History

FLEXMASTER COMPANY

A Brief History

In 1958, there was a modest market in Canada for flexible ducting used in high pressure air conditioning systems in high rise office towers. Being aware of this, Cecil Wood began the design of a continuous mandrel duct machine. A patent on the design was obtained in 1961.

With the expectation that a patent would be obtained and that a viable business would be possible, the Flexmaster Company was formed in 1961 to produce the duct which consisted of neoprene-coated glass fiber cloth supported in a helical wire frame.

About 1965, there developed a market for corrugated aluminum duct so work began on developing a superior product and the machine for producing it. This was successful and a patent was obtained in 1968. The ducting was produced and marketed under the name "Triple Lock". This name was derived from the superior locking design of the joint between adjacent turns of aluminum strip.

In the early 1970's, Flexmaster undertook a project to design a new concept of flexible duct for industrial applications. Most industrial ducting consisted of a heavy-coated fabric on a supporting wire helix that was internal. Such a design was prone to damage from external scuffing. The layers of fabric were bonded together by adhesive so the temperature of operation was limited to that of the adhesive. The adhesives took time to set, so production was slow.

The new concept of duct would not use adhesive or wire. There would be a continuous metal clip on the outside of the duct to provide strength, scuff resistance and to join the adjacent edges of the fabric. Almost any type of fabric could be used so ducts could be produced for abrasive, corrosive or high temperature applications. Patent protection was granted.

Flexmaster recognized that its skills lay more in design and development than in production, so efforts were made to license others to manufacture the products. Licenses were concluded in the United States, Great Britain, Germany, France, South Africa, Singapore, and Japan.

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