AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2022 - 94

RUDDER & WRENCH
The material is a " non-Newtonian "
fluid that doesn't follow Newton's law of
viscosity. A key property of these materials
is their viscosity can change when
they're under force, becoming more liquid
or more solid while retaining certain
elastic properties. Ketchup is an example
since it becomes runnier when shaken.
He spent 13 years and millions of
dollars figuring out how to combine
foams into body-centric forms optimized
for comfort and crashworthiness.
Everything is protected by 42 patents and
several hundred trade secrets.
" Factory seats are made from polyfoam,
which is also in your sofa. It's
" As my father said, the brain can learn only as long as the
butt can endure. "
Dennis worked closely with scientists at
94
3M's Innovation Center to create versions
particularly well suited for airplane seats.
Using " gravity polarized molecular
engineering, " the molecule is engineered
for an orientation that carries its load but
doesn't weigh much. It has lots of strength
but properties and characteristics that
change with velocity and temperature.
It's a whole new ball game, says Dennis.
durable, tough, and cheap, but not optimal
for comfort or safety. Viscoelastic
foams are far better but challenging to
work with. They'll break down without
proper design. That's why it took so long
to master the material. There's lots of science
in each seat, plus some dark arts. "
Anyone thinking they can order
" memory foam " and create a great seat
will be sorely disappointed. Among other
things, the material Dennis's highly
trained " seat technicians " use selfdestructs
if it isn't properly sealed.
Additionally, it can't be molded, only
cut, which increases production costs.
The material's unique rebound and
energy absorption properties required
the creation of special tools by Dennis so
tolerances within three-thousandths of
an inch could be assured.
" People are the hardest product to
package since we complain about everything, "
he said. " You can't just make
cushioning 'better' because that implies
there's still something wrong, which then
becomes the new threshold of misery.
You must master every aspect of a product
and its production process. When a
person forgets they're sitting on something,
then you're successful.
" As my father said, the brain can learn
only as long as the butt can endure. "
Kevin Knight is an instrument-rated
pilot in Dallas, Texas, who owns a 1983
Cessna TR182.
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2022

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