look what we did!Innovations From Polyurethane Manufacturers

Six Summer Favorites Made with Polyurethane

Whether you choose to drift lazily down a river in a tube or rule the pool atop a giant swan, your conveyance is probably made with polyurethane. Polyurethane is great for floats because it’s lightweight and flexible enough to form almost any shape, but durable enough to last all summer long.

Before they were made with lightweight polyurethane foam cores, surfboards were manufactured with heavy plywood, weighing up to 10 lbs.

Polyurethane coatings help protect your favorite lawn chair or beach recliner from the wear and tear of summer weather. Just don’t...

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Body by Polyurethane

Looking to show off a toned physique on the beach this summer? Polyurethane has your back — and your biceps and abs, too.

Not only is polyurethane found in exercise apparel and footwear, but it’s also found in many kinds of exercise equipment. For example, exercise mats made with a thin layer of polyurethane foam are great for supporting your knees and back when doing floor exercises, stretching or yoga.

Exercising is easier when you have a friend to motivate and work out with you. Tossing a medicine ball — filled with solid polyurethane — to a partner helps strengthen multiple...

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Soccer Scores with Polyurethane

Soccer (or football, as it’s known outside the U.S.) is the world’s most popular sport — with an estimated 4 billion fans worldwide. Although the game has been played the same way for more than 100 years now, the more recent addition of polyurethane coating to the ball has had an important impact on performance for the sport.

Soccer balls were once typically made from genuine leather. But leather can take on water, making the ball soggy and heavy in rainy conditions. Starting in the 1970s, manufacturers began adding a coat of polyurethane to help make the ball waterproof. Polyurethane...

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How Polyurethane Wheels Revolutionized Skateboarding

Skateboarding is a fun form of transportation, a good source of exercise, a highly competitive sport and the genesis of an entire cultural movement. And the amazing stunts and high speeds of today’s best skateboarders were made possible with polyurethane.

Prior to the 1970s, skateboards relied on steel wheels, which provided a rough ride, or clay composite wheels, which wore out quickly. Enter Frank Nasworthy, an avid surfer and skateboarder who had visited the factory of a family friend and learned about a polyurethane wheel that was softer, but more durable than steel.

To make polyurethane skateboard wheels, polyurethane is...

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Advances in Rain Gear

Breathable waterproof fabrics have been around since the 1970s. These technologies, whether using polyurethanes or other substances, work in a similar way, repelling moisture on the outside, while actually attracting moisture (from sweat) on the inside. The inside moisture seeks to find equilibrium from the warm, humid interior to the cooler area outside, where it can evaporate.

Unfortunately, when your body is under greater exertion, you can create more sweat than the material can successfully remove. This causes moisture to build up inside the clothing and can lead to either overheating as your activity continues or chilling once you stop....

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Collapsible Kayak Offers the Ultimate in Portability

A new kayak from Trak is redefining portability by moving from a rigid shell to a unique skin-on-frame design. In the works for more than a decade, the combination of carbon fiber, aluminum and polyurethane is designed more for a car trunk than a car rack.

To set up the Trak 2.0 kayak, a user simply wraps the removable skin — made of military-grade polyurethane — around the collapsible frame to make the kayak watertight. A hydraulic tensioning system enables it to be precisely tightened to the rigid structure.

Packing down to 41 x 19 x 9 inches and...

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Slam Dunk! Polyurethane Is on the Court

Today’s professional basketball courts vary widely in their design, subflooring systems and staining, but two things are (almost) always the same: the hardwood used to make them and the polyurethane used as a finish.

Hard maple (acer saccharum) is used in major league U.S. and Canadian basketball courts except Boston’s, which uses red oak. Maple is generally chosen because it’s very hard, but very light in color, which makes it easier for players and spectators to see the ball.

Regardless of whether the floor is bare, stained or painted, high-gloss polyurethane is used as a final finish. It provides strong...

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National Park Rangers Rely on Polyurethane

Yellowstone National Park was established on March 1, 1872 — the first park of its kind in the United States and possibly the world. Today, Yellowstone’s park rangers are responsible for protecting and preserving the park’s lands, and they perform a number of duties in the rugged terrain, which spans Wyoming, Montana and Idaho.

From maintaining trails to rescuing wayward travelers, park rangers rely on a variety of versatile equipment made with polyurethane in order to make their jobs easier. Spending most of their time outdoors, park rangers need gear and clothing that is tough, protective and lightweight. Polyurethane...

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How Polyurethane Transformed Winter Sports

Elite athletes from around the world have dreams of out-performing the competition and achieving lasting glory. But today’s super-human feats of speed, grace and skill owe a debt to the advances in chemistry that have transformed winter sporting equipment.

For example, early waterproof fabrics were made of cumbersome, heavy rubber. Now, athletes enjoy lightweight nylon and polyurethane fibers that repel snow and sleet while still allowing moisture to evaporate.

Skis once made of wood, metal and leather are now made with a polyurethane core and synthetic fiber coatings that increase strength, minimize weight and reduce vibrations for a smoother ride.

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