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Innovations From Polyurethane Manufacturers
Is Polyurethane Contributing to A Record Year for Home Runs?
2019 will likely go down as the Season of Smash in professional baseball. Could polyurethane be the cause?
This year, the league is on track to produce more home runs in a single season than at any other time. So, what is the culprit for this proverbial ongoing home run derby?
No Easy Answers
To the frustration of many a major-league pitcher, there seems to be no clear answer. Some speculate it could be new technology in the ball. Others say the players themselves are training harder and getting stronger and fitter. Some reason it may be a group mentality;...
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...
Shoemakers Turn to Polyurethane for Sustainable Manufacturing Solutions
To reduce waste, the footwear industry is embracing new polyurethane manufacturing solutions. Several manufacturers are introducing recyclable PU footwear and PU components used in the manufacturing process that can be generated from renewable resources like plant-based materials.
A Completely Recyclable TPU Running Shoe
Adidas has announced plans for The Futurecraft Loop; a shoe made entirely from thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). The whole sneaker right down to the laces is constructed using TPU and is completely recyclable.
At the end of their useful life, the Futurecraft Loop are simply boxed up and sent back to Adidas. Once at the production facility, the...
Polyurethane Outdoor Art Puts Family Business on the Map
From a tiny town in Nebraska, one small family-owned business is making iconic outdoor polyurethane art installations that can be found in cities across America.
Outdoor PU Artwork in Masse
You may not be familiar with Icon Poly, but there is a good possibility that you may have run into their work. Over the past 20 years, the company has churned out thousands of outdoor sculptures, consisting of polyurethane, fiberglass and foam.
A City Branding Device
Many cities use this kind of polyurethane outdoor artwork as a sort of branding device. The pieces are usually created on a large scale,...
Polyurethane Modular Homes Could Be Key to Hurricane-Resistant Housing
Could polyurethane be the key to providing housing for those in need? Astrid Diaz, an architect in Puerto Rico, seems to think so.
A Polyurethane Modular Home Design
Diaz’s design for a new kind of modular home consists of polyurethane foam walls and a roof, reinforced with a steel frame. Once erected, the structure is covered with mortar, adding weight and stability to the home. The mortar also gives Diaz’s design the appearance of a typical Puerto Rican home – blending in well with the existing architecture of the cities and towns on the island.
An Island in Need
Nearly...
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...
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...
Polyurethane Advances Tennis Racket Technology
Thanks to polyurethane, and a bit of innovation, tennis racket technology is evolving to accommodate a more modern style of play.
The Problem
Many athletes on the court today favor power and spin in their tennis games. To achieve both, players must strike the ball, using the top of the racket face, rather than hitting the ball with the middle of the racket. While effective, striking the ball repeatedly in this manner can tax a player’s arm and result in fatigue or even injury.
The TPU Solution
To accommodate this aggressive style of play, the team at Dunlop mobilized to...
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...
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...