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C T J U N E 2 0 1 4 1 7 Marista Dan, president of startup Composite Essential Materials (CEM, Port Saint Lucie, Fla.), reports that CEM has taken over the core materials business previously known as Nida-Core/3M. 3M (St. Paul, Minn.) had acquired Nida-Core in January 2011, but subsequently decided to exit the core-manufacturing business. Dan says that Dan Family Holdings, the owner of CEM, has agreements with all of the previous Nida-Core suppliers, including NidaPlast (Tiant, France), the source of Nida-Core materials for plastic honeycombs, PGI Matline for laminating bulkers and Flexokore for balsa products. CEM also will ofer polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyure- thane (PU) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) foam core as well as glass-reinforced fberboard. In addition, CEM will be a North American distributor of resin supplier Nord Composites (Condé Folie, France). Future plans include expansion of product oferings to honeycomb in low-, medium- and high-densities as well as fre-retardant versions, plus honeycomb designed for use in infusion and resin transfer molding (RTM) processes. Resin products to come include tooling resins, skinning material, transom putty and sprayable print-blocking core. A second distribution site will be established in Elkhart, Ind., where CEM will produce large pultruded panels with several options for core and fber-reinforced plastic surfaces. Dan says previous and new customers are welcome to call the previous Nida-Core phone number (772) 343-7300 or e-mail mdan@composite-essentials-llc.com. CT's recent Special Report "Styrene and cobalt: Headed for the exit?" (CT April 2014 issue (p. 34) | short.compositesworld. com/SCExit) prompted the following letter from the American Composites Manu- facturers Assn.'s (ACMA, Arlington, Va.) VP of government afairs John Schweitzer, reprinted here in its entirety: "Te CT article, "Styrene and cobalt: Headed for the exit?" is inaccurate in its summary of styrene toxicity data. For sty- rene, it is not true that 'a cursory inspection of the studies and data … raises more ques- tions than answers.' Several recent weight- of-evidence reviews of the ample styrene toxicity database concluded the prepon- derance of the evidence fails to support a cancer concern for this substance. And the most recent review of the potential for sty- rene to cause developmental or reproduc- tive toxicity was similarly negative. Useful summaries of these data are available at www.styrene.org. Te cancer data is specif- cally addressed in a report published online in January 2013 by the journal Human and Ecological Risk Assessment, and the repro- ductive toxicity data were thoroughly ana- lyzed in a February 2006 report by the U.S.'s National Toxicology Program. Styrene is a uniquely useful chemical. Manufacturers of all sizes have safely used styrene-based thermoset resin systems to make important and useful products since the Second World War. Te market ac- ceptance of many products we depend on to save energy and prevent pollution, such as durable and light weight auto and truck components, and the corrosion- and leak- resistant underground storage tanks used for several decades at petroleum flling sta- tions, is based at least partially on the long history of the successful performance of these styrene-based composites products. And it's important to know that no mat- ter what their actual toxicity, cobalt salts are not volatile and no route of human expo- sure related to the manufacture or use of composites products has been identifed. Avoiding actual harm to people and the environment is not a defensible reason for suppliers and composites manufacturers to move away from styrene or cobalt." Composite Essential Materials revives Nida-Core/3M's U.S. core business AMPLIFICATION Composites NEWS North Coast Composites delivers the complete parts solution. For 35 years North Coast Tool & Mold has been an industry leader in the manufacture of molds for high performance composites. Y ISO9001-2000 AS9100B C o m p o s i t e s The Companies of North Coast North Coast Tool & Mold Corp. North Coast Composites, Inc. www.northcoastcomposites.com 216.398.8550 0614CT CompWatch-OK.indd 17 5/20/2014 8:17:28 AM