How to select a high quality memory foam production

22 meters memory foam foaming production line

What material is memory foam? Why is it widely used in bedding?

Memory foam is also called space foam, inertia foam or sticky elastic foam. It is actually soft polyurethane kick-back foam. Polyurethane is a high polymer synthetic material made by the chemical reaction between isocyanic acid and oxhydryl of Polyether polyol. The reaction makes many high polymer chemical compounds composed of NHCOO radical group. Slow kick-back Polyurethane foam is more than common soft Polyurethane foam because it combined with special Polyether, adding soft part and hard part to foam and taking on two different shapes in room temperature(Soft part——kick-back shape;Hard part——glass shape). When stressed, the soft part is easily changing shape while the hard part prevents it, thus enable the foam to slowly kick back. The above can account for the following scene: slow kick-back foam changes shape when stressed and an imprint(e.g. handprint or footprint) is left after moving the stressing object, and gradually the foam returns to its previous shape. The physical property of slow kick-back foam changes along with temperature. When temperature turn higher, more molecule chain becomes soft part, which changes its shape easily but rebounds easily so we feel the foam softer and faster in rebounding. Conversely, when temperature lower, more molecule chain is “frozen” into hard part and make the foam stiffer. Polyurethanes slow kick-back foam material has excellent properties of anti-quake, pressure-reducing, buffer and sound insulation. It was first developed by NASA and applied to astronauts’ seat to reduce the great pressure stressed to them when airship lifted off and landed. Nowadays the foam is widely used in bedding, toys and transportation for reducing quake and noise etc. The pillows and mattresses made of the best slow kick-back foam(i.e. memory foam) can not only evenly distribute and reduce pressure, but it naturally touches and supports the body. So it makes people comfortable and helps to improve sleeping condition and protect the vertebration, making the memory foam one of the best materials for mattresses.

slow kick-back memory foam materials

Memory foam belongs to the chemical, so is it safe? What’s its harm to human body?

Memory, namely polyurethane slow kick-back foam, is a high polymer synthetic material, which is not poisonous itself and now has been applied to nearly every aspect of our life(e.g. plastics, rubber and fibre). However, the materials of high polymer compound vary greatly in toxicity, so our health may be harmed in case there are remains of poisonous original materials. Compounded polyurethane slow kick-back foam is made of two main materials, polyether and isocyanic acid, with the former completely non-toxic. The isocyanic acid differs according to types of compound because all chemical compounds that contain NCO radical group are called isocyanic acid compound, whose toxicity varies according to their different chemical structure. Currently one of the widely-used materials to make polyurethane foam is toluene diisocyanate(TDI), which is affirmed as rank poisonous chemical in countries like China. The production, storage and transport must be processed according to the regulation of hazardous article. TDI does harm to operators in producing and it pollutes the environment. Besides, the remains of TDI in production will finally do harm to consumers. Fortunately, in recent years another isocyanic acid used to compound polyurethane slow kick-back foam has been found, namely diphenyl-methane-diisocyanate(MDI), which is much more safer. MDI is a common chemical and remains much less in the production than that compounded of TDI, because MDI reacts with oxhydryl 4 times faster than TDI at later stages. In other words, compared with TDI, MDI production is nearly non-toxic,  so the consumers can set their mind at rest when using MDI memory foam. Of course new MDI production will send off some smells, which comes from the small amount of volatile assistant that is non-toxic and will disappear after 3-4 days on good conditions of aeration. Besides, MDI production will not easily be affected by temperature, making it stable in physical property. In other words, MDI doesn’t change too much in solidity and kick-back effect as the temperature changes, enabling it to adjust to a man’s vertebration at any time of the day.

memory foam cutting technics

Besides factors of materials and chemical structure, what else factors will affect the safety of memory foam production?

Besides factors of materials and chemical structure, the following factors will affect the safety of memory foam production:

• The quality of original materials: the quality and manufacturing techniques and control will affect the quality of polyurethane. So original materials from international top brand companies are better in purity and safety because of less impurity and harmful substances.
• foaming agent: memory foam needed to be produced with foaming agent. Although most of it volatilizes in the process of production, whether a foaming agent is safe or not still determines the safety of end production. For example, water foaming agent is surely safer than physics foaming agent(e.g. volatilizable substances like dichloromethane).

automatic brush coating line(water-soluble adhesive, non-toxic, smelless)

How to judge the quality of memory foam?

Firstly, the density of memory foam should be too low, which is breakable and has a short lifespan. Secondly, French chalk mustn’t be added in the producing process of memory foam. Because the price of polyurethane is 10 to 20 times that of French chalk, many factories add French chalk to memory foam to for lower cost and attempt to sell seconds at best quality prices. Memory foam gains weight after French chalk is added so that consumers are easily taken in. However, the memory foam is worse in feel and physical property because it will be out of shape very likely and has a short lifespan.

compressing and wrapping technics of memory foam mattress

What requirements make a memory foam production qualified for consumers?

A qualified memory foam production for consumers should have the following requirements:

• Use materials of slight toxicity or non-toxicity.
• Use materials from international top brand companies that are better in purity and less in harmful substances.
• Reject chemicals as foaming agent.
• Never add French chalk.
• apply molding technics in producing.
• The production has a proper density, solidity and kick-back effect.