LEAP Awards recognize the best components and services across the mechanical and electrical engineering design space. Design World, Fluid Power World and EE World -- three leading publications in the design engineering space -- support the awards program.

Kulpsville, PA - Greene Tweed, a leading global manufacturer of high-performance elastomers, thermoplastics, composites, and engineered components is pleased to announce that it earned a silver LEAP Award in the advanced materials category for its WR® 650 Thermoplastic Composite.

LEAP Awards recognize the best components and services across the mechanical and electrical engineering design space. Design World, Fluid Power World and EE World -- three leading publications in the design engineering space -- support the awards program.
WR® 650 is a single material that can cover a wide range of high temperature and corrosive environments. As part of an extensive research program, Greene Tweed developed this new generation of composite material, which features a three-dimensional fiber structure. This 3D reinforced PFA composite, when in a pressed-in state, matches the CTE of the steel housing over a temperature range up to 260°C (500°F).
Additionally, WR® 650 offers better chemical resistance, higher mechanical properties and lower cost than all other leading PFA-based materials. With 2.5 times higher PV (pressure x velocity) limit in dry run conditions over the leading PFA-based material, WR® 650's CTE is four times lower in the axial direction than the leading PFA-based material.
WR® 650 significantly lowers the time and cost of performing repairs, and improves safety during maintenance. Use of the material reduces bearing failures and eliminates collateral damage when bearings fail. The self-lubricating composite also reduces the need for regular greasing.
The 2019 Leap Award winners were recognized during a ceremony in Santa Clara, California in December 2019.
"We're extremely honored to have earned a LEAP Award for our WR® 650," says Nicolas Weibel, Ph.D., Global Technology Manager - Composites, who accepted the award on behalf of Greene Tweed. "The WR® 650 is a novel composite material that Greene Tweed developed with the customer in mind. We're proud to offer a product that lowers the cost for engineers performing repairs while improving safety during maintenance operations."