Recent Developments in “Waterlily” Comfort Cushioning for the Flexible Slabstock Industry

«Waterlily» comfort cushioning based on MDI has been developed by ICI for flexible slabstock applications. This new technology is appreciated for its adaptability to specific cushioning or padding requirements. The properties of this new family of materials are discussed and compared with those of conventional materials, with special emphasis on comfort, static creep and durability as expressed by dynamic fatigue and recovery. The robust processing characteristics of the technology are described and an example of experimental design to optimise consistency in production is presented and discussed. The Taguchi technique has been used to vary formulation and process parameters to assess their effect on foam quality. Other attractive features, such as homogeneity and rapid cure profile for just-in-time delivery, are also presented