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 appreciate d for its adaptability to specific cushioning or padding requirements. The properties of this new family of materials are discussed and comp ared with those of conventional materials, with special emphasis on co mfort, 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 consisten cy iii production is presented and discussed. The Taguchi technique ha s been used to vary formulation and process parameters to assess their effect on foam quality. Other attractive features, such as homogeneit y and rapid cure profile for just-in-time delivery, are also presented .