|
Meet
the 2008 National Inventors Hall of Fame Inductees
hi-res
(Photo credit: Post Street Archives)
Otis Ray McIntire
(b. August 24, 1918 – d. February 2, 1996)
Styrofoam® Brand foam
Ray McIntire invented polystyrene foam, more commonly known by its brand name, Sytrofoam®. Originally marketed as an insulator for buildings, polystyrene foam is used to make coffee cups, food packaging, flotation devices, and dozens of other items used around the world every day.
McIntire was born in Gardner, Kansas. After graduating from the University of Kansas with a B.S. degree in engineering in 1940, he went to work for Dow Chemical Company. During World War II, when rubber was in short supply, McIntire’s work focused on developing a rubber-like substance that could be used as a flexible insulator. In an experiment in which he combined styrene with isobutylene, he was surprised to find that the isobutylene formed tiny bubbles within the styrene. McIntire had accidentally invented foam polystyrene that was 30 times lighter and more flexible than solid polystyrene. It was also inexpensive, moisture resistant, and able to be molded into an almost limitless variety of products and packing materials.
McIntire remained at Dow Chemical for his entire career. He was promoted to research director, and later worked in the company’s consumer and venture capital divisions. He retired in 1981 as Dow’s director of technology and acquisition.
|
