New Oldcastle Cable Trench Overcomes Challenges of Steel Reinforcement, Thanks to WEAV3D Composites
Cable trenches play an important role in managing and distributing cables and wires in utility, rail and power applications. Oldcastle, a leading provider of building materials, supplies these durable components in the form of its polymer-based concrete trench systems, which use a steel wire cage to reinforce the material. While they have their advantages, polymer concrete systems don’t adhesively bond to the steel—instead relying purely on the mechanical interface between the materials.
Our composite lattice has allowed Oldcastle to produce an economical, yet high-quality cable trench without the failure modes of polymer concrete systems. The result of our collaboration is a completely non-metallic cable trench system that offers many advantages. Read our recent application note to learn more.
Video: Automotive Composite Opportunities
WEAV3D composites deliver superior strength-to-weight ratios, making the technology a great fit for a variety automotive applications. You can see the most promising applications in in our latest video.
WEAV3D to Participate in Upcoming Plug and Play Mobility Program
We’re excited to announce Plug and Play recently selected us to participate in its Mobility accelerator program, which focuses on emerging automotive technologies. The program recognizes the promise of our composite forming technology.
Lightweight, Cost-Effective Composites
Designed for high volume production, our composite forming machine processes continuous, fiber-reinforced thermoplastic tapes—allowing you to vary weave pattern, lattice density and tape-type and enabling complete control over part strength and stiffness.
We combine these lattice structures with injection molding or thermoforming processes—creating lightweight, stiff structural composites that cost as much as 50 percent less than carbon fiber composites formed using traditional methods.
Our structural composite technology is a good fit for the automotive industry, as it reduces weight while maintaining high-strength and -stiffness properties required by vehicle components. While automotive applications have been our initial focus, our technology applies more broadly to other structural composites applications as well.
About the Plug and Play Program
Plug and Play’s three-month business development programs—which also include Materials and Packaging, Energy, Sustainability, Construction and more—consist of various workshops, mentor meetings and networking events.
As part of the Winter 2019 program, we will graduate this December at the Plug and Play Winter Summit, where we’ll make an onstage pitch in front of over 500 investors and other industry leaders.