Guide to Shop Mattress Machinery for Sale in ALFORU

Project Background
In May 2022, we received an inquiry from a foam factory in Indonesia. The factory produced both rebonded foam and conventional PU foam for the local market.

This project focused on upgrading the conventional foam production section, where the customer was still using a fully manual batch foaming setup.

Why the Upgrade Was Needed
The original production setup had several clear limitations in daily operation:

• Unstable process control
• High material waste
• Low production efficiency
• Strong dependence on operator experience

• Low-density foam was prone to inside-burn
• Foam produced for insoles tended to develop large pinholes

• Formula adjustment
• Process setting adjustment
• Raw material matching advice
• Equipment matching suggestions
• Remote technical guidance

• Semi automatic batch foam machine
• Horizontal foam cutting machine
• Vertical foam cutting machine

Foam machines loading

• How to operate the machine
• How to run batch foam production
• How to adjust the process based on actual production conditions

• Small additives still needed to be weighed and added manually
• The main operating steps could be completed through the PLC system
• The overall workflow became clearer
• Daily operation became easier to control
• Dependence on individual operator experience was reduced

• Top-flat device
  -Helped make the foam top flatter
  -Reduced waste caused by the top crown
  -Improved material utilization during production

• Adjustable box mold
  -Allowed size adjustment for different foam dimensions
  -Reduced the need to prepare multiple molds in different sizes
  -Improved flexibility for different production requirements

• The inside-burn problem in low-density foam was solved
• The large pinhole issue in insole foam was improved
• Material waste was reduced
• Production efficiency improved
• Operation became more stable
• Dependence on operator experience was lowered

For foam factories still facing high material waste, unstable operation, or strong dependence on manual experience, Sabtech can help review the current production setup and match a more suitable upgrade solution.

Saudi Arabia Continuous Foam Project Case-Complete Procurement for a New PU Foam Factory

Project Background

In September 2021, we received an inquiry from Abdullah, a client from Saudi Arabia. He planned to build a new PU foam factory serving the Saudi local market and the Yemeni market, mainly for furniture and mattress flexible PU foam products. He also planned to include downstream processing.

The client had local foaming workers and some basic production conditions in place. As the project moved forward, it required coordinated planning of target products, equipment configuration, factory layout, and the connection between foaming and downstream processing.

Early Communication and Project Support

For this project, we first discussed the target market and product direction with the client, then communicated the basic requirements for furniture and mattress flexible PU foam production, including density, hardness, and the connection with downstream cutting and processing.

Based on the client’s factory conditions, we provided a factory layout plan to organize equipment placement, production flow, the connection between the foaming area and downstream processing area, and operator working space.

During the communication process, we held multiple video meetings with the client and showed him our real flexible PU foam production process. This allowed him to directly understand the operating condition of the continuous foam machine, the process connection during foaming, and how downstream cutting and processing would fit into actual production.

In terms of equipment discussion, the communication focused on the client’s specific questions, including ease of daily operation, the practical differences between different equipment designs, and which configurations were more suitable for the current project conditions.

The rebonded foam machine purchased by this client

Why the Client Finally Chose Us

The client first inquired about a continuous foam machine. As the communication progressed, the discussion moved step by step toward complete line configuration and factory setup. His final decision to continue the project with us was mainly related to the following points.

1. Timely replies kept the communication moving forward
In the early stage of a new PU foam factory project, questions continue to increase. During the process, the client kept adding details related to product direction, equipment connection, factory arrangement, and manpower coordination.

In this project, the client’s questions were continuously answered, and the communication did not stop at any stage. Once one point was clarified, the next discussion could continue smoothly.

2. The answers directly addressed the client’s actual questions
At the early stage, the client did not lack equipment brochures. What affected his judgment was whether his questions could be explained clearly.

During communication, his concerns were not limited to the continuous foam machine itself. He also focused on product direction for the target market, the basic production needs for furniture and mattress flexible PU foam, the connection between foaming and downstream processing, and how the new factory should be arranged under existing conditions.

The replies consistently followed these actual questions and did not stay at the level of general equipment introduction.

3. The solution was developed around the project’s real conditions

This was a new factory project, but the client already had local foaming workers, and the factory conditions were already defined. As communication moved forward, the solution discussion kept following these actual conditions, including how to arrange the factory space, how to introduce the complete line under existing manpower conditions, how to connect the foaming area with the downstream processing area, and which configurations were more suitable for the current project schedule.

What the client saw was not a fixed standard configuration, but a solution approach developed around his own project conditions.

4. The discussion covered practical production use, not only equipment itself

In equipment communication, the client was concerned not only with the equipment itself, but also with how it would be used in real production, such as daily operating convenience, whether parameter adjustment was clear, which links were more likely to cause problems, and how foaming and downstream cutting and processing could be connected more smoothly.

This part of the discussion continued throughout the early communication and did not stop at paper specifications.

5. The topics discussed early could continue into the later solution

The product direction, layout relationship, equipment connection, and processing arrangement discussed in the early stage all continued into the detailed configuration discussion later. The topics raised earlier could continue into the solution without disconnect.

Final Procurement Content

• one complete continuous foaming production line
• one rebonded foam production line, including: rebonded foam machine, steam boiler, foam shredder machine
• one CNC foam cutting machine
• two circular foam cutting machines
• one vertical foam cutting machine

Loading rebonded foam line

Loading continuous foam machine and foam cutting machine

If you are also planning a new PU foam factory, or evaluating continuous foam line, rebonded foam line, and cutting machine configurations, you can send us your product direction, factory conditions, and project plan. We can discuss a suitable solution with you based on your actual situation.

Manufacturing polyurethane filter foam typically involves two key stages. The first stage involves preparing open-cell or partially open-cell polyurethane foam according to the desired porosity. If the foam is closed-cell, it needs to be subjected to roller compression to rupture the cell walls, thereby creating the necessary porous structure. The second stage is to remove all the cell membranes to form a reticulated structure.

To produce polyurethane filter foam, the size of the pores and the structure of the network of the foam are largely determined by the catalyst, foaming agent, and surfactant.

In practical operations, there are two common methods for forming the network:

First is the alkali hydrolysis method. The steps of this method involve immersing the soft polyester-type polyurethane foam obtained from the first stage in a 10% sodium hydroxide solution at 50 degrees Celsius for about 10 minutes. Then it goes through processes such as washing with water, neutralization with acetic acid, another round of water washing, and drying, resulting in the final product of polyurethane filter foam.

Another method is the combustion method, also known as the explosion method. This method requires placing the soft polyether-type or polyester-type polyurethane foam obtained from the first stage into a sealed container. The container is then evacuated to 13.3 Pa, followed by the introduction of oxygen and natural gas (in a volumetric ratio of 2:1), bringing the internal pressure of the container to a certain level (which increases with the porosity). Next, the gas inside the container is ignited using a spark plug. The heat generated from the combustion process will burn off or melt the cell membranes without damaging the cell struts. Finally, the resulting product after combustion is cleared with air, and the filter foam is removed from the container.

Both of these methods are effective ways to prepare polyurethane filter foam, and the specific choice between them depends on the material of the foam and the desired structural characteristics.

Flame-retardant PU flexible foam, also known as fireproof PU flexible foam, is generally a fireproof material synthesized by adding flame retardants to various polyurethane materials.

Function of flame retardants: They can absorb heat and decompose into non-combustible substances at or near the ignition temperature; they can react with the combustion products of the PU flexible foam to produce difficult-to-burn substances, thereby delaying combustion and allowing the ignition point to self-extinguish.

Common flame retardants: Bromine-based flame retardants, chlorine-based flame retardants, phosphorus-based flame retardants, and inorganic flame retardants.

Flame Retardant Grade and Testing for PU flexible foam

Flame retardant grade refers to the obvious property that a substance has or a material exhibits after treatment, which significantly delays the spread of flames.

Flame retardant testing:

HB: The lowest flame retardant grade in the UL94 standard. It requires that for samples 3 to 13 millimeters thick, the burning rate is less than 40 millimeters per minute; for samples less than 3 millimeters thick, the burning rate is less than 70 millimeters per minute; or extinguished before reaching the 100-millimeter mark.

V-2: After two 10-second combustion tests on the sample, the flame is extinguished within 60 seconds. Combustible material may drop.

V-1: After two 10-second combustion tests on the sample, the flame is extinguished within 60 seconds. There should be no combustible material dropping.

V-0: After two 10-second combustion tests on the sample, the flame is extinguished within 30 seconds. There should be no combustible material dropping.

Polyurethane soft foam plastic is one of the important products in the polyurethane industry. Its production necessarily involves the use of organic amine catalysts, especially organic tertiary amine catalysts. This is because organic tertiary amine catalysts play a significant role in the main reactions of polyurethane foam formation: the reactions of carbon dioxide and molecular polymerization, promoting rapid expansion of reaction mixtures, increased viscosity, and sharp increase in polymer molecular weight. These conditions are essential for the formation of foam bodies, ensuring that soft foam plastics have advantages such as low density, high strength-to-weight ratio, high resilience, and comfort for sitting and lying. There are many types of organic amine catalysts that can be used for polyurethane soft foam plastics. Among them, the highly efficient catalysts recognized by various manufacturers are: triethylene diamine (TDEA) and bis(dimethylaminoethyl) ether (referred to as A1). These are also the most widely used organic amine catalysts in the world today, with the highest consumption among various catalysts.

Due to the molecular structural differences between TDEA and A1 catalysts, there are significant differences in their catalytic performance, particularly in their reactions to carbon dioxide gas and molecular polymerization. If the user does not pay attention to these differences in production, not only will they fail to produce qualified foam products, but it will also be difficult for foam bodies to form. Therefore, understanding and mastering the performance differences between these two catalysts in polyurethane foam production is of great significance. TDEA exists in a solid state under normal conditions, making its application less convenient. In actual production, low molecular weight alcohol compounds are commonly used as solvents, formulated into 33% solutions for ease of use, commonly referred to as A33. On the other hand, A1 is a low-viscosity liquid that can be directly applied. Below is a comparison of the catalytic performance differences between A1 and A33 in the production of polyurethane soft foam plastics.

A33 has a 60% catalytic function for the reaction with carbon dioxide gas and a 40% catalytic function for molecular polymerization. It has a low effective utilization rate of carbon dioxide gas, resulting in lower foaming height and higher foam density. Since most of the catalytic function is used for molecular polymerization reactions, it is easy to produce closed-cell foam bodies, which are stiff with low rebound, and the adjustable range of tin catalysts becomes narrower. To achieve the same catalytic function, the amount used is 33% more than A1. Both the bottom skin and outer skin of the foam body are thicker. Increasing the amount can increase the reaction speed, but the amount of tin catalyst must be reduced accordingly, otherwise closed-cell foam bodies will be produced.

A1 has an 80% catalytic function for the reaction with carbon dioxide gas and a 20% catalytic function for molecular polymerization. It has a high effective utilization rate of carbon dioxide gas, resulting in higher foaming height and lower foam density. Since most of the catalytic function is used for gas generation reactions, it is easy to produce open-cell foam bodies, which are soft with high rebound, and the adjustable range of tin catalysts becomes wider. To achieve the same catalytic function, the amount used is less than A33. Both the bottom skin and outer skin of the foam body are thinner. Increasing the amount can increase the reaction speed, but the amount of tin catalyst must be increased accordingly, otherwise over-foaming and cracking may occur.

In terms of overall performance between TDEA and A1, A1 has a higher comprehensive catalytic performance than triethylene diamine. Its actual application effects are also better, although not as convenient as triethylene diamine in terms of transportation and storage. Currently, the vast majority of mechanical continuous foam production facilities almost exclusively use A1, while all box-type foam production facilities use TDEA. However, this is not absolute. With a clear understanding of the differences between the two and appropriate formulation adjustments, they can be interchangeable and both can produce excellent foam products.