Student-Made Spray Polyurethane Foam Float Captivates Audience At Rose Parade

PASADENA, CA – January 9, 2013 – The ability of spray foam to be carved into a desired shape while maintaining a rigid structure opens up different possibilities that extend further than its typical use in insulation and roofing applications. Case in point: Arnco Construction Products (ACP) joined forces with SPF contractor Wiltshire Urethane to create the base of the Cal Poly Rose Float. Built by students from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and Cal Poly Pomona Universities, the float's base was covered with different types of roses and was showcased at the Tournament of Roses Parade, which took place on New Years Day.

"We are honored to have taken part in Cal Poly's efforts in the Rose Parade," said ACP's Will Lorenz. "They are extremely talented and creative students, and it is great to play a small role in their success."

The Cal Poly Rose Float is part of a 60-year tradition, where students representing both Cal Poly campuses come together to show off their creativity and innovation as they assemble the float. The Cal Poly Rose float is the only student-built float that is presented in the parade. This year's float theme was "Bedtime Buccaneers," which depicted the concept of a dreamlike, treasure-seeking odyssey commandeered by a male and female buccaneer. One of the most essential components that helped bring the Bedtime Buccaneers concept into life was the use of SPF.

Prior to having its having its surface decorated, the students built the base of the float using aluminum framing and hydraulics. They covered the frame with wire mesh, which acted as the substrate on the exterior of the float. Then, a crew from Wiltshire Urethane was brought in to apply the substrate with Arncoat 20, a closed-cell spray polyurethane foam formulated by ACP.

Just before the students decorated the float with roses, the Wiltshire crew carved the SPF to achieve the intended shape of the float, so as to procure the artistic likeness of the design that the students had in mind. Lorenz noted that the crew also reapplied SPF to different areas of the float that needed reinforcing. Subsequently, the crew drilled holes into the foam so that the students could insert small containers that held up a variety of roses across the entire float. The students also applied rose petals and seeds, which adhered directly to the SPF surface.

"Spray polyurethane foam provides a seamless system that can be manipulated to obtain the shapes and texture that the float called for," said Lorenz. "It is a low-density material, which allows for the insertion of the rose vials, yet it is rigid enough to hold up through the stress and strains of the mechanical movements without cracking or breaking. SPF allowed the students to show off the designs and innovations that they wanted on a smooth, curved structure."

After its 5.5-mile run in the Rose Parade, the Cal Poly Rose Float earned recognition for its creativity, as it was bestowed with the Crown City Innovation Award, which recognizes the best use of imagination to advance float design.

About Arnco Construction Products: Founded in 1971, Arnco specializes in high performance polyurethane urethane systems from fast curing elastomers and casting resins to specialty polyurea coatings, rigid and flexible spray foams. As a pioneer in the development of polyurethane elastomers, Arnco's patented tire flatproofing products have become the recognized leader of tire foam fill systems and are specified by the U.S. Military as well as original equipment manufacturers like Ingersoll-Rand Bobcat, Caterpillar, JLG, Genie, John Deere, Gehl, and a host of others. Arnco currently supplies our customers in over 65 countries from manufacturing facitlities in Berea, OH; South Gate, CA; England, and China.