Leading Urethane Foam Companies

What is Urethane Form?

Urethane foam is commonly used in hospital equipment such as surgical scrubbers and x-ray positioning pads, acoustic and thermal insulation, packaging materials, and automotive interior cushioning. Based on the arrangement of the individual material cells, foams are most commonly classified as open cell foam or closed cell foam. The interconnecting open cell foam cells produce a highly absorbent and soft substance. Closed cell foam is more pressure- and absorption-resistant, but it provides solid structural support.

How Urethane Foam is Made

Urethane foam is made from diisocyanates and polyols, which are products derived from crude oil. However, polyols can also be made of natural oils from renewable sources; when mixed, they react and form. During the production process, isocyanates and polyols fully react and are not present in the foam that goes to market. The industrial manufacturing of urethane foams mixes the isocyanates, polyols, pigments, and other additives in proportions that meet the demand for products to be acquired. The mixer is poured onto a rolling conveyor belt, where it begins to form.

The continuous foam block is cut using CNC machines. The foam blocks are cured and cooled up to 24 hours before being stored. During the foam cutting process, bulk blocks of foam can be cut into precise and consistent shapes using hot wire, laser, water jet, or CNC equipment. These shapes can also be adhered together to produce a finished product.

Urethane foam may be molded into more sophisticated furniture upholstery and seat cushioning shapes. Urethane foam is most commonly used in bedding and mattress padding. Foam can be molded to precise densities and flexibilities because it is an artificially produced material, which is particularly beneficial for mattress and bedding fabricators. These foam design specifications bring about different comfort levels for mattresses.

Properties of Urethane Foam

• The reduction of thickness after compressing the foam under specific conditions is known as a compression set. The foam is compressed between two plates during the test. Depending on the test method, the degree of compression can be different. Before the final measurement is taken, the foam is squeezed for a certain number of hours.
• Tensile strength means the force required to break a specimen with a particular cross-sectional area. A dumbbell-shaped profile is die-cut into the sample of the foam. Clamping the specimen at both ends and tugging it at a steady rate until it breaks is how the test is done.
• Elongation at break is the amount of stretching the foam can withstand before it breaks. The percentage difference between the original length and the length at the break is used to calculate this. The tensile strength test and the elongation measurement are done at the same time.
• Tear resistance is the force required to puncture or slit the foam on one side. The notion of force measurement is comparable to the tensile strength test. The specimen is slit with a specific length and position in this test. The tear is meant to spread from the slit.
• Static fatigue (static durability) assesses the foam's loss of load-bearing capacity and thickness after static loading. Static fatigue is measured by comparing the initial and final compression load deflections and thicknesses, just as dynamic fatigue. The specimen is compressed to a given thickness percentage and held for a certain amount of time, and then final measurements are taken.

Applications of Urethane Foam

• Flexible urethane foam is a common alternative to steel springs and polyester fiber for foam padding. It is quieter, requires less padding, and rebounds from compression rapidly.

• Insulation is also used in attic roofs, walls, and other areas of construction. Because urethane foam expands to fit perfectly into a space, it is frequently utilized in place of conventional insulation materials. Spray insulation eliminates the chance of gaps and guarantees that a barrier is as effective as possible. Urethane foam is an excellent insulator because its open cells trap air with low thermal conductivity, minimizing excessive loss of interior warmth or air conditioning.

  

Choosing the Proper Urethane Foam Manufacturer

To ensure the most productive outcome when purchasing urethane foam from a urethane manufacturer, it is important to compare several companies using our directory of urethane foam manufacturers. Each urethane foam manufacturer has a business profile page illustrating their areas of experience and capabilities, along with a contact form to directly communicate with the manufacturer for more information or request a quote. Review each urethane foam business website using our proprietary website previewer to quickly learn what each company specializes in. Then, use our simple RFQ form to contact multiple urethane foam companies with the same form.