For more than 60 years, HWI has been a pioneer in delivering refractory launch pad solutions to the space flight industry, starting with America’s first satellite Explorer 1 in 1958. Today, we continue to innovate with new refractory products and technology for aerospace launch pad and landing pad applications.
Spotlight
The Explorer 1 mission began its historical flight on a launch pad constructed with HWI’s KRUZITE 70 brick. Since then, HWI has continued to leverage its knowledge, experience, and world-class product technology to meet the increasingly sophisticated demands of the space travel industry.
Some of the many historic successes with HWI refractory products include:
- Development of HP-CAST 93Z3 to provide dependable service addressing flame impingement during a launch. The development and subsequent testing resulted in an installation in a new launch pad construction, along with HWI’s SENTINEL RC, resulting in over half a million pounds of HWI refractory installed.
- Repairs to a damaged pad utilizing 100,000 lbs of HP-CAST 93Z3 and SENTINEL RC.
- Since the first Apollo missions and space shuttle program launching from the initial pad, over two million pounds of KRUZITE 70 has been installed to rebuild flame trenches.
- More than 1.5 million pounds of HWI’s SHOT-TECH 45 LI was installed during a launch pad rehab in 2018.
Our latest technology for launch and landing pad applications builds on HWI’s years of experience and the performance of our products. The APOLLOCRETE family of products leverages the success of HP-CAST 93Z3 and SENTINEL RC – with further formulation enhancements for added versatility during installation.
APOLLOCRETE HP and APOLLOCRETE PLUS are next-generation versions of HP-CAST 93Z3 and SENTINEL RC, respectively, which add pump casting and shotcreteing capabilities to the products. The pumping capability of these latest products allows for faster installation, given the large volume demands of launch pads. Shotcreting substantially decreases installation process time by removing the need for forms on vertical and sloping surfaces.
Proven Refractory Products:
APOLLOCRETE HP, APOLLOCRETE PLUS, KRUZITE 70, LO-ABRADE, SHOT-TECH 45 LI
Availability:
- Dedicated sales personnel ready to respond 24/7/365
- Manufacturing plants producing refractory products in North America
- Strategically placed distribution centers providing one of the quickest response times in the refractory industry
- Usually shipping with same-day or next-day delivery
- Staging and shipping to anywhere in the world
- Ready-to-ship inventory of our best-selling refractories
Global Projects & Engineering:
- Specialists in new projects offering a range of services, from product refractory supplier all the way to full installation partner
- Greenfield construction
- Manufacturing and plant modernization
- Serving the advanced engineering needs of existing facilities
- End-to-end delivery of refractories: drawings, products, and installation
- Strong conceptual drawing capabilities with meticulous attention to detail
Installation, Service, & Support:
- Support from HWI’s network of premier contractor/installers
- Available benefits of a VAS team:
- Single-source responsibility that delivers cost savings
- Just-in-time delivery of refractory materials, ensuring the freshest product on the jobsite
- Inventory solutions
- Quick response times, minimizing outages and downtime
- More in-depth knowledge of your business, yielding the best refractory solutions
- Embedded HWI team members and resources at your site
- Our Advanced Technology and Research Center is the largest facility in the United States devoted to refractory development, quality assurance, and failure analysis.
Education & Training:
- Ongoing educational seminars at our Advanced Technology and Research Center
- Customized, on-site training for customers upon request
- Webcasts and video training modules upon request
