Kickstart: Taking new technology out for a spin

Bicycle and bike gear maker Specialized is bringing 3D printing to two wheels.

The company recently launched sales of its S-Works Power with Mirror saddle to the general public, made with multiple layers of 3D printed polymer rather than foam.

Developed with 3D printing company Carbon, the Power with Mirror can improve comfort by distributing "sit-bone pressure over a much larger area," Specialized said.

But not too large. The 3D saddle comes in widths that should fit each individual better, rather than a one-size-fits-all saddle.

That follows two basic truths that bicyclists — and I include myself in here — know: Finding the right saddle for your own seat is an art; and bigger isn't always better, because bigger saddles often just mean more places for saddle sores.

Specialized isn't the only company bringing new materials and technology to the cycling world.

Berd LLC's PolyLight spokes, made with ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene, boast they can reduce the weight of wheels by up to 200 grams, while also reducing road shock and improving overall comfort.

The St. Louis Park, Minn., company is one of 10 technology startups recently picked to share in $255,000 worth of Launch Minnesota Innovation Grants.

Are lightweight spokes and a 3D printed bike saddle expensive? Sure they are. But before you roll your eyes at bicyclists like me, exactly how much money did you spend on the golf course last year? And, yes, please include the cost of the golf balls you lost in a water hazard.

A joint venture is ready to launch a new recycling plant in Baldwinsville, N.Y., aimed at reclaiming hard-to-recycle plastics. At the same time, Empire Polymer Solutions LLC will also bring new life to a shuttered injection molding plant.

EPS is owned 50 percent each by Empire Resource Recycling Inc., a recycler of post-industrial plastics, and Buchanan Empire, which is backed by real estate investors.

The Baldwinsville site had been home to a Syroco molding facility but has sat vacant for more than a decade. Before it begins post-consumer recycling, investors will rehab the building.

"It's going to cost a lot money to put it back into shape," President Frank Murphy told Steve Toloken. "I've got everything ready on the computer, I just need to put it on the floor. The slowdown's going to be preparing the building."

Lear Corp. knows what it's like to be a high-volume supplier. Now it's turned that focus to a new industry.

The automotive seating supplier recently expanded production of face masks at its Pine Grove, Pa., facility to make 500,000 face masks per week. The masks are both donated and used by Lear employees at work to try and slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Pine Grove is among 10 Lear plants on three continents making masks. In addition, its Mocksville, N.C., site is making clear plastic face shields, churning out 60,000 in April.