Latest news with #PatrickHunter
Business Wire
5 days ago
- Business
- Business Wire
AGY Launches New L-HDI Glass Fiber, Completing AI-Centric Product Portfolio
BUSINESS WIRE)--AGY, the leading US manufacturer of specialty glass fiber products, is proud to announce the launch of L-HDI, a new Low Coefficient of Thermal Expansion (CTE) glass fiber engineered specifically for advanced packaging substrates and chip packaging in next-generation AI hardware. 'With the introduction of L-HDI, AGY now offers a complete portfolio of glass fiber products tailored to AI infrastructure,' said Patrick Hunter, Executive Vice President at AGY. Share This product marks a significant milestone for AGY, as L-HDI completes the company's AI-focused glass fiber portfolio, which now includes a full range of solutions optimized for the semiconductor, high-performance computing, and advanced networking sectors. The L-HDI product provides dimensional stability, thermal reliability, and mechanical integrity essential for AI-specific integrated circuit packaging, particularly for high-density interconnect (HDI) and substrate core materials. 'With the introduction of L-HDI, AGY now offers a complete portfolio of glass fiber products tailored to AI infrastructure,' said Patrick Hunter, Executive Vice President, Commercial at AGY. 'As AI systems evolve and require more precise, thermally stable materials, AGY is proud to meet this demand with next-generation glass fiber technologies manufactured right here in the United States.' Key Features of L-HDI: Ultra-Low CTE for improved warpage control in IC substrates High modulus to resist deformation when exposed to heat and mechanical stress Excellent dimensional stability under high thermal cycles Optimized for IC substrate manufacturing Made in the USA, supporting domestic supply chain resilience AGY's glass fiber offerings—including L, L2, and now L-HDI—are used across a range of AI-enabling components, from optical transceivers and high-speed routers to IC substrates and semiconductor packaging. As AI infrastructure continues to scale globally, AGY remains committed to developing and supplying the most advanced glass fiber solutions from its operations in Aiken, South Carolina. The addition of L-HDI reaffirms AGY's leadership in performance materials for the world's AI-driven digital transformation. About AGY AGY is a leading innovator and manufacturer of specialty glass fibers enabling high-performance composite solutions for aviation, defense, electronics, artificial intelligence, digital connectivity and architecture applications that are integral to civilian life and critical to the national security supply chain. Headquartered in Aiken, SC, AGY is the singular remaining specialty glass fiber manufacturer in the United States. Flexible production operations, R&D teams, and a product innovation center allow AGY to customize material solutions and develop next-generation products for clients globally.
Business Wire
17-06-2025
- Automotive
- Business Wire
AGY Partners with A+ Composites to Launch Unidirectional Thermoplastic Tape Line Featuring New Lightweight, High-Performance Single-End S2 Glass ® Roving
AIKEN, S.C. & WESELBERG, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AGY, a leading U.S. manufacturer of high-performance glass fiber reinforcements, has teamed with A+ Composites, a custom producer of unidirectional thermoplastic tapes, to commercially launch a new class of ultra-lightweight, high-performance thermoplastic tapes used for both wrapped and layered composite applications. The collaboration showcases AGY's newly developed lightweight single-end S2 Glass ® roving, which is integrated into unidirectional tapes featuring LM PAEK and PEI resin systems. The resulting tapes deliver exceptional strength, stiffness, and impact resistance, optimized for aerospace, defense, and high-performance industrial applications where structural performance and weight savings are critical. Key Benefits of the S2 Glass Fiber Unidirectional Thermoplastic Tape Line Superior Mechanical Performance: Continuous fiber alignment ensures optimal load transfer in one direction. AGY's S2 Glass provides a measurable boost in strength, stiffness, impact resistance, and fatigue life. Thermal and Electrical Resistance: The combination of LM PAEK or PEI with AGY's S2 Glass offers low thermal and electrical conductivity, while enabling high-temperature performance, radar transparency, and electrical insulation. Thermoplastic Resin Advantages: LM PAEK and PEI outperform thermosets in toughness and offer resistance to chemicals, fuels, oils, and corrosion—all while minimizing moisture uptake. Recyclability and Reprocessability: The tapes can be reheated and reshaped, making them ideal for sustainable manufacturing and repairable parts design. Fast, Efficient Processing: No curing required—just heat, form, and cool—supporting rapid cycle times and compatibility with automated out-of-autoclave processes such as ATL, AFP, and stamp forming. Design Flexibility and Automation: Thermoformable into complex geometries, these tapes integrate easily into automated systems and hybrid laminates with other fiber types. Environmental and Safety Benefits: With no VOCs and lower processing energy requirements, these tapes improve workplace safety and enhance fire resistance due to its high thermal stability. 'We are excited to partner with AGY on this new S2 glass fiber product format. With this product innovation, A+ Composites strengthens its position as a leading solution provider for thermoplastic high-performance composite materials,' stated founder and CEO of A+ Composites Dr.-Ing. Markus Brzeski. 'Collaborating with A+ Composites to launch this new S2 Glass fiber format has been a phenomenal experience. Together, we're enabling designers to access the world's strongest glass fiber across a wider spectrum of high-performance applications for significant impact across industries,' said Patrick Hunter, Executive Vice President, Commercial, at AGY. About AGY AGY is a leading innovator and manufacturer of specialty glass fiber reinforcements enabling high-performance composite solutions for aviation, defense, electronics, architecture, and telecommunications applications that are integral to civilian life and critical to the national security supply chain. Headquartered in Aiken, SC, AGY is the singular remaining specialty glass fiber manufacturer in the United States. Flexible production operations, R&D teams, and a product innovation center allow AGY to customize material solutions and develop next-generation products for clients globally. About A+ Composites A+ Composites delivers customized unidirectional thermoplastic tape solutions across a wide range of resin systems and fiber types, including carbon, glass, and aramid. With over 250 tape variants tailored to precise customer specifications, A+ Composites supports application development across automotive, aerospace, industrial, and sports sectors.
The Sun
10-05-2025
- Health
- The Sun
Inside rotting UK town where life expectancy is as bad as SYRIA & smack addicts hole up in ‘Victorian slum' estates
Graeme Culliford Published: Invalid Date, IT is the windswept English town where life expectancy is as low as war-torn Syria and where almost one third of the population is in poor health. Now, Barrow Island residents have told how their streets are overrun with drug addicts, bored youngsters are chronically depressed, and death is so common they have two funerals a week. 13 13 13 13 Shop owner Patrick Hunter almost added to the Cumbrian town's grim mortality toll when he suffered a massive heart attack two years ago. He blames his smoking habit but says others have perished prematurely after a lifetime of toiling on the island's huge shipbuilding yard, previously run by the Vickers company. Patrick, 67, said: 'I'm a smoker and I wish we were better educated about how to look after our health when we were growing up. 'I smoke about 20 a day now, and I used to get through 30 or 40 a day before I had a heart attack and a triple bypass a couple of years back. 'I was one of the lucky ones. There can be one or two funerals a week here, and some of the recent ones have been for young people in their 30s. 'I don't know what's going wrong. My mate used to work for Vickers, and he says that as soon as his colleagues got to pension age, they would drop dead. 'I'm not saying there was anything wrong with the health and safety over there – it's just it wasn't as good as it is today. 'When you've been burying people as often as we do round here, you wonder how long you've got left. 'And it's sad that people who work so hard all their lives never get to enjoy their retirement.' Patrick has run the Mace convenience store on Barrow Island, which is part of Barrow-in-Furness on the outer fringes of the Lake District, since 1986. 13 He can still recall when over 12,000 workers from the shipbuilding yard would flood the streets at 4.30pm clock off time. But following mass layoffs in the 1990s when UK heavy industry was devastated by competition from overseas, the town's fortunes plummeted, forcing pubs, greengrocers and two local butchers and bakers to close down. Today, the Irish sea-facing island has just 2,616 residents according to the last census and a handful of stores, including a chemist, a vape shop and a Co-op supermarket. With 61 per cent of the population 'economically inactive,' the jobless can often be found drinking from late morning in the handful of pubs still going. Tragically, at 71, Barrow's male life expectancy is on a par with Syria, which was ravaged by civil war until the collapse of the Assad regime last December. The area ranks in the worst 0.5 per cent for life expectancy in the UK, and previous studies have shown that 29.3 per cent are in poor health, while 28.2 per cent have no qualifications. Patrick added: 'When I was growing up, you would go to school and then work for Vickers at the shipyard, those were your only options. 'When the day shift would end at 4.30pm, thousands of people would pour out on to the streets – it was amazing. 'There were shops all over the place back then. We had two butchers and bakers and there was a great sense of community, but they've all gone. 'They are always promising to invest in Barrow - they've been promising to build a business park and a marina for years – but it never happens. 'Today, young people find it's hard to get work and the jobs going are all minimum wage, so you can never hope to buy a car or save for a house.' 'Victorian slums' 13 13 Speaking in the shadow thrown out by a pair of crumbling, 19th-century tenement buildings, unemployed Christopher Cooke says he dares not step outside at night as the streets are so dangerous. Egerton Court, where he lives, has been compared to a Victorian slum and the 144 flats built to house shipyard workers are now overrun with heroin addicts and petty criminals. Stocky bull terriers are the pet of choice for most residents. Christopher, 55, said: 'I used to struggle on £375 a month Universal Credit, but now I get Personal Independence Payments as I've been diagnosed with anxiety and depression and I'm financially set. 'The rent is cheap here – about £500 a month – but I don't want to be here because it's bad for your health when everyone is drugged up. 'You wouldn't want to be here at night - it's constant arguments and police. I don't go out at night because I don't feel safe, there are so many drug addicts and most of them are fresh out of jail. 'Last year, I saw a group of them jump a guy and leave him lying on the floor here. 'The police are here all the time but they don't do much. There are lots of overdoses. I remember there being seven in one year when a dodgy batch of pills was going around. 'But alive or dead, what future does anyone have here?' When the Sun visited Barrow Island last week, a stiff sea breeze had brought an unseasonable chill to the air despite the rest of the country basking in warmth and sunshine. Tellingly, a funeral cortege swept past as our team was doing interviews, and a search of the obituary pages show it was for a 93-year-old grandmother-of-three. Hers was one of at least three funerals to take place that week. Locals complain that Barrow has long been forgotten by Westminster politicians despite the shipyard, which is now owned by BAE, still being central to the construction and maintenance of nuclear submarines. 'Waiting for the end' 13 13 Laura, 40, who declined to give her last name, is another resident desperate to leave. Sitting on her mobility scooter outside the only chemist, she said: 'It's miserable and depressing here, and everyone is on drugs in some areas. 'There's nothing to do, and everyone looks like they are about to die, or at least they are waiting for the end. 'No one here has any money, so we can't afford to do anything fun. There's only one cinema and it doesn't show many films. 'There are jobs here, but you have to want to do them, and most people can't be a**ed, they'd rather be on benefits. There's a big drug problem and a lot of heroin addicts. "I know how to spot them because I've been clean 12 years myself. I'm desperate to move back to Manchester.' There's nothing to do, and everyone looks like they are about to die, or at least they are waiting for the end. Laura Thankfully, not everyone has lost faith in Barrow Island, however. Cleaner Daniel Norcross, 35, and his partner Bryony Fletcher, 32, say it's a great place to raise a family. Speaking alongside their son James Norcross, three, Daniel said: 'We love living here. The people are friendly and there's a real sense of community. 'We moved here from Accrington, Lancs, six months ago, and that's a much worse place to live. 'We would see people taking drugs in the streets over there, and we've never seen that in Barrow. 'BAE has kept this town going, and they are doing really great things.' Bryony added: 'We have four children between us, and we think it's a great place to raise kids. We pay £610 a month for a two-bedroom flat and that's affordable for a family like us. 'Yes, Barrow is run down in places, but you can say that about anywhere in the country, and we feel it's getting better all the time.' 13 13 13
Business Wire
29-04-2025
- Automotive
- Business Wire
AGY Launches New Lightweight Single-End S2 Glass® Roving to Deliver Breakthrough Performance
AIKEN, S.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AGY, a leading producer of high-performance glass fiber reinforcements, is proud to announce the development and commercial launch of its new single-end lightweight S2 Glass® roving, engineered to deliver exceptional strength, stiffness, and impact resistance for advanced composite applications. 'With this advancement, we are opening the possibility for designers to use the world's strongest glass fiber in many new applications." Share This next-generation roving is designed to meet the needs of demanding aerospace, defense, and high-performance industrial markets, where maximizing structural efficiency and reducing weight are critical. Key benefits of the new lightweight single-end S2 Glass roving: Performance over traditional E Glass S2 Glass performance studies show significant performance gains in stiffness, strength, and impact, especially in weight-sensitive or survivability-critical applications. Overcoming traditional limitations New single-end format allows for thinner, lighter, and more versatile laminate design. Improved strength and stiffness Optimized for use in unidirectional (UD) prepreg and non-crimped fabric (NCF) manufacturing, this single-end format delivers superior mechanical properties compared to traditional assembled rovings. Enhanced ballistic and impact resistance With performance comparable to competitive thin-ply laminates, this new roving enables high fiber volume and low-matrix formulations, optimizing impact resistance and energy absorption. Improved radar transparency 15-20% lower dielectric constant than E Glass and the ability to make strong, thinner structures makes S2 Glass a cost-effective solution for radomes in weight-sensitive applications. Combined thermal and electrical resistance S2 Glass allows higher operating temperatures, increased fatigue life, and electrical isolation for high-performance modern electric motor applications. Tailored for manufacturing efficiency Supplied on three-inch cores, the standard for industry fiber processing, this roving is compatible with existing composite production processes. Packages are designed for seamless UD and NCF integration. Advanced sizing chemistry AGY's proprietary high-performance sizing systems ensure optimal fiber-matrix bonding, unlocking the full potential of the S2 Glass reinforcement. 'With this advancement, we are opening the possibility for designers to use the world's strongest glass fiber in many new applications. We're excited to partner with OEM's on advancing the performance of their next-generation products,' stated Patrick Hunter, Executive Vice President, Commercial for AGY. About AGY AGY is a leading innovator and manufacturer of specialty glass fiber reinforcements enabling high-performance composite solutions for aviation, defense, electronics, architecture, and telecommunications applications that are integral to civilian life and critical to the national security supply chain. Headquartered in Aiken, SC, AGY is the singular remaining specialty glass fiber manufacturer in the United States. Flexible production operations, R&D teams, and a product innovation center allow AGY to customize material solutions and develop next-generation products for clients globally.
