Research and Development

With over 200 patents, we have an unparalleled track record for innovation in our industry. Moving forward, we will continue to pioneer the development and commercialization of an amazingly broad range of foam technologies and applications.

FUNCTIONS OF FOAM

Engineered high-performance, flexible polyurethane foams meet many design criteria for a variety of filtration functions. These include removing dust and contaminating particles from air, gases, and liquids (filtration); collecting vaporized oils from industrial equipment (de-misting); acting as an evaporative surface (humidification), and cleaning up oil spills (oil/water separation).

Applications

Air filters for small engines, air conditioners, data processing equipment, electronic air cleaners, humidifiers, furnaces, condenser coils, refrigerators, cold drink dispensers, and other appliances where moving air is required either by force or convection.

NOISE ABSORBING

Acoustical foam will absorb the activity of airborne or fluid-borne noise, causing a loss in energy by weakening reflected vibrations. The sound vibration pulses are literally "tired out" by their effort to force the foam strands to vibrate…and the noise reflected level is immediately reduced. Acoustical foam for sound absorption provides foam that has high efficiency, is consistent throughout, and is predictable from installation to installation.

Applications

commercial aircraft ventilation ducts; headliners and back panels for tractor cabs and off-road vehicles; data-processing equipment; portable air compressors and power units; appliances; snowmobiles; automobile panels and headliners, truck/tractor/off-road vehicle cab liners, office equipment, industrial machinery, marine applications, anechoic test chambers.

CUSHIONING

Our highly technical flexible cellular plastics are designed to absorb levels of shock energy. Our range of properties includes foams with low compression set and a range of firmnesses to meet specific requirements. Therefore, properties can be modified to produce a material that can be easily compressed under pressure yet effectively absorb energy for protection against sudden impacts. The material properties are flexible and can be tailored and controlled based on the shock absorption requirement.

Our flexible cellular plastics are high technology polyurethane foams designed to perform a variety of specifically engineered cushioning functions when fabricated into parts, as well as other cushioning-related functions including gasketing, sealing, positioning and spacing applications.

For maximum utility, the manufactured foam capabilities can be extended by increasing density and/or the addition of functional characteristics through post-processing, including reticulation, coating, laminating, felting and other special techniques.

Applications

Comfort cushioning for stereo earphones, speaker surrounds, goggles, orthopedic soft goods, and cycle seats; automotive gaskets and seals, sealing and interior trim; carpet anti-skid cushioning and supermarket meat/produce display pads. Polyurethane foam can also be ideal for low-pressure gasketing and for dust, light, vapor or water seals in appliances, electronic equipment, automobiles, trucks and aircraft.

RESERVOIRING

Reticulated Foams (SIF®) and SIF Felt® can hold many times their weight of various types of liquids and powders in their open cellular structure. This maximum loading capability results from the foams' 97 percent void volume. Even a highly compressed SIF Felt® (for example, foam permanently compressed to 1/10 its final thickness) is still approximately 70 percent void volume. Since these foams are a three-dimensional structure, they will hold ingredients on the surface as well as within the skeletal structure.

With over twenty years of experience in this field, we are the world's leading supplier of ink jet cartridge wicking materials. The typical product is a reticulated fine pore, polyurethane foam that is either felted or compressed during cartridge assembly. The foam functions as a reservoir to consistently deliver ink to the print head and stabilize the ink during head movement. It also serves as a media to control backpressure to prevent either a flood or starvation of ink through the head and aids in consistent, predictable flow on demand.

WICKING

SIF Felt® compressed reticulated foams transport fluids from a reservoir to an application surface. The consistent and precise cell structure of SIF Felt® helps provide excellent, controllable capillary action. Cell strands generally do not break loose or crumble to inhibit the wicking action. The capillary wicking properties are a result of reduced average pore size, which is achieved by compressing reticulated foam. Since SIF Felt® is oleophilic, it will hold and transport oils to bearing wear surfaces.

GASKETING

A gasket in many cases is key to a filter's success. There are many materials used for gaskets. Non-reticulated polyurethane foam can be unique in this area due to its designed low permeability, adjustable firmness, ease of fabrication and ability to be laminated to the filter media itself. Foam can be specifically designed to yield very efficient air and/-or liquid seals.

SURGE MITIGATING

Our highly technical flexible cellular plastics are designed to absorb levels of shock energy. Our range of properties includes foams with low compression set and a range of firmness to meet specific requirements. Therefore, properties can be modified to produce a material that can be easily compressed under pressure yet effectively absorb energy for protection against sudden impacts. The material properties are flexible and can be tailored and controlled based on the shock absorption requirement.

Applications

Electronic Equipment Shock Mount — Our Specialty foams can be used to reduce shock, noise and vibration energy in sensitive systems. FXI polyurethane offers protection of electronic components in cell phones, laptops, PDAs and other consumer electronics.

Sealing /Gasketing — Controls shock, noise and vibration energy. Ideal for low pressure gasketing and for dust, light, vapor, water and ozone seals in electronic equipment.

ENERGY ABSORBING

Driven by demand for improved automotive safety, we are applying proprietary technologies to the development of advanced energy absorbing (EA) polymers.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, approximately 2,400 people in the United States are killed and 60,000 are injured in automotive accidents each year because their heads strike pillars, side rails, headers or other interior components. To address this safety issue, federal regulators have required automakers to provide increasingly better head protection in car and light truck interiors.

Cited by industry observers as the most important safety regulation since the requirement for air bags, this legislation will mean broader applications for energy absorbing foams into areas such as the side support pillars, headliners and sun visors to work in tandem with other safety components to provide optimal protection.

Our energy absorbing foams can already be found in door panels for side-impact protection and as knee bolsters in instrument panels. This special engineered foam enhances passengers' safety and also diminishes interior vehicle noise.

VIBRATION DAMPING

Acoustical foams are used to reduce vibration of physical structures that, in turn, produce noise due to that vibration. Our materials can be "solutioneered" to fit the application and the problem exactly. Several grades of UL 94 HF1 listed foams are available. In some cases, for maximum vibration reduction, acoustical foams are used in conjunction with damping layers, such as viscoelastic materials. Vibration damping foams are used to control structure borne vibration and impact noise for electronic equipment

Applications:

Hard Disk Drive Mounting — FXI polyurethane foam dissipates vibration energy transmitted from the disk drive.
Computer Fan Mount — FXI polyurethane foam reduces vibration caused by the fan within a computer by absorbing vibration energy
Printer Damping — FXI polyurethane foam absorbs vibration energy and airborne noise generated by printer
Data Processing Equipment — FXI polyurethane foam absorbs vibration energy and airborne noise generated by DP Equipment

Properties:

Flame retardant
Fabrication flexibility
Tunability of foam to selected frequencies
Low Outgassing

Resources

Solutions
Innovation Stories

Functions

Reservoiring and Delivering
Acoustical
Cushioning
Filtering