Nobody can deny the versatility and usefulness of foam today, both in everyday life for most folks and for its extensive use in commercial applications as well.
This is because foam can be used in a wide variety of different commercial applications in order to create products that will live up to the standards and expectations that consumers have set.
When most people think of the word ‘foam,’ they often think of a fluffy, white material that is used in furniture cushions.
Is this one application for foam (and one type of foam)? Certainly. But the foam that is most often used in commercial applications today is polyurethane foam, although there are numerous other custom foam and plastic products that are often used as well.
Foams such as polyurethane are used because of their flexibility, durability, energy efficiency, and corrosion resistance and long lasting qualities. It’s for this reason that foams are used for everything from insulation to comfort and so on.
Here are the top uses for commercial foam:
Household Furniture Industry
This is easily the most well-known use for polyurethane foam by far. Its flexibility and comfort levels means that polyurethane foam is very often utilized in furniture, chairs, sofas, mattresses, and so on.
Foam can be used to achieve virtually any kind of firmness or flexibility, from very soft to very firm. The benefit for people on an everyday basis is that it can help to relieve pressure on joins and sore spots.
Housing Industry
Almost homes that are built today will be built using polyurethane in them. The reason why is primarily because of insulation.
Polyurethanes is incredibly insulating and effective at keeping outside heat out and inside heat in. If you enjoy your home being cool during the summer and warm during the winter, you largely have polyurethane to thank.
Automotive Industry
Another major industry that utilizes foam is the automotive industry. Part of this is for the same reason that polyurethane foam is used in the housing industry: it’s very insulating and effective at keeping heat trapped in the vehicle but outside heat out of the vehicle.
Since foam is used in the production of furniture like we just discussed above, you can then easily imagine how it is also used in cars as well, specifically in the armrests, seats, and the headrests.
Finally, foam is also very effective at dampening the noise created by the vehicle’s engine as well. Thanks largely to polyurethane, the vehicles of today are much quieter than the vehicles that were being made several years ago, because foam will be installed throughout the entire body of the car.
Medical Industry
Your home and your cars are not the only places for foam. The medical industry also has multiple uses for foam as well. For example, thanks to its cushioning and supportive properties, foam will often be used in the pillows and leg rests for patients who are having muscle, bone, or joint pain.
Foam is also very effective in physical therapy uses, where it will be used to help retrain muscle groups in the body or to re-develop motor skills.
Yet another use that the medical industry has for commercial foam is in radiography. Since the equipment that is used in radiology is often very delicate, many clinics will install foam in rooms where the sensitive test are being conducted, and it will help to reduce vibrations and sounds for a better overall test reading.
Watercraft Industry
Finally, foam is also used in the watercraft industry as well. Just as car seats almost always have polyurethane foam in them as well, so will boat seats as well. The use of foam in watercraft seats allows for the right balance between comfort and support.
Foam is also often used in inflatable boat fillers, in surfboards (where it is present at the core), or on docks. It’s also used in the construction of boats itself, and for boats with an enclosure, it’s insulating properties will really come into play.
Uses For Commercial Foam
All in all, these are the top uses for commercial foam that we are seeing today. There really are a countless number of uses for it overall, and thanks to its long lasting and impressive performance, it continues to be a major staple for numerous different industries across the globe.
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