Just For Fun

Did you know that the world’s largest drum is nearly 20 feet tall and weighs over 15,000 pounds?! At CPS, we love learning about impressive feats of human ingenuity and sharing what we know with you! Read on to find out more about this incredible Korean instrument and other record-setting drums around the globe. The

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s… an ornithopter! Leonardo da Vinci was one of the world’s most imaginative inventors, and many of his most creative creations inspired some of the machines we use today. Here are seven of da Vinci’s most fascinating inventions. Leonardo da Vinci was an artist, theorist, scientist, engineer, sculptor, and

Simple. Squishable. Moldable. Silly Putty has been a popular children’s toy for over 80 years. But did you know it wasn’t created for kids? Silly Putty’s origin story begins with an accidental discovery during the rubber shortage during World War II. During WWII, many of the countries that produced rubber were being invaded at the

Today, a large portion of the population wears eyeglasses or contacts regularly. But how long ago would you suppose corrective lenses were first utilized? 100 years ago? 500? 1,000? How about over 2,000? Yep, that’s right. Check out this article to learn the early origins of these incredibly useful tools. Glasses have become pretty standard

A minority in many facets of her life, Olga D. Gonzalez-Sanabria was one of the few women who earned an engineering degree from the University of Puerto Rico and eventually became the highest-ranking Hispanic employee at NASA’s Glenn Research Center. Her invention of the long cycle-life nickel-hydrogen battery has been a critical tool in the

Rumor has it that the phrase “the real McCoy” could have come from a variety of sources. But the origin story we like the most is about Canadian inventor Elijah McCoy and his coveted products which customers understandably only wanted authentic versions of. If you want something that’s “the real McCoy”, you’re probably looking for

Corn Flakes – the best-selling breakfast cereal in the United States. You know them. You love them. But do you know how they were created? Check out this article to learn the surprising story behind the accidental invention of this iconic Kellogg’s product. As with many notable inventions, Kellogg’s Corn Flakes were created partially by

What do you get when you combine American raisins, sweet chocolate, and the right equipment to polish? One of our favorite treats: Raisinets. One specific grape, a method of polishing, and the right kind of chocolate are just a few of the key components in making Raisinets. Let’s grab a handful of this sweet treat

From the dawn of time, society has continuously looked for ways to improve the efficiency of how we complete tasks. While our own hands can be incredible tools, we can benefit from the use of additional machines. An example of this can be seen in the task of mixing—evenly blending large batches of ingredients is

As the 3D craze hit movies like The Creature from the Black Lagoon and Hitchcock’s Dial M for Murder, inventors Alfred Fielding and Marc Chavannes were banking on all of us living in homes with 3D wallpaper. Their company, Sealed Air Corporation, was formed to make a wall covering made of two sheets of plastic

This week, we celebrate Thanksgiving in the US, where it has been an… unusual… year. In some ways, our world feels larger, and in other it feels smaller. Whether you’re a client, vendor, or partner here in the States, or you’re among those we count as friends around the world, we are more thankful for

Vivian Burnett was the picture of a proper lady. Born at the tail end of the 19th century in Kansas, she was no wilting flower. While a curse word never crossed her lips, you always knew where you stood. Family called her a yellow-dog Democrat and a fierce fighter for education. Kids in town knew

Here at Custom Powder Systems, we’re always on the lookout for creative applications of practical absurdity. Because we’re so often faced with constraints (space, time, budget, gravity, etc.) in the projects our clients bring us, we try to hire engineers who look at problems outside of work with the same obsessiveness intensity as they do

It’s perhaps a bit of an understatement to say the majority of our team are fans of science fiction, and while our collective tastes run a little more… intense… than the Star Wars films, there’s no denying it’s not only a collection of work worth celebrating for what pioneering achievements they’ve routinely achieved, but also

When engineers aren’t “engineering,” you’ll often find them building, tinkering, and inventing. Most engineers spend their days within a structured framework, but they’re always on the hunt for a creative outlet. Today, we profile Scott Heffern, Senior Vice-President of Products, about his after-hours obsession: Pinball Machines. At Custom Powder Systems, we call upon our engineers