Evonik: New additives improve recovery speed of compressed PU flexible foams

Evonik has introduced its Ortegol 700 series of polyurethane additives to significantly improve the final quality of compressed flexible foams. The additives enable compressed mattresses to unfold and recover to their original volume much faster. They are also designed to enhance the final performance of compressed foams, especially after long periods of storage and transportation.

“The market for compressed flexible foams has been steadily increasing over recent years. Since the Covid-19 pandemic “Bed in a Box” sales have really boomed as consumers have only been able to buy new mattresses online for delivery in boxes,” said Ralph Marquardt, Head of Evonik’s polyurethane additives business. “That's why improving the compression properties of polyurethane slabstock foams is more important than ever. To help the industry take advantage of the very high demand, our technical teams have been working hard to develop and quickly bring these game-changing new solutions to market.”

The Ortegol 700 series of additives enable compressed mattresses to unfold and recover to their original volume much faster. (Source: Evonik)

According to Evonik, shipments of compressed foams to manufacturers of finished mattresses and foam rolls have also dramatically increased to meet the new demand. However, previously it could take a long time for compressed foams to recover after shipping before being ready for production. In many cases, the foams do not always fully recover, with deformed foams unsuitable for mattress production creating waste. Additionally, today’s consumers expect products to be ready straight out of the box. Any foam deformities because of long-term storage in boxes, can often mean mattresses are returned, leading to much higher scrap rates, costly return shipping fees and consumers unlikely to re-purchase, said the company.

Evonik has developed and launched its Ortegol 700, Ortegol 701 and Ortegol 702 additives to support the industry overcome these challenges. With significantly improved aging resistance, the new additives have all been optimized for odors and emissions, with each one passing the low VOC Chamber Test. Additionally, Ortegol 701 is also suitable for automotive seating applications and passes the latest VDA 278 standard.

Recommended for use in combination with Evonik’s Dabco NE range of emission optimized catalysts and Tegostab surfactants, all three new Ortegol products reduce curing times before compressing, helping to lower costs and significantly improve the compression set during roll tests. In the case of Ortegol 702, foams can be compressed much earlier after curing, usually achieving full recovery after around one day following a long period of compression.

www.evonik.com