look what we did!Innovations From Polyurethane Manufacturers

Polyurethane is at the Plate this Summer

Whether it is the crack of a bat, the call of the umpire or the whistle of the ball as it goes whizzing by, few things are a more significant sign of summer than baseball season. Did you know that polyurethane plays a vital role in America’s pastime? As you watch this summer’s games, keep your eyes open for gear and equipment designed using polyurethane. 

Bats

Look at that wooden bat. Now, look even closer. The coating of the bat — or the resin — is probably made from polyurethane. Bat makers want their coatings to have strong adhesion properties,...

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Polyurethane Helps Cyclists Hit the Open Road This Summer

If you’re like many Americans, the call of the open road may be beckoning you to saddle up and head out on your bicycle this summer. As you get ready to strap on a helmet and embark on your next cycling adventure, consider this roundup of ways polyurethane is helping to make your ride safer and more comfortable.

Cycling Shorts

Polyurethane’s lightweight, breathable components make it the perfect material for sweat-resistant apparel. Thanks to its stretchiness, the fabric stays in place, moving with the cyclist, even through the most arduous ride. Polyurethane is also durable, standing up to reptitive motion...

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Polyurethane Helps You Feel the Burn — Even at Home

Does warmer weather have you thinking about getting into shape? You don’t necessarily need a gym membership to get that perfect summer bod. Thanks to exercise equipment made with polyurethane there are a number of creative ways to feel the burn from the comfort of your home. When it comes to fighting the flab, these workout products made with polyurethane play a pivotal role in helping you get in shape:

Foam Rollers

Do you have a knot in your muscle? Roll it out. Foam rollers are a a great way to stretch and soothe aching muscles. You can use a...

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Polyurethane Saddles Poised to Take Over Two-Wheeled Travel

Whether you’re a serious, seasoned, long-distance road cyclist or a shorter-traveling, part-time, two-wheeled commuter, you know that time spent in a bicycle saddle can be — well — tough on the tush.

However, thanks to polyurethane and advances in 3D printing, that may soon be changing.

A New Kind of Carbon® Saddle

Carbon, the company using polyurethane 3D printing to create a new kind of football helmet liner, and the winner of the 2019 Polyurethane Innovation Award, is now teaming up with a major cycling manufacturer in the U.S. to create 3D printed polyurethane bicycle saddles.

The Manufacturing Process

The saddle...

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Polyurethane Is Hitting the Mat with Cheerleaders

Thanks to the recent popularity of a streaming docuseries, there is now an even more fervent interest in the sport of cheerleading. While it may not be at the front and center of cheer routines or at pep rallies, polyurethane is behind the scenes doing its part to help cheerleaders be safer. At the amateur, high school and college levels, polyurethane has become a familiar fixture at practices and competitions.

Mats

Often, a mat is the only thing that separates these high-flying and tumbling athletes from the hard ground. Today, many gym mats used in cheerleading are made using polyurethane....

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The Polyurethane Story Behind Wisconsin’s Famed Foam Cheeseheads®

In 1987, Ralph Bruno hacked into the upholstery of his mother’s couch cushion. From the torn fabric, he pulled out the foam insert, sculpting it using a turkey carving knife into the shape of a triangular cheese wedge. He then added an inverted dome on the bottom of his creation so that it would fit atop his head. Later, he put holes in the foam to make the wedge vaguely resemble Swiss cheese and painted the entire thing a yellow-orange hue — like American cheese. 

The Reception

Bruno proudly wore his homemade headwear to a Milwaukee baseball game in response...

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The Polyurethane History of Snowboard Design

Frequent readers of this blog know that polyurethane is an integral part of helping surfers carve up waves. But, did you know that polyurethane is also pivotal in helping riders carve up mountains as well? Over the course of the past few decades, snowboarding has been one of the fastest-growing sports in the world. The winter pastime that allows athletes to ride down mountains like the face of a wave owes its meteoric rise thanks at least in part to polyurethane.

The Snurfer

The history of snowboarding dates back to about 1965 when an enterprising ski enthusiast and engineer named...

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Polyurethane Stories That Made Headlines in 2019

Polyurethane Modular Homes

At the beginning of the Atlantic hurricane season, Astrid Diaz, a Puerto Rico-based architect, announced her plans for a new polyurethane-based modular home. Her designs consist of polyurethane foam walls and a roof, reinforced with a steel frame, then covered with mortar. The homes — which can withstand winds of up to 184 miles per hour — blend in well with the existing architecture of similar structures that populate the island where there was a need for an estimated 75,000 homes in the wake of Hurricane Maria.

In spring,...

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2019 Polyurethane Innovation Award Honors Carbon’s New Football Helmet Technology

Polyurethane was first introduced in the 1930s. Since that time, it has gone on to impact and improve daily life for much of the world. Today, the bounds of polyurethane innovation continue to be pushed ever forward, thanks to the men and women working to bring the world the next big polyurethane scientific breakthrough.

The Polyurethane Innovation Award 

Each year, the Center for the Polyurethanes Industry (CPI) hosts the Polyurethane Innovation Award. The award highlights the role innovation plays in the polyurethane industry, recognizing the companies and individuals whose vision and perseverance help bring new products, technologies and initiatives to...

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