Cork, known for such low-tech applications as wine bottle stoppers and bulletin boards, now shows promise as the core material in composites used in high-tech automotive, aircraft and energy ...

Cork has long been key to the wine industry, but Amorim is pushing this highly versatile material in surprising directions.

Cork cutting and packing machine/ Lloyd Alter/ CC BY 2.0 The cork blocks are then sent to another building where they are squared and sawn into sheets as ordered by the customer.

Cork is an unbeatable bottle stopper. It’s compressed by machines, jabbed by wine keys, and assaulted by liquids, only to bounce back, close up the gaps, and continue to keep leftover wine at ...