Breaking News
Thermo Fisher Scientific has selected Ecomass® Compounds for shielding in its Niton line of portable and stationary analyzers. Ecomass Compound 1050Z92 was chosen for two shielding applications in this product line. "We faced a serious design challenge of meeting the regulations for radiation safety and banned materials for all the countries we export to." said Niton engineer Paul Estabrooks. "Ecomass enabled us to employ an eco-friendly material in our shielding to comply with the requirements of all the markets we serve. Since the material lends itself to injection molding we were able to minimize weight - essential for our handheld portable instruments."
 Golfsmith International has introduced a new lead-free swingweight tape produced with an extrusion grade Ecomass Compound. This product will replace lead tape, traditionally used by both amateur and professional golfers for years to fine tune club head mass and consequently the swingweight of the club. The new Golfsmith Lead-Free Swingweight Tape contains no lead or lead compounds (a substance known to the state of California to cause cancer or reproductive toxicity).
Ecomass Technologies has delivered 70 lead-free shielding blankets to TVA's Sequoyah Nuclear Plant for use during a recent plant modification. Dose rates during the 1000 hour operation were 30% lower than projected resulting in an additional 3.0 rem dose reduction. More information on Ecomass Blankets can be found on the Case Studies page.
 Ecomass Technologies certifies its Ecomass Compounds product line to be RoHS compliant. EU Directive 2002/95/EC (generally known as "The RoHS Directive") restricts of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment. Specifically:
| Lead |
Hexavalent Chromium (Cr6+) |
| Mercury |
Poly Brominated Biphenyls (PBB) |
| Cadmium |
Poly Brominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDE) |
In order to comply with the RoHS legislation, all six substances must either be removed, or must be reduced to within the maximum permitted concentrations, in products containing electrical or electronic components sold within the European Union, effective July 1, 2006. Ecomass Compounds are Pb-free.
Ecomass Technologies has been awarded a contract to supply lead-free 5.56mm Ecomass projectiles to Olin Corporation for a U. S. Department of Defense requirement.
Ecomass Technologies was awarded a contract to supply Reactor Vessel Head shielding at Omaha Public Power District's Fort Calhoun Station during its Spring 2005 refueling outage. Shielding devices, panels and tape produced with Ecomass Compounds were used to reduce exposure to employees performing inspections of the reactor head thereby reducing overall dose and cost. An overview of these products is available by clicking on this link: Radiation Shielding Brochure
Ecomass Compound 4700ZB92 (in the form of extruded tape and sheet) has been selected by Entergy Corp. for use at its River Bend nuclear power plant to provide gamma ray shielding for piping in a up-rate plant modification. Over 11,000 linear feet of this material was installed in April 2004.
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued U.S. Patent No. 6,517,774 B1 to Ideas to Market, L.P. (parent company of Ecomass Technologies) for its High Density Composite Material - Ecomass Compounds on February 11, 2003. This is the second U.S. patent issued for Ecomass Compounds. A copy of the patent may be obtained at www.uspto.gov.
Ecomass Technologies has completed production to fulfill a second contract for Ecomass projectiles as part of the U.S. Army's 5.56mm 'Green Ammo' program. "We are very pleased that the Army is continuing to use Ecomass projectiles in its line of 'environmentally-safe', nontoxic ammunition" said Robert Durkee, President of Ecomass Technologies. This ammunition is being manufactured at Lake City Army Ammunition Plant.
Ecomass Compounds have been selected by a major golf club manufacturer for use in club head weighting. The manufacturer says that the ability to formulate the compound to its exact density and physical property requirements will result in a better club head design and ultimately lower scores for golfers using its clubs.
Ecomass Compounds won the Nuclear Energy Institute's TIP (Top Industry Practices) Award at NEI's Annual Assembly held in Naples, Florida May 1 -3, 2002. This annual award, established in 1994, recognizes nuclear energy industry employees and applications for innovations that improve safety, economics and plant performance.
A presentation on the Ecomass Pellet-Filled Shield Wall used by Quad Cities Nuclear Power Generating Station was made at the Electric Power Research Institute's annual meeting held in Baltimore October, 2002. Ecomass Compound 1700TU96 is being used for temporary gamma ray shielding for a second condensate/demineralizer tank installation at Quad Cities Station. Additional applications for Ecomass Compounds are planned by the plant operator, Exelon Corp.
Ecomass Pellet-Filled Shield Wall is a success at Quad Cities Nuclear Power Generating Station. Ecomass Compound 1700TU96 (formerly NJ-96TP) is being used for temporary gamma ray shielding for a condensate/demineralizer tank at Quad Cities Station. Additional applications for Ecomass Compounds are being investigated by the plant operator, Exelon Corp.
More trouble for companies using lead - The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports on the clean up of a lead-contaminated site in downtown Cleveland. Not only can EPA require that companies operating on the site pay for the clean up, but the law allows the federal government to pursue firms that had done business with owners and prior owners.
Environmental News - The Bush Administration announced that it will proceed with a rule that will significantly expand the information required from companies that use more than 100 pounds of lead annually. EPA administers the Toxic Chemical Release Inventory (TRI) Program under section 313 of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986 and section 6607 of the Pollution Prevention Act of !990.
Ecomass Compound 1700TU96 (formerly NJ-96TP/000) has met the requirements of the International Organization for Standardization: Biological Evaluation of Medical Devices, Part 5: Tests for Cytotoxicity (ISO 10993-5) in an in vitro biocompatibility study. Testing of other Ecomass Compounds is underway.
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued U.S. Patent No. 6,048,379 to Ideas to Market, L.P. for its High Density Composite Material - Ecomass Compounds on April 11, 2000. A copy of the patent may be obtained at www.uspto.gov. Ideas to Market, L.P. has also applied for patent protection rights in 24 of the world's most industrialized nations. To date, international patents have been granted in Australia and Singapore.
Featured in the News!
Ecomass Compounds have been the subject of many recent newspaper and trade publication articles including:
Press Releases
A technical paper entitled NEW POLYMER-METAL COMPOSITES PROVIDE RADIATION SHIELDING, LEAD REPLACEMENT FOR MEDICAL DEVICES was presented at MD&M West 2000.
Ideas to Market Awarded Nontoxic Projectile Contract for Lead-Free Military Ammunition |
