Following a strong felt need to combat vibrational problems of recips at the root, the R&D branch of the EFRC initiated research to investigate the feasibility of reducing the mass of moving parts. As a contract researcher, founder Cyril Wentzel was able to conceive a unique hybrid material concept that would offer the industry significant benefits without the insurmountable cost of many composites solutions. Panacea builds on this idea to provide actual validated composite hardware that does the job. Thus, Panacea is a direct result of this project’s very positive outcome.
The company currently provides a launching customer with technology, design and production of a piston that is 50% lighter than previous technology allowed them to achieve, enabling a new and improved machine to be put on the market.
This is the first activity that implements Panacea’s core competence, i.e. developing tailor-made designs to achieve a unique mix of benefits at affordable cost for each application. It will use proprietary materials formulation and data to enable the challenging demands of pistons running at elevated temperature and for an extremely long fatigue lifetime.
Panacea is dedicated to devote a substantial part of the revenues to relentlessly improving light weight piston technology. Some of these future developments are described in the Technology section of this website.
About the origins of the company name
What does the word „Panacea” have to do with pistons? Well, for starters, a panacea refers to a cure-all medicine. Whereas the „all” is a bit of an overstatement, we at Panacea Piston Company like to believe that the new technology will both cure some vibration and fatigue related problems, as well as expand design opportunities.
The panacea /pænəˈsiːə/, named after the Greek goddess of universal remedy Panakeia, (Greek Πανάκεια, Panakeia) …. was supposed to be a remedy that would cure all diseases and prolong life indefinitely.
A panacea (or panaceum) is also a literary term to represent any solution to solve all problems related to a particular issue.
And of course the latter meaning brings us right at the heart of the mission of The Panacea Piston Company, where especially the part on „prolong life indefinitely” appeals to our imagination.
Partners
Panacea works closely with the following organisations for remaining at the cutting edge of technology:
