On Dec. 4, 2002 the SKYTHANE team acquired FDA certification for calendering the TPU, CS100A and CR100A Series. Certification range includes 21CFR177.1680 (dried foods) and 21CFR177.2600 (wet foods). Calendering is a shaping method used to form sheets or films of resins. In the case of TPU it is a highly differentiated product requiring sophisticated technical power, since only a few companies can develop and maintain the products necessary for this process. MPR of the SKYTHANE team launched a mandate to develop this product in the mid-1990s, and after years of steady effort and investment succeeded in product development in the second half of 2001. Several companies in the EU recognized this product?s quality following an extensive series of field tests, allowing full-fledged sales to begin in the second half of 2002. The market size of calendering use has been identified in the EU region alone as several thousand tons per year. Its final applications are broad ranging and vary from conveyor belts, parachutes and tents to oil fences, although it is most widely utilized for the conveyor belts used in food manufacturing. To apply the product for this use, FDA certification was first required. Thus, the SKYTHANE team decided upon a FDA certification plan based upon EU market research to date. Since then, the MPR wing of the SKYTHANE team has strove to gain FDA approval over two years of incessant effort. With certification now in hand, the SKYTHANE team can expect a sales increase in the EU region starting 2003. The team can also expect wide benefits to be exerted by global multinational corporations that have head offices and branch offices in the EU region. Based on the FDA certification of calendering products, the SKYTHANE team is scheduled to promote its entire product line in the future, and even plans to obtain National Sanitary Foundation (NSF) certification ? a US regulation.