Polyurethane Foams And Its Properties Explained In Detail!

Widely being used as insulating and core materials for furniture, cooling and freezing systems in house building, shipbuilding, etc. The popular material presents one with a number of specific benefits. While there are some benefits involved, it is not without its drawbacks as well. Here are a few pros and cons of using polyurethane foam.

Pros:

• Soft- Polyurethane foam is one of the softest materials for furniture. It feels great when you sit on it but is not very soft so that you sink into the furniture. It makes a great choice when you value comfort in your furniture.
• Durable- It is also more durable than many other materials. It will not typically wear out and can last for many years.

Cons:

• Chemicals- One of the big drawbacks with this material is that it emits chemicals that could be harmful to those with respiratory problems. It irritates the breathing and it reduces airflow.
• Cost- While it is a durable and soft material, it is going to be more expensive than most other options. Polyurethane foam can cost more than some of the cheaper alternatives in the marketplace.

Further speaking about the materials characteristics, it can be simply determined by the starting materials and the formulation used in their manufacture. Nominally manufactured within a density range of 15 to 80kg/m3, these commercial polyurethane foams are the excellent source when used as a packaging material. The choice of density that a foam converter uses for a particular application will be determined by the end use of the foam.

Now I often find people getting confused between polyester and polyether foams. Do you know what is the basic difference between these two foams, it’s that the lower resilience of polyester foams. Compared to polyether foams, polyester has higher tensile strength, elongation at break and hardness. Several application areas for flexible polyester foam include the manufacture of foams for textile laminates, where their superior resistance to dry cleaning solvents, flame bonding performance, and elongation properties make them the preferred product. It may even interest you to know that Polyester foams have good abrasion resistance hence their use in polishing foam applications.

Coming back to Polyurethane foams, they act as a resistant to a wide range of solvents. In fact, they have been found to perform quite well in fungal and microbial growth studies when compared to other polymers and are used in medical and hygiene applications. Exposure to UV light can cause discoloration (yellowing) in both polyester and polyether foams the degree of yellowing being dependent on the intensity of the radiation.

So that’s all for now! Keep watching the space to know more or contact one of the leading Poly foam Packaging supplies in Australia.

I work as a managing director at Hunter Industrial supplies, one of the prominent Industrial Packaging Material providers in Australia.