Since debuting in Rhode Island in 1995, the X Games have become a global phenomenon, drawing millions of TV viewers for “extreme sports” competitions such as skateboarding, motocross and BMX. From Tony Hawk landing the first 900 (a 2.5 revolution aerial spin on a skateboard), to Travis Pastrana nailing the first double back flip on a motorcycle, to Dave Mirra pulling off the first BMX double back flip, the coolest tricks often happen first at the X Games.

X Games 16 take place July 29 to August 1 in Los Angeles, California, featuring more death-defying stunts and record-breaking tricks—and plastics once again will play a critical role in the sports gear and safety equipment.

Helmets
No matter the sport in Los Angeles, all competitors will have one piece of equipment in common—a helmet.

Most helmets have a hard, crack-resistant outer shell, usually made from a tough plastic such as ABS (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene). Helmet interiors contain plastic foam pads constructed from various plastics: EVA (ethylene vinyl acetate), polyurethane, polystyrene or polypropylene. The plastic shell and foam are designed to mitigate the impact by spreading the blunt force of a crash over a greater area of the head, as well as to reduce friction in a slide.

Skateboarding helmets (“half shell”) tend to be heavier and cover more of the head than traditional bicycle helmets, providing protection from the top of the forehead to the base of the neck, as well as for the ears. BMX and motocross riders—who spend much of their time flying through the air—usually wear full-face helmets that wrap around the chin, sometimes made of carbon-reinforced plastic composites that provide significant strength while keeping the helmets relatively lightweight.

Skateboarding
The sport most synonymous with the X Games—skateboarding—likely originated in Southern California in the mid-20th century as a pastime for surfers when the waves were weak. Skateboarding began moving from counter-culture to mainstream with the introduction of polyurethane (plastic) wheels in the early 1970s. The resilient, lightweight polyurethane wheels provide a smooth ride on any surface, and polyurethane remains the predominate material used today in skateboard wheels.

Even some of the boards (called decks) are made from plastic. The banana board, a thin, flexible polypropylene deck, became popular in the mid 1970s as skateboards were becoming much more maneuverable, enabling skateboard pioneers to develop new tricks. The plastic composite carbon fiber-reinforced deck was introduced in 2004— manufacturers claim it can stand up better than traditional maple plywood decks to the daily abuse of skateboarding.

Motocross
In motocross, a sport where much time is spent airborne or careening around corners at high speeds on a motorcycle, reliable protection is paramount.

Most professional motocross competitors wear what equates to body armor. While the protection is heavy-duty, the plastic materials are light and flexible. A serious layer of pads and braces made of Kevlar® (a plastic fiber) or plastic composites helps protect riders in the event of a crash and helps to support vulnerable joints such as knees and ankles. And underneath all that plastic gear? More plastic: moisture-wicking nylon or polyester (both plastics) jerseys with mesh panels to keep the athletes cooler and dryer. Even some of the motocross bikes incorporate plastic composite frames and wheel forks, enabling them to maintain strength and durability while weighing less than traditional metal frames.

How plastics help hybrid cars save fuel

Hybrid cars save fuel primarily through the use of lighter, space-saving gasoline engines, coupled with batteries and electric motors that boost performance without adding lots of weight. But today’s designers of hybrid and electric vehicles also are relying heavily on plastics and plastic-composite materials to help reduce weight and boost fuel efficiency.

Designers of Hyundai’s plug-in-hybrid concept car Blue Will have adopted carbon-fiber reinforced plastics and nano-composites for side sills, moldings and fenders in the body of the car. And in a further nod toward green car technology, bio-plastics are used for interior panels and parts, including a bike rack that is integrated into the trunk of the car, and recycled plastic bottles are used to make the headlight bezels.

Blue Will also incorporates new advances in battery technology by using new generation lithium-polymer batteries that are smaller and run cooler. So where are the plastics in these batteries? For lithium-polymer, read “lithium-plastic”. Lithium-polymer batteries are in wide use in cell phones today, and tomorrow they may power your plug-in car!

Hyundai is hardly alone in incorporating advanced plastics technology. Toyota’s concept hybrid FT-CH saves weight with a polycarbonate plastic back window that incorporates the rear lights, reducing the number of parts and weight. The futuristic model also moves the headlights away from the fascia and up near the windshield to reduce weight and eliminate the complex wiring that traditionally runs from the headlights to the electric system.

From new battery technology to lightweight car parts, plastics are helping make the next generation of hybrid cars possible.

Have you ever looked in a shop window and wondered: How much does that cost? In the not too distant future you may be able to find out simply by brushing your hand across the window. And perhaps even purchase the item online, right from the sidewalk.

That would bring “window shopping” to a whole new level.

Shop windows and all sorts of unlikely “displays” may one day be turned into touch screens by a new display technology: a transparent, thinner-than-paper, nanowire-embedded plastic film that can be placed on any non-conductive flat or curved surface.

There are myriad potential applications. Video game designers could use this technology to create 360° interactive screens for multiple players. A more basic gaming application, such as virtual air hockey, could appear at bars and night clubs – or even beach-front picnic tables since the innovative technology works in daylight or darkness, indoors or out, in the wettest weather—even if you’re wearing gloves.

This is not simply some future fantasy. A large interactive display installed at the busiest shopping and business area in the centre of Oslo, Norway, allows curious onlookers and adventuresome tourists to access local and historical information via a multi-lingual, web-based interface. And the “share” function lets people contribute information and photographs to the existing database, creating a continuously updating and evolving collection of public information. Pretty cool.

Welcome to the future made possible by plastics. Feel free to touch.

Lifestyle expert, Sissy Biggers, demonstrates how plastic innovations makes preparing food and entertaining easier than ever!

It’s that time of year again. Summer was made for outdoor entertaining with pool parties, picnics and barbeques!

Whether adding pizzazz to the party with colorful, shatter-resistant margarita glasses, readying the wine with a plastic aerator, or packing the picnic basket with resealable plastic storage containers, innovations in plastics can help you to enjoy eating and entertaining outside – all summer long.

Aside from those great outdoor parties, summer is also the unofficial season for national and local food festivals across the United States. These gatherings of culinary professionals, wine connoisseurs and “foodies” are often the launching points for trends in cooking and entertaining.

Plastics Make it Possible SM and I were at this year’s FOOD & WINE Classic in Aspen where we got a glimpse of the latest and greatest plastic innovations that top chefs and wine experts are talking about. Here are some of our favorites:

• Sous-vide (pronounced /su vid): This gourmet cooking technique – embraced by world-renowned chefs, including Alain Ducasse, Thomas Keller and Paul Bocuse – involves placing food in vacuum-sealed plastic pouches and heating them to precise temperatures to seal in moisture and tons of flavor. Make sure you’re using a bag designed by the manufacturer to take the heat.
• Super Silicone: From basting brushes and spatulas, to oven mitts and bakeware, silicone is part of today’s innovative cooking and baking. It’s a flexible, durable, and easy-to-clean plastic product, and it can withstand high temperatures – some up to 800 degrees Fahrenheit. Best of all, silicone bakeware’s non-stick surface helps cut down on the need for added fts.
• Wine Packaging Innovations: Some of this season’s most exciting wines now feature plastic corks to keep them fresh. And some wines are now being bottled in handy, shatter-resistant plastic bottles that are lighter and easier to tote to outdoor events. As an added plus, the lighter weight means less energy needed to ship bottles.

What I love about the summer season is that entertaining can be more relaxed and informal. My top tip: plan ahead to ensure your food and party supplies are prepared and (most importantly) portable so they’re easy to grab and go.

Happy Entertaining!

Sissy

From the invention of plastic in the late 1800s to the introduction of Tupperware® in the 1940s to the latest innovations in easy-dipping ketchup packets, plastics have played an integral role in smart packaging solutions that help us do more with less. Whether it’s your new electronic gadget, your favorite beauty product, or what you’re eating for lunch, plastic packaging helps protect your purchases until you’re ready to use them, and that helps to reduce waste and save energy. 1862

The first manmade plastic was unveiled by Alexander Parkes at the Great International Exhibition in London. This material – dubbed Parkesine – was derived from cellulose. Yes – the first plastic was bio-based! It could be molded when heated and retained its shape when cooled. Early 1900’s

Swiss textile engineer Dr. Jacques Edwin Brandenberger created Cellophane, a clear layer of packaging for any product – the first fully flexible, water impermeable wrap. Brandenberger originally aimed to apply a clear flexible film to cloth to make it stain-resistant. 1930

Richard Drew, a young 3M engineer, invented Scotch® Cellulose Tape. Later to be renamed Cellophane Tape, it was an attractive way for grocers and bakers to seal packages. 1933

Ralph Wiley, a Dow Chemical lab worker, accidentally discovered another plastic: polyvinylidene chloride which became known as SaranTM. The plastic was first used to protect military equipment and later for food packaging. Saran would cling to almost any material – bowls, dishes, pots and even itself – and became a terrific tool for maintaining the freshness of food at home. 1946

Tupperware® was developed in the USA by Earl Silas Tupper who cleverly promoted his line of polyethylene food containers through a network of housewives who sold Tupperware as a means of making money. Tupperware and other plastic containers with an airtight seal are one of the most notable products in plastic packaging history. 1946

The first major commercial plastic spray bottle was developed by Dr. Jules Montenier, creator of “Stopette”, an underarm deodorant that was dispensed by squeezing its plastic bottle. As sponsor of the popular “What’s My Line” television show, Stopette triggered an explosion in the use of plastic bottles. 1950

The familiar black or green plastic garbage bag (made from polyethylene) was invented by Canadians Harry Wasylyk and Larry Hansen. The new garbage bags, intended for commercial use, were first sold to the Winnipeg General Hospital. They later became popular for home use. 1954

Robert W. Vergobbi patented zipper storage bags. Minigrip licensed them, intending to use them as pencil bags. But it became apparent that the bags could do much more, and Ziploc® bags were introduced in 1968 as food storage bags.The first baggies and sandwich bags on a roll were introduced 1959

Wisconsin manufacturer Geuder, Paeschke and Frey produced the first licensed character lunch box: a lithographed Mickey Mouse on an oval tin with a pull-out tray inside. Plastic was used for the handle and then for the entire box starting in the 1960s. 1960

Engineers Alfred Fielding and Marc Chavannes created Bubble Wrap® at their company, aptly named Sealed Air Corporation. 1986

In the mid-1950s, Swanson® TV Dinners capitalized on two post-war trends: the popularity of time-saving devices and fascination with the television (more than 10 million TV dinners were sold during the first year of national distribution). The aluminum trays were replaced with plastic, microwavable trays in 1986. 1988

The Society of the Plastics Industry introduced voluntary resin identification coding system that provides a consistent system for identifying plastics resins used in packaging containers. 1996

Salad-in-a-bag packaging (metallocene-catalyzed polyolefins) was introduced, helping to reduce food waste and making it easier to purchase fresh produce. 2000

Flexible plastic tubes for yogurt became available, making it possible to enjoy a tasty, calcium-rich snack on the go. 2000

Polylactic acid (PLA) made from corn is introduced to the packaging market, bringing back bio-based plastic to packaging.. 2007

The two liter plastic beverage bottle and the one gallon plastic milk jug reach a milestone in “lightweighting” – both containers shed a third of their weight since they became widely used in the 1970s. 2008

Plastic bottles achieve a 27% recycling rate, reclaiming 2.4 billion pounds of plastic. (More pounds of plastic bottles have been recycled every year since 1990!) And polyethylene plastic bags and wraps achieve a 13% recycling rate, reclaiming 832 million pounds of plastic. (The recycling rate for polyethylene plastic bags and wraps has doubled since 1995.) 2010

Metallyte^TM films were introduced to help keep sharp contents (coffee beans, grains, noodles, croutons) fresher by reducing packaging tears. The new films are also lighter than foil-based designs. 2010

Heinz® Dip & Squeeze^TM, the first ketchup packaging innovation in 42 years, is a dual function package offering two ways to enjoy ketchup: peel back the lid for easy dipping, or tear off the tip to squeeze onto food. The new packaging makes eating on-the-go more fun and convenient. ]]> http://www.plasticsmakeitpossible.com/2010/05/plastic-innovations-in-packaging-through-the-decades/feed/ 0 http://www.plasticsmakeitpossible.com/2010/02/video-feature-plastics-make-it-possible-winter-games/ http://www.plasticsmakeitpossible.com/2010/02/video-feature-plastics-make-it-possible-winter-games/#comments Tue, 09 Feb 2010 21:31:03 +0000 mckaym http://www.plasticsmakeitpossible.com/?p=1749

Thought you were fast, a good shot, quick on a sled? Think again – its plastics that help you perform and stay safe when you’re playing outdoors. We invited a few friends to experience the difference between pre-plastic equipment and innovative new plastic snow gear. Check out the video below to see what happened when we put plastic to the test in our very own Plastics Make it Possible ^SM Winter Games!

Plastics Make it Possible Winter Games from Plastics Make it Possible on Vimeo.

They came from far and wide to compete in the Winter Games!

Whether you are aware of it or not, plastic is all around us. We walk on it, wear it, drive it and use it every day, perhaps without even knowing it.

Innovative farmers include plastic parts on machines and increase productivity.  Plastic parts out-last and out perform their steel predecessors.