Kickstart: A composites moon

Composites have made it to the moon.

While composites, plastic and rubber were a part of NASA Apollo lunar landers and equipment in the 1960s and 1970s, the Nova-C lunar lander from Intuitive Machines, nicknamed Odysseus, highlighted their use as it made a "soft landing" near the lunar South Pole on Feb. 22.

It is both the first human-made object to land on the moon since the last Apollo mission in 1972 and the first commercial spacecraft to reach the surface.

Scorpius Space Launch Co. of Torrance, Calif., developed specialized PressureMaxx cryogenic composite fuel tanks that could handle the temperature extremes and pressures of the flight.

"The tanks SSLC created weigh significantly less than traditional options, enabling Intuitive Machines to deliver more mass to the lunar surface that will pave the path for humanity's sustainable return to the moon," Trent Martin, Intuitive Machines vice president of lunar access, said in a news release.

San Diego-based Rock West Composites helped Intuitive Machines develop carbon-fiber prepreg struts for Odysseus.

The Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program with NASA is intended to create a commercial and public joint effort to establish a new base on the moon to support future space exploration.

"We are honored to support our commercial customers in this race to the moon and ultimately a sustained human presence there," said Jeremy Senne, Rock West's space segment director.

American Plastic Toys Inc. doesn't make collectibles. Sales of its products don't live or die by the box office popularity of a movie franchise. It makes toys kids play with — and play with a lot. The molder with manufacturing at sites in Michigan and Mississippi turns out beach toys and pint-sized Adirondack chairs.

It makes basketball hoops short enough so that even toddlers can slam dunk. Its Gigantic Vehicles line of trucks invite preschoolers to push them over lawns and driveways.

The company may be about to grow under new ownership from Northville, Mich.-based Orchard Creek Capital LLC, which intends to use the Walled Lake, Mich.-based company into a platform for M&A expansion.

Don't expect big changes for those buckets, trucks and hoops, though. Orchard Creek's Jon Carlson told PN's Don Loepp the new buyers "like the product."

Blown film maker Volm Cos. Inc. and Menasha Corp., a supply chain supplier and packaging company, were two of the five Grand Award winners in the Wisconsin Manufacturer of the Year contest.

There were 36 finalists for the statewide recognition of "outstanding achievements in manufacturing."

Volm, with operations in Antigo, received the top prize for large companies while Menasha of Neenah won for the "mega category."

The Manufacturer of the Year is sponsored by Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, representing the state Chamber of Commerce and Manufacturers' Association, along with advisory company Baker Tilly and the law firm of Michael Best & Friedrich LLP.