/ By Kastalon / Automation Industry • Case Studies • Safety / OSHA/ • • / 0 Comments

Sound Value Being Added to the Workplace

In 1987 society was introduced to a relatively new term called Ergonomics. By definition, the new buzz word means “The study of workplace equipment design or how to arrange and design devices, machines, or workspace so that people and things interact safely and most efficiently.” Countless organizations were formed and research groups began delving into the cause, effect and corrective action required to reduce the occupational injuries associated with the work environment.

As a result of studies and analysis done in the workplace, jobs have been made more efficient, less fatiguing and safer for the employee. OSHA has established a comprehensive strategy and has written a protocol for Developing Industry and Task Specific Ergonomic Guidelines published in June of 2004.

As we continue to search for ways to recognize and control potential hazards in the work place, nearly twenty years later, the newest safety concern to be brought to the forefront is Noise in the Workplace. Noise is often overlooked as a key “ergonomic” element in the workplace, however, the National Hearing Conservation Association has proven otherwise and has formed an alliance with OSHA to develop a hearing conservation programs that can be adopted by industry.

Studies have proven that excessive noise can cause lasting damage to hearing and can be considered dangerous if an employee is exposed to sound levels of 85 decibels or more for prolonged periods. Further, occupational noise has been written into General Industry Safety Orders for many states and has been named to the top 10 OSHA citation list with fines totaling over $206,000 in 2002.

According to OSHA’s 1981 estimates, at least one million workers in manufacturing and utilities had sustained occupational hearing impairments greater than OSHA’s definition of hearing handicap.

Unfortunately, although loss of hearing is the second highest self-reported workplace injury or illness in the United States, it is considered to be 100% preventable.

As automation continues to revolutionize industry, more and more facilities have integrated a material handling conveying system into their work flow in order to move product more efficiently. A conveying system not only brings an efficiency factor but adds an additional noise factor, as well. In conveying environments noise is created by not only the machinery itself, but also the product being conveyed across the belt or metal rollers. In addition, noise can be accentuated by conveying systems being operated at higher speeds.

According to a report published by the Conveyor Product Section of the Material Handling Industry “The primary goal should always be to reduce noise at its source.”

Different conveyor designs create different noise issues to be dealt with. For example Roller tube ringing is a common source of noise in roller based conveying systems. By covering metal rollers with Kastalon Koat-A-Roll® polyurethane conveyor roller sleeves , the roller surface is transformed to a non-marking, shock-absorbing, rugged “slip-on” polyurethane coated conveyor roller. Product is now transported across the urethane material and does not come in contact with the metal roller. Independent field tests have found that simple addition of polyurethane sleeves results in an impressive reduction in operating noise measuring 7-10 decibels.

Benefits of Koat-A-Roll®
Utilizing innovative components such as Koat-A-Roll® conveyor roller sleeves, legacy systems can be retrofitted in the field with inexpensive non-marking, rugged “slip-on” polyurethane roller covers. The value is not only limited to immediate reduction in noise, but the cost effectiveness becomes even more substantial when considering the greater friction and longer component life that is achieved.

For more information about Kastalon Polyurethane Products, visit www.kastalon.com or contact their client relations staff at 800-527-8566.

/ By Kastalon / Agricultural Equipment • Articles of Interest • Energy Engineering and Design • Marine Industry/ • • / 0 Comments

Helping Gentle Giants

Design engineers rely on specially formulated monolithic urethane to protect manatees from injury and death.

Endangered manatees are getting a helping hand from design technology. Thanks to the efforts of engineers at the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution and the materials technology at Kastalon Inc. , these gentle creatures have a better chance of staying alive. The Florida manatee is one of the most threatened marine animals in the United States. They are often killed by collisions with boats or from entrapment in man-made structures. In fact, only a few thousand of these friendly “sea cows” can be found in the shallow rivers, bays, canals, and coastal areas of the Florida peninsula.

South Florida Water
Management, which operates a series of remote controlled gates that regulate the water level in its vast system of canals, knew more had to be done to save these sea wonders. The canals, full of warm brackish water, attract numerous manatees. Finding warm water is a matter of survival for them. If manatees remain in the Gulf of Mexico after the water turns cold, they risk catching a fatal respiratory illness. However, the warm waters of the canals can also prove fatal to the slow-moving manatee. The vertical gates that regulate water flow between the canals and ocean are unmanned. Manatees, which measure about 12 feet long and weigh about 1,000 pounds, are often trapped when the 20- to 33-foot-wide gates close. Since no one is around to rescue them, the manatees die. Making matters worse is the turbulent flow of water through the gates, which carries all manner of debris from floating branches to illegally discarded washing machines.

Fortunately, seven sophisticated manatee protection systems are currently in place in the canal system, and an additional 13 have been contracted. These systems are sensitive enough to detect the soft body of a manatee and yet are not prone to false alarms triggered by debris.

The first system was installed on the Miami Canal in 1996. “This site had the worst record of manatee mortality before the system was installed,” recalls Larry Taylor, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution’s EE production manager and the project manager for manatee protection systems. “Since the system has been online, there has not been another injury.”

The engineers at the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution invented the manatee protection system after extensive testing of various alarm mechanisms. Called the Manatee Piezo-Electric Detector bumper system, it allows the vertical gates, which move at a fixed speed of 6 inches per minute, to gently contact the manatee, stop, and then reverse without harming the animal. The system’s sensor is sensitive enough to distinguish between a large object being violently pushed into the bumper and a manatee caught in the lowering gates. In addition, the unique shape of the bumper protects the sensor from impact.

“The bumper sensor design provides an extremely sensitive detector for the endangered manatee while including the ruggedness required for the industrial submerged environment,” says Taylor. “Kastalon provided the custom molding capability and the perfect materials for us to meet the required 10-year service life of this system.”

Kastalon, a manufacturer of polyurethane components located outside Chicago, developed the durable material needed for the bumper system. It’s a specially formulated monolithic urethane engineered to withstand years of continuous submersion in brackish water as well as impact from surging water and moving debris. Designed to offer mechanical properties stronger and more durable than rubber, it also resists both UV rays and salt water.

During a demonstration of the manatee protection system, a plump tomato was used to simulate a manatee. When light pressure was applied to the tomato, the system activated without damaging the tomato. More important, the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution has confirmed dozens of cases in which a manatee has been spared from injury or death.
“Although a good design is always rewarding to an engineer, saving an endangered animal really makes this project special,” says Taylor.

More information on polyurethanes and urethanes is available by contacting Kastalon Inc., 4100 W. 124th Place, Alsip, IL 60803 or calling (708) 389-2210. www.kastalon.com

/ By Kastalon / Mandrel Sleeves • Millwork Industry • Polyurethane • Press Releases/ • • • / 0 Comments

Kastalon Engineered Mandrel Sleeves Provide Greater Productivity, Profitability


Kastalon engineers match assorted textured surfaces and material hardnesses to the application.

Kastalon offers mills and processors highly engineered polyurethane mandrel sleeves, filler plates and filler rings with material hardness and surface options to match customer needs, protecting coils from damage

Kastalon brings 50 years experience in coil processing to the task of engineering a new offering of application-specific, proprietary formulated polyurethane mandrel sleeves, filler rings and filler plates. These products are designed to adapt the mandrel to handle coils with larger ID’s and addresses the problems of damage from creasing, scratching and marring at mills, service centers, toll processors and fabricators alike. Such damage is expensive for any coil handling operation, especially when the metal is prepainted or must maintain optimum cosmetic surface integrity. By the use of Kastalon mandrel sleeves, filler rings or filler plates on the uncoiler or recoiler, the inside wraps on coils are protected from metal to metal contact. More finished material is produced or usable, as a result.

Mandrel sleeves are custom designed with engineered surface hardnesses and grooved or smooth finishes, depending on the particular application. Full sleeves are usually recommended for the recoilers, while filler rings and filler plates are more often utilized for uncoilers.


The design process begins at the company website, where a detailed needs-assessment questionnaire can be completed, followed by a discussion with Kastalon engineering to formulate the proper chemistry, surface and material hardness for the application.

In use, the proprietary chemistry of the Kastalon Polyurethane material withstands the stress caused by the weight of the coil, then reforms when the mandrel is collapsed back to the rest position, owing to the inherent memory of the Kastalon engineered material. With other materials now on the market, sleeves will often sag due to memory loss and the resulting gap can cause significant coil damage. Correspondingly, additional labor and line downtime result from this condition, as realignment of the coil, sleeve and mandrel is needed. Through the true and precise sizing of the mandrel sleeve, combined with the proper material hardness and surface texturing, a Kastalon sleeve can last up to 10 times longer than rubber, fiber or even other commodity type polyurethane products, according to company research, available on request.


Mandrel sleeves, filler rings and filler plates allow coil processing to be accomplished more efficiently, whether on uncoil or recoil reels, at mills, service centers, toll processors and fabricators.

Kastalon mandrel sleeves are non-marring, cut-resistant, abrasion-resistant and offered for friction fit, requiring a separate “keeper”, or bolt-on installation. Company engineers consult customers on the amount of lubricant, cleaning solution or other coating chemistries present in the process, as this will determine the particular formulation selected. Furthermore, Kastalon offers these mandrel sleeves in a wide variety of grooved or soft surface finishes to meet the specific tension and pressure requirements of a processor’s uncoil/recoil apparatus. Special dual-durometer sleeves are also available for mills and processors where “head-in” damage is often encountered.

For most uncoilers, Kastalon filler rings or filler plates can provide the optimum performance for the tension, pressure and metal contact requirements typically present.


Kastalon engineers match assorted textured surfaces and material hardnesses to the application.

The design process for Kastalon mandrel sleeves can begin with a visit to the company’s website, www.kastalon.com, for completion of a needs assessment questionnaire. Detailed information is gathered on this form, allowing the Kastalon engineers to calculate the best sleeve design and chemical composition to suit the job.

/ By Kastalon / Custom Engineering • Packaging Industry • Polyurethane/ • • • • • • • • • • • / 0 Comments

Polyurethane Is A Perfect Fit For Pipe And Bar Straighteners

Pipe and bar straighteners are a great market for polyurethane parts for noise suppression, product protection and conveying. Kastalon has supplied this market place with many parts on an MRO basis. We have developed a material that has the impact resistance, cushioning and enhanced wear resistance required to provide the optimum in life for a trough liner.

We would recommend using material thicker than 3/4″, generally 1-1/4″ to 2″ thicknesses is ideal. The liner will function properly until it is worn through. Some additional positions that could and should be polyurethane/plastic covered are:

  • Protective Pads: (shock absorption, noise suppression, cut, tear and abrasion resistance, product protection)
  • Kicker shoes (these are the arms that pick up and push or kick the tube/pipe/bar, down the ramps).
  • Transfer arm covers (similar or the same as kicker arms, they also may be a wheel moving the pipe from one conveyor to the other)
  • Any hard stop surfaces for the pipe
  • V Rollers for roller transport (better friction and drive than plastic)

Kastalon produces a highly engineered a polyurethane compound in 75 Shore D hardness that is extremely effective in protecting the pipe surface and has a very long life. We find these straighteners mostly in solid bar plants where shafting and forging stock have very critical surface finish requirements (to prevent stress points in the surface of the bar which lead to cracks)

Any where there is shock, polyurethane due to its elastomeric nature, including in plastic hardness, is more effective and long lived than plastic.

/ By Kastalon / Aerospace Contractor • Automotive and Transport Industry • Department of Defense Contractor • Polyurethane • Press Releases/ 0 Comments

Rubber Forming Pad History: Comparisons of Materials and Introduction of Gümmilast Polyurethane for Forming Pads and Fluid Cells

Short run forming of complex sheet metal shapes using rubber dies and pads is quick and highly effective.  This technique was first accomplished using the Guerin Process.  After the Second World War, the Wheelon process was developed as an improvement over the Guerin Process.  A Wheelon press is capable of manufacturing large, complex, short run parts with economic tooling. This type of hydraulically actuated bladder forming is widely used in the aerospace industry today.

When the Wheelon process was first employed, the forming press fluid cells and forming pads were made of Neoprene rubber.  The Neoprene formulations of the day were developed by rubber molders’ chemists.  Their formulas were proprietary and highly secretive.

The high grade formulation of Neoprene used was an excellent material for the function of forming pads and fluid cells.  It was tough, had very high extensibility, good cut resistance, excellent oil resistance and produced good detail with moderate pressures.

This was the standard material for Wheelon forming pads and fluid cells for many years.  However, as the U.S. industrial rubber goods industry matured, its productive capacity diminished.  The industry lost the capacity and knowledge required to make Neoprene pads and cells.  There are presently no suppliers of rubber Wheelon or Guerin cells or pads in North America.


Product shown in use in the Wheelon process, one used extensively in the aerospace and other industries.

Fortunately, there was capacity to produce these parts from polyurethane.  Polyurethane is a synthetic elastomer that is far stronger than Neoprene.  Polyurethane has greater cut resistance, more abrasion resistance, greater tensile strength and has suitably high elongation for effective use in the Wheelon process.

Polyurethane is also a more environmentally stable material than the original Neoprene.  Most often, when installing forming pads and upon starting forming operations, the Neoprene would be “dried out”.  This would lead to shrinkage of the pad and increased stiffness.  In order to install the pad and/or start the operation, it would be necessary to heat the Neoprene to restore it to its original softness and resilience.  Polyurethane is far more consistent, retaining its size, shape and maintaining its softness and resilience.  This eliminates the need for heat “rejuvenation”.

However, in spite of the superiority of the physical properties of polyurethane over the previously used Neoprene, there is a drawback to polyurethane.  Due to its increased strength and toughness, far greater pressures must be employed to achieve acceptable part definition and this results in greater strain on the press, its components and some reduction in forming definition.

Some of the difficulties encountered with the use of commercial and even Kastalon KAS43210AE forming pads and cells are:

  • Increased wear and maintenance of the press due to the high degree of loading
  • Decreased press life
  • Reduction in size capacity
  • Reduced part definition requiring increased handwork
  • Increased set-up time, due to the need for more accurate filler/intensifier pad placement
  • The risk of damage to the forming pad if the press filler/intensifier pads are not properly used
  • Increased tendency for forming pad extrusion due to higher pressures
  • Increased risk of catastrophic failures
  • The inability to make field repairs

The challenge to industry has been to create a material that has polyurethane’s toughness and the extensibility of the lost Neoprene material.

Our initial discoveries led us to improve the traditional polyurethane formulations to increase extensibility, reduce working pressure and improve cut and tear strength in the “mid extension” ranges where these pads operate.  However, this was only a compromise and a temporary solution to producing a forming pad with superior performance.

After years of continuing research, a hybrid polyurethane compound, trademarked Gümmilast by Kastalon, has been developed.  The properties of Gümmilast are very similar to the original Neoprene in performance and exceed the toughness of traditional polyurethane.  A comparison of the original Neoprene, Gümmilast, Kastalon KAS43210AE and commercial polyurethane is presented in the following table.

Physical Properties: Traditional Neoprene vs. Polyurethane
Neoprene Gümmilast KAS021909A Kastalon KAS43210AE Commercial PUR
Hardness, Shore A Tensile, psi 55-602,002 psi 602850 704153 704660
Elongation 773 % 774 694 630
5% modulus 92 psi 133 201 221
50% 119 psi 184 260 282
100% 157 psi 229 340 360
200% 277 psi 262 434 475
300% 472 psi 337 522 670
400% 741 psi 471 738 985
Split tear 228 psi 191 181 185
Dynamic modulus 289 372 733 836

The similarity between Gümmilast and the original Neoprene is apparent.  In the operating range extension (250-400%), previously available polyurethanes create far higher internal stresses.  The rapid increase of these stresses in this operational strain range leads to need for higher pressure and less definition.  This makes tool design and the use of intensifier pads highly critical.

When using Gümmilast, the reduction in operating pressure will yield greater press life, while offering greater part definition.

Life testing of Gümmilast pads and cells is ongoing.  To date, Kastalon anticipates 3-6 times the life of Improved Kastalon Polyurethane and an even greater life over commercial polyurethane.

In conclusion, Kastalon Gümmilast will provide the Wheelon Process user with a material that offers similar process ease, forming definition and reparability as experienced with the original rubber and providing significantly improved life over commercial polyurethane.  Gümmilast is also available for hydroforming bladders, throw pads and Guerin Process pads.

Kastalon Gümmilast products are available from your press parts provider or from Kastalon, Inc.

/ By Kastalon / About Kastalon • Press Releases/ • / 0 Comments

Kastalon Awarded the Safety Award of Honor

Kastalon, Inc. has won a Safety Award of Honor in the FMA/CNA 2009 Safety Award Contest sponsored by the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, Int’l, and CNA Insurance. FMA/CNA Safety Awards are based on your company’s 2012 safety results compared to the most recently published Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) incidence rate for your NAICS code. The Safety Award of Honor is awarded to companies having no record able injuries or illnesses. The award recognizes your company for its commitment to providing a safe work environment for its most valuable asset – the employees.

Congratulations to Kastalon and all their employees for a job well done.

/ By Kastalon / About Kastalon • Articles of Interest • Success Stories/ • • / 0 Comments

Member Spotlight on Bruce DeMent of Kastalon, Inc.

Chicago Family Business Council: Congratulations on celebrating your company’s 50th anniversary! Can you tell us a little history on Kastalon, Inc.?

Bruce DeMent: Kastalon, Inc. is in the business of designing, engineering and manufacturing polyurethane rubber OE and MRO components for a wide variety of applications and industries. Some of our primary industries are: steel and metals manufacturing, heavy equipment, military, aerospace, materials handling, industrial machinery, food, mining, appliances, building materials and any opportunity requiring high quality polyurethane parts.

The company was founded in 1963 by my father Robert DeMent and 2 of his friends. This was one year after John Glenn orbited the earth and the term “space-age” material was first coined. Like most entrepreneurial starts, my father was a partner in a very small company and was looking for a new opportunity. He “put the word out” that he was looking for something to do and was approached by two friends who were looking for a partner to help them launch a new business. They had heard about a new material called polyurethane that was the next best thing since sliced bread. They were unsure what the material would do, but it was great! Outside of not being able to pronounce the name of the material, and knowing it was “space age material” my dad and his friends began the partnership. My dad would work, they would invest.

During the first year, the business was housed in a space equivalent to a one car garage which was borrowed from one of the partner’s fathers. My dad worked long hours and would bring home parts he made during the day for my brother and I to trim, clean and get ready for shipment in the morning.

After the first year, the business was in the red and the partners had enough. They expected to make at least double their money during this time. My dad knew the company was about to make a profit, but they had enough. In an act of bravado, my dad offered to buy them out for the return they wanted. He thought they would see his confidence and stay in the business. Instead, they accepted his offer, and for the second time in a little over a year my dad had to beg and borrow from the family and anywhere he could to obtain the money. No bank would touch the loan. He was “all in”, on his own and had to vacate the borrowed location. These were very tough times.

Subsequently, we moved, expanded, and moved again to our current 50,000 ft. facility. We grew from a one man shop mixing chemicals in soup and coffee cans that my brother and I collected and washed, to a 75 person state-of-the-art manufacturing facility supplying industries from deep sea to deep space with highly engineered polyurethane elastomeric components.

CFBC: What family members work with you in the business?

BD: At this time we have 4 family members in the business, myself, brother, a cousin and my son Bob who is a member of Aperion forum.

CFBC: How did you hear about the CFBC and what motivated you to join?

BD: I am a charter member of the CFBC. I was contacted in a phone call by Dennis DuBois asking if I would be interested in joining an exclusive organization of family businesses that was being formed and affiliated with UIC. I hesitated and he said there was a kick off dinner at a penthouse atop the 4 Seasons Hotel. He had me then!

The dinner got me started, I heard the spiel about meeting with other family business CEO’s and the very interesting concept of forum. I joined, figuring if this was bogus I would be quickly gone. After the first forum meeting of the Alpha forum I was sold. The people, experiences and opportunity to learn in a way that was not available anywhere else. I have been involved as much as possible ever since.

CFBC: How has the CFBC helped your company succeed?

BD: There isn’t enough room to tell how the CFBC has helped my company succeed! Briefly, the CFBC has provided me with access to resources, both with our strategic partners and membership I would not have otherwise had. The education I have gained from the many excellent speakers, seminars, discussions and interaction with other CEO’s has given me great insight in guiding my company over these many years. This insight has helped me to avoid many pitfalls and appreciate many opportunities that I would have missed without my CFBC experience and support.

CFBC: What has been the most rewarding aspect of your experience with your forum
and the CFBC?

BD: By far the most rewarding experience of the CFBC is the friendship and support of the wonderful like-minded people I have met, many of whom have become close friends. Without the CFBC I would never have been able to meet these people or know them on such a close personal level.

CFBC: Is there one thing you have learned from being a member of CFBC that has impacted your business or your life the most?

BD: There are so many things I have learned that have had great positive impact on me, boiling down the experience to one thing does not do the organization justice. But to answer your question, the one thing that has had the greatest impact is the application of forum protocol and its application of Emotional Intelligence in both my business and personal lives. This has literally been life changing for me. Without the CFBC, I would never have learned of or understood this powerful way of thinking, living.

CFBC: What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

BD: One thing I greatly enjoy in my free time is riding one of my motorcycles. I have a 1996 Road King that I just had completely reworked. I love that bike, I am a bit vertically challenged, but now that it has been lowered, it is really sweet. I also have a 2012, Soft Tail Convertible Screaming Eagle. I took that for a break in ride last May to the Smoky Mountains with my forum bother Tony Gfesser. I have made many rides with others from the CFBC and am going to Sturgis this summer.

CFBC: What one book would you recommend to your fellow CFBC members?

BD: I have a whole bibliography of business related books that have greatly benefitted me and my business, but if I had to narrow it down to only one, without a question it would be Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ by Daniel Goleman.

CFBC: What are your plans for the future?

BD: My plans for the future were in a bit of a state of flux. My brother, and equal partner, is retiring late next year. We have been considering our options regarding succession. For a time we were strongly considering selling and retirement. I was ambivalent about retiring and since then we have reached agreement where I will purchase my brother’s interest. I will continue to work at what I love to do for some years to come. (I will hire people for the other parts!)

CFBC: What was your first job?

BD: My first job was at the age of 11, my brother and I cut grass for some neighbors and friends of our family. The most memorable and worst was the lawn of a home with 3 large dogs. Hot August days weren’t pretty! We had these lawns because other kids wouldn’t cut them. The lesson of doing a little more difficult things, and the little greater reward associated with them has carried over into my business life. We still produce many things our competitors cannot or will not manufacture.

CFBC: Can you describe your ideal customer?

BD: Our ideal customer is one who appreciates our customer intimate approach and allows us to use our skill and expertise to solve their problems. We are expert in our field and when we have a customer who allows us to utilize our abilities we can provide our customer with the greatest value. Not only does this provide the greatest benefit to our customer and ourselves, we have more fun!

This entry was posted in Blog, Spotlight and tagged 50th Anniversary, Bruce DeMent, CFBC, Chicago Family Business Council, Entrepreneurs, family business, Kastalon Inc. Posted on February 8th, 2013 by Judy Hogel

/ By Kastalon / Case Studies • Polyurethane • Press Releases • Steel Mill Industry/ 0 Comments

Steel producer in New Carlisle, Indiana. Mandrel Sleeve made by Kastalon Polyurethane

In May of 2007 we manufactured a mandrel sleeve for their high speed steel processing line. At the rewind end of their line they have two rewind mandrels that work in tandem with each other. Once our sleeve was tested for four months, they placed an order for two more sleeves. One to install on the other mandrel where our test sleeve was not on, and one for a spare. I then also recommended purchasing one more sleeve to make their inventory of mandrel sleeves in house to four. We recommended that because if they would change out the sleeves every six months and allow the sleeves that were just in use, to rest on the floor, that would also increase the longevity of the sleeves. Since May of 2007, they have purchased a total of seven sleeves. The original four were ordered IN 2007, and then one was ordered IN 2008 due to an operator error that tore one of the sleeves off their steel mandrel. And then in November of 2010 two sleeves were order for precaution because they have never experienced mandrel sleeves lasting this long. Three of the original four sleeves are still in service with the two that were ordered in 2010 sitting in their warehouse.

Two competitor’s sleeves of ours were used prior to 2007. Our customer explained to us that they had constant issues with the sleeve not performing correctly. Sizing issues from one sleeve to the next. Constant tension issues from the sleeves slipping (again sizing issues). And short memory life or sagging of the sleeves when the steel mandrel was collapsed for unloading of the coils.

This is a high speed line that usually runs around 2800 feet per minute. This customer has averaged running at around 78 percent of capacity since 2007. You can imagine the amount of times our four sleeves have expanded and collapsed in the past 5 years.

Originally reported in May, 2007