Development of Polyurethane Batch Foaming Plant for Small and Medium Foam Production

Abstract

Batch foaming machine is a set of equipment arranged in an effective and efficient way for the production of foams. This necessitates a carefully controlled reaction to obtain foam of desired and consistent quality. The individual chemicals are prepared for use in feeding tanks from where they are metered and forwarded to a mixing vessel where they are mechanically mixed together and then dispensed into moulds where the foam formation takes place. Flexible Polyurethane (pU- foam) being one of the major component in foam production was first introduced for special purposes in the late 1950's (Armstrong, 1980). The materials soon gained interest and common acceptance as a replacement for rubber and fibre materials. Compared with latex foam products, flexible PU-foam is superior in many ways. It can be produced in densities ranging from about 12 to 50kgs/cbm. It has higher tear strength, better resistance to oxidation, aging as well as fire, and its open cell-structures enables it to absorb and emit humidity, e.g. body heat/humidity. As a result of the ever increasing world population, market demand for foam products increased rapidly, new products and applications were developed and raw materials were improved and diversified accordingly. This necessitate the expansion of the existing factories and the establishment of new plants in more part of the world. There is now variety of different types of foam available for various applications.