Protection and color for PU foam

At Foam Expo Europe 2018 (Oct. 16-18), Milliken & Co. is set to demonstrate again its portfolio of additives for polyurethane foam. The Foam Expo is Europe’s dedicated exhibition and conference for the technical foam manufacturing supply chain. 

 

Milliken will display at Stand 408 its range of products for the polyurethane industry, including its Reactint colorants, and its Milliguard and AlphaSan additives. It also will highlight a new range of colorants that deliver brighter, stronger, more intense and more effective shades to PU foam.

 

 

It’s no secret that color can turn an ordinary PU foam into something special. It can stir up or ease emotions and grab consumers’ attention. Milliken supports foamers who offer Deep Color Foam with its Reactint colorant technology for coloring polyurethane. Reactint colorants are reactive polymeric liquid colorants that consist of chromophores that chemically bind to polyols. The colorant reacts into the polyurethane polymer matrix, yielding deep, vibrant shades of foam. Milliken offers a variety of primary colors for polyurethane slabstock –– including blue, orange, red, yellow, violet and black –– but can also formulate custom blends to make virtually any color of the rainbow.

 

Color helps to give a brand identity to the foam and suggests that the product has certain qualities. It also highlights the various, differentiating characteristics such as comfort, resilience or breathability that PU foam can bring to any product. Milliken’s Milliguard AOX antioxidant, meanwhile, protects polyurethane and other thermoset polymers from oxidation and degradation. Specially designed to support polyurethane flexible foamers, polyol suppliers, mattress converters and other PU producers, it improves the quality and durability of final PU parts by preventing odor-causing degradation byproducts and discoloration caused by exposure to light, heat and NOx. This polymeric additive also helps producers to meet stringent environmental and air quality standards by reducing volatile organic compound (VOC) and outgassing condensation (FOG) emissions.

 

Milliken continues to develop technologies that help to improve vehicle interior air quality and meet the newest, most stringent automotive industry requirements, according to Antoni Puig, product line manager, EMEA – PU Colorants & Additives. The Milliguard AOX technology plays an important role in reducing generation of aldehydes in PU foam, but Milliken is still investing in development activities to bring other aldehyde reduction solutions to the market.

 

Another Milliken product line –– Milliguard UVX UV absorbers –– protects PU from yellowing and degradation caused by exposure to UV light. Supplied in liquid form for easy handling and metering, they help PU producers and converters to deliver fresh, long-lasting urethane products with lower VOC and FOG emissions. These UV absorbers, reactive in nature, are widely used in PU for furniture and bedding, building insulation and automotive applications.

 

Milliken, meanwhile, also will display its AlphaSan Ag additive, which delivers microbial protection through the power of Silver, and AlphaSan AF, which is a stable dispersion of a highly functional antibacterial and antifungal active ingredient.

 

Milliken also will be sharing its stand with Encapsys, LLC, a U.S.-based leader in encapsulation and coating technology. Encapsys’ broad product portfolio includes EnFinit® encapsulated PCM (Phase Change Materials) for bedding, cushions, medical devices, footwear, apparel and other consumer-comfort products. Its encapsulated PCM is formaldehyde free and has superior thermal performance, provides lasting cooling comfort. Encapsys PCM can be easily added to your products such as mattresses, pillows, footwear and apparels… Encapsys PCM Can Go Anywhere.