Bayer’s new PU foam is a breath of fresh air

Bayer MaterialScience’s US business has announced a new polyurethane technology for the direct production of foams permitting much greater air through-flow than with current processes.

Enhanced air flow and the transfer of moisture away from the body are desirable traits in a number of end-use polyurethane foam applications, notes Bayer. These include mattresses, cosmetic pads and lawn furniture. Most high-porosity foams are produced by a chemical or mechanical reticulation process that involves an extra process step to enhance air flow capacity.

Bayer claims that, using the new technology, foam manufacturers can more efficiently produce a variety of foams, including conventional, viscoelastic and specialised types such as hydrophilic and semi-rigid foams.

The technology was recently presented at the US Polyurethane Foam Association (PFA)’s Technical Conference at Phoenix, Arizona, where “New Chemical Technology for the Production of Super-High Air Flow Flexible Forms” won the PFA’s Herman Stone Technical Excellence Award.

The paper was presented by Adona Marcum, Bayer technical specialist. Her co-authors were Bayer research fellow Stanley Hager and Bayer scientists and marketing representatives Micah Moore, Peter Uthe, Jack Reese, Susan McVey and Scott Skolnekovich.