without castings IN A WORLD


Would Running Shoes Be Light and Durable?


Cornelius Swarthout received a patent Aug. 24, 1869,


for his updated waffle iron, which featured a cast iron skillet with a hinged lid that allowed people to easily and safely cook breakfast. But nearly a century later, the waffle iron played an essential role in developing a very different product that would find its way into millions of homes. In the late 1960s, Bill Bowerman, longtime University of


Oregon track and fi eld coach, liked to tinker around with his athletes’ shoes. He produced custom-made designs for many of his runners. But his biggest breakthrough came when he poured urethane into his wife’s waffl e maker. T e pressed rub- ber was lightweight while still providing adequate traction. T anks to this and other innovative designs, Bowerman’s


fl edgling athletic shoe outfi t (in a partnership with Phil Knight, former U. of O. miler) exploded into what eventually became Nike Inc. 


Mar/Apr 2015 | METAL CASTING DESIGN & PURCHASING | 17


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60