Woodshed Technologies announces that it will receive support by Owens Corning, a market leader in the global composites industry, in a unique compounding process developed by Woodshed Technologies. Owens Corning will provide technical expertise and glass fiber rovings to this innovative process.

The Woodshed direct compounding process combines continuous fiber and polymer through a patented Pushtrusion® process, developed by Ron Hawley, Founder and President of Woodshed Technologies. "I have worked with the people at Owens Corning for many years, and their endorsement of the Woodshed process will accelerate achievement of our position as a global force in the compounding industry," said Hawley. "Owens Corning has excellent technical capability, a global leadership position and a commitment to industry growth through technical innovation."

Gary Nieman, Vice President and General Manager for Single End Rovings/Continuous Filament Mat, said, "We are excited about the Woodshed technology and the power it has to open up new opportunities for composites. We are convinced that this process will take long fiber reinforced thermoplastics to the next level of higher performance and more cost effective production."

"Long glass fiber reinforced thermoplastics is a growing and important aspect of the composites market. Direct In-Line Compounding is a natural progression for the industry and we believe it has the potential to be a major segment in the marketplace," Nieman added.

The Woodshed process is completely in-line and can be incorporated in the design and installation of new molding equipment or easily retrofitted to existing equipment. Continuous reinforcing fiber is combined with molten polymer and the compound is fed directly into the molding machine while still hot. The molder can adjust the fiber length from short to very long, by controlling the speed of the integral strand pelletizer. Material costs are reduced for the molder by compounding directly on the molding machine.

Owens Corning is a world leader in building materials systems and composites solutions. Founded in 1938, the company had sales of $4.9 billion in 2002. Additional information is available on the Owens Corning Web site at www.owenscorning.net.

Woodshed equipment and technology licensing is available on a global basis through PlastiComp, Inc., the exclusive sales and marketing partner for Woodshed Technologies, Inc.


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.


Back to 2003 Releases