FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Hunter Paine is a materials technology company founded in 1999 with the goal of finding and patenting value added products while delivering alternative uses for post consumer waste.

Lexite™ is a patented, pressure-extruded composite made primarily from scrap tires, recycled glass microspheres, and recycled paper.

As Hunter Paine's lead product, high endurance Lexite™ is capable of supporting more weight than wood, making it an ideal pallet material. It is also phytosanitary (impervious to insects, mold, bacteria growth and contamination) and can be made to custom size and strength specifications. In addition, Lexite™ can be embedded with RFID providing an integrated platform for merchandise tracking and inventory management. These performance characteristics combined with the environmental profile for the product and manufacturing process make Lexite™ a truly unique and revolutionary product.

The product and processes of making Lexite™ are currently covered by three domestic and international patents. Several patents for Lexite™ material improvements are pending with the patent authorities.

Lexite™ is formed by combining unique layers of different materials held together by formulated binders made specifically for Lexite™. The outside shell, or exoskeleton, is a coated recycled paper layered with recycled glass microspheres and held together with a proprietary binder. The inner Lexite™ core is a dense mixture of foam, scrap rubber from tires and recycled fillers. Lexite™ is folded and filled on high speed production lines, cut to size and then held on cooling racks. No post production finishing is required for Lexite™.

Lexite™ is currently used exclusively in the pallet market to make full Lexite™ pallets and to repair broken wood pallets designed for use in the transportation and logistics industry. Future applications for Lexite™ may include construction and building materials, utility poles, railroad ties and decking.

Unlike wood, Lexite™ boards can be embedded with RFID tags. Virtually any RFID tag can be embedded into Lexite™ boards, which unlike external mounting, prevents accidental damage and tampering of the tags. Retailers are embracing RFID technology as a means to help reduce labor costs, inventory shrinkage and out-of-stocks, and improve in-transit visibility.

As a material composite, Lexite™ is exempt from the ISPM-15 certification requirements. By their nature, all Lexite™ boards are phytosanitary, meaning impervious to insects, mold, bacteria growth and contamination. This Phytosanitary characteristic is a requirement for food product shipments, international destinations and clean room environments. Lexite™ is ideally suited for all ISPM-15 required applications.

Lexite™ can be cut to meet pre-existing or new pallet configurations, is easily repaired with standard pallet techniques and provides superior strength to weight characteristics. The Lexite™ formula can also be adjusted to accommodate specific strength, load bearing or shipping criteria. For these reasons, Lexite™ boards are ideal for any specification that requires non-standard lengths, configurations or properties.

Lexite™ has passed all standard industry pallet tests. Specifically, Lexite™ has been tested by the Department of Defense and passed the ASTM D1185 and MIL-STD-1660 testing protocols, the first composite material to pass either test. Lexite™ has also been tested with results showing strength seven times greater than wood by Virginia Polytechnic Institute's Pallet and Container Laboratory. Lexite™ testing is currently underway with UL laboratories to certify the fire retardant nature of Lexite™. With burn rates significantly less than those of wood, Lexite™ is expected to pass this protocol as well.

Lexite™ is currently produced in a dedicated manufacturing facility located in Pittsburg , CA . Each Lexite™ production line is over 275 feet long and runs at a continual speed of 75 feet per minute.

Unlike plastic, metal and other composites, Lexite™ can be fully integrated into existing pallet manufacturing operations. Lexite™ performs exactly like wood for pallet assembly and repair and can be cut to size and nailed or glued onto existing pallets or used to make new pallets. Unlike wood, Lexite™ does not splinter or crack, significantly reducing worker injury rates and performance concerns with repaired pallets.

Lexite™ is not intended to replace wood as the primary material for pallets. With its unique durability and performance characteristics, Lexite™ is used to build pallets for specific applications and reduces the total cost of ownership for heavy multi-use, closed loop pallet applications.

Lexite™ is an environmentally sustainable product. Lexite™ pallets reduce the amount of wood being used, which reduces the number of trees being harvested (estimated at 10 million per year) and ultimately eliminates some of the 225 million pallets currently dumped in landfills each year. There are also an estimated 2 billion scrap tires in stockpiles in the U.S. with 270 million discarded each year into landfills. Lexite™ production will divert an estimated 40 million scrap tires each year from landfills.

In addition to preserving renewable resources and reducing post consumer waste, Lexite™ is also 100% reusable and recyclable. Hunter Paine is committed to using worn out Lexite™ pallets as a key ingredient for future generations of Lexite™ boards.

Timber forests require time to grow and develop the length, width and durability of wood demanded for consumer and building products. Deforestation is occurring at an increasing rate, with trees being harvested at younger ages, providing less than optimal strength and length.

Made on a continuous production line, Lexite™ can be made to virtually any length or size dimension. Considering the primary raw material inputs for Lexite™ come from the post consumer waste stream, more Lexite™ production enhances the health of the environment and prevents the premature harvest of natural wood resources.

The durability of Lexite™ provides for a lower total cost of ownership over the life of a pallet. Although Lexite™ is more expensive initially than typical wood pallets, Lexite™ pallets require fewer repairs, reduce worker injuries, carry greater loads and provide enhanced flexibility throughout the logistics system. This overall durability leads to a lower total cost of ownership.

You can reach Hunter Paine via e-mail at info@lexite.com or you may contact the company headquarters directly:

Hunter Paine Enterprises, LLC
Corporate Offices
701 Willow Pass Road, Suite One
Pittsburg, CA 94565