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Zyvex establishes Nanomaterials Prototyping
Facility
in Rapid City, South Dakota
Richardson Texas and Rapid City, South Dakota (July 20, 2006)
Governor Mike Rounds today announced a cooperative agreement
with Zyvex Corporation of Richardson, Texas, to establish
a Nanomaterials Prototyping, Testing and Characterization
Facility at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology’s
Polymer Processing Center (SDSM&T-PPC).
Under this agreement, Zyvex will immediately open its first
satellite facility in Rapid City, South Dakota. Zyvex-South
Dakota will initially manufacture pilot-scale quantities of
Zyvex’s NanoSolve® material. Zyvex also will become
a major user of the SDSM&T-PPC, utilizing the Center’s
facilities to produce and characterize new nanomaterial-based
products. Production activity has already begun in the facility
for Zyvex's sporting goods customers, with a production rate
up to 800 pounds of NanoSolve Enhanced Epoxy per month. This
material is used to make carbon fiber composite structures
even stronger and stiffer, and is finding significant acceptance
in the high performance sporting goods market.
“Goal 3 of the 2010 Initiative is to have South Dakota
become a recognized leader in areas of research and technology,”
said Governor Rounds. “Working in conjunction with Mr.
Jim Von Ehr and Zyvex Corporation, we are providing our young
people with an opportunity to stay in South Dakota. This new
2010 Center for Accelerated Applications at the Nanoscale
on the campus of South Dakota School of Mines & Technology,
creates a win-win situation for our students and for our partners
at Zyvex.”
“Zyvex’s nanomaterials business has grown significantly
this year,” said Zyvex founder and Chairman James Von
Ehr. “We have been looking for a production facility
to allow us to scale up to tons of NanoSolve concentrate per
month. We have also been renting access to processing and
characterization equipment at other universities to supplement
our own development lab. The Polymer Processing Center is
a superb facility and we are thrilled to establish a branch
there to commercialize new nanocomposite materials.”
Zyvex expects to add at least 8-10 people to the SD facility
over the next 18 months (with more to follow) and is currently
interviewing for the startup staff. South Dakota-based Zyvex
employees will work closely with the company’s established
nanomaterials experts in Texas to create and verify nanomaterials-based
composites and processing techniques to market-driven specifications.
Facility staff will also ensure that the methods and processes
used to create products using these new materials are transferable
to a given customer’s plant(s). This will include supply
chain management and quality assurance and control.
Zyvex-South Dakota will be able to execute all of the crucial
processing steps necessary to manufacture research, pilot,
and production batches of nanomaterials-based components —
from the processing of raw nanomaterials to the production
of Zyvex’s Kentera™ dispersing agents to the final
mixing and let-down procedures. Its characterization abilities
will help customers select proper formulations, verify product
performance, and develop process controls.
Zyvex’s patented and trade-secret-protected
Kentera processing technology solves three key problems for
CNTs; getting a good dispersion, exfoliating bundles of tubes,
and adhering the CNTs to a host polymer matrix without damaging
them. This proprietary technology allows CNTs to retain their
intrinsic electrical and thermal properties and also gives
them the solubility and host polymer compatibility necessary
for commercial processing.
This agreement captures the momentum of the
Zyvex/Arkema partnership announced in June 2006 to capitalize
on each company’s strengths in developing CNT-enhanced
materials. Through a new licensing arrangement, Arkema uses
Zyvex’s patented Kentera dispersion technology, in conjunction
with its own MultiWall Carbon Nanotubes (MWNTs). Arkema is
the exclusive distributor in Europe of Zyvex’s NanoSolve
product line.
Perhaps no single nanomaterial has the potential of Carbon
Nanotubes (CNTs), since they are the strongest material known
(with a mechanical strength at least 20 times stronger than
high-strength steel), the best-known electrical conductor,
and the best-known heat conductor. Polymer composites formulated
with CNTs offer exceptional potential.
In 2003, the U.S. market for the polymer composite segment
of nanomaterials was estimated at roughly $15M. By 2008, this
segment is forecast to grow to $211M. A March 2006 study by
the Freedonia Group estimates the U.S. demand alone will be
over $2B by 2015. Initially, thermoset polymers will be the
material of choice (e.g., epoxies) because of their high value
applications in sporting goods, aerospace, and military goods.
Eventually, commodity thermoplastic materials (e.g., polyethylene
and polycarbonates) are expected to dominate in terms of pounds
shipped.
, 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 areas of materials, tools and structures.
The , unveiled
by Gov. Rounds in October of 2003, outlines a series of specific
goals, objectives and action plans for economic growth and
visitor spending in the state by the year 2010. When our vision
is fully realized, the 2010 Initiative will yield an unprecedented
era of opportunity and economic development for our state.
It’s an exciting and important undertaking, one that
will have lasting impact for all of us here in South Dakota.
www.2010initiative.com
The serves the people of South Dakota as their
technological university. Its mission is to provide a well-rounded
education that prepares students for leadership roles in engineering
and science; to advance the state of knowledge and application
of this knowledge through research and scholarship; and to
benefit the state, region, and nation through collaborative
efforts in education and economic development. It is dedicated
to being a leader in 21st Century education that reflects
a belief in the role of engineers and scientists as crucial
to the advancement of society. www.sdsmt.edu
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