PU soft foam is a kind of soft polyurethane foam plastic with certain elasticity, which is the most widely used polyurethane product³. PU soft foam has an open-cell structure, which has good breathability, moisture absorption and cushioning properties, and is widely used in furniture, mattresses, car seats, clothing, shoes and other fields.
N-pentane foaming is a physical foaming method, which uses n-pentane as a blowing agent, and mixes it with polyurethane raw materials and injects it into a mold. After heating, n-pentane gasifies and forms pores¹. The advantages of n-pentane foaming are that it does not damage the ozone layer, does not produce toxic gases, does not affect the recycling of polyurethane, and can reduce the cost and density, and improve the thermal insulation performance¹.
In the board industry, there are mainly two processes of PU soft foam and n-pentane foaming: one is the continuous foaming method, that is, the polyurethane raw material and n-pentane blowing agent are mixed and sprayed on the continuously moving bottom plate through a nozzle, and then heated by a heating oven to make it foam and solidify, and finally cover the top plate and cut into the required board². This method is suitable for producing large quantities of foam boards, with the characteristics of high efficiency, energy saving and space saving². The other is the one-step molding method, that is, the polyurethane raw material and n-pentane blowing agent are mixed and injected into a pre-made mold, and then heated to make it foam and solidify, and demolded to obtain the required board². This method is suitable for producing foam boards of various shapes and specifications, with the characteristics of flexibility, diversity and precision².
I hope this information is helpful to you. If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask.