Composiflex Sees Green
Composiflex embarks on initiatives that make good business - and environmental - sense
ERIE, PA (July 1, 2009) - - Composiflex, a global supplier of highly-engineered composite products, is making significant strides in improving operating efficiency with methods that are also environmentally friendly.
The company uses a significant amount of electricity to power production equipment and facility infrastructure. In keeping with the country's elevated emphasis on renewable energy, and in financial defense of the pending removal of the decade-plus electricity rate cap, there is good reason to reduce electrical utility dependency. Composiflex is taking steps now to install a wind turbine on its site that will supplement the power it draws from the electrical grid. A wind turbine constructed in an adjacent township has proven cost-effective under wind conditions very similar to those on the Composiflex site. The company is targeting a 30kW wind turbine. In addition to providing supplemental electrical power to the facility, Composiflex also intends to use the windmill as an on-site test bed in their development of composite components for wind generation equipment. However, as is common across the region, local township zoning ordinances must be revised to address wind turbine construction before work can begin.
In addition to supplementing its energy supply, the company will also reduce its overall consumption of electrical power. Presses and the autoclave used in the production process draw a great deal of power to generate heat. This month, the company will launch a thermal fluid consolidation project that will eliminate electrical power in these heating systems and, instead, utilize an oil heater fueled by more efficient natural gas to heat all three pieces of equipment. Concurrent with the fluid system consolidation project, the autoclave heat exchanger will be renovated with a projected energy savings of 67%. Composiflex will also add a heat recovery system to offset traditional building heat during winter months. Finally, the current cooling tower drive will be replaced by a variable frequency drive which is projected to result in 59% electrical energy savings as compared to the current motor.
Projects that make good business sense can also be good for the environment. Cases like these are solid proof.
About Composiflex: For nearly a quarter century, Composiflex has been an innovator in the design and manufacture of advanced high-performance composites. Specializing in custom designs, Composiflex serves the military, aerospace, ballistic protection, medical, industrial, and recreational markets. The company is characterized by its "art-to-part" projects made possible by its knowledgeable engineering staff, broad materials expertise, cost-effective rapid prototyping methods, and range of modern manufacturing technologies. Certified to ISO 9001:2000 and AS9100 standards, Composiflex conducts operations in Erie, PA, USA and is presently expanding its facilities by more than 60%.
Contact:
Marty Matthews
(814)866-8616
martym@composiflex.com
www.composiflex.com
Holly M. English
Composiflex, Inc.
8100 Hawthorne Drive
Erie, PA 16509
814-866-8616, ext. 57
hollye@composiflex.com
www.composiflex.com
