Sekisui Voltek, the global leader in the development of high-performance flexible polyolefin foam, is making capital investments of $3 million in their manufacturing facilities in Coldwater, Michigan and personnel training to support their continued growth and new product development for the North American marketplace

Using relatively inexpensive foam materials, a Pennsylvania pediatric dentist has developed a sophisticated, multi-use disposable mouth guard any parent or sports team can afford. In addition, the Bop Stopper mouth guard can be trimmed for a custom fit in a matter of minutes.
The Bop Stopper was invented by Theodore P. Croll, D. D. S, who has treated numerous sports related dental injuries during his career. He said that there has always been a need for a low-cost mouth guard that is comfortable, protective, fits well and is readily adaptable to various mouth sizes and shapes. Teaming up with Be Safe Products, Inc. (Roanoke, Va.), Klann Plastics (Waynesboro, Va.) and Dentaurum USA (Newtown, Penn.), Croll designed the Bop Stopper using closed-celled, cross-linked polyolefin foam, similar to the protective material used in sports helmets

LAWRENCE, MA (October 3, 1997) – Astronomers at Princeton University are using Volara?, a fine-celled, crosslinked, polyethylene foam, to protect a $5.5 million digital camera from condensation and ice. The camera uses CCDs (charged couple devices) to sense light sources in the sky over a wide area. These sensitive devices are operated in a vacuum and continuously cooled to -80?C with liquid nitrogen.
The 1/4″ stainless steel lines which deliver the liquid nitrogen must be kept free of ice and condensation because water would damage other sensitive components in the 30″ round camera. This is easier said than done since conventional insulating materials become inflexible and brittle, and disintegrate under cryogenic conditions. This can lead to expensive and time-consuming repairs and cleanups.
The CCD camera, built over a 4-year period at Princeton, will be installed at the Apache Point Observatory in New Mexico in the Fall of 1997 for use in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Data gathered in the survey will enable astronomers to construct a 3-D map of the universe, a thousand times larger than existing surveys.
Michael Carr, mechanical engineer and a senior professional staff member at Princeton University, explained that the CCD cooling system behaves like a high efficiency dehumidifier. “Normally, while running liquid nitrogen through a stainless steel tube, ice appears immediately. When the liquid nitrogen is turned off (which happens frequently with this type of cooling system), melting ice gets into areas where metal components can corrode and sensitive electronics can foul causing damage to expensive instrumentation.”