Questions concerning the competition can be submitted
to the PMA office at
(414) 431-3094 or scholarship@pmahome.org.
The Polyurethane Manufacturers Association is proud to present the
Surprisingly Versatile Design Competition
Submit a product design that replaces any component typically made from rubber, plastic or metal with castable polyurethane. The three students who exhibit the most versatile use of cast polyurethane each will win a $1,000 scholarship, plus a trip to Las Vegas to present their designs to urethane industry leaders at the PMA's Annual Meeting and Showcase.
Specifications Submission Guidelines Important Dates
Specifications
Your component can be utilized in any application area, but will be judged on its utility in its actual application.
Submit a finished part made of solid polyurethane, which is cast from mixing a liquid urethane prepolymer with a curative or chain extender. The mixed two-component system is typically a liquid that can be incorporated into a variety of molding techniques including the most common open cast method.
The urethane should contain less than 10 percent of additives and fillers. The typical urethane hardness range is 40 Shore A to 80 Shore D. The urethane part may also be bonded to other substrates such as metal or fabric as utility requires for instance a metal or plastic insert of a wheel or nylon cord in a belting application. The part may also be machined or modified after molding.
Submission Guidelines
Submission of entries should include a short written report that fully describes the utility of the part, shape, size and how the part is used. The report should also describe the composition or chemistry of part and the process that was used to design and manufacture the part. In addition, the results of any field testing or performance would be of interest. Pictures of the parts are required to complete the initial judging.
Finalists will be selected from the descriptions and pictures in the written report. The selected finalists will need to ship their part to the PMA headquarters for final judging and display at the PMA meeting in Las Vegas. Parts will not be shipped back.
Important Dates
Project papers must be submitted by January 15, 2010 to scholarship@pmahome.org. The top projects will be selected by the judging committee; then actual projects will be requested in writing to be sent in for judging.
Judges will make their selections no later than March 1, 2010 and notify winners by March 11, 2010.
Three winners will receive their scholarships at PMA's 2010 Annual Meeting and Supplier Showcase, May 8-11, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Travel expenses will be paid for by the PMA up to $650.