawley.

“Ron and I are already in discussions with polymer suppliers, fiber suppliers and OEM molding equipment manufacturers to form business associations to bring the Woodshed technology to market,” said Bowen.

“In addition to licensing the Woodshed technology, PlastiComp™, Inc. will offer business consulting for applications and materials development related to long fiber materials. Within the next two years we intend to build PlastiComp™, Inc. into the market leader in long fiber materials and direct compounding technology,” continued Bowen. “This relationship is important because it will bring D-LFT quickly to the global market,” said Hawley.

PlastiComp™, Inc. markets and licenses the Woodshed technology throughout the world. Woodshed Technologies, Inc., founded by Hawley in 1999, developed the first in-line Direct Long Fiber Thermoplastics (D-LFT) manufacturing process, based on “Pushtrusion®,” a patented process. Contact Steve Bowen at PlastiComp™, Inc. for a business assessment and evaluation to determine the value of the Woodshed D-LFT process in your manufacturing application.


About PlastiComp

PlastiComp, Inc. is unique in providing both long fiber reinforced thermoplastic (LFT) technology and direct long fiber reinforced thermoplastic (D-LFT) technology to global customers. Complet® composite pellets provide a single pellet solution for customers with stringent requirements and rapid speed to market demands. In contrast, Pushtrusion® direct in-line compounding offers a complementary approach by providing substantial savings compared to precompounded thermoplastic composite pellets. PlastiComp also offers advanced contract molding along with research and development including formula development, material and part testing, and evaluation.

Complet® and Pushtrusion are registered trademarks of PlastiComp, Inc.


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