UNIQUE APPLICATIONS OF THERMOPLASTICS
The past year has been the most significant in the 61-year history of Penn Fibre & Specialty Company, Inc. Last June, the company completed the acquisition of the entire thin-gauge strip business from DSM/Polymer Corporation of Reading, PA. Then, in September, Penn Fibre, in turn, was acquired by The Specialty Group, Inc. of Dunmore, PA. Finally, in January of this year, Penn Fibre completed the move of its headquarters from Philadelphia to new and enlarged offices in the suburb of Ft. Washington, PA. As a result, Penn Fibre has become the national leader in production and distribution of thermoplastic sheet, strip and coils which are extruded in thicknesses from .010" to .25" and widths up to 24 inches. These materials are finding unusual, ever-expanding applications in the marketplace. Starting in 1991, Penn Fibre commenced development of a new business arm by seizing an opportunity to supply thermoplastic "skins" for skate board manufacturers. Marketed under its Pennite(r) "Top Dawg"(tm) logo, the company has rapidly become the country's leading supplier of board top skins for the entire action sports industry -- including downhill and cross country skis, snow boards and wake boards, in addition to the original skate boards. Most recently, new Pennite(r) formulations for sports-board top skin applications were unveiled by the company. The introduction spans six mono and coextruded thermoplastic sheet materials, which are proving ideal for both sublimation and silk screen printing on the full range of action sports board products. Another, even newer sports application is the Natraflex Mentor(r) Training and Exercise Glove, which has been developed using advanced aerospace composites, including Penn Fibre's newly-formulated thermoplastic resin, which provides both memory and variable tension in the glove. As a result, wearing the new golf glove trains the golfer to make a more accurate drive while, at the same time, it prevents a golfer's major problem: hyperextension, or breaking the wrist at the top of the swing. Furthermore, NASA is now experimenting with the company's new thermoplastics to provide strength-enhancing exercises for astronauts in weightless conditions, where they must maintain muscle tone. By providing artificial resistance, the special Natraflex Mentor(r) Training Glove equipped with thermoplastic splines strengthens the muscles in hands and arms. In this way, astronauts increase the ability to perform multiple tasks with their hands during extended periods in space. Today, the leading innovator in the field, Penn Fibre manufactures and supplies non-metallic sheets, coils, strips and punched parts for application throughout the world's production industries. Employing its broad distributor base, the company ships products to more than 2,000 customers in the U.S., Canada and around the globe.