The Production Process of Memory Foam And Dunlop Latex Foam

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Used as mattresses, mattress toppers, pillows, and support products, memory foam and Dunlop latex foam are sometimes confused for each other or assumed to be identical because of their similar applications and superior quality. In truth, while they both make top-quality products that can reduce or eliminate issues that lesser quality materials cannot, they are structurally different, manufactured differently, and tout very different qualities.

The older of the two materials, latex foam has been in existence since the late 1920s, with the popular Dunlop manufacturing process having been invented in the late 1950s.

All-natural Dunlop latex foam begins as 100 percent natural latex in liquid form, similar in consistency to pancake batter. There are also other types of Dunlop latex made using synthetic ingredients. Additional food-grade ingredients are included in the all-natural mix, as is an injection of air. This blended mixture is poured into special aluminum molds with parallel vertical pins from which the dotted appearance is generated, as well as some of the material’s aerating qualities.

After the mix is poured into the mold, it is vacuum-sealed to expand the material, frozen, and carbon dioxide that “gels” the foam is added to the curing process. Once gelled, the latex is vulcanized by heating the material to temperatures above the boiling point for resiliency and durability. The product is then subjected to a soap and water cleansing to remove ingredients included only for the molding and forming of the latex and not necessary to its performance. Finally, the Dunlop latex foam undergoes an intense, forced-air drying to remove residual moisture that may still be trapped in the material and ensure its physical properties meet the Dunlop standard before being manufactured into an end product.

The more recent entrant to the world of comfort and support is memory foam. Developed by NASA in the mid-1960s and offered commercially for the first time in the 1980s, memory foam, also known as slow recovery foam or temperature-sensitive foam, has become a go-to material for premium bedding applications.

Memory foam’s structure begins as a traditional polyurethane foam mixture with visco-elastic polymers added to give the foam its unique slow recovery qualities. This thick, batter-like mixture is poured onto long-run belts, and as the foam and its chemical compounds interact, expansion occurs quickly. These belts contain sides that limit expansion to maintain a consistent shape.

 

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