Tech Corner: Conductive Composites
Conductive Composites has been in the Carbon/Emery area for over nine years. Conductive Composites’ facility in Cleveland is the material manufacturing arm of the Conductive Group and is focused on manufacturing and selling materials that are used in a wide variety of products and solutions. Products benefit from these materials by providing the conductivity and shielding of metal with all the benefits of composite materials like significant weight reduction and ease of manufacturability. This creates a whole new realm of possibilities and opportunities for plastic, commercial and composite products.
Materials manufactured at the Cleveland plant are sold to a variety of companies that use the materials in their products. These companies are in a number of markets, including electronics, telecommunications, aerospace, security, medical, specialty construction, consumer products and defense.
An example of the materials in use would be the innovative defibrillation cable developed by Minnesota Wire. Conventional copper based conductor wires in medical cables cast a wide shadow on x-ray medical images, reducing image quality for diagnosis. Through a partnership with Minnesota Wire, we provided a solution to this problem by utilizing our nickel coated carbon fiber in defibrillator cables instead of conventional copper wire. This provides x-ray translucent leads, significantly reduced shadowing on x-rays and allowing for better diagnostics and medical outcomes. The leads are single use and we produce roughly 40 million linear feet of cable annually.
The Conductive Group utilizes the materials developed at the Castle Valley plant to develop and manufacture a wide range of innovative products that are sold directly to customers. Faraday Cases is one of the brands of the Conductive Group that uses these materials and manufactures injection molded and laminate cases. These cases provide sensitive electronics with physical protection as well as protection from natural and man-made threats, such as electromagnetic interference and hacking.
Faraday Structures is another brand of the Conductive Group that manufactures wallpaper, paint, caulk and other architectural products. These products are used for interior application to shield sensitive electronics, wireless networks and secure communications from hacking, snooping, spectrum congestion or other electromagnetic events. Additional products include solutions for lightweight conduit and cabling, antennas, dish reflectors, molded components, lightning strike protection and electrostatic discharge.
Recently, Conductive Composites has been working on expanding manufacturing facilities in the area. The Phase 2 building project is set to be completed by the end of November and Phase 3 expansion is currently underway. Phase 3 will be a 20,000 sq. ft building that will provide additional manufacturing, shipping, office space and core process capabilities for non-woven, precision converted and integration products.
Throughout these expansion phases, Conductive continues to bring on additional technicians, engineers, sales representatives and project managers that allow us to diversify and grow business. To learn more about the technology, materials and products of the Conductive Group, go to www.conductive.com