Product Pick of the Week - TYCOR® W, a unique engineered composite core material

WebCore Technologies, LLC has been awarded $1,800,000 as part of the Department of Energy's (DOE's) Small Business Phase III Xlerator program. WebCore was selected for its next phase development and commercialization of TYCOR® W, a unique engineered composite core material. TYCOR W is rapidly gaining acceptance in utility wind turbine blades due to its ability to significantly improve performance and quality while reducing cost and weight - critical components to making wind power more cost competitive with other power generation sources.

WebCore’s TYCOR W technology combines fiber reinforcements, such as E-glass roving or mat, with closed-cell, low density foam in an engineered architecture. The patented core material has been in use for over two years in utility-class wind turbine blades and is undergoing qualification for use with additional 1.5 - 3.0 MW turbines that have blade lengths in the 40 to 60 meter range. The one-inch thick TYCOR W saves an average of 0.5 pounds of weight per square foot and reduces resin usage by 0.2 pounds per square foot when compared to one-inch thick balsa wood. WebCore’s production process optimizes TYCOR W sheet sizes, improving kitting yield by as much as 10 percent.

Phase III Xlerator awards, a first for DOE, were created to help small businesses develop manufacturing processes to scale up production of their new, proven technologies, creating new markets and new jobs. WebCore will use the funding to expand production capacity of TYCOR W at its Miamisburg, Ohio manufacturing facility and support ongoing development of enhancements to its TYCOR technology platform.

Since 1991, WebCore Technologies has been developing, designing, testing and manufacturing TYCOR® fiber reinforced composite core and sandwich solutions for structurally demanding applications. These products represent an investment of more than $25 million in research and development. Headquartered in Miamisburg, Ohio, the ISO 9001 company also supports customers with an advanced manufacturing facility with the capability to deliver high volume production capacity. WebCore’s expertise in shipping and logistics allows the manufacturer to consistently meet customers’ on-time requirements. In 2007, WebCore used its proprietary platform technology to develop TYCOR W, a family of core solutions designed specifically for the unique requirements of utility scale wind blades. To help meet the industry’s growing need for large blade production, WebCore provides TYCOR W in four standard grades giving designers and manufacturers the flexibility to optimize blade designs or use the material throughout the blade. TYCOR’s fiber reinforced composite core products are also used by leading manufacturers for applications that include truck bodies, military shelters, pedestrian and vehicle bridges, railcar floors and cargo ship floors.

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