MDI Cream Foam for Automotive Pour in Place Applications

Cream foam is a polyurethane technology designed for molding foam articles such as automotive headrests or armrests directly into their decorative coverstocks. This process allows for the single step molding of covered foam articles eliminating the secondary step of attaching the cover needed in conventional operations. The advantage cream foam offers over conventional molded foam is that penetration of the stitched seams and foam backing of the coverstock is avoided or controlled. Cream foam technology has improved with the development of a MDI-based polyurethane system that reduces penetration of the foam and fabric bilaminate coverstocks by 25% and the molded foam density by 15%. These improvements result in a cost reduction in the manufacturing of arm or head rests.