AARC 



189 



Alternative Agricultural Research & Commercialization Center 



California Firm Commercializing 

 USDA Invention 



The Agriculture Department's Forest 

 Products Laboratory dreamed up egg- 

 carton-liice "Spaceboard." a strong yet 

 lightweight molded-fiber panel made from 

 waste wood. Now a private licensee plans to 

 turn the renamed "Gridcore"'^^'" panels into 

 cheaper, stronger alternatives to standard 

 wood panels for uses ranging from stage sets 

 to building walls. 



Gridcore Systems International of 

 Carlsbad. California, has carried out extensive 

 tests with Gridcore^'^ panels made from 

 kenaf. an ancient, bamboo-like plant now 

 bemg grown on a small scale in California, 

 Texas and Mississippi. 



The initial aim of Gridcore 's kenaf- 

 based panels is to evaluate their use for stage 

 sets and exhibition or trade-show displays. 

 Longer-term, Gridcore plans to develop pan- 

 els for use in the building-materials industry 

 Several firms have agreed to evaluate the pan- 

 els for use in all these areas. Currently. 

 Gridcore is testing different raw materials, 

 formulations and manufacturing processes 

 for various construction, arts-and-crafts and 

 sporting-goods applications. 



The Alternative Agricultural Research 

 and Commercialization (AARC) Center, a 

 branch of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 

 is supporting the Gridcore research program 

 with a S50.000 investment. As part of the 

 AARC-supported program. Gridcore will focus 

 research specifically on the use of agricultural 

 and forestry fibers as the raw materials for 

 molded panels. E.\perimental panels also are 

 being made from mixed waste paper, includ- 

 ing old corrugated containers and newspapers, 

 and from recycled plastics. 



Gridcore^"' panels begin as a watery 

 solution of fibers poured onto a molding 



table. After water is vacuumed out the bottom, the resulting mat of fiber is then pressed into a sub-panel 

 that is ribbed on one side and smooth on the other. Two sub-panels are glued together at the ribbed sides, 

 resulting in a strong, lightweight, extremely versatile panel up to 4 by 9 feet in size. 



Development of a kenaf-based panel interests the AARC Center, since commerciahzation would create 

 new demand for kenaf — a crop that the USDA has promoted for making newsprint from an annually 

 renewable, non-wood source. 



Gridcore Systems International Corporation, CA 



Sponsor's Contact: Tim Newbum, (619) 431-8494 

 Raw Material: Kenaf 



Product: Office Dividers, Furniture & Panels 



for Stage & Theater Sets 



AARC: 



Cooperators Contributions (est.): 



$50,000 

 $50,000 



USDA-AARC CENTER • 12th & C St. S.W. • Washington, DC 20250 

 Telephone: (202) 401-4860 • Fax: (202) 401-6068 



Printed on recycled paper using soybean-based ink 



