New Cell Opening Surfactants for Molded High Resiliency Polyurethane Foam

he extremely competitive nature of the automotive industry has T brought automotive manufacturers to a new level of commitment with respect to controlling the quality and cost of each unit produced. The ripple effect of this new commitment has resulted in many changes in the technology used to produce molded HR (high resiliency) polyurethane foam automotive seating. Modifications in tool design, processing conditions, and foam formulations have all taken place in the past few years. Manufacturers of molded HR foam seating have historically faced the day-to-day task of controlling numerous process and chemical variations. The current trend toward lower foam densities, faster demold times, and the increased use of complex metal and plastic insert frames has made the job even more difficult. To successfully produce molded HR foam the manufacturer must maintain a critical balance between overstabilization, which causes undesirable foam shrinkage, and understabilization, which results in internal defects such as basal cells and shear collapse. This often difficult to achieve balance is commonly referred to as processing latitude. Variations on either side