Which Foams are fire Retardant?

Polyurethane non-flammable foams are grouped under the banner “class O” and are designed to meet industry standards of non-burnable specifications. But we know from experience that most clients want a foam producer that can create products that are fire retardant regardless of application.

Take the example of something like soft furnishings. Strict regulations are in place to prevent manufacturers from producing and selling soft furnishings that don’t meet the Furniture and Furnishings Fire Safety Regulations 1988. Last year we reported that these are amongst the strictest fire safety guidelines in the world for polyurethane foams.

Fire Retardant Foam Applications

As a leading UK foam company, we’re seeing a superb spread across various sectors like eco living in terms of fire retardant foam uses. Did you know you can use fire retardant class O foams to build wall panels in eco-friendly buildings? It’s even possible to en

gineer fire-retardant, noise-cancelling foam wall panels. But where else might you see fire-retardant foams?

Machinery and Engines

Fire-retardant foams have come on a lot in the past decade. It’s now common to find an exceptionally diverse range of foam products everywhere from our own factory floor machinery to your car engine.
In terms of vehicles, we’ve seen a lot of new developments in sound control, specifically noise-reducing foams to make your ride as smooth and noise-free as it can be. And how is this possible? With noise-cancelling, fire-retardant foams. We may use cars every day, but it’s always worth remembering that they’re essentially large dangerous machines. Fireproofing as much of the car as possible isn’t just something car manufacturers can opt into, it’s part of safety regulations and is something we have superb insight into as a foam manufacturers with longstanding business relationships in the automotive industry.

Home Furnishings

We’ve already mentioned how your new sofa isn’t allowed to be produced unless it meets various UK legislative standards. But did you know your bed also falls under the same fire-retardant UK foam producer regulations? Your mattress and all coverings – including foam products – needs to be compliant in order to legally be produced and sold in the UK.

Pretty much everything in your home that falls under the soft furnishings banner must be in line with the same regulations to minimise the risk of fires spreading in the home.

Qualities of Neoprene

But what has made this modern fabric so exceptionally successful in everything from sports equipment and protective clothing to laptop cases and sealants?
Neoprene is durable, strong, flexible, resistant to natural elements like UV rays and highly customisable in chemical terms.

Developed in the 1930s, modern neoprene foam products can be tailored at both the chemical and design stages to produce bespoke materials and design applications, e.g. different weights, thickness, styles, colours and resistances.

Application in the Water

One of the most common ways to use neoprene is in aquatic settings. It’s water resistance and reliable durability makes it ideal for things like wetsuits, drysuits, gloves, waders, protective casing and footwear.
Wetsuits and associated products mark the most familiar of uses. A neoprene wetsuit is exceptionally good for temperature regulation in the water, especially when designed for a specific environment, e.g. 7mm suits for cold water dives and 1.5mm suits for warmer waters. Neoprene can be used for providing more comfort underwater on things like watch straps and linings where they come into contact with the skin.

Neoprene also makes an excellent material for seals and aquatic protection like camera cases and related accessories.

Sports and Medial Equipment

On dry land, neoprene is just as effective as a multi-application material. It is tough, retains it’s shape well, doesn’t degrade with wetness and can be worn/used for a long time. The likes of sports supports and medical aids are commonly made using neoprene to suit challenges like sweating and heavy use.

Engineering, Electricity and Neoprene

A less commonly-known use for neoprene is as an electrical insulator. It makes an excellent circuit board insulator and can be manufactured to custom specifications to suit any layout.

Resistance to heat and a broad range of chemicals means engineers can tick a lot of boxes with neoprene. It can be used for everything from flexible hoses in car engines to watertight seals on power tools.

Protective Products

Your laptop case is likely made of neoprene, as is your tablet or e-reader case, mobile phone case and plenty of other common items around the home and office. Neoprene fits snugly to provide scratch resistance, minimise the impact damage of dropping and generally provide a tough protective shield between your electrical items and the rest of the world.

The amazing dexterity of neoprene as a cheap, effective protective material have made it one of the most popular fabrics in the world for protection of electrical devices.

Something we’re very proud of is our product development department. Do you have a neoprene product idea that just needs a little help getting off the drawing board? We can help with everything from fabric make-up and initial design to packaging and distribution, so get in touch today.

1. Avoid chemicals when cleaning

There are some great products out there designed specifically to cleanse neoprene without causing lasting damage. If you can get your hands on a tailored cleanser, that’s great, but never substitute your regular washing detergent. Harsh chemicals in non-specific cleansers can damage the fabric and shorten the life of your wetsuit.

2. Never leave your wetsuit unwashed

Salt water and things like urine in the water don’t just leave a bad smell and encourage bacterial growth on the fabric, they also cause long-term damage when regularly exposed. Never dump your suit in a bag wet and ignore it until the next trip. Always wash it under cold water straight away.

3. Hot water is bad for neoprene

Hot water degrades the fabric and causes it to loose its elasticity more quickly. It may seem like you’re saving time by hopping into a hot shower to take your wetsuit off, but it’s at the cost of reducing the life of the fabric.

4. Dry your wetsuit inside out

Drying a wetsuit inside out means maintaining the flexibility of the outer layer as it dries. It also makes things a lot more pleasant if you need to slip your suit on before it’s completely dry, since the inner layer will have dried faster and will be much easier to get into.

5. Avoid taking it off on the beach

It’s not always possible, but always try to take off your wetsuit away from sand. Grass, tarmac and pretty much any other firm surface will mean less bits of detritus finding their way into your suit. A sand-filled wetsuit is very unpleasant to get in and out of!

6. Dry and store your wetsuit properly

Although neoprene is known for its UV resistance, drying your suit in direct sunlight can still cause damage. The best way to dry a wetsuit is typically to hang it inside out on a coat hanger in the shade. And when storing your favourite suit, avoid folding it or shoving it messily into a bag. Neoprene is tough, but a season spent jammed up in a draw can still leave parts of the suit weaker and more vulnerable to tears and cracks.

We’ve worked with plenty of clients looking for neoprene products for a wide range of applications, including wetsuits and protective clothing.

If you’re determined to exploit the potential of this sort of foam, you’ve come to the right place. Here at Technical Foam Services we’re expert foam and rubber manufacturers and have plenty of experience in dealing with the material.

Beyond furnishing

By far the most well-known use of memory foam is in furniture. Consumers can’t get enough of the comfort and luxury that mattresses and pillows made from the material provide.

Of course, if you want to develop products like this, we’ll be more than happy to assist you. However, it’s also important to realise that the possibilities afforded by this foam extend far beyond this sphere.

As an engineering-focused company, we like to concentrate on more unique, industry-specific applications that enable full use to be made of visco memory foam.

A brief history

It’s worth noting the back story of this now hugely popular material. Back in the 1980s, it was developed by NASA under the brand name Confor foam. Meanwhile, it wasn’t until the 1990s that it was released into the wider market.

The fact that such a hi-tech organisation as NASA made use of the material shows how effective it can be.

Shape recovery

One of the most interesting properties of memory foam concerns the fact that it is able to consistently recover its shape after compression, meaning it will return to its original form once the force is removed.

As well as provided a superior level of comfort and cushioning, this quality is great when it comes to protection and strength. These properties are important in a whole variety of products that extend far beyond bedding.

Some ideas

For example, this foam can be perfect in:

• Computer keyboard supports
• Helmet linings
• Therapeutic pillows
• Stress relief toys

From conception to reality

Once you’ve got a product idea, it’s time to turn it into reality and this is where our expertise and impressive production facilities come in useful. We offer more than 20 different densities and rigidity levels of the foam, ranging from soft to extremely hard. We also offer flame retardant versions.

Meanwhile, thanks to our conversion capabilities, we can turn memory foam sheets and blocks into a multitude of shapes. From 3D forms to egg box profiling, the options are many and varied. We can even laminate it to other foam types.

The full low down

If you’re intrigued by the possibilities associated with this exciting foam and want to find out more about our services, just take a look around our website or get in touch with us by phone or email. With us on your team, you can really let your imagination run wild and create new and exciting products the likes of which have never been seen before.

However, foam is relatively new and its full potential is yet to be reached. Firms are constantly conjuring new and exciting ways to utilise this material and many of the finished products end up in the domestic setting. From cleaning sponges to slow recovery foams and much more, homes around the world are filling up with specially tailored foams.

Cleaning

Cleaning products are a sure fire hit among consumers. After all, people have to find ways of keeping their houses and flats in tiptop condition. These days, it’s possible to produce a range of cleaning items using cellulose and hydrophilic polyurethane grades.

If you’re keen to tap into this market, you’ve come to the right place. Here at Technical Foam Services we’re expert foam manufacturers and are adept at creating effective and attractive cleaning wipes and sponges. Regardless of the shape, size or density you require, we can help. From super soft versions to durable foams, we have it all.

We’ve also played an important role in the development and production of the melamine ‘Magic Sponge’.

Cosmetic applicators and sponges

Consumers also love their cosmetic applicators and sponges. If you think you’ve spotted a niche in this market, we’re perfectly placed to help you develop a product. We can offer 100 per cent latex-free, non-toxic and odourless applicators, removers and sponges that are suitable for use with both powder and cream formulations. In addition, we produce cosmetic release foams that can be impregnated with cleansing products, fragrances and moisturisers.

Furniture

Of course, no home is complete without furniture and sponge can be ideal for seating and bedding alike. From seat pads and pillows to comfy bedding products to help consumers catch a good night’s sleep, there are plenty of options to choose from. We even produce composite foams with additional anti-bacterial properties.

Stationery

Meanwhile, perhaps you want to explore opportunities in the stationery market. We can manufacture a whole range of these products, including mouse mats and ring binders.

Also, we produce technically advanced compressed foams that are ideal for inkpads and rollers.

Vehicles

Now that spring has sprung and the weather’s starting to improve, it’s getting more common to see people outside washing and polishing their cars. Consumers can be very particular about the types of polishing and buffing pads they use on their beloved motors, so it’s no surprise that many turn to specialised foams.

We’re experts when it comes to products like this and our range of polishing products have been used by manufacturers like Ferrari, Aston Martin and Rolls Royce.

The sky’s the limit

With a little imagination, and the right foam manufacturers on your side, you can create fantastic products for the domestic environment. If you want to run your ideas past our expert team to get your plans in motion, don’t hesitate to get in touch either by phone or email.

However, there are potential problems associated with producing items. For example, even if you go to immense effort to ensure the products that roll off your production lines are of the very highest quality, you still have to make sure they get to your customers in one piece.

Frustrating

If the objects are damaged while they are en route to retail outlets or customers’ doors, all your effort and skill will be wasted. As far as consumers are concerned, a broken or damaged product is broken or damaged product. They won’t care whether or not it was your fault or the fault of the transport firm responsible for moving it.

Ultimately, damage like this could end up hitting your bottom line and you might also find your reputation suffers.

The beauty of foam

Rather than simply keeping your fingers crossed and hoping most of your products get from A to B in one piece, it may be worth your while using the services of a foam producer like us at Technical Foam Services.

Foam makes a superb packaging material and it can help ensure that your items escape damage. As well as protecting your firm’s reputation, this could ultimately save you a considerable amount of money.

Take your pick

Thanks to our skill, experience and impressive production facilities, we’re able to offer a whole range of engineered foam solutions and should be able to create the ideal packaging for you. You can take your pick from high-density foam, chipfoam, egg-crate foam and more.

As well as performing on a technical and practical level, our products also look great. This might be important to you. After all, the packaging you use can either add to or detract from the overall look of your goods. Scruffy packaging is unlikely to go down well with your customers.

Thanks to our vast range of conversion machinery, we’re able to offer foams and inserts of all shapes and sizes. Whether you want simple, plain cut foam pads, state-of-the-art CNC die cut foams or anything else, we can help.

More details

Our packaging items are made from high-density polyethylene (PE) foams like Plastazote, Jiffycell and Stratocell. Meanwhile, they come in a range of colours, including black conductive and pink anti-static foams.

PE foams are also durable, hydrophobic and re-usable, meaning they are perfect for fragile goods like electronic equipment and components.

Peace of mind

Being able to use the services of foam suppliers like us to help ensure your products get to customers intact can provide you with much greater peace of mind. Regardless of whether you’re sending your items a few miles down the road or shipping them to the other side of the world, our impressive engineered foam will help to keep them safe.

To find out more about what we have to offer, just take a look around the rest of our website or get in touch.

If you don’t get these provisions in time, you might experience costly delays that hit your bottom line and damage your reputation. The good news is, as long as you know where to look, you can access all the machined foam you need, when you need it.

Manufacturing output to rise

You’re not alone in experiencing a boost in orders. According to a monthly Industrial Trends Survey conducted by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), manufacturers expect output to accelerate sharply during the second quarter of this year.

It polled a total of 398 companies and discovered that while output growth over the last three months remained steady but subdued, the outlook is much brighter for the current quarter.

The anticipated pick-up was found to be particularly marked in the food, drink and tobacco and mechanical engineering sectors. Meanwhile, export orders were also at their highest level for three months.

In further positive news, expected price inflation had fallen back to levels last seen midway through last year.

Optimistic

Commenting on the findings, CBI head of economic analysis Anna Leach said: “Manufacturers appear more optimistic about the next few months than the official figures and commentary would suggest, with sharp rises in output expected right across the sector.

“Total orders were steady and in line with long-run averages and there was some pickup in exports, possibly helped by the weak pound. Price expectations have fallen to the lowest level for six months – driven by inflation expectations plummeting from near-record highs in the food, drink and tobacco sector.”

Making your life that bit easier

Periods of busy production can be great from a financial point of view, but they also tend to be stressful. If you’re taking more orders now than you were over previous months, you might be feeling the pressure and your back may be against the wall.

However, by choosing the best possible suppliers, you can make your life that little bit easier. Here at Technical Foam Services, we’re experts when it comes to machined foam and should be able to provide you with all the foam and rubber you need.

Complete confidence

Because of our commitment to customer service, you can be sure we’ll meet your deadlines and you should find working with us to get the perfect shaped foams to be a pleasure. We combine cutting-edge engineering and foam conversion processes with a firm dedication to ensuring complete customer satisfaction.

We specialise in providing the most innovative design, highest quality, competitive pricing and superb service. To find out more and to see exactly what we have to offer, just take a look around our website or get in touch with our friendly and professional team by phone or email. We’re on hand to meet your foam needs and offer unrivalled technical expertise.

However, if your company is to make the very most of this resource, it’s important that you find a UK foam company capable of meeting all your needs and making your ideas a reality.

Look no further

This is where we come in. Here at Technical Foam Services we’re perfectly placed to assist you and we offer a comprehensive service that sets us apart from our rivals. Our expert in-house engineering department enables us to work with you at each stage of the process, ensuring that the end results are just what you have in mind.

The jewel in our crown

Our engineering department is the jewel in our crown. Led by engineering manager Tom Wallace, who has nearly three decades’ experience in the foam conversion industry, it enables us to offer you the most efficient and wide ranging services around.

You’re bound to be impressed by the quality and choice of engineered foam products we supply. This means you can really let your imagination run wild.

Hands-on

As well as maintaining and servicing all of our machinery ourselves, we also design and build bespoke tooling and machines in-house to produce prototypes and completely new products. This means we don’t have to look elsewhere when it comes to innovation.

It’s worth noting that we’re the only UK-based foam and rubber suppliers with this capability. Many suppliers sub-contract their engineering capacity and this can lead to confusion, delay and inflexibility.

A superior and bespoke service

Our service includes:

• Bespoke tooling capability
• The widest range of processing and shaping capabilities
• Custom-built machinery for new products
• Fast development and production of prototypes
• In-house design and production services
• A personal approach to customer requirements
• A deep understanding of the raw materials and processes
• Highly maintained machinery that helps ensure uninterrupted service and quality

Raw materials

You may also be interested to discover that we collaborate with the planet’s best-known raw material suppliers so that we can develop and produce the most innovative and high quality products around. This also enables us to meet even the most specific demands of our clients.

Honesty

When you come to us looking for flexible foams or anything else, you can rest assured you’ll benefit from an honest response. Indeed, we pride ourselves on our openness and integrity.

You’re always welcome to visit our factory and we’ll be honest about what we can and can’t do for you. If we can’t help you, we’ll say so and we’ll even endeavour to forward you onto a firm that may better fit the bill.

More details

If you like what you’ve read so far and think we may be perfectly placed to progress with your foam project, just take a look around the rest of our website or get in touch with our friendly and helpful team.

If your firm is on the lookout for foam cut to size for this purpose, you’ve come to the right place. Here at Technical Foam Services we make a variety of reticulated polyurethane and pre-polymer foam polishing and buffing pads that can be used in a range of applications and sectors. Highlighting our prowess when it comes to these items, our abrasive foams, compounding foams and fine-finishing foams have been used by many iconic brands, including Rolls Royce, Ferrari and Aston Martin.

Brits love their cars

It seems as though demand for foam products designed for polishing cars may be in high demand in Britain currently. Figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show that new car registration rose at the start of this year.

The organisation revealed that there was an increase in purchases of 11.5 per cent in January. Over the course of the 31-day period, a total of 143,643 units were sold and the most popular model was the Ford Fiesta.

Interim chief executive of the SMMT Mike Baunton said: “The new car market has started the year confidently with registrations climbing 11.5 per cent in January. Lifted by a solid rise in private demand, the new car market posted its 11th successive month of growth with motorists attracted to forecourts by the latest models and competitive deals on offer. Building on a strong performance in 2012, SMMT has increased its market forecast – we anticipate a modest rise over the year, followed by further growth in 2014.”

Sourcing the right foam products

If your business needs car polishing foams, it’s well worth taking a look at the relevant section of our website. As a leading producer of car polishing pads in the UK and elsewhere, we play an important role in ensuring that every car that rolls off production lines or out of workshops looks the part in terms of its shiny appearance.

We’re the main supplier to a number of automotive manufacturers and after-care suppliers and may have the ideal pre-polymer and reticulated car polishing pads for your organisation.

Performance and durability

When you approach foam rubber suppliers looking for items like this, two of the issues foremost on your mind may be performance and durability. As well as doing their job properly, the foam items you source must stand the test of time.

You might be pleased to note therefore that we ensure our products achieve the best results in terms of polishing and they are engineered to last.

Take your pick

We offer a variety of foam products for every stage of the manufacturing and after-care markets, including abrasive foams, compounding foams and fine and micro finishing foams. Also, our products can be adapted to suit your precise needs in terms of density, pore size, thickness and absorption.

It’s really important that you put plenty of thought into this issue. There are now many different ways of lowering noise. As well as investing in quieter machinery and providing personnel with suitable personal protection equipment, it may help to take advantage of acoustic machined foam.

The risks

If you don’t take sufficient precautions against excessive noise, you and your staff members may suffer. Being exposed to loud sounds at work can cause temporary or permanent hearing loss.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) points out that permanent hearing damage can be caused immediately by sudden, extremely loud, explosive noises, while gradual hearing loss can occur due to prolonged exposure to noise.

Hearing loss isn’t the only problem associated with excessive noise at work. People can also develop tinnitus, a condition that causes sufferers to experience a ringing, whistling, buzzing or humming in the ears. This can cause distress and lead to disturbed sleep.

The savvy approach

However, by being shrewd, you should be able to minimise the risk that your employees will be exposed to too much noise. You can approach a specialist foam manufacturers like us here at Technical Foam Services and invest in some top-quality acoustic foams.

We offer a range of products for industrial applications and other settings. Indeed, we’re the UK-based leader in precision-engineered acoustic foams. Whether you need machined foam for factories, offices or anywhere else, we should be able to help.

Experience

You can have total peace of mind when you come to us. After all, we have more than 20 years of experience supplying foams for a vast array of applications, including automotive engines and compressors, wall, ceiling and roofing panels, HVAC systems, machinery and plants and compressors and generators.

Thanks to our knowledge and experience, we appreciate that each application requires a different approach in terms of the density and flexibility of the foam, the noise reduction needed and any industrial regulations and standards that apply.

A broad selection

As a result, we offer an impressive variety of foam grades, including polyurethane and Basotect melamine. Our items are cut to order each time, ensuring that we always provide the perfect acoustic foam solutions.

Long lasting and easy to use

It’s important that the shaped foams you get stand the test of time and when you come to us, you can rest assured they will. Our products are designed to stand up to the rigours of tough conditions.

Meanwhile, for ease of application on brickwork, walls and even steel, we can provide industrial acoustic foams with self-adhesive backing. This makes them extremely simple to install.

Relief

Using acoustic foam to help control noise levels in your working environment could come as a relief to your personnel. To find out more about what we have to offer, just take a look around our website.