Background

Foam is found in a wide range of applications, from cushioning in automobile seats and
furniture to insulation in walls and appliances to soles and heels in footwear. Foams are made
by forming gas bubbles in a plastic mixture, with the use of a blowing agent. Foam manufacture
is either a continuous process for making laminate or slabstock or a batch process for making
various shapes by cutting or molding.
There are two basic types of foam. Flexible foams have an open cell structure and can be
produced in both high and low densities. Applications include cushioning for furniture and
automobiles, mattresses and pillows, automotive trim, and shoe soling. Rigid foams are highly
cross-linked polymers with a closed cell structure that prevents gas movement. Their main
application is as insulation for buildings, refrigerators and freezers and refrigerated transport
vehicles.

Design
The molecular structure, amount, and reaction temperature of each ingredient determine the
characteristics and subsequent use of the foam. Therefore, each formulation must be designed
with the proper ingredients to achieve the desired properties of the final material. For instance,
a switch in blowing agent may require an increase in this additive to maintain thermal
properties. Increasing the amount of blowing agent requires more water and a switch in
surfactants to maintain optimum bubble sizes and formation rates during foaming. The density
of the foam is determined by the amount of blowing. The stiffness and hardness of
polyurethane can also be tailored by changing the level of flexible polyol in the chemical
formulation. By mixing different combinations of the starting materials, the rates of the
reactions and overall rate of cure during processing can be controlled.

Raw Materials
Most foams consist of the following chemicals: 50% polyol, 40% polyisocyanates, and 10%
water and other chemicals. Polyisocyanates and polyols are liquid polymers that, when
combined with water, produce an exothermic (heat generating) reaction forming the
polyurethane. The two polyisocyanates most commonly used are diphenylethane diisocyanate
(MDI) and toluene diisocyanate (TDI). Both are derived from readily available petrochemicals
and are manufactured by well-established chemical processes. Though MDI is chemically more
complex than TDI, this complexity allows its composition to be tailored for each specific
application. MDI is generally used in rigid foams, whereas TDI is typically used for flexible foam
applications. Blends of MDI and TDI are also used.
Polyols are active hydrogen monomers based on polyesters, polyethers, or hydrocarbon
materials that contain at least two active hydrogen atoms. The type of polyol used will
determine whether the foam produced is flexible or rigid. Since most polyols immediately react
with isocyanates when added together, it is easy to combine the polymerization and shaping
processes into one step. During the polymerization proccess, the polyol and polyisocyanate
molecules link and interconnect together to form a three dimensional material.
A wide range of additives are also used. Catalysts (tin and amines) speed up the reaction,
allowing large volume production runs. Blowing agents that form gas bubbles in the
polymerizing mixture, are required to produce foam. The amount of blowing can be tailored by
adjusting the level of water. Flexible foams are typically made using the carbon dioxide formed
during the reaction of water with isocyanate. Rigid foams use hydrochlorofluorocarbons
(HCFCs), hydrofluorocarbons (HfCs), and pentanes as the blowing agents.
Surfactants are used for controlling the size of bubbles and include silicones, polyethers, and
similar materials. Other additives that may be used include cross-linking agents, chain-
extending agents, fillers, flame retardants and coloring materials, depending on the application.

The Manufacturing Process

Polymerization rates for most industrial polyurethanes range from several seconds to about five
minutes. Slower reacting formulations can be mixed and molded by hand, but require long
cycle times. Faster systems provide shorter cycle times but must use machines for mixing.
Polyurethane formulations are generally processed into a wide range of products by reactive
molding, spraying, or open-pouring techniques.

Material preparation
 1 The liquid chemicals are delivered either by railroad tanker cars or tank trucks and
pumped into large holding tanks. From there, the chemicals are pumped into smaller
heated mixing tanks, and are kept separate if they react with each other. For continuous
manufacture of foam such as slabstock, more than two monomer streams are typically
used.

Dispensing and mixing

 2 Continuous dispensing (also called open pouring or free-rise) is used in the production
of rigid and flexible low-density foams. A specific amount of each chemical, measured by
metered pumps, is fed from the mixing tanks into a mixing head, where the blending of
the chemicals take place. The reactive components are poured onto a moving surface or
conveyor belt, where the foam rises and cures to form slabstock.

Cutting and curing

 3 As the foam moves toward the end of the conveyor belt, it is automatically cut by a
horizontal bandsaw into smaller pieces, usually 12 ft (3.66 m) long sections. After
cutting, the foam sections are cured at room temperature for 12 hours or more. They
are not stacked since they are not firm enough to withstand any weight. After curing, a
second automatic bandsaw cuts the sections into the desired thickness. Other shapes
can also be cut.
Other forming processes
 4 A continuous lamination process is used to form rigid foam laminate insulation panels
known as boardstock. For appliance insulation, liquid chemicals are injected between 

Chemicals are dispensed in a continuous fashion called open pouring or free-rise. Once blended, the
reactive components are poured onto a conveyor belt, where the foam rises and cures to form slabstock.
Next, the slabstock is conveyored through a series of automatic bandsaws that cut the slabstock to
premeasured widths and thicknesses.

the inner and outer walls of the appliance cabinet, where they undergo the foaming
process.

 5 For flexible foam molding, dispensing machines are used to vary the output of
chemicals or the component ratios during the pour. This allows the production of
molded foams with dual hardness. Molded foam articles with solid surface skin are
made from liquid chemicals in a single step, using carbon dioxide as the sole blowing
agent. Automotive cushions are made by molding flexible foam behind a pre-shaped
fabric cover. This process reduces the number of steps in the manufacture of car seats.
Quality Control
In addition to monitoring the production process, the final product is inspected and tested for
various physical and mechanical properties. An important property of foam rubber is called the
indentation load deflection, which measures the spring tension or load-bearing quality of the
material. The deflection is determined by the amount of weight needed to compress a circle of
foam 50 sq in x 4 in (127 sq cm x 10.16 cm) thick by 25%. Most seat cushion foam has a rating of
35, which means it takes 35 lb (15.9 kg) of pressure to compress the circle of foam 1 in (2.54
cm).

Byproducts/Waste
Since there is such a wide range of polyurethane chemistries, it is difficult to recycle foam
materials using just one method. The majority of recycling involves reusing flexible slabstock
foams for carpet backing. Over 100 million lb (45.4 million kg) of polyurethane carpet cushion is
recycled every year into bonded carpet cushion. This involves shredding the scrap into flakes
and bonding the flakes together to form sheets.
Other methods have recently been developed. One method involves pulverizing the foam into
granules, dispersing these granules in a polyol blend, and molding them into the same parts as
the original. Ground polyurethane can also be added to original systems as a filler in amounts of
up to 10%. Another method called press bonding bonds granulated scrap using an isocyanate-
based binder into large boards with densities ranging from 400-900 kg/m3.
One manufacturer has patented a process that breaks down polyurethane into polyol using
industrial waste or scrapped automotive parts; glycolysis processes are being used that
generate polyol for use in automotive seating foam and cushions for furniture and bedding. In
this process, polyurethane is pulverized into powder and then is heated in a reactor at 392° F
(200° C) with glycol, which converts it into a raw material. During the reaction, chemical
cleavage of the polymer chains (urethane) takes place.