After graduating from the University of Texas with a chemical engineering degree, Austin Boudreaux hoped to put his newfound skills to work in the polyurethane industry. With a background in athletics and having played for various teams growing up, he was peripherally aware of polyurethane’s (PU) use in sporting goods and athletic wear.
Category: Young Professionals
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...
Category: Athletics, Innovation Bonds
Growing up on her family’s farm in Auburn, Michigan, Staci Wegener spent the summers of her childhood tending fields of beans and sugar beets.
Category: Young Professionals
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....
Category: Apparel, Athletics
Striking, eco-friendly, and quickly becoming a fixture in buildings and homes across the world, vertical gardens — made using polyurethane — are the new architectural must-have indoor and outdoor feature for homeowners and businesses everywhere.
A vertical garden — also called a green wall or a living wall — generally consists of plants, stacked vertically on a wall, giving the effect of a living wall of plants. The wall can be just a few feet or several stories high and can vary significantly in width. Some vertical gardens extend the entire range of a large atrium space; others are only...
Category: Environment, Poly as Art
Petr Koutnik had a plan; he was going to spend his entire career in academia. When the young graduate student embarked upon his post-doctoral research, he intended to complete his studies, then look for a tenure track position at one of the many big-name chemistry departments at universities in the United States. Then, as plans do, his changed.
Category: Young Professionals
Kaitlyn Tautkus-Berry’s career path leading her to the polyurethane industry is an interesting one. It began with a love of high school physics that she turned into a college degree.
Category: Young Professionals
During this time of year, many parts of the country experience freezing weather. With plunging temperatures often comes snowfall. Whole cities can grind to a halt under accumulated snow as they wait for teams of small but dedicated crews to dig them out. When winter storms happen, every moment counts. Snowplow drivers often work round-the-clock, relying on equipment made from polyurethane to get the job done.
Polyurethane Is Highly Customizable
Snowplows and blades — a strip of material running along the length of a metal snowplow — have several advantages when made with polyurethane. Polyurethane is highly customizable; parts made...
Category: Environment, Innovation Bonds
Whether you’re planning to carve up the slopes on a hardcore ski weekend getaway or just taking the dog for her morning constitutional, it’s cold out there. Luckily, polyurethane is here to do its part to keep you warm. No matter your level of aerobic activity or how long you plan to stay outdoors, there is some polyurethane winter wear or gear that is sure to be right for you.
Gloves
While providing protection against water and wind, polyurethane gloves also provide improved dexterity, grip and comfort for the wearer. Plus, gloves can be manufactured to be seamless, helping to...
Category: Apparel
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...
Category: Apparel, Athletics