Rocket Science
By Bill Windsor, ZOTEK ® F North America Commercial Manager
From our Vessel to Yours, Zotefoams’ uniquely processed Cellular Materials are ready for lift off! Our ZOTEK F family of PVDF foams are lightweight, versatile, and compliant to the rigors of Space Travel. ZOTEK F foams are safe, resilient and certified for ISS deliveries and Spacecraft applications.
‘Rocket science’ is the usual analogy for something particularly difficult to achieve and manufacturing Zotefoams’ high-pressure autoclaves, which fulfil an essential step in the unique process that creates our AZOTE® and ZOTEK foams, certainly falls into this category.
The image on the left below shows the production of one of two 12 metre/40ft high-pressure autoclaves now operating in our USA foam manufacturing facility. Forged from a single ingot, the autoclaves then undergo the most rigorous inspection, since even the slightest flaw will render them unfit for purpose. In operation they are pressurised up to 675bar/10,000psi - that’s over 300 times the tyre pressure of the average car – so absolute integrity of every component is paramount, just as it is in spacecraft.
