Julia Willis

About Julia Willis

http://markets.rockwestcomposites.com

Posts by Julia Willis:

March 9 2024

RWC Delivers to Purdue the BTL Tracker Support Tube for CERN’s Large Hadron Collider

Julia Willis Press Releases CERN, Large Diameter Composite Tubes, R&D, Science

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Rock West Composites Delivers to Purdue University
the Barrel Timing Layer Tracker Support Tube for CERN’s Large Hadron Collider

This month Rock West Composites delivered a large, high-precision, carbon fiber and honeycomb core tube to Purdue University. The structure is the Barrel Timing Layer Tracker Support Tube that is part of an upgrade to CERN’s Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS), which is a general-purpose detector at the Large Hadron Collider.

San Diego, CA (PRWEB) March 9, 2024 – Rock West Composites (RWC) announces the delivery of the Barrel Timing Layer (BTL) Tracker Support Tube to Purdue University this month. This large carbon fiber sandwich structure destined for CERN was designed by a joint team from Purdue University, led by Dr. Andy Jung and Dr. Ben Denos, and RWC, led by John Marks. The collaborative effort met key performance parameters using the most cost-effective design. The hardware RWC delivered will be integrated with instrumentation from Purdue prior to delivery to CERN.

CERN is the world’s leading laboratory for particle physics located near Geneva, Switzerland. The carbon fiber tube supports the heart of the upgraded CMS detector, a “camera” with more than a billion pixels to record proton-proton collisions at the highest ever-made energies and unprecedented resolution. In a few years, once fully commissioned, the upgraded CMS detector is expected to collect 10 times the data recorded so far in the hunt for new particles and aims to understand the origins of the Universe.

Tube under manufacture and inspection

The BTL Tracker Support Tube had to be manufactured from materials with extremely low radiation resistance, have a precise circular cylinder structure, be very strong and stiff, and meet an accelerated delivery schedule. Because the final tube had such challenging requirements, traditional tooling or manufacturing approaches would have been unaffordable. Innovative techniques were used, starting with the manufacture of curved, solid laminate arc segments rather than a full cylinder. Precision machined arc segment stiffeners help hold the arcs to strict dimensions once assembled. Low coefficients of thermal expansion are maintained in all 3 directions: radially, circumferentially, and along the length of the tube.

Completed hardware with the tooling used for manufacture

Prior to making the full-scale tube, RWC built a full diameter but much shorter version of the part as a technology demonstrator. RWC was presented with an Industry Gold Award from CERN in 2022 for this effort, and ultimately won the program from Purdue for the full-size hardware due to the success of the demonstration model and its affordability.

The delivered hardware is 5.3-meters long by 2.4-meters in diameter. It is constructed of ultra-high-modulus prepreg and Nomex honeycomb core made with PMT-F6 cyanate ester resin. There are 1680 metallic inserts made of solid carbon epoxy, titanium and stainless steel; and it includes two 110 MSI carbon fiber (K13916/ F6) rails to support scientific instruments. Surface accuracy requirements were tested to 2.4mm cylindricity inhouse before shipment.

Images show details of the interior of the tube with hundreds of inserts and railing system

John Marks, VP of Product Development, said, “We were excited to take on this challenging program and to know that we will be contributing to the advancement of humanity’s understanding the fundamental construct of matter. Our work on the demonstration model and final hardware pushed our team’s technical skills to the limit, and we couldn’t be prouder of their performance on this program.”

The Rock West team posing in front of the completed hardware the day before it was shipped

About Rock West Composites

Rock West Composites is an employee-owned, advanced composites company. RWC develops, engineers, manufactures, and tests composite products for multiple industries including Aerospace & Defense (radomes, aircraft, and weapon components), Space (bus structures, solar array panels and wings, strut assemblies, launch vehicle structures), and Commercial Equipment (industrial, medical, energy, and sporting). The company is also one of the largest ecommerce suppliers of off-the-shelf carbon fiber tubes, plates, materials, and accessories.

The company’s vision is to “make the magic of composite technologies accessible to the world” by executing flawlessly and providing customers a competitive advantage, all while making it easy to buy. Rock West Composites has locations in San Diego, California; Salt Lake City, Utah; and Baja California, Mexico.
www.rockwestcomposites.com

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For more information:

Julia Willis, Marketing Director
Phone: 858-537-6260
Email: marketing@1rockwest.com
Website: www.rockwestcomposites.com

Odysseus lunar lander on the Moon. Image credit: Intuitive Machines, Nick Rios

February 21 2024

RWC’s Components Are on Intuitive Machines’ IM-1 Mission to the Moon

Julia Willis Press Releases Commercial Space, NASA, Space

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Rock West Composites’ Components Are on Intuitive Machines’ IM-1 Mission to the Moon

Supporting the commercial space race to the Moon, Rock West Composites is proud to have provided multiple configurations of struts to Intuitive Machines for incorporation into its Nova-C lunar lander named Odysseus, which launched last week. The struts met challenging surface profile and straightness requirements for both interior and exterior dimensions, were integrated with bonded fittings, and were pull-tested in-house before delivery.

San Diego, CA (PRWEB) February 21, 2024 – Rock West Composites (RWC) provided hardware to Intuitive Machines for incorporation into its recently launched Nova-C lunar lander, Odysseus. Intuitive Machines’ IM-1 Mission is sending its lander to the Moon as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative and Artemis campaign. RWC delivered multiple configurations of machined and tested struts with bonded fittings. The struts included both circular cross-section tubes with and without bonded titanium fittings, and rectangular tubes with a tooled surface on both the inside and outside face.

IM-1 Lunar Lander Odysseus with RWC Struts and Assemblies (Odysseus images courtesy Intuitive Machines – Nick Rios)

The RWC-provided struts were primarily constructed of HM63/PMT-F6 unidirectional prepreg with 0.010” and tighter surface profile and straightness requirements. The rectangular tubes were especially challenging due to the tooled surface requirement on both the interior and exterior with a tight surface profile requirement on both sides to allow for next-level assembly tolerances. The hardware was build-to-print, but RWC provided input on the final design for manufacturability and requirements compliance. The struts with bonded fittings were pull-tested in-house at RWC prior to final integration at Intuitive Machines.

RWC Strut Assemblies

“We are honored to support our commercial customers in this race to the Moon and ultimately a sustained human presence there,” said Jeremy Senne, RWC’s Space Segment Director. “Our precision composite components can give our customers the performance they need to succeed in this high-risk and clearly challenging business.”

For more information on this mission: https://www.intuitivemachines.com/im-1

About Rock West Composites

Rock West Composites is an employee-owned, advanced composites company. RWC develops, engineers, manufactures, and tests composite products for multiple industries including Space (bus structures, solar array panels and wings, strut assemblies, launch vehicle structures), Aerospace & Defense (radomes, aircraft, and weapon components) and Commercial Equipment (industrial, medical, energy, and sporting). The company is also one of the largest ecommerce suppliers of off-the-shelf carbon fiber tubes, plates, materials, and accessories.

About Intuitive Machines

Intuitive Machines is a diversified space company focused on space exploration. Intuitive Machines supplies space products and services to support sustained robotic and human exploration to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. Intuitive Machines’ products and services are offered through its four business units: Lunar Access Services, Orbital Services, Lunar Data Services, and Space Products and Infrastructure. For more information, please visit intuitivemachines.com.

For more information:

Julia Willis, Director of Marketing Communications
Phone: 858-537-6260
Email: marketing@1rockwest.com
Website: www.rockwestcomposites.com

January 31 2024

RWC Ships First Set of Solar Array Substrate/Back-Up Structure Assemblies for the DiskSat Program

Julia Willis Press Releases DiskSat, Precision Assembly, Solar Array Substrate, Space, Spacecraft panel, STRATO, STRATOSubstrate

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Rock West Composites Ships First Set of
Solar Array Substrate/Back-Up Structure Assemblies for the DiskSat Program

Rock West Composites announces that this month it shipped the first four solar array substrate/back-up structure assemblies to The Aerospace Corporation in support of the DiskSat Program. The company, whose engineering team consulted on the substrate and assembly design, used their space-grade, off-the-shelf STRATO™ panels to reduce cost and lead times, plus met positional tolerances of 0.010”-0.020” without costly assembly fixtures.

San Diego, CA (PRWEB) January 31, 2024 – Rock West Composites (RWC) delivered four combination solar array substrate/back-up structure assemblies to The Aerospace Corporation in support of the DiskSat Program this month. DiskSat is a NASA-funded technology demonstration program that seeks to verify the performance and deployment method of this new small-spacecraft platform. The disk-shaped satellite design has the potential to revolutionize smaller space missions through its high power, large aperture form factor that fits in the circular cross-section of a rocket fairing. By using its own off-the-shelf, space-grade STRATO products, RWC was able to significantly reduce lead time and cost, while helping define structural properties to support the mission’s innovations. If successful, follow-on missions are possible, and other prime contractors may look to use a similar form factor for volumetric and weight efficiencies.

Set of four DiskSat Assemblies

Providing additional services for this build-to-print program, the RWC engineering team consulted on the design including layup, material selection, insert design, bonding methods, and manufacturing strategy. RWC used its own product, the STRATOSubstrate™ LEO class, to ensure a cost-effective solar array substrate. The team used an insert design that allowed for self-fixturing to a tight tolerance, avoiding a costly assembly fixture. The tolerances on the in-plane and out-of-plane inserts match to a global datum scheme, and tolerances were on the order of 0.010-0.020” positional.

The use of STRATOSubstrate LEO panel blanks significantly reduced raw material and blank lead time. STRATOSubstrate LEO class panels use HR40/NB321 unidirectional prepreg, NB301 film adhesive, perforated aluminum honeycomb core, and 0.002” HN Kapton. The inserts for the deliverable were BR-127 primed aluminum bonded with EA9394. The final assembly measures approximately one meter in diameter and 25 centimeters in thickness.

Close-up of the DiskSat assemblies

Detail of DiskSat assemblies’ inserts

“Saving our customer cost and lead time for this innovative and game-changing program by using our STRATOSubstrate LEO class of panels is exactly why we developed the STRATO product line,” said Jeremy Senne, RWC’s Space Segment Director. “We are excited about the potential for this new form factor in the exploration of space.”

About Rock West Composites

Rock West Composites is an employee-owned, advanced composites company. RWC develops, engineers, manufactures, and tests composite products for multiple industries including Space (bus structures, solar array panels and wings, strut assemblies, launch vehicle structures), Aerospace & Defense (radomes, aircraft, and weapon components) and Commercial Equipment (industrial, medical, energy, and sporting). The company is also one of the largest ecommerce suppliers of off-the-shelf carbon fiber tubes, plates, materials, and accessories.

About The Aerospace Corporation

The Aerospace Corporation is a nonprofit corporation that operates a federally funded research and
development center, providing technical expertise and objective analysis for our nation’s space programs. aerospace.org

For more information:

Julia Willis, Director of Marketing Communications
Phone: 858-537-6260
Email: marketing@1rockwest.com
Website: www.rockwestcomposites.com

Telescoping Tubing Blog Banner (1920x600) copy

September 20 2023

Pre-assembled Telescoping Tubing for the Win!

Julia Willis Latest News Accessories, Design and Assembly Services, Telescoping Tubing

Telescoping tubing has so many practical uses and can be used in everything from window washers to selfie sticks. But sometimes you can’t find the right length you need for your purposes. While building your own set can get you exactly what you want (and we are happy to provide all the supplies you need to do it), the process can be time consuming to design and assemble the structure. We have a great solution for you! We now offer fully assembled telescoping tubing from two of our lines: INFINITubeV and INFINITubeUL.

Our INFINITubeV Telescoping Tubes provide the perfect balance of strength and lightweight design. This product utilizes our standard modulus tubes, with a classic carbon fiber twill weave strength and esthetic. Engineered for seamless extension and retraction, these tubes offer unmatched versatility for a range of applications, providing exceptional strength without the added weight of heavier material. For this line, you can choose between our compression ring twist clamps or our new proprietary Flip and Twist locking clamps (more details below!).

Our Ultralight Telescoping Tubes utilize standard modulus unidirectional tubes and provide the strongest strength to weight ratio of our telescoping tube options. This set provides the same seamless extension and retraction, versatility and strength. This is just much lighter. This model utilizes compression ring twist clamps.

Both of these lines have medium, long, and extra-long options with 3, 4 or 5 segments respectively. The collapsed and extended length depend on the line since each line has different tube lengths. For details, review the specifications on the individual product pages.

Compression ring twist clamps (left) and our flip and twist locking clamps (right)

NEW Flip and Twist Locking Clamps

These flip and twist locking clamps are made specifically to work with our INFINITubeV Telescoping Tubes, and they are faster to lock and release than our compression ring twist clamps. They are manufactured with PA12GB 40% glass filled & blacked nylon, meaning it is has high stiffness and temperature resistance. If you are building your own telescoping tube set, these clamps can be secured to the base (larger) tube in the assembly with a cyanoacrylate adhesive or the supplied screw (for dis-assembly). But why build your own when you can buy it assembled already?

September 13 2023

Rock West Composites Acquires the Assets of Performance Plastics, Inc.

Julia Willis Press Releases Acquisitions, Aerospace Industry, Aerostructures, Strategic Growth

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Rock West Composites Acquires the Assets of Performance Plastics, Inc.

Rock West Composites announces that on September 8, 2023, it acquired the assets of Performance Plastics, Inc. and is integrating its staff, facility, and equipment into RWC’s operations. The executive team believes that the complementary capabilities of Performance Plastics offer significant expansion potential for Rock West, as the business continues to meet its aggressive growth targets.

San Diego, CA (PRWEB) September 13, 2023 – Rock West Composites (RWC) announces the acquisition of the assets of Performance Plastics, Inc. (PPI) on September 8, 2023. This addition will expand RWC’s product offering into complementary markets that have little overlap with its existing businesses but use similar materials and processes. The new staff and facilities will also add metallic manufacturing, machining, forming, and bonding to RWC’s technical expertise. PPI brings significant business opportunities through their customer process specification approvals and long-term supply agreements with multiple prime contractors.

PPI’s staff of 80 people, who represent a complementary and diverse talent base, will join RWC’s employee-owners bringing the total team to 360. Adding PPI’s 50,000 square feet to RWC’s current expansion of its Salt Lake City facility will result in over 275,000 square feet in total manufacturing space.

This acquisition, along with continued success in their current markets, will add to RWC’s history of revenue growth, demonstrated by their 26% CAGR over the past 10 years.

PPI’s President Jim Renaud shared, “Today marks an historic and exciting milestone for all of us: the transaction of Rock West Composites, Inc. adding Performance Plastics, Inc. is complete. Together, we will form a stronger business, drive further growth and innovation, creating more value for our employees, customers, and suppliers.”

RWC’s CEO Jim Gormican stated, “We are very excited with the addition of PPI’s People, Capability and Capacity to Rock West, which will enhance the value we bring to our combined customer base. This will clearly accelerate our strategic growth into the future!”

About Performance Plastics, Inc.

California-based PPI is a manufacturer of precision-engineered composite aerostructure components for major military and commercial OEMs, as well as Tier 1 suppliers. Founded in 1982, PPI focuses on small- to mid-size assemblies, and has an extensive list of customer qualifications covering both metal bond and composites processes.

About Rock West Composites

Rock West Composites is an employee-owned, advanced composites company. RWC develops, engineers, manufactures, and tests composite products for multiple industries including Aerospace & Defense, (space, radomes, and weapon components) Commercial Equipment (industrial, medical, and energy), and Sporting (outdoor, racing safety, marine products). The company is also one of the largest ecommerce suppliers of off-the-shelf carbon fiber tubes, plates, materials, and accessories.

For more information:
Julia Willis, Director of Marketing Communications
Phone: 858-537-6260
Email: marketing@1rockwest.com
Website: www.rockwestcomposites.com

September 2 2023

Rock West Composites Delivers Completed Space Telescope Structure to EOI Space

Julia Willis Press Releases Space, Space Telescope, Stable Structure

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Rock West Composites Delivers Completed Space Telescope Structure to EOI Space

Rock West Composites announces that this month it has delivered a large aperture space telescope structure to customer EOI Space for its very low earth orbit constellation that is currently in development. RWC provided engineering design, analysis, and fabrication services for this stable structure within a compressed schedule of six months while meeting tight requirements for launch, orbital, and operational conditions.

San Diego, CA (PRWEB) September 2, 2023 – This month Rock West Composites (RWC) delivered a large aperture space telescope structure to its customer, EOI Space. Once integrated with its optics and detectors, the telescope will provide near-real-time ultra-high-resolution earth imaging services to EOI Space’s wide customer base.

The telescope structure features mountings for three separate mirrors, as well as stress-free support of the imaging module and a decoupled mount to the spacecraft bus structure. Constructed of high-modulus unidirectional carbon fiber cyanate ester prepreg, aluminum honeycomb core, and metallic inserts, the telescope was fabricated to meet the specific needs of EOI Space’s unique optical payload. While utilizing the commonality of composite components to cut down on part count for the first deliverable, future iterations will be optimized for weight and producibility.

RWC provided clean sheet engineering and design for this telescope structure including static, quasi static, modal, acoustic, thermal, and deflection analysis to ensure all requirements were met for launch, orbital, and operational conditions.

“Our program team is very proud of the telescope structure delivered to the customer,” said Geoff Pinto, Program Manager for the space telescope project. “We leveraged our deep background in stable space structure fabrication to achieve the demanding requirements of this program, and we were able to exceed those demands for our customer.”

About Rock West Composites

Rock West Composites is an employee-owned enterprise that develops and manufactures composite products for multiple industries including aerospace, defense, space, radomes, commercial, industrial, medical, energy, and sporting goods. The company is also one of the largest Ecommerce suppliers off-the-shelf carbon fiber tubes, plates, materials, and accessories. Specializing in carbon fiber and RF-transparent composite materials, RWC offers custom products and off-the-shelf solutions that enable customer success by finding innovative solutions to complex problems across the product lifecycle, from concept to design, and prototype to final hardware production. Rock West Composites has facilities in San Diego, California; Salt Lake City, Utah; and Baja California, Mexico. www.rockwestcomposites.com

About EOI Space

Based in Louisville, Colorado, EOI Space is developing a constellation of unique low-flying satellites to deliver premium, persistent Earth Intelligence. By operating in Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO) and leveraging on-board computing technology, EOI Space will deliver 15-cm resolution imagery and decision-ready data within an hour from collection, expediting critical time-to-action and supporting commercial and government customers with emergency response, asset monitoring, situational awareness, and more. Learn more at: https://eoi.space/

For more information:

Julia Willis, Director of Marketing Communications
Phone: 858-537-6260
Email: marketing@1rockwest.com
Website: www.rockwestcomposites.com

August 18 2023

Rock West Composites Delivers Completed Assembly Fixtures for the NASA PASS Program

Julia Willis Press Releases, Uncategorized NASA, Precision Structure, Space

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Rock West Composites Delivers Completed Assembly Fixtures for the NASA PASS Program

Rock West Composites announces that this month it has delivered three 9 ft. by 9 ft. assembly fixtures that are part of the Precision Assembly Space Structure (PASS) program supporting NASA’s On-orbit Servicing Assembly and Manufacturing (OSAM). Designed with tight tolerances for thermal and moisture stability, the fixtures also required 0.002 in. flatness across 9 fittings and 0.002 in. positional tolerance across the holes and slots for those fittings encompassing the full 9 ft. by 9 ft. panel.

San Diego, CA (PRWEB) August 18, 2023 – This month Rock West Composites (RWC) delivered three assembly fixtures for NASA’s Precision Assembly Space Structure (PASS) program supporting the On-orbit Servicing Assembly and Manufacturing (OSAM) efforts. These fixtures are part of NASA’s push for next generation manufacturing technology that will enable in-orbit construction of high-precision hardware, such as reflectors and antennas, for programs such as Artemis.

Left: CAD image of NASA PASS Reflector assembled (Credit: NASA Langley) Center: CAD image of segment of structural supports with assembly fixture (Credit: NASA Langley) Right: RWC Program Team with completed assembly fixtures

RWC helped define the requirements and designed the hardware to meet the challenging operational parameters for these fixtures. There are 9 holes and 9 slots on 9 fittings which required a positional tolerance of 0.002 in. The 9 fittings also required a flatness across the fixture of 0.002 in. The panel has to interface with a strut assembly and have very low coefficients of thermal and moisture expansion to ensure high precision and repeatability.

Laser tracker inspection results of panel tolerances

RWC used a spliced panel design to meet the 9 ft. by 9 ft. sizing. Innovative soft fixturing with fine tuning adjustment capability was used to meet tight tolerances in a cost-effective manner. A laser tracker was used to verify tolerances during manufacture.

Left: Panel in manufacturing on adjustable fixtures for precision tuning Right: Detail of single insert adjustable fixture

“We are proud to be part of this program supporting NASA’s mission infrastructure and pushing forward space technology,” said Jeremy Senne, the head of RWC’s Space market segment. “When we can find ways to innovate our manufacturing process that ultimately save our customer time and money, it’s a win-win. We hope to recycle this process for similar large and tight tolerance structures to continue to push the envelope of what’s possible.”

For more information on Rock West Composites’ capabilities, visit www.rockwestcomposites.com.

About Rock West Composites

www.rockwestcomposites.com

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For more information:
Julia Willis, Director of Marketing Communications
Phone: 858-537-6260
Email: marketing@1rockwest.com
Website: www.rockwestcomposites.com

May 1 2023

Rock West Composites Completes Development Model Design for Canadarm3

Julia Willis Press Releases Canadarm3, Carbon Fiber Tubes, Design and Engineering, Robotic Arm, Space

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Rock West Composites Completes Development Model Design for Canadarm3

Rock West Composites announces that it has completed the design for the development model for Canadarm3 this month as part of its contract with MDA, a Canadian space company. Over the course of the contract, two primary booms and one qualification boom will be built and tested to support the Canadarm3 robotic arm, which will be supplied by the Canadian Space Agency as part of the lunar Gateway Program.

San Diego, CA (PRWEB) May 1, 2023 – This month Rock West Composites (RWC) has completed the design of the development model for Canadarm3. RWC is collaborating with MDA, a leader in advanced technology solutions for the space industry. The team will design, analyze, manufacture, and test the two primary boom structures and supporting spare units for Canadarm3, Canada’s next-generation robotic arm for the lunar Gateway Program.

According to the Canadian Space Agency, “Canadarm3 will be Canada’s contribution to the US-led Gateway, a lunar outpost that will enable sustainable human exploration of the Moon. This highly autonomous robotic system will use cutting-edge software to perform tasks around the Moon without human intervention.” MDA is tasked with establishing the technical requirements for the program, and RWC is developing the boom structures with MDA.

As a critical component of the Canadarm3 system, the boom structure will be responsible for supporting the robotic arm’s operations and ensuring its stability and reliability over its 20+ year service life. The structure must meet challenging structural and weight requirements, as well as tight dimensional tolerances, operate within wide temperature ranges, and withstand radiation.

“Our collaboration with MDA builds upon our proven track record of delivering innovative solutions for the space industry,” said Jeremy Senne, the head of RWC’s Space market segment. “We are excited to contribute our expertise to this project, work alongside MDA to advance Canada’s space robotics capabilities, and support future deep space presence and exploration by mankind.”

Canadarm is an Official Mark of His Majesty the King in Right of Canada as represented by the Ministry of Industry.

An artist’s concept of Canadarm3, Canada’s smart robotic system, located on the exterior of the Gateway, a small space station in orbit around the Moon. (Credits: Canadian Space Agency, NASA)

For more information on Rock West Composites’ capabilities, visit www.rockwestcomposites.com.

For more information on MDA’s Canadarm3 program, visit https://mda.space/en/canadarm3/.

About Rock West Composites

Rock West Composites provides composite products for a variety of markets and customers. Specializing in carbon fiber composites, RWC offers custom products and solutions, such as product development, engineering services, prototyping, and manufacturing, as well as off-the-shelf products, including tubes, plates, complementary materials, and their space-ready STRATO line. Manufacturing processes include filament winding, roll wrap, resin infusion, bladder molding, modified closed mold, compression molding, autoclave cure, and precision assembly. Rock West Composites has facilities in San Diego, California; Salt Lake City, Utah; and Baja California, Mexico. www.rockwestcomposites.com

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For more information:
Julia Willis, Director of Marketing Communications
Phone: 858-537-6260
Email: marketing@1rockwest.com
Website: www.rockwestcomposites.com

April 11 2023

Expanding the STRATO™ Product Line

Julia Willis Press Releases Space, STRATO

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Rock West Composites Is Expanding Its Short Lead Time, Space-Ready STRATO™ Product Line

This month Rock West Composites announces the expansion of its space-grade STRATO product line, which now has two classes created for LEO, GEO and Deep Space applications. These selections of tubes, plates, sandwich panels, and solar array substrates are some of the Space market’s fastest turnaround products with most lead times ranging from two to four weeks.

San Diego, CA (PRWEB) April 11, 2023 – Rock West Composites (RWC) announces the expansion of its STRATO space-grade product line this month. Originally focused on tubes for Lower Earth Orbit (LEO) applications, a secondary line will now include products appropriate for Geosynchronous Equatorial Orbit (GEO) and Deep Space use. STRATO products now include plates, sandwich panels, and solar array substrates for both orbital types.

The STRATO line is designed to provide businesses and government agencies high-quality components commonly needed for spacecraft, but RWC offers dramatically shorter lead times—approximately two to four weeks—than competing providers, and the order can be placed easily online.

The entire STRATO line meets key requirements for space, with properties that include low outgassing, low to zero CTE, high modulus materials, and a wide operational temperature range. RWC can offer significantly reduced lead times because it stocks raw materials such as M55J/PMT-F33 Cyanate Ester and HR40/NB321 Epoxy for its ecommerce business.

The STRATOLeo class is a more cost competitive option for meeting space requirements without the additional high-performance capability typically associated with GEO orbits and Deep Space flights. The STRATOGeo class uses top-of-the-line materials in all cases where performance can’t be compromised. The table below details some of the differences of the product classes.

RWC STRATO Product Class Table with Technical Details

Each order includes a certificate package with dimensional inspection, material certificates, traceability, and a certificate of conformance from RWC. All products are serialized and traceable. Additional options for some products include full traveler verification, resin content testing, and short beam shear testing.

“Our goal is to make space quality hardware readily available in a cost effective and efficient manner,” said Jeremy Senne, head of RWC’s Space market segment. “Whether it’s a start-up business building cube sats or large prime contractors looking to optimize operations, agile organizations in a rapidly growing industry need high quality solutions quickly. Our hope is to help minimize design and build timelines by standardizing available products.”

For more information on RWC’s STRATO line, visit www.rockwestcomposites.com/strato.

About Rock West Composites

Rock West Composites provides composite products for a variety of markets and customers. Specializing in carbon fiber composites, RWC offers custom products and solutions, such as product development, engineering services, prototyping, and manufacturing, as well as off-the-shelf products, including tubes, plates, complementary materials, and their space-ready STRATO line. Manufacturing processes include filament winding, roll wrap, resin infusion, bladder molding, modified closed mold, compression molding, autoclave cure, and precision assembly processes. Rock West Composites has facilities in San Diego, California; Salt Lake City, Utah; and Baja California, Mexico. www.rockwestcomposites.com

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For more information:
Julia Willis, Director of Marketing Communications
Phone: 858-537-6260
Email: marketing@1rockwest.com
Website: www.rockwestcomposites.com

January 24 2023

Happy New Year!

Julia Willis Latest News Employee Engagement, Facilities, Holidays

Reflecting on the Past and Planning for the Future

As we move into our 16^th year of business, we are filled with optimism for the future. A business that started as two friends working in a garage has grown to a team of over 200 people in four locations. This growth has been driven by our culture centered around continuous improvement. We always assess past performance to inform how we plan for the future of our business in the world of composites.

People

Our people are our most important asset, which is why we always seek to improve our workplace culture and benefits for Rock West employee-owners. It seems to be working because our San Diego and Salt Lake City locations were named to the 2022 Top Work Places by our local newspapers for the second year in a row! Last year we began building an employee wellness center, which should be completed this year, and our benefits have been expanded based on feedback from our annual survey of benefit preferences. If you want to be a part of a motivated, engaged, and fun group of people, join our team!

Business Markets

Last year we grew revenue over 60%! We made inroads in new markets and reorganized our business development and program management teams around these markets, improving focus on niche requirements and engineering needs as we move forward. You can read more about our Market focus on our recently updated website.

Facilities & Capabilities

We continue to grow and expand our capabilities. Last year we added an additional 5-axis machine to support the manufacture of larger substrates for space hardware, and we built a custom thermal chamber 50-feet long for thermal cycling long narrow substrates. Also, we added new precision assembly tables, a filament winder, a laser tracker for quality assurance, a laser ply placement system and new software for our CNC ply cutting. This year we’ll be adding a large platen press for oversize plate cures, another 6-spindle filament winder, more precision inspection equipment, and another CNC 3-axis router. We’ll also be expanding our Mexico operations. Our plans are adaptable based on the needs of our customers as we move into 2023.

Laser Ply Placement

Infrastructure

When a company grows this rapidly, its infrastructure has to be updated to keep up with the organization’s needs. This year was an optimal time to upgrade many information systems we use to run our business. We are already noticing the gains of changing to more powerful platforms and anticipate the efficiencies becoming more pronounced as 2023 continues. Saving time and keeping smooth operations helps keep our overhead rates competitive and ensures we continue to provide great value to our customers.

Moving Forward…

We hope your 2022 was wonderful and wish you the happiest of years in 2023! We look forward to working with you!!