Weighting Applications for Ecomass® Compounds

• Ammunition
• Manual transmission shifter cartridge
• Hub odometer
• Instrument housing
• Golf club weights

The need to place weight in precise amounts at specific locations has challenged designers for years. The ability to mold Ecomass Compounds into small intricate parts at the density of lead (or at any density from 2 to 11 g/cc) makes these materials valuable to engineers and designers who want to replace lead and other traditional materials in order to eliminate toxic materials from their products or reduce costs.

Small-caliber training projectiles are an ideal application for Ecomass Compounds. The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) is concerned about lead contamination of the air, soil, and water at its firing ranges and is interested in finding ways to eliminate further contamination. In certain situations, they are also concerned about ricochet and fragmentation. The use of Ecomass projectile cores molded with either copper-filled or tungsten-filled compounds in small caliber rifle and handgun ammunition eliminates additional lead contamination at firing ranges and in many cases results in a safer ammunition round. Over 1.5 billion rounds of small-caliber ammunition are fired annually in the United States for training purposes representing over 2000 tons of lead being introduced into the environment each year.

Weight can also be advantageous in certain customer-contact applications. In an automotive manual transmission shifter, the driver can appreciate the increased weight provided by Ecomass Compounds in a cartridge which slides over the shift rod as well as the decrease in vibration transmitted through the shifter.

Ecomass Compounds have replaced lead as a weight in a hub odometer, used to monitor mileage on tractor/trailer trailers. The elimination of lead in this product now allows this hub odometer to be sold world wide, specifically in countries which have banned the use of lead in such devices.

Ecomass Compounds have also replaced a lead and stainless steel housing used for ballast and protection of submerged water quality instruments. The compound selected meets all of the requirements for the housing, while reducing the cost.

In order to fine tune the swingweight of premier golf clubs, designers have turned to Ecomass Compounds to provide the answer. These weights are molded in one gram increments and installed in irons and wedges to allow customers to be fitted perfectly with the latest in golf club technology.