The Raychem Corporation was founded and headquartered in Menlo Park, California, in 1957 by Paul M. Cook, Bob Helprin, James B. Meikle, and Richard W. Muchmore.[1] Led by Cook and second-in-command Robert M. Halperin, Raychem became a pioneer of commercial products realized through radiation chemistry.
History
The original name of the company was RayTherm Wire and Cable, and it later formed a subsidiary named RayClad Tubes. The company changed names to avoid confusion with Raytheon. The company was a spin-off from SRI International, and their founding technology was wire and cable that used radiation cross-linked polymer insulation targeted at military and aerospace applications.[2] This was the first known use of radiation chemistry for commercial products. The company soon invented heat-shrinkable tubing also targeted at electronic applications.[3]