| by Duncan Geddes
How foam helps our sporting heroes break records not bones One YouTube trip through the superb footage of Ayrton Senna racing a Formula One car and you will see just how free and exposed the Brazilian is in his cockpit. Think back to the high jump at school, and the thought of landing in a […]
| by Duncan Geddes
What is UL94v-0? UL94v-0 is a fire standard set by UL – an American worldwide safety consulting and certification company headquartered in Northbrook, Illinois. UL94v-0 is used to determine the flammability of a specified material. Why we test and measure to UL94v-0? UL94v-0 is tested and measured to allow engineers to understand the flammability characteristics […]
| by Duncan Geddes
Polyurethane foam has many uses and applications, some of the notable properties of PU foam include providing acoustic and thermal insulation. Where a flexible foam is required, it can also be manufactured for fitting and sealing purposes. The UV resistance and stability of polyurethane foam very much depends on what it has been manufactured for […]
| by Duncan Geddes
Flexible polyurethane (PU) foam, because of its relatively low cost and attractive property profile, is used in a variety of applications such as automotive seating, transportation, upholstery and bedding, packaging and medical applications. However, due to its low density and open cellular structure PU foam has a large surface area and high air permeability […]
| by Duncan Geddes
Various types of materials are used as sealing and gasket materials in a number of sectors, some of which are:- automotive, aerospace and aeronautics, transportation, biotechnology, chemical industry, construction industry, electronics, food and beverages, oil and gas, water treatment and pharmaceuticals. Types of sealing foam One class of materials that find use in various […]
| by Duncan Geddes
Basotect® (BASF registered trademark) is an open-celled melamine-formaldehyde foam. Melamine-formaldehyde is an amino polymer, which is defined as a polymer formed by the interaction of amines or amides with aldehydes (the two most common amino polymers are urea-formaldehyde and melamine-formaldehyde). Melamine foam is characterised by its open-celled intricate mesh structure which provides several useful features […]
| by Duncan Geddes
Polyurethane (PU) foams are renowned for their superior resilience and versatility, the likes of which make them the ideal choice for use across the construction and automotive industries. This article aims to uncover even more about the physical properties of polyurethane foam and establish how these characteristics have helped to make this type of foam […]
| by Duncan Geddes
Airflow, cell size and density, are the main factors influencing the effectiveness of sound absorption in acoustic foams(aka sound deadening foams). Increasing the cell count (ie the number of cells per 25mm of length) of the foam improves the sound absorption at all frequencies. The acoustic absorptivity a specifies the ratio of un-reflected sound in […]
| by Duncan Geddes
Flexible polyurethane open-cell foam is manufactured in a wide range of densities. This is due to the huge number of different applications that foam is used within, ranging from washing up sponges and bath sponges, up to heavy-duty packaging and mattresses. Within Europe, the lowest density is 10kg/m3, which in reality is so light that […]
| by Duncan Geddes
The disposal of scrap foam is becoming an increasingly important subject for both manufacturers and converters of polyurethane foam. Foam is inherently a volumetric but light-weight material, so what methods are there to dispose of scrap foam? And is the foam recycling industry really equipped to handle the sheer volume of scrap that’s being produced? […]