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Green Series of Brent® Products is Dedicated to Socially Responsible
Manufacturing with 100% Recycled Bio-Composites.
"For economic and environmental reasons, it is critical that we
recognize the importance of conservation, be it fuel, electricity,
labor, materials, or any of our natural resources." Joe Roach, AMACO/Brent
Manufacturing Engineer/R&D.
"It's our responsibility to keep an open mind when looking into
materials and processes to improve our products and equipment. We make
significant efforts to conserve resources while maintaining the
durability synonymous with the AMACO and Brent names. With that in mind,
we are using a fairly advanced form of bio-composite as the foundation
of our new Bio-Bat™ as well as the tabletop for our newly redesigned
Brent® ie and ie-x wheels.
Bio-composites are compounds made from a blend of organic fiber and
thermoplastic, both 100% recycled in this application. The organic fiber
(bio-fiber) is a reclaimed by-product of the forestry and agricultural
industries, typically in the form of waste wood or rice-hulls. Because
these by-products can be utilized and combined with recycled plastics,
no new resources are consumed in the production of the bio-composites.
The bio-composite material we use is also listed as a USDA Bio-Preferred
material, because it is composed significantly of biological or
renewable agricultural material and has comparable or superior
performance to petroleum-based counterparts. As an example, our Bio-Bat™
is as
indestructible as our PlastiBat™--the individual bio-fibers are
encapsulated inside the thermoplastic; so that the material is resistant
to moisture, essentially waterproof--but the improved rigidity brings
increased dimensional stability so that removing clay pieces from the
wheel head is
easier.
As we continue on the path of socially responsible manufacturing, we
intend to introduce more bio-composite materials into the BrentR line of
products. The implementation of alternative materials used in our
manufacturing processes may come unannounced, so our customers may
notice slight changes in appearance and texture in some products as we
progress. Bio-composites typically have a natural appearance, serving as
a reminder that additional
resources were not wasted on aesthetics."

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