CoreLite - CoreLite Blog , CoreLite News

CoreLite Signs Agreement with Local Government for Balsa Wood Supply

Fri, 04 Dec 2020 23:11:17 +0000

CoreLite has signed a long-term Balsa Wood plantation cooperation agreement with the local Government of Los Rios Province in Ecuador during a public ceremony on Wednesday December 2, 2020. This agreement entails the planting and harvesting of Balsa Wood plantations throughout Los Rios Province over a 5-year period with a target number of 2,500 hectares of Balsa Wood plantations. The main drive of this agreement is to bring technological development and the creation of new jobs in Ecuador.

"This agreement will create several life-changing income opportunities for the local communities in Los Rios Province with a completely sustainable product that is commonly used in wind energy applications" said Mr. Johnny Teran Salcedo, Prefect of Los Rios Province, Ecuador.

This private-public partnership will also ensure the ample availability of sustainably and legally sourced raw material for the production of Balsa Wood panels that CoreLite manufactures and distributes worldwide.

"This is part of CoreLite's global sustainability initiative to promote responsible forestry, reduce the carbon footprint, while at the same time ensuring future availability of raw material" said Mr. Paul Lewis, Managing Director at CoreLite.

Balsa Wood is an endemic wood species to Los Rios Province, so the natural ecosystem of Los Rios Province will be restored.

Left: Mr. Johnny Teran Salcedo, Prefect of Los Rios Province, Ecuador.

Right: Mr. Paul Lewis, Managing Director at CoreLite

About CoreLite

CoreLite is a global manufacturer of advanced Balsa & Foam core materials for high performance composite applications. CoreLite specializes in producing sustainable materials and delivering customized composite solutions to solve engineering challenges.

For more information about CoreLite visit: www.corelitecomposites.com

For more information about Los Rios Government visit: www.losrios.gob.ec

CoreLite Unveils Next-Generation PC11 Pro Coating for BALSASUD® Core

Fri, 02 Mar 2018 08:11:24 +0000

BALSASUD Core Coated CoreLite will unveil the next-generation PC11 Pro coating system at the JEC World 2018 in Paris during March 6 to March 8. The PC11 Pro coating system was engineered to significantly reduce resin uptake during the lamination process by sealing the pores in the end-grain balsa wood sheet more effectively than the standard PC11 coating system.

Balsa core resin uptake was compared between the standard PC11 formulation, and the newly developed PC11 Pro formulation against non-coated balsa. The balsa core was coated using the latest UV technology and then vacuum infused. The results show as expected: the new PC11 Pro formulation achieves significantly lower resin uptake compared to the standard PC11 coating formulation.

A typical balsa sheet of non-coated balsa wood core will absorb roughly 1900 grams of resin per square meter (177 grams of resin per square foot) during infusion. The standard PC11 formulation was able to reduce the resin uptake by up to 46% to 1020 grams per square meter (95 grams per square foot) of resin uptake. The new PC11 Pro formulation is completely revolutionary as it reduces resin uptake by up to 76% to only 450 grams per square meter (42 grams of resin per square foot).

After several months of Research & Development, we are glad to release the most advanced coating technology for balsa wood core in the market, which can provide incredible resin cost savings to our customers and significantly decrease the weight of the final composite structure” said Ms. Elsa Axelsdottir, Innovation Manager at CoreLite.

This new coating solution will be a key component to make structures lighter and more cost effective without losing the unique mechanical properties of balsa core. It can be used in wind, marine, rail, automotive, aerospace, defense and industrial applications. And can be used with different lamination processes including hand lay-up, vacuum bagging and infusion.

About CoreLite

CoreLite is a manufacturer of advanced balsa & foam core materials for high performance composites applications. CoreLite specializes in producing sustainable materials and delivering customized composite solutions with agile turnarounds.

For more information about CoreLite visit: www.corelitecomposites.com

CoreLite Attains DNV GL Certification for its BALSASUD Core SG

Fri, 06 Jan 2017 08:38:27 +0000

CoreLite has received the distinguished DNV GL Type Approval Certification for its end-grain balsa wood: BALSASUD Core SG. CoreLite is one of the first balsa wood core suppliers to attain accreditation through the new combined DNV GL body. This designation indicates that CoreLite’s end-grain balsa wood is suitable for use as a core material in the manufacturing of sandwich-structured composites.

“DNV GL accreditation represents a major achievement for CoreLite and demonstrates the suitability of CoreLite’s end-grain balsa wood, as a core material for sandwich construction” said Ms. Elsa Axelsdottir, Innovation Manager at CoreLite.

Driven by the purpose of safeguarding life, property and the environment, DNV GL enables organizations to advance the safety and sustainability of their business. DNV GL operates in more than 100 countries and is dedicated to help companies make the world safer, smarter and greener.

For more information about DNV GL visit www.dnvgl.com

CoreLite Achieves Lloyd's Register Certification for its BALSASUD Core

Mon, 12 Dec 2016 17:11:10 +0000

CoreLite is very pleased to announce that its end-grain balsa wood core material, BALSASUD Core, has achieved the prestigious Lloyd's Register Certification.

This Type Approval certifies that BALSASUD Core meets certain quality standards and mechanical properties as a core material for FRP sandwich construction.

CoreLite's BALSASUD Core has the Certificate No. MATS/4830/1

Lloyd's Register is a global organization dedicated to research and education in science and engineering since 1760 with operations in 78 countries.

For more information about Lloyd's Register, visit www.lr.org

CoreLite Board is awarded Certificate of Material Excellence

Thu, 15 Sep 2016 01:34:52 +0000

CoreLite proudly announces that its CoreLite Board product has been awarded the distinguished Certificate of Material Excellence by Material ConneXion.

This certification recognizes that CoreLite Board was voted and accepted into Material ConneXion's permanent collection by a team of world-class material scientists and specialists as an innovative and creative solution in the world of design, product development, and all related fields.

Material ConneXion is the world's largest Materials Library, with seven full-service locations worldwide. The Materials Library is the largest collection of advanced, innovative and sustainable materials and processes in the world. The archive features more than 7,000 cutting-edge materials in eight distinct categories. CoreLite Board is featured in the Polymers section.

Elsa Axelsdottir, Innovation Manager at CoreLite, commented "We are very proud to be included in such a prestigious materials library and pleased that our innovative material and industry leading quality have been recognized. Our wide variety of product configurations and unique properties are revolutionizing many industries and we are very excited to discover novel applications for CoreLite Board".

Learn more about Material ConneXion at: www.materialconnexion.com

CoreLite Introduces PC11 Coating for BALSASUD Balsa Core

Mon, 06 Jan 2014 19:14:16 +0000

CoreLite, Inc., Miami, FL, announced the introduction of BALSASUD PC11, a new balsa core product with a proprietary surface coating engineered for resin infusion, vacuum bagging, pre-pregs, and wet layup.

The proprietary polymer coating, under development for over a year, reduces resin absorption in the core while improving resin adhesion and bond strength in sandwich construction. PC11 is compatible with polyester, vinyl ester, and epoxy resin systems.

The increased bond strength comes with substantial resin and labor savings. By sealing the surface of the balsa core, PC11 eliminates the need to pre-wet, or “prime” the core with resin prior to laminating, reducing resin use and labor costs. The sealed surface also promotes more efficient resin flow in vacuum bagging and infusion processes.

PC11 joins BALSASUD SG (Standard Grade,) PG (Pith Grade,)and CoreLite Board in the CoreLite product line.

CoreLite Board is a cost-effective, closed-cell PVC foam specially formulated to provide high physical properties. It is engineered to meet the physical demands required for use in transoms, attachment points, floors, bulkheads, stringers, local reinforcement points, molds and tooling. CoreLite Board is a stand-alone product and can be used with our without composite skins as a direct replacement for wood and plywood. It has excellent fastener pullout strength and high flexural strength and stiffness and is 27% lighter than plywood.

BALSASUD balsa is grown, harvested and milled in Ecuador. The BALSASUD product line is vertically integrated– they own their own plantations and control production from harvesting to final processing. The BALSASUD S.A.facility in Ecuador has been FSC™ (Forest Stewardship Council™) certified by the Rainforest Alliance according to FSC Chain of Custody standards.

Final processing into finished core materials is done atCoreLite’s Miami facility, the newest balsa production facility in NorthAmerica. New coating equipment has been installed to apply PC11 coating. Controlling production from forest to end-user assures BALSASUD customers the highest quality balsa core products available today.

CoreLite Introduces 2 Core Materials at IBEX

Thu, 12 Sep 2013 20:43:07 +0000

CoreLite, Inc., Miami, FL, is introducing two core materials, BALSASUD® balsa wood and CoreLite Board® PVC foam board, at IBEX 2013, September 17 – 19 in Louisville, KY.

BALSASUD Core is grown, harvested and milled in Ecuador. Balsasud is vertically integrated – they own their own plantations and control production from harvesting to final processing. The Balsasud S.A. facility in Ecuador is FSC™ certified (Forest Stewardship Council™) by Rainforest Alliance according to FSC Chain of Custody standards.

Final processing into finished core materials is done in CoreLite’s Miami facility, the newest balsa production facility in North America. Controlling production from forest to end-user assures Balsasud customers the highest quality balsa core products available today.

CoreLite is also introducing CoreLite Board at IBEX. CoreLite Board is a cost-effective closed-cell PVC foam specially formulated to provide high physical properties. It is engineered to meet the physical demands required for use in transoms, attachment points, floors, bulkheads, stringers, local reinforcement points, molds and tooling. CoreLite Board is a stand-alone product and can be used with our without composite skins as a direct replacement for wood and plywood. It has excellent fastener pullout strength and high flexural strength and stiffness and is 27% lighter than plywood.

Visit CoreLite at Booth #1431 at IBEX.