ElectriPlast: On Display with AvaitionToday online...
The ElectriPlast -- Moving Forward Series...
Written by Woodrow Bellamy III
Private aircraft manufacturer Volta Volaré and its partners are researching the possibilities of bringing hybrid composite materials to cockpit avionics.
Volta Volaré, which earlier this year launched the four-seat, GT4 hybrid electric private aircraft, is teaming up with ElectriPlast Corp., of Fort Washington, Pa.-based manufacturer of non-corrosive, electrically conductive resin-based materials, for the research and development of hybrid composites and advanced lightweight materials for the avionics of the aircraft.
“Composite materials are rapidly changing the face of aviation and are becoming generally accepted by the industry for the various benefits they provide in terms of structural integrity, weight reduction and performance. Our GT4 is made entirely of carbon fiber. ElectriPlast is unique among these materials in that it is designed for specific applications such as electromagnetic shielding and electronics systems applications. So ElectriPlast may be one of many composites to shape avionics in the future,” said Paul Peterson, CEO of Volta Volaré, which is based in Portland, Ore. ...
For more on this story, go to:
http://www.aviationtoday.com/av/business-and-general-aviation/Volta-Volare-ElectriPlast-Eye-Composite-Materials-for-Avionics_76865.html
posted by PK... | 7/28/2012 02:23:00 PM
4 Comments:
Following are recent responses to an EB readers questions. See: http://electriplast.blogspot.de/2012/04/electriplast-lightening-can-strike.html for more...
Anonymous –
**Passed in Three Parts (1of3)**
Apologies for the delay in answering your question, and if I begin to ramble, please excuse that as well intended (I’m getting old and that’s what I do sometimes) --
First, let me start by saying that this remains a speculative investment, but it does have a high potential for pay-off as the products reputation and capabilities become mainstreamed and better known. The company is the initial/to mid-phase of realizing this milestone now, and has a dedicated team to push forward towards its ultimate goal of integrating their technology into a wide array of diverse markets that can benefit...
But all of that is a future deal, let's answer your question.
The unique or "special" about ElectriPlast is that it does what they claim, and does it better than any comparative product on the market today (and probably tomorrow too). Their uniquely recipe’d material is comparable to water in that it has variable uses and abilities. Water can change from a solid, to a liquid, to a gas. ElectriPlast is a moldable resin-based material that can -- as you yourself noted-- conduct electricity (but again, better than any currently marketed material), and that in itself is a huge deal. The change up, or disruptive factor comes when you realize that the material (when the recipe is changed) can be blended into not only plastics, but rubber material and other non-corrosive polymers. Change the recipe again, and it can serve as highly effective electric and even RF shielding material.
Ice (in this regard) is a great example to use, mostly because of its obvious and commonly known changing states. ElectriPlast, while for the moment is less commonly known--one day, that will change, and change is starting now, as more and more companies begin a practical employment of the ElectriPlast material and as a result, bear witness and testify to the validity to ElectriPlast’s claims on their materials use and effectiveness.
As for the question on ElectriPlast’s various PATENTS. Alright, fun fact for all to file away. Patents are general effective for something between 17-20 years, and as noted in your question Integral Technologies (ITKG), the parent company of ElectriPlast Corp, and the creators of ElectriPlast—well they have more than a few of them on hand. Here’s what they did, and why.
Anonymous –
**Passed in Three Parts (2of3)**
Short History lesson – in the early days of ElectriPlast’s creation, the company’s leadership knew they had a potentially good product on their hands, but didn’t yet have a solid vision on where to go and how to take it there. At the same time, they were interested suitors wanting to align their interests with Integral’s with the hopes of maybe overtime wresting control of the ElectriPlast IP and technology away from this upstart ITKG company. And that is how dealing with companies like DOW, DuPont and some other tenuous heavy hitters like GE Plastics, pushed Integral down the path of Patents. It was a smart move, and served as a means of protecting the intellectual property behind this “potentially good product” that team Integral had in their hands.
Fast forward to your question: Integral created a primary Patent that detailed the extruding processes which makes ElectriPlast so unique and uniform in its production – this was the so-called philosophers stone Patent. All of the other Patents do, as you noted, highlight applications – but these were introduced as a means of controlling development, and --in casting a future eye on the ElectriPlast materials capabilities-- capitalizing on prospective spin-offs resulting from more mainstreamed use 5, 10 or even 15 years down the road. Those things that begin to employ ElectriPlast materials in the future will pay a version of royalties to Integral as a result of the “in-the-weeds” Patents that the company applied for and obtained. Again, it’s all about Intellectual Property. While it might appear randomly done, there was a rhyme and reason behind the actions…
As for your final question regarding the something unique about EP’s compounding technologies or formulations? – Yes and Yes.
Look, by trade, I am an Analyst. I am good at wrapping my mind around a topic – taking in the historical; the present; the engaged climate; the similarities & synergetic applications, and envision likely and improbable outcomes. I am not a scientist, nor am I privy to the secret recipe alluded to. What I can say as a Wonk of a sort is that while I see those pushing ElectriPlast to a myriad of markets: Aviation, Automotive, Medical, and Security… I see one of the largest, and in my opinion, most profitable impacts taking place in ElectriPlast’s wire production. Our country’s national energy grid is in a decrepit state. A wind storm can hit literally leaving hundreds of thousands without power for days, or weeks in some instances. And that is just a wind storm, take a regular winter and the pain of no power multiplies dramatically.
One of these days the need will arise to upgrade, or replace the current national-energy-grid. It will be in the nation’s interest to do this, ignoring the need to act would be tantamount to suffering a thousand needless little cuts and dying from attrition. But that is all politics, and we are not about raising that specter – suffice to say, one day the need will become apparent, and one of the solutions could one day be ElectriPlast high-power wire or cabling. Extremely conductive, highly shielded (both of these factors means that power can be readily pushed longer distances without measurable loss of energy (as opposed to the less effective overhead copper/aluminum wires we currently rely on). Depending on the mixture, the ElectriPlast wire can be either rigid or flexible. It can conduct energy as well as copper, silver, and gold and is resistant to temperature changes & corrosion, so it can be readily hung on towers, or buried underground without the concern of the degradation that might be present when using the current standard of copper or aluminum wiring. Final bonus, weight – if you’ve looked at ElectriPlast in the past, you will recall that they are extremely proud of quoting their material's 40-60% weight savings…
Anonymous –
**Passed in Three Parts (3of3)**
Another fun-fact regarding the above mentioned "weight savings" – this factoid-connection was first made on: 13 April 2006 by the ElectriPlast Blog’s Editor, Vince S. in his article:
“ElectriPlast . . . Move Over Number 29. There’s Room for Both of Us!”,
and later reiterated in his 12 May 2008 article:
“ElectriPlast: A Limited Supply of Copper for a Demanding World”
Why did I highlight that last – Look, the ElectriPlast Blog (EB) has a purpose of showing the way forward, especially when it appears that that the company is reluctant to do it themselves. They have more in the way of legal considerations to contend with—we, not so much. But back to the point, the EB is also a historical reference, an archive of how we got to here and now. That is an invaluable tool for both assessing the value and potential of this company, but also in gauging its potential to succeed.
What happened to the additional interviews that were supposed to be posted?
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