Driving your comfort

Specflex & Voralux polyurethane systems

FLEXIBLE,semirigid and

integral skin FOAMS

Flexible andsemirigid foamsrepresent one of the major areas ofapplication ofpolyurethane polymers.Thanks to their durability,comfort and safety,flexible and semirigidpolyurethane foams are the ideal choice for the transportation and furniture industries.

The molding processtechnology, which allowsthe widest freedom ofdesign and furtherenhances the possibility of including inserts in themolded parts, is theleading productiontechnology.

Flexible and semirigidpolyurethane foams areopen cell foams obtainedby the polymerization of polyether polyols with isocyanates.Automotive seats, bicycle

saddles, steering wheels,armrests, office and

home furniture arejust some examples

of the manyapplications

of thesepolymers.

Forthis areaof applicationDow producesand commercializespolyurethane systemswith the trademarksVoralux and Specflex.

Technology developmentAs in the case of otherpolyurethane foams theelimination of ozonedepleting substances hasbeen the major challengein recent years. TodaySpecflex and Voraluxflexible molded foamssystems are blown withtechnologies that do not affect the ozonelayer. Currentlyhydrofluorocarbons areused in integral skinapplications as blowingagent substances but anew generation of halogenfree products expandedwith CO2 is now availableand becoming thepreferred solution.Another important area of technology research and development is firebehavior especially forVoralux systems which are used for theproduction of homefurniture and for public

buildings furnishing.The continuous

improvement of theprocessing

characteristicsof all Specflexand Voraluxsystems, in order tohelp our customers inthe production processhas been another of ourprimary goals. Ourattention has beenparticularly focused onthe reduction of demoldingtime, the improvementof molding temperaturelatitude and on decreasingproduction scrap rate.

SPECFLEX*polyurethane systems

VORALUX* polyurethane systems

Specflex NF flexible molded foams for automotive seating

Specflex NR semirigid integral skin molded foams for steering wheels,

saddles, furniture and other

Specflex NS semirigid molded foams for sound and vibration dampening

Specflex ND semirigid molded foams for energy absorption

Voralux HK conventional flexible molded foams for office and

home furniture

Voralux HM combustion modified flexible molded foams for home

furniture and public building furnishing

Voralux HT flexible foams for mattresses and home furniture produced

as discontinuous slab

Flexible andsemirigid foamsrepresent one of the major areas ofapplication ofpolyurethane polymers.Thanks to their durability,comfort and safety,flexible and semirigidpolyurethane foams are the ideal choice for the transportation and furniture industries.

The molding processtechnology, which allowsthe widest freedom ofdesign and furtherenhances the possibility of including inserts in themolded parts, is theleading productiontechnology.

Flexible and semirigidpolyurethane foams areopen cell foams obtainedby the polymerization of polyether polyols with isocyanates.Automotive seats, bicycle

saddles, steering wheels,armrests, office and

home furniture arejust some examples

of the manyapplications

of thesepolymers.

Forthis areaof applicationDow producesand commercializespolyurethane systemswith the trademarksVoralux and Specflex.

Technology developmentAs in the case of otherpolyurethane foams theelimination of ozonedepleting substances hasbeen the major challengein recent years. TodaySpecflex and Voraluxflexible molded foamssystems are blown withtechnologies that do not affect the ozonelayer. Currentlyhydrofluorocarbons areused in integral skinapplications as blowingagent substances but anew generation of halogenfree products expandedwith CO2 is now availableand becoming thepreferred solution.Another important area of technology research and development is firebehavior especially forVoralux systems which are used for theproduction of homefurniture and for public

buildings furnishing.The continuous

improvement of theprocessing

characteristicsof all Specflexand Voraluxsystems, in order tohelp our customers inthe production processhas been another of ourprimary goals. Ourattention has beenparticularly focused onthe reduction of demoldingtime, the improvementof molding temperaturelatitude and on decreasingproduction scrap rate.

SPECFLEX*polyurethane systems

VORALUX* polyurethane systems

Specflex NF flexible molded foams for automotive seating

Specflex NR semirigid integral skin molded foams for steering wheels,

saddles, furniture and other

Specflex NS semirigid molded foams for sound and vibration dampening

Specflex ND semirigid molded foams for energy absorption

Voralux HK conventional flexible molded foams for office and

home furniture

Voralux HM combustion modified flexible molded foams for home

furniture and public building furnishing

Voralux HT flexible foams for mattresses and home furniture produced

as discontinuous slab

some particularapplications for whichfoaming directly on thefabric is a requirement.

Specflex NF systemsare also designed forfast processing:demolding timedown to 2-3minutes areachievabledepending onprocessparameters.

Steeringwheels,saddles andotherSpecflex NR systems areused for the production of a variety of integralskin semirigid foam parts,namely: steering wheels,armrests, headrests, gearknobs, bike and motor-bike saddles and officefurniture parts. Integralskin foams represent thearea where the eliminationof ozone depletingsubstances - used asblowing agents - was mostchallenging. In fact it is

offer excellent appearance,finishing, comfort anddurability and can bepainted or mass coloreddepending on theapplication andrequirements. Thesesystems are especiallydesigned to meet variousspecifications ofautomakers for steeringwheels productionparticularly for abrasionresistance and aging.

the condensation of theblowing agent at the moldsurface that creates thecompact skin outside theexpanded foam. SpecflexNR systems use differentblowing technologiesdepending on both thefinal application and theproduction specifications.The different blowingagents used include carbon dioxide,hydrofluorocarbons and hydrocarbons.Integral skin parts madewith Specflex NR systems

AutomotiveseatingSpecflex NF systems areespecially designed for theproduction of highresilience flexible moldedfoams for seats, backrestsand armrests forautomobiles, aircraft,railway trains and buses.The foams obtained fromSpecflex systems offerdurability, fatigueresistance, comfort andcan meet a wide range ofautomakers’ specifications.Specflex NF systems can beeither all MDI, TDI-MDI oronly TDI based and are allblown with the carbondioxide generated by theisocyanate-water reaction.Specflex systems are alsoused for the production ofdual or multihardnessfoams which increaseseating comfort. For allMDI based systems a widerhardness range can beachieved through an indexchange (modifying theratio between polyol andisocyanate components).A specific productiontechnique can be appliedwith these systems for

flowability, which are basiccharacteristics to be ableto solve the verydemanding processing of large and extremelycomplex shapes.

Dampening soundand vibrationsA more efficient vibrationand noise control isbecoming a mandatoryrequirement in moderncars. For this particularapplication polyurethanefoams have successfullyreplaced more traditional

products (i.e. cottonfelt). Specflex NS

systems arespecially designed to fulfill the differentautomakers’specifications for thisapplication. The foam

obtained is generally used

below the carpet and in the firewall.

Specflex NS systems offer superior dampeningproperties and excellent

Semirigid foamsfor interior trimsThanks to the energyabsorption properties,which increase impactprotection for the

passengers, semirigidpolyurethanefoams play an

important role ininterior car safety.

Specflex ND systemsare used for

dashboards, sunvisors,armrests, consoles andmany other interior trim parts.Specific requirements for these foams which are met by Specflex NDsystems are: the adhesionto substrates such as vinyl skin, thedimensional stability also at high temperature and the lack of foggingand discoloration for which the automakershave developed specific test methods.

Furniture:comfort designand safetyFlexible polyurethanefoams are widely used bythe furniture industry aspreferred padding materialfor their uniquecharacteristics of durability,comfort, low weight andhygiene. Foams withdifferent density, hardnessand resilience can be easilyobtained.Polyurethane flexible foamsare either molded directlyin the desired shape or cutfrom slabstock.

Voralux HK and HM systemsare specially designed forthe production of moldedfoams to be used forfurniture, while Voralux HTsystems are used for theproduction ofdiscontinuous slab.All foams produced withVoralux systems are blownexclusively with carbondioxide generated by theisocyanate-water reaction.Voralux HT systems aredesigned to produce TDIbased foams for mattressesand home furniture asdiscontinuous slabstock.These foams exhibitexcellent mechanicalproperties and processingcharacteristics.Voralux HK systems areused to produce

conventional highresilience foams, thesesystems show a very wideprocessing latitude in termsof molding temperature and index range to obtain a wide spectrum ofhardness. Voralux HKsystems are well suited to produce designer officeand home furniture.

Voralux HM systems areTDI-MDI based systems for the production ofcombustion modified highresilience foams which areused for home furnitureand more specifically tofurnish public buildingssuch as cinemas, theatersor discos. The fire behavior of amaterial is characterized by ease of ignition,contribution to flamespread, and heatcontribution, as well asother factors generallyassociated with fires,including smoke density,toxicity, and corrosivenessof the combustion by-products. Voralux HMsystems allow us to obtain

foams meeting the mostsevere fire reactionspecifications like forexample the Britishstandard for homefurniture (test method BS5852). Great influence in combustion factorsevaluation are also due tothe different use of fabricor textile covers. Allsamples for each particularapplication must be tested,providing a broad range ofdifferent fire reactionproperties, due to the widevariety of possiblecoverings available. A greateffort has been made to be able to improve firereaction characteristics in Voralux systems to meet industry andregulations requirements.The obtained improvedVoralux systems have been evaluated in terms of physical, fire and smokeproperties: they aresuitable for many different applications and can satisfydifferentiated end-userequirements.

Voralux HM systemscombine this exceptionalfire behavior with goodprocessing characteristicsand superior mechanicalfoam properties. Dow’s Research Laboratoriesare set up withsophisticated equipment to run flexible foam firereaction tests. Voralux molding systemsare also used for directfoam-in-fabric.

Notice: The information and data contained herein do not constitute sales specifications. The product properties maybe changed without notice. No liability, warranty or guarantee of product performance is created by this document. It is the Buyer’s responsibility to determine whether Dow products are appropriate for Buyer’s use and to ensure thatBuyer’s workplace and disposal practices are in compliance with applicable laws and regulations. No freedom from anypatents or other industrial or intellectual property rights is granted or to be inferred. (September, 2000)

Voracor*

Systems for rigid foamsused in theproduction ofinsulating material for prefabricatedpanels for theconstruction industry,commercialrefrigerators, water

heaters and otherapplications of rigid foams.

Voratec*

Systems for theproduction of expandedrigid foams for theinsulation of domesticappliances.

Voralux*

Systems for theproduction of integralskin and flexible foamsused in the furnitureindustry.

Specflex*

Systems for theproduction of flexible and integralskin foams for thetransportationindustry as steeringwheels, headrests anddashboards.

Spectrim*

Systems for componentsmolded with RIM(Reaction InjectionMolding) technology.

Voralast*

Systems for expandedmicrocellular foams, both ester and ether, for anytype offootwearsoling fromsafety to leisure and sport.

Voratron*

Systems for elastomersand casting resins forelectronic and electricinsulation.

Specfil*

Systems for filtergasketing, both for industry andautomobiles.

Voramer*

Polyurethane systems forelastomeric applicationsand for the production ofbinders, adhesives,coatings and sealants.

Vorastar*

Tailored liquidpolyurethane systems forhigh performancespecialized applications.

Hypol*

Polyurethane prepolymersspecially designed for themanufacture of hydrophilicpolyurethane foams,elastomers, coatings,adhesives or gels.

SYSTEMSpolyurethane

Dow

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SpainTel: +34-948-418300

Fax: +34-948-864441

ArgentinaTel: +54-3476-438-613

Fax: +54-3476-438-617

MexicoTel: +52-241-270-80

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Fax: +55-11-739-513-40

GermanyTel: +49-2382-8910

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Fax: +44-12-70-76-3894

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*

* Trademark of The Dow Chemical Company

Specflex & Voralux polyurethane systems