The Raychem Corporation was founded and headquartered in Menlo Park, California, in 1957 by Paul M. Cook, James B. Meikle, and Richard W.

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.

[citation needed] The company invented many breakthrough technologies, including PolySwitch PPTC circuit protection devices, and the touchscreen that became popular under the name Elo TouchSystems.

The major market segments where Raychem operated were aerospace and defence, automotive, telecommunications, energy networks, consumer electronics and transportation.

Renamed Pentair Thermal Management, this group continues to provide customers with the Raychem brand name for industrial, commercial and residential trace heating solutions.