𝐓𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲'𝐬 𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖𝐋𝐄𝐃𝐆𝐄 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 : 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐍𝐲𝐥𝐨𝐧

𝐓𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲'𝐬 𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖𝐋𝐄𝐃𝐆𝐄 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐍𝐲𝐥𝐨𝐧

Nylon fiber was developed by a DuPont research group headed by the brilliant chemist Wallace Carothers. His team was tasked with finding synthetic versions of natural products such as silk and rubber. Toward that end, they synthesized several polymers in the polyamide family (later trade named Nylon) but were not impressed with the properties of these materials. Being chemical researchers, they did not explore the processing capabilities of the new materials. The focus of their work shifted toward polyester chemistry.

In 1934, a member of Carothers’ group, chemist Julian Hill, noticed that he could draw stands of fiber by prodding a moist lump of polymer with a glass rod. These fibers were intriguing because initially, they were extremely stretchy. One day, Carothers was away from the lab and the staff was free to experiment in an entertaining fashion.  Hill and his coworkers ran down the hall with clumps of polymer to see how far they would stretch the nylon strands. Instead of breaking, the filaments were transformed by this room temperature drawing process, creating thin, stiff fibers.

The cold drawing process orients the polyamide chains, greatly increasing their modulus. Monoaxial stretching is especially beneficial for polyamide, which acquires exceptional tensile strength from this dynamic process step. A seemingly useless polymer sample was transformed into a fiber with silk-like properties. Considerable development work was needed to refine the product and create a suitable production process. The finished material had a myriad of uses and became DuPont’s most successful product. Within five years it was a huge hit in the production of women’s stockings. The key patents listed Carothers as the sole inventor, overlooking the contributions of his team. The moody and temperamental scientist committed suicide before the new material was commercialized.

Is your organization conducive to novel ideas and new ways of looking at problems? How would management react if they saw lab technicians running down the hallway with invisible strands of fiber?

Are your employees rewarded for pursuing risky approaches?

Does your organization unintentionally create barriers to innovation?

source : Tim Oberle