Company Profile
Founded in 1990, TenCate Advanced Composites, has evolved into one of the innovative technology and manufacturing leaders supplying advanced composite materials. TenCate Advanced Composites prepregs, adhesives, cyanate ester and epoxy resin systems, syntactic foams, and thermal management materials offer quality solutions to a variety of applications in military and commercial aircraft, aerospace, microwave and RF communications, and electronics. Having positioned itself as a performance and technology leader within these industries, TenCate Advanced Composites out-performs its competition by striving to be the most customer responsive supplier in many respects including quality, cost vs.performance, rapid response and technological partnering.
Facilities
In July 1999, we moved to our new Morgan Hill Headquarters yet again doubling our manufacturing and quality control space. This expansion has enabled the company to physically separate processing of graphite and other electrically conductive materials from that of non-conductive (dielectric) materials. Accordingly, this move assures that our customers receive only the highest quality "clean materials" -- free of unwanted electrically conductive contamination.
Applications
Aerospace
Specialty advanced composites have been the cornerstone material within the aircraft and aerospace industry that have resulted in successful programs such as the Boeing 777 aircraft, satellite structures for companies such as Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Loral Space Systems, Hughes Space & Communications, Raytheon, NASA, and a variety of others including advanced radar and antenna structures for the Patriot Missile system. NASA's recent success with the Mars Pathfinder was in part credited to TenCate Advanced Composites’s advanced composite materials which compose the spacecraft's structure, its solar arrays and the heat shield which protected the spacecraft from its vicious entry into the Martian atmosphere.
As a key supplier and technological leader to the military and aerospace markets, TenCate Advanced Composites balances state of the art cyanate ester and epoxy resin chemistry and world class processing technology to produce prepregs, adhesives, liquid resin systems and syntactic foams that meet and in many cases actually exceed the demanding requirements of the aerospace industry. Whether it’s structural materials for aircraft; high modulus graphite composites for spacecraft bus structures, solar arrays, antenna reflectors; or high temperature composites for hypersonic aircraft and missiles, TenCate Advanced Composites materials are up to the challenge.
Commercial
Whether it’s snow boards, skis, bicycle frames, golf shafts, fishing rods, knee braces, X-ray tables or lightweight prostheses, many 'top line' sporting goods and medical product manufacturers specify TenCate Advanced Composites’s high performance prepregs and adhesives.
Our woven and unidirectional tape based composites and epoxy resins are manufactured to the highest commercial standards and formulated to facilitate high volume production without compromising performance. TenCate Advanced Composites's materials offer the competitive edge and reliability demanded by serious athletes, medical professionals and other commercial end-users.
We are a recognized technology leader of "Quick Cure" epoxy resin systems developed to address the economics and manufacturing needs of high volume commercial production. TenCate Advanced Composites specially formulated resins can reduce the cure cycle of tough, high strength epoxy prepregs to 3-5 minutes, compared to standard cures requiring from 1 to 1.5 hours. These innovative materials also offer unparalleled strength and an incredible 30 day minimum out time at room temperature, while maintaining similar gel time and flow characteristics of standard 250° F curing epoxies.
Communications
With increased attention focused on advanced radar systems and satellite communications, the selection of improved microwave and RF transparent materials become increasingly important. TenCate Advanced Composites – a leading supplier of specialty formulated resin systems has met this challenge by producing some of the most electrically efficient materials developed for these applications.
Advanced Composites for Radomes & Antennas
Material thickness, low loss tangent and low dielectric properties are three principal factors in tuning composite radomes for the maximum transmission efficiency. Many TenCate Advanced Composites resin systems offer state-of-the-art electrical properties, flexible cure temperatures and low moisture absorption characteristics that have proven successful in a variety of high performance ground and airborne radome applications. These technological achievements can be found on programs such as Patriot Missile, Lockheed Martin F22, Gulfstream IV, and others.
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Commercial
Aerospace technology applied to microelectronics
Whether it’s outer space re-entry or palm top computer electronics, the resin technologies and processing knowledge that have evolved TenCate Advanced Composites Technologies into a leading manufacturer of specialty composite materials for the aerospace industry are now available to the microelectronics and semiconductor packaging industry. As power demands of semiconductors increase, so do the requirements for unique thermal management solutions. TenCate Advanced Composites’s thermal conductivity materials play a very important role in many heat sinking applications where efficient heat transfer is a relevant performance issue.
Advanced Materials for Electronics
TenCate Advanced Composites thermally conductive adhesives, underfill/encapsulants, and molding compounds possess thermal properties that exceed many competitive products. Available in a variety of easy-to-use formats, including prepregs, adhesive films, liquids and pastes, these materials feature high thermal conductivity, low moisture absorption and controlled thermal expansion characteristics. For a reliable, leading edge thermal solution to many unique semiconductor packaging applications, team up with TenCate Advanced Composites – we know what it takes to manage heat.
ARMOR HOME PAGE
Today’s Composite Armor technology is quickly moving beyond the realm of heavy, cumbersome metallic solutions. TenCate Armor is proud to introduce into the US Market a new line of hard armor solutions.
The Ten Cate Advanced Composites (TCAC, Ares Protection, and TenCate Armor) have been pushing the limits of armor composite and armor ceramic/composite technology to offer the lightest, most advanced hard and flexible armor solutions to their worldwide customer base.
Combine these technological innovations with advanced production processes and an aerospace conforming quality assurance system and TenCate Armor is the solutions provider in the hard armor market.
Bryte ISO 9001 & AS9100 Registered
Armor Applications
TenCate Armor products are viewed as state of the art in the hard armor marketplace. Whether it is a composite personal protection plate or protective shield; advanced armor to defend against high velocity threats; Spall liners for tanks & armored vehicles; our solutions are designed to provide high technology, lightweight armor appropriately designed for the threat level under consideration.
In addition, as a member of the Ten Cate Advanced Composites Group, we have production capacity in USA as well as The Netherlands and France. This allows us to address all your global armor supply needs.
Armor Products
CeraFlex®
A Ten Cate group exclusive, CeraFlex® is the latest revolution in armor design. It offers both the lightweight benefits of composites and the advanced performance of ceramics with an added feature. FLEXIBILITY. CeraFlex® is the ideal solution for both personal and vehicle protection opportunities. Able to meet NIJ and International Standards, CeraFlex® brings the future of hard armor here today, by offering superior protection with unparalleled flexibility.
Personal Protection
Utilizing Spectra, Dyneema, Kevlar, Twaron and other fiber based composites, our advanced production processes are used to manufacture some of the lightest, most advanced hard armor solutions in the world today from military to police applications, meeting both NIJ and International Standards.
Spall Liners
CETEX® Spall Liners have a track record of proven performance for many years. With industry leading performance, these lightweight composite Spall Liner solutions can meet the protection needs against the threat levels of today and tomorrow.
Vehicle/Aircraft Armor
Technological tools allow TenCate Armor to use custom composite and composite/ceramic armor solutions in order to meet the demands of the vehicle/aircraft protection market. Whether your company needs a lightweight armor solution for SUV/luxury vehicles or a solution for military vehicles or aircraft, TenCate Armor's Armor Division can meet your needs.
ABOUT US
TenCate Armor
Founded in 1990, TenCate Armor, a member of the Ten Cate Advanced Composites Group, has established itself as a world leader in advanced composite materials supplied to both aerospace and commercial/industrial markets. TenCate Armor’s success is attributable to its leading edge technology, high quality products, and a customer driven culture that encourages responsiveness, cooperation and teamwork.
As a member of Ten Cate’s advanced composites group, TenCate Armor is a part of a worldwide materials and armor company that is pushing the limits to implement unique solutions utilizing composites and ceramics technology.