Manufacturing Lightweight Fiber Reinforced Aluminum

Officials from Triton Systems Inc., Chelmsford, MA and Specialty Materials Inc., Lowell, MA are partnering to manufacture an advanced material, FRA (fiber reinforced aluminum) that offers a lightweight alternative to steel and aluminum components in defense, transportation, and aerospace markets.

FRA's unique combination of weight savings, superior wear resistance, and high temperature strength offers a higher performance alternative to traditional steel and aluminum for products such as pump and actuator housings, bushings, wear inserts, internal combustion engine components, high temperature heat exchangers and bearing liners.

FRA was developed by Triton for use in military programs for turbopump housings and helicopter gearbox components. Under the agreement, Triton will continue to develop FRA for next generation products at their pilot production plant. SMI has designed a high volume FRA production facility with the capacity of 20" in diameter, which will be online in late 2013 for delivery of production quantities of FRA.

"This partnering makes perfect sense for both companies. Triton has an established relationship with SMI and they are a trusted source in the industry for composite materials," states Triton President and CEO, Ross Haghighat. "We believe FRA offers lightweight, high strength alternatives that the industry demands and SMI can deliver qualified production to meet aerospace, commercial and industrial requirements."

"We are excited to work with Triton on this endeavor. SMI is the industry leader in providing high strength, high modulus fiber and preforms to the composites industry. This partnership allows us to provide more solutions to our customers and beyond," says Monte Treasure, SMI's president and CEO. "FRA is a complementary material to our suite of products and we're geared up to take this product to volume manufacturing."