look what we did!Innovations From Polyurethane Manufacturers

Closing the Loop: Polyurethane Recycling for A Sustainable Future

Polyurethanes contribute to sustainable outcomes in many ways. One of the most important ways in which we can protect our natural resources is by reducing waste through reuse and recycling. Many manufacturers today are working toward a closed-loop supply chain, in which new products are made entirely from recycled materials. As a highly recyclable substance, polyurethane is playing a major role in this effort.

Polyurethane is recycled in one of two ways: either mechanically, in which it’s reused in its polymer form, or chemically, in which it’s broken back down into its chemical components. Some common uses for recycled polyurethane...

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Polyurethane Lightens the Load for Electric Vehicles

Auto manufacturers have long sought to make vehicles more lightweight in order to increase fuel efficiency. But light weighting is just as important to hybrid and electric vehicles. The lighter the vehicle, the longer its range. Here are two different ways that car companies are incorporating innovative polyurethane solutions to make their electric vehicles lighter and better.

In some electric vehicles, engineers use thermoset polyurethane adhesives to bond dissimilar materials to the car’s frame. The adhesives are extremely strong, and they reduce the need for heavy, bulky rivets and bolts. They also keep the overall vehicle curb weight down, making...

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The Story Behind Polyurethane in Bookbinding

Even in today’s digital world, printed books are making a comeback. According to the Association of American Publishers, e-book sales declined 18.7 percent over the first nine months of 2016, while paperback sales were up 7.5 percent and hardback sales increased 4.1 percent over the same period.

Books represent one of the most demanding applications for adhesives. Used to hold the pages together at the spine, bookbinding adhesive needs to be strong, but flexible; long-lasting; and durable through repeated use. It also helps manufacturers if the adhesive is fast-drying.

Polyurethane adhesives are a relatively new entry into the bookbinding world,...

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Polyurethane Protects Arresting Wires and Pilots, Too

The CVN 78 Gerald Ford aircraft carrier is often seen as the most technologically advanced in the U.S. Navy’s fleet. And part of that technology includes new polyurethane-covered plates from Kastalon that help absorb the impact of arresting cables as they are dragged across the deck.

When a fighter jet lands on an aircraft carrier, it’s still traveling at up to 150 miles per hour — with 500 feet or less in which to stop. So, the plane has a special tailhook that grabs one of several arresting wires stretched across the deck in order to transfer the energy...

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Resin Technology Reduces Car Weight and Cost

In the world of exotic sports cars, the quest to make vehicles weigh less and perform better is never-ending. A new polyurethane resin technology is providing a novel way to construct these vehicles’ chassis that is also providing cost-savings and marked improvements in sustainability.

Using thin layers of both recycled and new carbon fiber, composite skins — formed out of polyurethane resin — are molded onto a central core, where they bond with the core’s recycled polycarbonate structure.

The result is a chassis that meets or exceeds compression, stiffness and torsional rigidity requirements while reducing the car’s weight 15 to 20 percent...

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Icephobic Polyurethane Gives Ice the Cold Shoulder

If you’ve ever spent a winter morning scraping ice off of a car windshield, you know ice removal is a time- and labor-intensive process. However, when the icy object is a jetliner or an oil rig, removing ice correctly and completely can mean saving lives. Icephobic polyurethane is an innovative ice removal solution with applications from power lines to airplanes.

The durable coating sprays on to surfaces and forms a thin, clear barrier that causes ice to slide off using nothing more than the force of gravity. The result is due to a phenomenon called “interfacial cavitation.” While two rigid...

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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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