Nestled in Phoenix, NY, High Strain Dynamics, a division of QMP Enterprises Inc., was established in 2014 as an R&D facility with a primary focus on fishing rods. Now, the company manufactures composite tubes and shafts for various applications like kayak paddles, drones, electronics, and specialized items for the military.

High Strain Dynamics works with composite material because of its strength-to-weight ratio and consistency. However, the high-tech material comes with a price tag, and any slight inaccuracy during production can result in increased weight or reduced performance for the consumer. After years of cutting by hand, David Barclay, QMP CEO, decided to invest in a static cutting table from Eastman Machine Company.

“Guaranteed accuracy when cutting prepreg became vital in order to maintain quality and consistency, especially for fishing rods,” says Barclay. “The team saw an immediate improvement in material utilization and predictable product performance after installing our Eastman.”

High Strain Dynamics prides itself on acting as a strategic technical partner to its clients, assisting in product development, material testing, and process optimization. With a sudden increase in production, the automated cutting table allowed High Strain Dynamics to expand its product line and R&D services.

“The S125 opened endless possibilities for QMP,” says Peter Winkert, Director of Business Development. “We are now cutting dry fabrics for in-house applications and toll-cutting various fabrics for outside customers. It’s created a new revenue stream.”

Focused on the subsidiaries within the QMP family, High Strain Dynamics used to exclusively work with prepreg carbon and fiberglass. With the introduction of automated cutting, the company has started to work with advanced textiles for industries like aerospace, defense, unmanned aerial systems, automotive, sport, marine, and medical.

Similar to High Strain Dynamics, Eastman considers itself a partner to customers, dedicated to productivity and performance. The two continue to work together in optimizing the High Strain cutting room and challenging the versatility of its cutting machine through Eastman’s complimentary test cut evaluations.