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Van Nuys, California (September 1, 2004)
Easton Sports has an 82-year history of leading the market
by developing new materials to achieve enhanced performance
in sporting goods.
Easton’s Bicycle Division recently announced its breakthrough
in composite materials with the launch of their new proprietary
material featuring Zyvex’s Carbon Nanotube (CNT) additive,
NanoSolve™. The division features NanoSolve CNT technology
in many of its 2005 line of bicycle components.
Zyvex, a leader in the processing of carbon nanotubes, was
selected by Easton as the partner that best meets the goal
of incorporating CNT technology effectively in its products.
Utilizing breakthroughs from ongoing programs such as its
NASA SBIR contract for composite development, Zyvex has earned
a reputation as the leader in the commercialization of nanotechnology
by providing materials, tools, and structures to meet real-world
applications.
“Easton, known for its innovation, originality, and
ingenuity, has continued to raise the bar by offering innovative
products based on the most advanced composite materials. We’re
pleased that our NanoSolve materials are an integral part
of their product development,” said Zyvex President
Thomas A. Cellucci, PhD, MBA.
While scientists have known about carbon nanotubes since
1991, their superior mechanical properties were inhibited
by phase separation and clumping. Like throwing a wadded up
steel cable into concrete, “it doesn’t do much
good, no matter how strong the cable is,” according
to Larry Carlson, VP of R&D at Easton, “Zyvex’s
technology helped us use the full properties of nanotubes,
by unbundling them and integrating them into the composite
material.”
Added John Harrington, Vice President of Easton Sports Bicycle
Division, “We saw a large increase in the strength and
toughness of the composite when the nanotubes were properly
functionalized. With that achievement, we were able to create
lighter and stronger bicycle components.”
Robert Folaron, Zyvex’s Director of Product Development
sees the commercialization of nanotechnology accelerating
with such collaborations, “The Easton-Zyvex partnership
offers an opportunity for two leaders to rapidly develop a
CNT-enhanced composite and quickly adopt it into a product
line. We’re proud to help deliver the promise of nanotechnology
to Easton’s bicycle products.”
Carbon nanotubes are molecules of pure carbon atoms joined
together molecularly to form a carbon tube that is one billionth
of a meter in diameter. Properly used, these nanotubes provide
amazing strength and toughness to a composite system. A carbon
nanotube is over 20 times stronger than steel, yet with only
1/6th its density.
Read the Easton Q&A here.
Zyvex Corporation, based in Richardson, Texas, is the first
molecular nanotechnology company. Zyvex’s vision is
to be the leading worldwide supplier of tools, products, and
services that enable adaptable, affordable, and molecularly
precise manufacturing. Zyvex commercializes nanotechnology
to address real-world applications with high-growth potential.
Zyvex carries its scientific breakthroughs into key commercial
applications in the area of materials, tools, and structures.
Easton Sports, Inc., based in Van Nuys, California, is a
world leader in high performance sporting goods equipment.
Easton’s Bicycle Division, one of its fastest growing
business units, supplies frame tubing, forks, wheels, and
accessories. It fuels its growth through innovative design,
combined with the pioneering of advanced materials in both
metals and composites. Easton is the world market leader of
composite bicycle handlebars.
Easton Sports is at www.eastonsports.com.
For more information, contact John Harrington, VP of Easton
Sports Bicycle Division, at jharrington@eastonsports.com
or by phone at 818.782.6445 (ext. 758).
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