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Michael Pindell Posted: Apr 28, 2009 02:19 PM	History of foam Anyone have any good references about the history of spray foam. I'm writing and article and want to give some backround info Some specifics I'd like to know. What year was foam as an insulation introduced? When did OC foam first come out? Who where the first to use SPF for residential insulation? any other general history is good too.
mason Posted: Apr 28, 2009 03:23 PM	Bruce Schenke is working on a book on the history of foam. I have taken a few shots at it myself. The first field application of polyurethane foam for insulation was done by my father in 1957, insulating railroad tank cars for Union Carbide in Baytown, TX with pour in place polyurethane foam. He had to make his own equipment with the help of Joe Acasta who was with Sprayquip (a Graco Distributor out of Houston Texas). Sprayfoam started in the early 60s when Fred Gusmer and Fred Werner invented the first reliable sprayfoam machine called the FF. Gusmer also developed the model C gun which in turn became the Model D gun and dual heated hose assemblies that could be adjusted with a thermostat. The first hoses were high voltage (220 V). Until Gusmer's first machines, sprayfoam equipment had to be rigged by combining parts of various pumps and sprayguns. A typical rig might have Speeflo pumps, Graco preheaters and Binks 43 P spraygun (with a solvent flush). The first insulation projects were tanks and pipes in refineries, sealing up mine shafts in New Mexico and cold storage facilities. During the 60s many foam contractors also did residential work to fill in the time. In the late 60s and early 70s, sprayfoam roofing became popular spurred on by the efforts of Keith Coultrap Sr. (who quit his job with UPjohn to form a contracting company out of Phoenix specifically oriented to sprayfoam roofing). By the 80s, sprayfoam roofing was more than 75% of the sprayfoam market. In the early 90s, Icynene developed a low density sprayfoam and started marketing it to the residential industry. Others had tried open cell foam in the past (Upjohn was the biggest name in the low density SPF industry at the time.) specifically in the mid 70s, but a problems with urea formaldehyde foam stopped the popularity of low density SPF foam insulation (yes, they are two completely different chemical compositions, but in the consumer's mind, they were the same.) Icynene's marketing push also brought closed cell SPF back into the residential market place in a big way. Over the last 5 years, there is about an equal amount of low density to medium density sprayfoam sold in the US. I am not sure of the ratios in Cananda. There are dozens of pioneers of sprayfoam in different areas who influenced the direction of the industry and trained the next group of foamers.
travis fails Posted: Apr 28, 2009 06:04 PM	it was invented in 1937 by Otto Bayer. He was trying to come up with something to replace rubber tires.
mason Posted: Apr 29, 2009 07:10 AM	Ironically one of the first practical applications of polyurethane foam was as flotation material in German U Boats during World War II.

Author

Comments

Michael Pindell

Posted: Apr 28, 2009 02:19 PM

History of foam

Anyone have any good references about the history of spray foam.

I'm writing and article and want to give some backround info

Some specifics I'd like to know.

What year was foam as an insulation introduced?

When did OC foam first come out?
Who where the first to use SPF for residential insulation?

any other general history is good too.

mason

Posted: Apr 28, 2009 03:23 PM

Bruce Schenke is working on a book on the history of foam. I have taken a few shots at it myself. The first field application of polyurethane foam for insulation was done by my father in 1957, insulating railroad tank cars for Union Carbide in Baytown, TX with pour in place polyurethane foam. He had to make his own equipment with the help of Joe Acasta who was with Sprayquip (a Graco Distributor out of Houston Texas).

Sprayfoam started in the early 60s when Fred Gusmer and Fred Werner invented the first reliable sprayfoam machine called the FF. Gusmer also developed the model C gun which in turn became the Model D gun and dual heated hose assemblies that could be adjusted with a thermostat. The first hoses were high voltage (220 V). Until Gusmer's first machines, sprayfoam equipment had to be rigged by combining parts of various pumps and sprayguns. A typical rig might have Speeflo pumps, Graco preheaters and Binks 43 P spraygun (with a solvent flush).

The first insulation projects were tanks and pipes in refineries, sealing up mine shafts in New Mexico and cold storage facilities. During the 60s many foam contractors also did residential work to fill in the time.

In the late 60s and early 70s, sprayfoam roofing became popular spurred on by the efforts of Keith Coultrap Sr. (who quit his job with UPjohn to form a contracting company out of Phoenix specifically oriented to sprayfoam roofing). By the 80s, sprayfoam roofing was more than 75% of the sprayfoam market.

In the early 90s, Icynene developed a low density sprayfoam and started marketing it to the residential industry. Others had tried open cell foam in the past (Upjohn was the biggest name in the low density SPF industry at the time.) specifically in the mid 70s, but a problems with urea formaldehyde foam stopped the popularity of low density SPF foam insulation (yes, they are two completely different chemical compositions, but in the consumer's mind, they were the same.)

Icynene's marketing push also brought closed cell SPF back into the residential market place in a big way. Over the last 5 years, there is about an equal amount of low density to medium density sprayfoam sold in the US. I am not sure of the ratios in Cananda.

There are dozens of pioneers of sprayfoam in different areas who influenced the direction of the industry and trained the next group of foamers.

travis fails

Posted: Apr 28, 2009 06:04 PM

it was invented in 1937 by Otto Bayer. He was trying to come up with something to replace rubber tires.

mason

Posted: Apr 29, 2009 07:10 AM

Ironically one of the first practical applications of polyurethane foam was as flotation material in German U Boats during World War II.

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