The Fulcrum products offer low weight, excellent corrosion resistance, electrical insulation, electromagnetic transparency and low thermal conductivity. Typical applications include joints in composite structures in chemical plants, water treatment, air pollution control, radar and electronic towers, cryogenic equipment, marine, transportation and infrastructure.

The initial product range includes both English and Metric threaded rod in sizes from 1/2”-13UNC to 1”-8UNC and from M12-1.75 to M16-2.0 In addition to higher performance Fulcrum threaded rod offers additional functionality not available with existing products. It can be readily thermoformed to produce high strength U bolts and hanging straps. It can be produced to order in any required color. Hollow threaded rod is also available offering further weight reduction and the option to be used to route and protect cables.

Product is available directly from Fulcrum Composites Inc in North America and from Topglass SpA in Europe. For Brazil and Mexico inquiries should be directed to Cogumelo and Polisor respectively. Distribution channels for specific markets and other geographies are still under discussion.

The threaded rod is produced in a newly developed process which combines sequential operations of thermoplastic pultrusion, extrusion, and molding/forming to optimize tensile strength, thread strength and torque resistance. The patent pending process does not involve cutting the fibers as in existing processes used for thermoset threaded rod. As a result the threads are significantly stronger and have better chemical resistance as the fiber ends are no longer exposed to chemical attack.

Further information is available at the website www.fulcrumcomposites.com; by email info@fulcrumcomposites.com or by phone +1 989 636 1025.

Product Contacts

Background
Fulcrum Thermoplastic Composite Technology combines continuous reinforcement fibers with a thermoplastic matrix to produce high performance composite profiles with mechanical properties at least comparable to more established thermoset composites, but with additional benefits including:

• Ability to thermoform the final profile to incorporate shapes and bends beyond the original 2D profile
• Incorporation of extruded or over-molded surface layers with additional surface functionality including color, soft-touch, conductivity, texture and enhanced abrasion resistance
• Extreme toughness due to the high ductility of the thermoplastic matrix
• Capability to recycle both post-industrial and post-consumer products into high value applications
• Zero VOC emissions during manufacture

Fulcrum Composites Inc. was formed in 2004 as a spin-off from The Dow Chemical Company to accelerate the commercialization of Fulcrum Technology. Dow maintains a non-majority shareholding in the company.