How Foam is Made
- Foam is made in big blocks or it can be injected into a mould depending on the application.
- By mixing oil-based chemicals together, they react and change from a liquid to a solid state.
- Natural BioFoam grades are made from soy bean oil which is a renewable feedstock.
- Adjusting the chemical mix will create numerous grades each with its own unique set of properties. Even though it may look the same, not all foam is created equal.
- Fabricated foam pieces, cut from foam blocks, are more cost effective then moulded foam pieces with lower quantities.
Squeezer Trucks
Specially designed forklifts bring the blocks from their designated rows to the machines for cutting.
Vertical Cutting
The Vertical Machine cleans the skin off the sides of the big blocks (size: 45″H x 84″W x 102″L) and cuts them down to smaller sections according to a customer’s needs.
Pattern Cutting
Regular trade customers provide patterns for the various shapes and sizes of foam used in their patterns are outlined on the foam and cut to the exact shape of the cardboard pattern by skilled foam cutters.
Horizontal Slitter
Once sections are cut from bigger blocks they are taken over to the Horizontal Machine where sections up to 45” thick will be sliced to smaller thicknesses. This machine can be programmed to automatically slice any grade of flexible polyurethane foam from 3/4″ to 45″ thick and any all increments in between.
Angle Cutting
The Angle Machine allows us to cut angles from 45 to 135 degrees. This machine is used to cut wedges for various applications. Remember, wedges are always cut in pairs from a bigger rectangular piece and have four dimensions ie. Cut from 2″ on top to 4″ on bottom x 15″ high x 36″ wide. You pick the dimensions and we will cut it for you.
Contour Cutting
The Contour Cutter uses a high-speed abrasive wire to cut foam into various shapes, curves and diameters. A wood template is mounted on the board and by following the shape of the template an identical version is cut into the foam at a specified length. This machine only cuts two-dimensional. The front and the back of the piece still remain flat.
Fibre Cutting
Various thicknesses of polyester fibre can be cut and wrapped around foam cushions to give them a crowned or rounded look once they are stuffed into the fabric casing.
Fabrication
Pieces of foam or layers of different firmnesses can be joined together using a clean and safe water based foam adhesive.
Quilting of Covers
Foam and fibre are quilted into mattress fabrics to give a mattress a more comfortable look and feel. The mattress industry as a whole uses lighter weight grades for quilting foam. Therefore, it is always better to keep the quilting in your cover to a minimum and go with a thinner mattress that is made with a heavier density of foam.
Cover Sewing
Once the quilted fabric is cut to the required size the edges are surged together to keep the fabric from fraying. The sewn pieces are then passed on to the mattress closer.
Mattress Closing
Material is sewn around the mattress with a moving sewing machine known as a mattress closer. Mattress closing is used for the mass production of mattresses of the same size and grade for commercial applications. Better custom mattress manufacturers, with nothing to hide, make removable zippered covers allowing you to inspect the inside of the mattress and give you the option of making changes to your mattress should the need arise.
