Integral Technologies Inc. (fka ITKG)

[gktignol]

Integral’s conductive compounds are charging ahead


http://www.modplas.com/inc/mparticle.php?section=firstlook&thefilename=firstlook06012007_01


Integral’s conductive compounds are charging ahead

Integral Technologies (Bellingham, WA) is shifting from research and development of its conductive polymer composite ElectriPlast to broader commercialization. Capacity is being increased, with one pelletizing line already in use and a second on order at its manufacturing partner Jasper Rubber Products Inc.

Last year, ElectriPlast achieved its first commercial application with an internal hearing-aid component for Knowles Electronics LLC, and it sold another license to British Esprit Solutions Ltd., which just visited the company and is investigating several aerospace applications.

When MPW spoke with Integral Chief Technology Officer and General Manager Thomas Aisenbrey, and Jasper President and CEO Doug Mathias, the pair had returned from a trip to Detroit, where they emphasized the material’s new focus on wire and cable products, with an ElectriPlast-based car-battery cable.

Potentially replacing heavier rubber-jacketed copper cables, the ElectriPlast cable, which suspends copper particles in a polymer matrix, is 80% lighter than its copper counterpart and has already completed life-cycle testing for one potential customer, enduring varying amperage loads and 24/7 operation for three months in an environmental chamber. The cables are non-corrosive, including their lugs, and maintain the conductive properties of copper.

Integral, using Jasper as its compounder, has created more than 15,000 recipes. Roughly 90% of Jasper’s sales come from compounded pellets, with the rest being generated by its own molding. Jasper is a licensed processor of ElectriPlast.