By: Deborah Johnson Wood
GMI Composites, one of Michigan's 50 Companies To Watch, learned to make a better manhole cover. They've also learned to make a lot of other things better. The result is annual sales of over $8 million in 2006—a ten percent increase over 2005—and a projected 12 to 15 percent increase in 2007.
GMI custom molds engineered thermal set polymers with high percentages of fiber reinforcement—Fiberglass, Kevlar, carbon fiber—to make super strong components, including: leaf springs for Steelcase chairs, structural support rings for GE Medical's MRI machines, and parts for Arctic Cat snowmobiles.
The company recently introduced composite manhole covers into their regular product line.
A 32-inch composite cover weighs 55 pounds. Iron covers weigh 240. Composites reduce injuries because they're easier to handle and they're stronger than iron.
"A standard test for iron covers is to apply 40,000 pounds of pressure for one minute," Brady said. "Our covers can pass a test of 89,000 pounds for one minute."
The biggest advantage may be that radio waves can pass through the composites. That means that transponders can transmit data remotely.
"If transponders are set up to monitor a storm sewer system," Brady said, "you can see that parts of the system may be full where it's raining, and other parts may be empty where it's not raining."
That means engineers can direct the water remotely and control flow rates and flooding.
"The composite marketplace as a whole is a young technology," Brady said. "As such it continues to grow."
Source: Robert Brady, GMI Composites
Deborah Johnson Wood is the Development News Editor for Rapid Growth. She can be reached at [email protected].
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