Foamex L.p.

Paul Haslanger

David J Kelly

Paul Dextraze

Andrew M Thompson

Richard C Meyer

Michael H Panczyk

A multi-component bedding assembly, including a mattress or futon, is vacuum packaged in an air impermeable bag by drawing a vacuum at the open end of the bag and applying a ram or pushing force against the bedding assembly at the closed end of the bag. The pushing force may be intermittently cycled. The packaged bedding assembly also may be wrapped in a woven polyethylene overwrap and tied with bands before it is inserted into a shipping carton.

Method for packaging bedding assembly

Method for packaging multi-component bedding assembly

A laminate structure for making a cushioned component for a vehicle interior, such as a seat cushion or head rest, has a high density foam bonded to an interior surface of a seat cover material. After the laminate structure is formed into a desired shape for the cushioned component, it is inserted into a vacuum mold having a mold surface with a shape corresponding with a desired exterior surface shape of the cushioned component. Liquid foam-forming material is injected into the laminate structure within the mold and allowed to cure to form the cushioned component. The high density foam of the laminate structure preferably has a density of at least 4 lbs/ftand an air permeability of 5 to 100 ft/ftminute. This high density foam may be created by felting a polyurethane foam.

Foam laminate for mold in place seating component

A seat cushion assembly is formed by (a) placing a foam-fabric laminate (14, 15) and an air impervious adhesive film (16) over a mold (18); (b) drawing the adhesive against the foam and urging the fabric against the mold by vacuum; (c) placing a foam pad (12) adjacent to the adhesive film; (d) heating the film and diffusing it into the foam pad and into the foam of the foam-fabric laminate; and (e) curing the film adhesive. The foam layer laminated to the fabric is formed as the reaction product of a polyether polyol or a graft polyether polyol with about 30 to 60 parts by weight of an MDI or polymeric MDI/TDI blended isocyanate with the major portion MDI or mixtures thereof, about 1.5 to 3.0 parts by weight water as a blowing agent, about 0.05 to about 0.90 parts by weight amine catalyst and about 0.5 to about 1.5 parts by weight silicone surfactant, wherein all amounts are based on 100 parts by weight polyol.

Foam-fabric laminate for a cushion assembly

In a method for bonding a foam-fabric composite to a molded foam core, particularly suitable for use as an automotive cushion assembly, specific advantageous polymeric MDI-based foams are used to achieve consistently excellent bond strength. In the method, a foam layer is flame laminated to a fabric layer. Then the foam-fabric laminate and an air impervious adhesive film are placed over a mold surface, and the adhesive is drawn against the foam of the foam-fabric laminate and the fabric layer is urged against the mold surface by applied vacuum. The foam core pad is placed adjacent to the adhesive film. The film is heated and diffused into the foam pad and into the foam of the foam-fabric laminate, respectively, and allowed to cure. The foam layer laminated to the fabric is formed as the reaction product of a polyether polyol or a graft polyether polyol with from about 30 to about 60 parts by weight of an MDI or a polymeric MDI/TDI blended isocyanate or mixtures thereof, from about 1.5 to 3.0 parts by weight water as blowing agent, from about 0.05 to about 0.20 parts by weight tin catalyst, from about 0.15 to 0.90 parts by weight amine catalyst and from about 0.5 to about 1.5 parts by weight silicone surfactant, wherein all amounts are based on 100 parts by weight polyol.

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Swarthmore, PA, United States of America

Paul Haslanger