look what we did!Innovations From Polyurethane Manufacturers

How Polyurethane Memory Foam Could Help You Sleep More Soundly

Since it was first introduced by NASA in the 1960s to help launch astronauts comfortably into space, polyurethane memory foam has found its way out of the Space Program and into our mattresses. Today, as memory foam mattresses increasingly make up an ever-larger portion of the market share, even some traditional mattresses that use springs contain some amount of memory foam.

If you are still on the fence about this Space Age technology, consider this roundup of ways polyurethane memory foam might just help you get a better night’s sleep. 

Absorbing Partner Disturbances

We often share our beds with significant...

Read more here.

Looking for a Career Path with Promise? PU May Be Right for You!

If you’re one of the 80 percent of students who change their declared major or begin their college careers undeclared, listen up: a future in polyurethane may be right for you. The polyurethane industry is poised for growth over the next few decades and, as mentioned before in this blog, polyurethane is an essential contributor to the U.S. economy in ways that reverberate throughout the supply chain. 

There are several options for you to consider as you look to embark upon a viable and rewarding career:

Research & Development

Are you an idea person willing to work tirelessly to get...

Read more here.

Polyurethane Wheels Help Give Roller Coasters their Wild Ride

With their heart-pounding speeds, sharp corners and colossal peaks, roller coasters are designed to heighten our adrenaline levels and maximize fun. As you dip, dive and fly through the air on one, it may never occur to you that polyurethane is likely part of what is making your death-defying ride possible.

Meeting the Needs of Today

The biggest roller coasters can travel at speeds of up to 120 miles per hour. They plunge downhills of more than 400 feet, and they can subject riders to forces that are more than six times that of gravity. Because of this, the importance...

Read more here.

Polyurethane Helps Safeguard Food Supply

As breakthroughs in agriculture and farming help to feed a growing global population, polyurethane spray foam (SPF) insulation is doing its part to house crops and livestock and doing so in a more sustainable way.

SPF is one of the most efficient and readily available forms of insulation for agricultural and livestock buildings around the world. It helps maintain consistent temperatures in the cold of winter, stand up to excessive heat in summer and even delivers a layer of protection against moisture, pests and insects.

Here are just a few of the ways SPF insulation is helping farmers house our...

Read more here.

Will Polyurethane Supercapacitors Power the Prosthetics of Tomorrow?

As prosthetics grow ever more advanced — some now with a motorized function capable of grasping, pointing and even holding objects — one question remains: how will these futuristic limbs, which rely on considerable energy, be powered?

A Wearable Supercapacitor

Engineers at the University of Glasgow believe they have created a solution: a kind of electronic skin made from graphene, polyurethane and graphite that can generate and store solar energy for prosthetic devices. 

A thin layer of graphene acts as a solar converter, converting sunlight to electrical energy. The polyurethane-graphite composite sits below the graphene, acting as a supercapacitor that...

Read more here.

Sailors Take to the Seas with Polyurethane

Believe it or not, polyurethane plays a large role in helping American sailors stay safe when it comes to life out on the high seas.

For quick trips in small craft and regular shore patrols, the United States armed forces often use rigid-hulled inflatable boats (RHIBs). The boats are lightweight, high-performance watercraft capable of quick maneuvers and travel at high speeds.

As the name implies, the boats have a rigid hull but also use an inflatable tube, often referred to as a “collar,” along the lip of the hull. The collar acts like a life jacket of sorts, helping the...

Read more here.

Astronauts Blast Off with Polyurethane

When it came time to launch astronauts safely and comfortably into space, NASA scientists were looking for a one-size-fits-all solution to creating customized seating. After considering a variety of options, they turned to polyurethane.

While NASA’s primary mission has always been, “To provide for research into problems of flight within and outside the earth’s atmosphere and for other purposes,” the need to create safe travel into outer space is responsible for introducing technologies into our lives that we use every day.

The Problem

In the 1960s, NASA faced a problem. The agency needed to make seats on board their...

Read more here.

Recycled Polyurethane: It’s Under Your Feet & in Your Home

You may be surprised to find that polyurethane can be recycled and given a new life in any number of ways. In fact, you probably encounter recycled polyurethane in your daily life without ever realizing it’s there.

Carpet Underlay

For evidence, just check under your feet – literally. Carpet underlay, the mat that goes underneath carpets in homes and offices, is almost always made from rebonded polyurethane.

Rebonded polyurethane, called “rebond,” is a molded polyurethane recycled product made from pieces of shredded flexible polyurethane foam held together using what is known as a binder.

Recycling Statistics

According to the Carpet...

Read more here.

Polyurethane Helps Campers Stay Comfortable in the Great Outdoors

Warmer weather offers a great time to hit the trail. If you fancy yourself to be the adventurous type, you may even opt to spend a few nights in the great outdoors. Whether roughing it in your own backyard or in the deep recesses of one of our National Parks, you could have polyurethane to thank for helping to shelter you from the elements.

In hundreds – if not thousands – of tents on the market today, polyurethane plays an integral role in tent construction:

Floor coatings

Several tents use a polyurethane coating on their underside as protection. Polyurethane offers...

Read more here.