The Center for the Polyurethanes Industry on Aug. 19 announced Huntsman; Incorez, a Sika Company; and Woodbridge as finalists for this year’s Polyurethane Innovation Award. The annual honor recognizes companies and individuals who have introduced new products, technologies or initiatives to the marketplace between June 2022 and June 2024.

“Each year, CPI is proud to present the industry’s top technical honor, cultivating a competitive spirit among polyurethane innovators and showcasing how these efforts help address some of the world’s most challenging issues,” said Jason Sloan, director of CPI. “Polyurethanes help create products that make modern life possible, and these new cutting-edge products and technologies are possible because of the dedicated commitment from leading polyurethane manufacturers. CPI congratulates Huntsman, Incorez and Woodbridge on being named this year’s finalists.”

The finalists’ descriptions of their innovations follow.

Huntsman: SMARTLITE O LTPU is a novel, liquid TPU for footwear midsoles. Setting new circularity and performance standards, this innovative system enables the creation of low-density, high-comfort, hydrolysis-resistant midsoles with excellent rebound properties. Fully customizable, SMARTLITE O LTPU is easy to process on low-pressure, standard equipment. Bio-based versions of the product are also available.

Incorez: Aldirez A is an innovative, aldimine latent curing agent designed to address challenges encountered in moisture-cured PU and polyaspartic coatings. Reacting with water before the isocyanate, it prevents the production of CO². The intermediate produced in this reaction then goes on to speed up the isocyanate and polyol reaction, offering significant advantages, such as faster cure times whilst maintaining a workable pot-life, superior aesthetics and the ability to apply PU coatings in problematic atmospheric conditions, including high humidity and extremely low temperatures.

Woodbridge: TrimVisible BIO combines biogenic carbon from forest residue with high-performance polyurethane seating foam chemistry. This exclusive technology reduces automotive seating foam’s overall global warming potential by displacing traditional urethane chemical components. The technology is available in automotive seating, ensuring that performance and comfort are not compromised.

The finalists’ presentations are scored by an expert technical panel and then voted on by attendees of the Polyurethanes Technical Conference following the opening session on Sept. 30. The winner will be announced during the closing awards luncheon on Oct. 2.