Trending Topics

Team Wendy Announces Participation in the 10th annual Lightweight Materials for Defense Conference

Cleveland – Team Wendy participated in the 10th annual Lightweight Materials for Defense Conference, hosted by the Institute for Defense and Government Advancement (IDGA), Dec. 6-8 in Alexandria, Va. Senior product development engineer, Ron Szalkowski, delivered a presentation on the newest formulation developments of Zorbium®, the company’s proprietary impact mitigation material.

“It was a great opportunity to interact with such a diverse group of scientists, researchers and industry professionals,” said Szalkowski. “The feedback provided by the group clearly indicated that the Zorbium® line of materials will have continued success in effectively protecting our military servicemen and women from blunt impact and shock injuries well beyond its current primary use in helmet suspension systems. We look forward to continuing the dialogues established at this event.”

Szalkowski’s presentation provided a brief overview of Zorbium® and its current uses in military and commercial applications. However, the primary focus of the presentation was on recent formulations that have advanced protection in both helmet liners and military vehicle seating. “Obviously, our ultimate aim is to improve survivability in all facets of military operations,” said Szalkowski. “With our entrance into the military vehicle market, we believe we can have a similar positive effect to that which we have had for the past five years in helmets. A new material we wanted to showcase at this event was our “142-D” development. The “142-D” formulation has demonstrated the ability to absorb 20 percent more energy over the current formulation, while not being susceptible to performance degradation as a result of temperature. We have already used a derivative of this formulation to gain SFI certification in competitive motorsports. This type of performance pickup, without the usual tradeoff, has tremendous potential.”

Team Wendy product development engineer, Jon Hauserman, chaired the three-day conference. “Being our first time at the Lightweight Materials show, I feel this was a great opportunity to network with scientists and researchers who care about and are interested in the same things we are at Team Wendy,” said Hauserman. “Knowing where the forefront of material research is and where it is heading is crucial to ensure the best products are in the hands – and on the heads – of those who need them most.”

About IDGA
The Institute for Defense & Government Advancement (IDGA) is a non-partisan, information-based organization dedicated to the promotion of innovative ideas in public service and defense through live conferences and events. IDGA brings together speaker panels and events composed of military and government professionals, while attracting delegates with decision-making power from military, government and defense industries.

About Team Wendy
Team Wendy has manufactured the standard issue helmet pads for the U.S. Army and Marine Corps since 2005. The pads are made with the company’s patented Zorbium® foam, an energy-absorbing, multi-impact material engineered by Team Wendy chemists specifically for headgear safety. Team Wendy is a certified U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) HubZone Company located in Cleveland, Ohio. Team Wendy – Overprotective and Proud of It.™

For more information, visit www.teamwendy.com.

RECOMMENDED FOR YOU