Flexible Polyurethane Foam Applications
Bedding
Flexible polyurethane foam (FPF) is used in a variety of applications in bedding, including mattresses, mattress topper pads, and pillows. And with recent changes in consumer preferences and distribution channels, foam’s role in sleep products continues to grow.
Top: Flexible polyurethane foam is a component in a majority of mattresses, such as as a comfort layer over springs or as the complete mattress construction. Left: A molded FPF pillow contoured for enhanced neck support.
Flexible polyurethane foam has long been used in mattresses, mattress toppers, and pillows. Now, new technologies and the “Bed In A Box” phenomenon have expanded foam’s role.
For decades, flexible polyurethane foam has been used in mattress construction, both as a mattress core and as comfort layers on top of innersprings or other materials.
Foam’s versatility and its ability to be engineered to provide different levels of support and comfort, make it an easy choice for sleep product manufacturers.
Foam can be formulated to be very soft or very firm, and combined in thin layers to provide multi-dimensional layers of comfort and support. Foam can also be fabricated, or cut, into shapes that have different comfort properties. For example, convoluted or dimpled foam is often used in hospitals for bedridden patients, to reduce pressure on the skin that causes bed sores.
In the 1950s, FPF was touted as a “space age” product applied over innersprings to enhance the comfort of mattresses. In the ensuing years, mattresses made entirely from FPF were offered, often competing with “foam rubber” mattresses made from latex foam. Consumers often confused the two products, something that persists somewhat to this day.
Benefits of FPF In Bedding Applications
Support
Flexible polyurethane foam can be used as a base layer in mattress constructions to provide deep down support necessary for keeping the spine properly aligned and the sleeper comfortable. Foam can accommodate people of different sizes so all get a good night’s sleep.
Comfort: Softness And Firmness
FPF can be chemically engineered to be firm, soft, or something in between, making it ideal for creating comfort layers in foam, innerspring, and hybrid mattress constructions. Multiple layers of foam with different firmnesses can be used for progressive comfort.
Comfort: Temperature
Properly specified foams provide air circulation that can help keep sleepers cooler in summer and, with blankets, warmer in winter. Additives can also be used to draw heat away from the sleeper’s body, letting people who prefer cooler temperatures sleep more comfortably.
Comfort: Adjustability
Because of its flexibility, flexible polyurethane foam is an excellent construction option for mattresses used in adjustable beds, bending easily as the sleeper chooses to raise or lower the bed’s head or foot for comfort or function.
Comfort: Quietness
Foam can provide sound insulation when used in an innerspring mattress construction, and in an all foam-mattress, it is naturally quiet as sleepers shift positions. This adds an additional dimension of comfort for quiet, relaxing sleep.
Durability
Flexible polyurethane foam in mattress constructions can last for years when properly specified, allowing manufacturers to offer attractive warranties and provide customers with lasting value.
Value
Flexible polyurethane foam is cost effective, and different foam grades can be used to build mattresses at different price points, allowing manufacturers to offer the comfort of foam to a wide spectrum of mattress buyers.
Sales Appeal
It’s easy for manufacturers and retailers to demonstrate how foam contributes to great sleep, since consumers are familiar with FPF in their lives in furniture, automobiles, and many other applications.
Versatility
Flexible polyurethane foam can be combined with innersprings or used as an all-foam mattress. FPF is even used in combination with other types of foam (such as latex) and with polyester fiber to create comfort.
Convenience: Lightweight
The light weight of foam means foam mattresses can be easily moved and shipped. Foam mattresses can even be compressed for shipping. Some hotel chains use foam mattresses because they make it easier for housekeepers to change sheets.
Care: Hygienic
Foam does not support the growth of bacteria or mold, an advantage in mattress constructions. For extra protection, anti-microbial additives can be used in applications (such as health care settings) where extra precautions are warranted.
Recyclability
FPF can be readily recycled into carpet cushion and other products. In the U.S., virtually all scrap foam from manufacturing is recycled. While recycling old mattresses poses significant challenges, there are recycling programs in several states (see below).
Flexible polyurethane foam in an innerspring mattress. Foam may be used in multiple layers to provide different levels of support and comfort that work in harmony with the innerspring coils to provide better sleep.
Different grades of FPF can also be used in an all-foam mattress construction to provide deep down support and surface softness. Foams can be engineered by density, firmness level, and shape to produce different feelings for the sleeper.
By the 70s and 80s, FPF mattresses were offered by many manufacturers, and one major U.S. department store actually offered comparable models of both innerspring and foam mattresses in its furniture department, with full foam mattress sales making up a large portion of overall revenues.
But there was an obstacle to foam growth in bedding. As one industry researcher noted, mattress manufacturers weren’t necessarily just mattress makers: They were metal workers.
Many had invested heavily in proprietary innerspring systems like “pocketed coils” or “coil on coil” construction,
and they resisted bringing in other mattress types that would impact their marketing efforts.
So FPF had established itself as a key part of mattress construction, but typically as layers for surface comfort or to insulate the innerspring core, The foam works in conjunction with other materials in the overall design.
This still holds true today: the largest category of mattresses sold is innerspring, with about 42% of the North American market. But there have been a couple of developments that have changed how people think about mattresses and how they are built.
The New “Space Age” Foam
The New
Viscoelastic
Remember when we mentioned that FPF was considered a “space age” product when it was first introduced into bedding? Later, another foam technology would make its way into bedding–this time a real space-age product, commercialized from NASA’s AMES Research technology transfer program.
Viscoeslastic or “memory” foam was developed for the Space Program to redistribute G-forces encountered by astronauts during take-off and re-entry. It also provided commercial pilots a more comfortable seating surface during long flights. Viscoelastic pressure distribution performance represents one of the most significant comfort innovations from the FPF industry.
Viscoelastic foam is typified by its slow recovery after compression. When a weighted object (for example, the human body) is positioned on viscoelastic foam, the foam progressively conforms to the shape of the object, and after the weight is removed, the foam slowly reassumes its initial shape. Due to this gradual recovery, viscoelastic foam also can be described as “slow recovery” foam.
This slow recovery also suggested the foam had a “memory” of the object shape.
Viscoelastic foam was adopted into the bedding industry because of its combination of softness and support. The “cradling” effect of the foam provided the sleeper with a new sensation, and viscoelastic foam has found applications in full-foam mattress constructions, comfort layers in innerspring mattresses, mattress topper pads, and pillows. It is sometimes even used in combination with another type of foam, latex, to provide a unique mattress feel.
Mattresses with memory foam construction now account for over 40% of products sold in North America.
Game Changer: Online Sales And “Bed In A Box.”
As innovations in FPF continued, the way consumers purchased mattresses also changed. As online sales of merchandise became more popular, and people became more accustomed to having products delivered to their doors, rather than shopping for them in “brick and mortar” stores, the bedding industry changed dramatically.
No longer did people have to rely on traditional furniture retailers or mattress stores. Instead, they reviewed products online (including other customer reviews). They compared prices and constructions without leaving their seats. With strong warranties from online buyers offering full refunds even after “100 nights’ sleep,” they purchased in confidence.
And they purchased more mattresses made primarily of FPF, particularly memory foam and proprietary foam chemistries and constructions. Their mattresses arrived compressed into an easy-to-ship-box.
This was a new level of convenience. No longer did the customer have to schedule a delivery or rent a truck to move a bulky mattress. It arrived small. You open the box and it expands to its final size in a matter of a few hours.
FPF is a natural for “bed in a box.” Sales prove it.
The Future Is Wide Open
Future
With the change in sales channels came a new wave of innovations in product construction, with FPF leading the way. Like some motor vehicles, modern mattresses can be “hybrids,” with flexible polyurethane foam, springs, latex foam, cotton, or other materials used to provide comfort, support, and durability.
Consumers have more choices for sleep. Innovation promotes more vigorous competition. And bedding buyers win with more value in today’s products.
Quality Scrutiny
Quality
As more formulations of FPF from more sources have been used in mattresses, the industry looked at ways to make sure consumers were getting quality foam in finished goods. A testing and certifcation process was created.
The CertiPUR-US® program was developed to provide the comfort and confidence of knowing the flexible polyurethane foam meets standards for content, emissions and durability and is analyzed by independent, accredited laboratories.
The certification process was developed by the foam industry in close collaboration with leading environmentalists, chemists, accredited laboratory research scientists, and bedding and furniture industry leaders. CertiPUR-US emissions and analysis methods are compatible with other standards such as Eco-label (EU), LGA (Germany), OkoTex 100 (Class IV Mattress) EUI, Blue Angel (Netherlands), IKEA, AQS Greenlabel and BIFMA criteria.
Today, foam producers from all countries may participate in the program, as long as they meet the rigorous certification guidelines.
CertiPUR-US also provides consumers with information on how to shop for products containing FPF. See CertiPUR-US’s suggestions for buying a new mattress here.
Other Challenges & Solutions
Challenges
In addition to product innovation and quality testing, the mattress and foam industries are actively involved in researching ways to address what happens to mattresses at the end of their life cycle. The Mattress Recycling Council (MRC) is a nonprofit organization formed by the mattress industry to operate recycling programs in those states that have enacted mattress recycling laws.
The program is currently running in California, Connecticut and Rhode Island and is known as Bye Bye Mattress to consumers. Each state’s program is funded by a recycling fee collected when consumers buy a mattress or box spring.
The Council is committed to educating the mattress industry about state’s mattress recycling laws and assisting retailers and manufacturers in complying with those laws. Through its work with local governments, waste management professionals, recyclers and others, it has successfully developed accessible and efficient collection and recycling networks in the program states.
There are commercial uses for recycled foam. In fact, one of the most successful recycling stories in North America is carpet cushion. Approximately 85-90% of the carpet cushion market is represented by bonded (or rebond) cushion products, made from FPF recycled from post industrial and post consumer foam scrap. Bonded carpet cushion diverts more than 1 BILLION pounds of scrap FPF from landfills annually. Learn more
Related Resources
Related
Video: How Foam Is Made
Learn more about flexible polyurethane foam is made and how it is used in furniture, bedding, automobiles, carpet cushion and other uses.
CertiPUR-US
Learn how the foam industry protects consumers with testing to ensure quality.
Mattress Recycling Council
News on recycling efforts across the United States. Details on state regulations, recycling centers, and uses for recycled materials.
International Sleep Products Association
The trade association for mattress and bedding manufacturers. Includes the Better Sleep Council, which offers consumers information on mattresses.
Flexible Polyurethane Foam: A Primer
How FPF is made, specified and used in different applications.
Technical: Foam In Mattresses
Detailed information on how foam is used in mattresses.
Technical: Foam, Fiber, and Springs
How flexible polyurethane foam, springs, and fiber work in conjunction with each other.
Technical: FPF/Latex Foam Comparision
Properties two different foam types and how they are used.