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CONFOR®
Shock-absorbing and impact-cushioning foams
Confor® foams provide a unique combination of properties, which are perfectly adapted for purposes requiring high energy cushioning and make it possible to absorb and distribute the energy produced by shocks and impact. This is urethane foam with open cells, breathable properties, skin-friendly, which helps drain moistness and sweat. This means that it is perfect for medical applications and surfaces coming into contact with the body.
Confor® is available in three versions:
Confor®M – for most high performance foam applications
Confor®EG –for application in electronics
Confor®AC – mainly for the aviation industry.
Exceptional cushioning properties
The cushioning properties ensured by the specific formulas of Confor® foams mean that these materials provide unconditional comfort and protection. The cushioning makes the foam adapt to the speed of different forces (it demonstrates different properties for different deformation speeds). For consistent pressure, the Confor® foam yields slowly. In the event of impact, the cushioning properties cause it to behave like more rigid foams. The capacity of the foams to disperse energy prevents them from compacting or caving in and almost no energy is returned to the colliding object.
Non-cushioning urethane returns almost all impact energy. The Confor® foam absorbs it.
Drop impact test
A 7.6 kg weight is dropped from the height of 61 cm onto material with thickness of 25 mm. It presents the energy cushioning capacity of Confor® foams. The result of the peak acceleration reaction value is 173 g for the non- cushioning urethane foam and only 63.2 g for Confor® foam.
Comfort and protection management
Confor® foams make it possible for designers to provide the desired comfort with application of less cushioning materials by reducing the project’s profile and lowering the costs. When it comes to impact resistance, the Confor® foam composites are often less expensive than the alternative structural or mechanical solutions.
Designed to absorb and disperse shock and impact.
Development of Confor® foams is associated with the NASA space shuttle programs, which require ultra comfortable material for sitting in one place for a very long time. Given the shock-absorbing capabilities and cushioning properties of these materials, the U.S. Air Force repeatedly tested them as liners for ejection seats, exposing them to significant gravitational forces on a vertical deceleration tower. Confor® foams are also used for physical protection purposes in form of athletic padding or race car headrests in order to ensure internal absorption and dispersion of impact energy without bottoming out, rebounding, or amplifying the force of the impact.
Designed for flexibility.
Confor® foams, which come in numerous hardness and density versions, make it much easier to design products aiming to support weight and provide comfort. One self-regulating formula inside an armchair or a mattress will provide the same cushioning properties and support for different people of different weights. The same goes for energy absorption capacities.
Confor® foams make it possible for designers to provide the desired comfort with application of less cushioning materials by reducing the project’s profile and lowering the costs. When it comes to impact resistance, the Confor® foam composites are often less expensive than the alternative structural or mechanical solutions.
By placing CONFOR® foams in a strategic manner, designer engineers can take optimal advantage of their considerable benefits. In seats, for example, they can produce extra softness by combining the relatively thin layer of CONFOR® foam with a different standard material. They can also distribute CONFOR® foam elements to provide the optimal combination of functionality and cost efficiency instead of forming the backrest to provide additional lumbar support.
Self-adapting comfort
CONFOR® foams, which are temperature-responsive materials with low bounce resilience, are designed to produce the “feeling” of a very soft or very thick cushioning foam while providing the support and protection of a stiffer or thicker material. Under continuous pressure and influence of body heat, CONFOR® foams soften and “mould” themselves, adapting to the body. However, when the weight is released or shifted, the foams continuously and gradually adjust their properties. This behaviour starkly contrasts with the constant bounce force characteristic of commercially available high-resilience foams during compression.
For mattresses and pillows, the temperature-responsive nature and controlled expansion of CONFOR® foams ensure that users receive individual support, which will adapt to every movement.
Pressure mapping
The two-dimensional pressure maps demonstrate the distribution of the body weight of a person lying on traditional support (left) and on a Confor® foam (right). Light blue means light pressure, dark blue means mild pressure, and yellow and red mean the greatest force. The Confor® foam distributes the pressure more evenly.
Comfort level measurement
With the advent of computerised pressure mapping technology, designers can now minimise subjective evaluation of cushioning materials. Pressure mapping provides quantitative data on the interaction between the weight and its support surface, allowing product designers to specify cushioning materials and their ability to distribute surface loads with greater accuracy. By taking advantage of pressure mapping, engineers working with E-A-R applications can quantitatively determine various forces acting between the mattress and its user – like identifying areas of the greatest pressure – and help optimise design and the applied materials. Initially comfortable padding, mattresses, or chairs may start to cause discomfort over time, which is why pressure mapping significantly reduces the number of cycles a design must go through to achieve the optimal solution.
Flexibility
Available in various classes and sizes, depending on the requirements of the specific application. They are also easy to install.
Application of a new technology
To achieve the desired level of comfort, a traditional seat design takes advantage of the interplay of the physical design, mechanical configuration, and the cushioning foam. However, when designers improve one element, they often have to compromise other parts of the design. For example, they sometimes have to choose between the stiffness and the thickness of the foam. CONFOR® foams can significantly reduce the need for such designing compromises. They offer greater flexibility in seats and cushions, primarily due to their cushioning properties. For example, reducing cushion thickness with application of CONFOR® foam will not necessarily lead to an increased tendency to compress completely. In turn, changing the formula to a stiffer one does not necessarily mean sacrificing of long-term comfort. Furthermore, E-A-R can adjust various foam properties – including cushioning speed and stiffness – in order to fulfil specific designing parameters.
The cushioning CONFOR® foams find extensive application in athletic gear and padding to prevent injuries and protect places prone to injuries. Helmets, footwear, and medical harnesses and splints also take advantage of the self-adjusting foam properties.
Being ergonomic materials, CONFOR® foams provide comfort and support for many devices requiring such for extensive times, including computer keyboard wrist rests or headphones.
Applications
- Motorsport – headrest and cockpit
- Gliders or light aircraft – seat cushions
- Car seats for children and infants
- Aviation – surface covers and passenger seats
- Packaging – high value goods protection
- Sports gear – helmets, body guards, footwear
- Medical – hospital bed equipment and wheelchair cushions
Applications
| Properties and testing method | CONFOR Foam - Yellow CF-40M CF-40AC |
CONFOR Foam - Pink CF-42M CF-42AC |
CONFOR Foam - Blue CF-45M CF-45AC |
CONFOR Foam - Green CF-47M CF-47AC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominal density kg/m³ (lb/ft³) | ||||
| ASTM D3574 | . . . . . . .96 (6.0) . . . . . . 96 (6.0) | . . . . . . .96 (6.0) . . . . . . 96 (6.0) | . . . . . . .96 (6.0) . . . . . . 96 (6.0) | . . . . . . .96 (6.0) . . . . . . 96 (6.0) |
| Flammability | ||||
| UL 94 (minimum thickness listed) | . . . . .Listed HBF. . . . Meets HF-1. . . . .
. . . . . @ 3mm. . . . . . . . @ 3mm |
. . . . .Listed HBF. . . . Meets HF-1. . . . .
. . . . . @ 3mm. . . . . . . . @ 3mm |
. . . . .Listed HBF. . . . Meets HF-1. . . . .
. . . . . @ 3mm. . . . . . . . @ 3mm |
. . . . .Listed HBF. . . . Meets HF-1. . . . .
. . . . . @ 3mm. . . . . . . . @ 3mm |
| FMVSS-302 | . . . . . . Meets . . . . . . . . . Meets | . . . . . . .Meets . . . . . . . . . Meets | . . . . . . .Meets . . . . . . . . . Meets | . . . . . . .Meets . . . . . . . . . Meets |
| "FAR 25.853(a) Appendix F Part I (a)(1)(ii)(12 sec)" |
. . . . . . .No . . . . . . . . . . Meets | . . . . . . .No . . . . . . . . . . Meets | . . . . . . .No . . . . . . . . . . Meets | . . . . . . .No . . . . . . . . . . Meets |
| CAL 117 | . . . . . . .No . . . . . . . . . . Meets | . . . . . . .No . . . . . . . . . . Meets | . . . . . . .No . . . . . . . . . . Meets | . . . . . . .No . . . . . . . . . . Meets |
| RoHS compliance | . . . . . . .Yes . . . . . . . . . . . Yes | . . . . . . .Yes . . . . . . . . . . . Yes | . . . . . . .Yes . . . . . . . . . . . Yes | . . . . . . .Yes . . . . . . . . . . . Yes |
| Ball deflection % | ||||
| ASTM D3574 | . . . . . .<1 1 . . . . . . . . . . .. Yes | . . . . .<1 1.3. . . . . . . . . . .. Yes | . . . . .<1 1.9. . . . . . . . . . .. Yes | . . . . .<1 2.2. . . . . . . . . . .. Yes |
| Thermal conductivity — value K | ||||
| ASTM C177 W/m*K (BTU in/hr ft² F) | . . .0.040 (0.28) . . . . . 0.040 (0.28) | . . .0.040 (0.28) . . . . . 0.040 (0.28) | . . .0.040 (0.28) . . . . . 0.040 (0.28) | . . .0.040 (0.28) . . . . . 0.040 (0.28) |
| Compression (%) | ||||
| 22 hr @ 22C (72F) Compressed 50%
ASTM D35741.2 |
. . . . . . .1.2 . . . . . . . . . . . . <1 | . . . . . . .1.0 . . . . . . . . . . . . <1 | . . . . . . .1.0 . . . . . . . . . . . . <1 | . . . . . . .1.0 . . . . . . . . . . . . <1 |
| Indentation force deflection | ||||
| ASTM D3574 Test B1 Modified 25%
Deflection for 12""x12""x2"" sample 22C (72F) @ 50% Relative Humidity N (lbf) |
. . . . .97 (22) . . . . . . . . . 97 (22) | . . . . .155 (35) . . . . . . . . 155 (35) | . . . . .213 (48) . . . . . . . . . 213 (48) | . . . . . .280 (63) . . . . . . . 280 (63) |
| Tensile strength kPa (psi) | ||||
| ASTM D3574 5.1 mm/min (20 in/min) | . . . . .48 (7.0). . . . . . . .. 51 (7.4) | . . . . .83 (12). . . . . . . . . 83 (12) | . . . . .117 (17). . . . . . . . . 145 (21) | . . . . .152 (22). . . . . . . . . 193 (28) |
| Tear strength kN/m (lbf/in) | ||||
| ASTM D3574 51 cm/min (20 in/min)
@ 22C (72F) |
. . . .0.29 (1.7). . . . . . . 0.29 (1.7) | . . . .0.47 (2.7). . . . . . . .0.45 (2.6) | . . . .0.64 (3.7). . . . . . . . .0.73 (4.2) | . . . .0.82 (4.7). . . . . . . . .0.98 (5.6) |
| Deflection under compressive load | ||||
| Force @ 10% Compression kPa (psi) | . . . .1.4 (0.20). . . . . . . 1.5 (0.21) | . . . .2.1 (0.31). . . . . . . 2.2 (0.31) | . . . .3.1 (0.44). . . . . . . . .3.9 (0.57) | . . . .3.9 (0.57). . . . . . . . .4.8 (0.69) |
| Force @ 20% Compression kPa (psi) | . . . .1.8 (0.26). . . . . . . 2.0 (0.28) | . . . .2.8 (0.40). . . . . . . 2.9 (0.42) | . . . .4.2 (0.61). . . . . . . .. 5.0 (0.72) | . . . .5.6 (0.82). . . . . . . . . 6.9 (1.0) |
| Force @ 30% Compression kPa (psi) | . . . .2.0 (0.29). . . . . . . 2.3 (0.33) | . . . .3.0 (0.44). . . . . . . 3.2 (0.47) | . . . .4.5 (0.66). . . . . . . .. 5.3 (0.76) | . . . .5.9 (0.86). . . . . . . . ..7.2 (1.0) |
| Force @ 40% Compression kPa (psi) | . . . .2.3 (0.33). . . . . . . 2.6 (0.38) | . . . .3.4 (0.50). . . . . . . 3.7 (0.54) | . . . .5.0 (0.73). . . . . . . .. 5.9 (0.85) | . . . .6.5 (0.94). . . . . . . . . 7.9 (1.1) |
| Force @ 50% Compression kPa (psi) | . . . .2.9 (0.42). . . . . . . 3.2 (0.47) | . . . .4.1 (0.59). . . . . . . 4.4 (0.64) | . . . .5.9 (0.86). . . . . . . . . 7.0 (1.0) | . . . .7.6 (1.1). . . . . . . . . ..9.3 (1.3) |
| Force @ 60% Compression kPa (psi) | . . . .3.5 (0.51). . . . . . . 4.4 (0.63) | . . . .5.4 (0.78). . . . . . . 5.9 (0.85) | . . . .7.7 (1.1). . . . . . . . . . 9.1 (1.3) | . . . .9.8 (1.4). . . . . . . . . . 12 (1.7) |
| Force @ 70% Compression kPa (psi) | . . . .6.0 (0.87). . . . . . . 7.5 (1.1) | . . . .8.8 (1.3). . . . . . . . 9.8 (1.4) | . . . .12 (1.8). . . . . . . . . . . 15 (2.1) | . . . .16 (2.3). . . . . . . . . . .20 (2.8) |
| Force @ 80% Compression kPa (psi) | . . . .16 (2.3). . . . . . . . . 20 (2.9) | . . . .23 (3.3). . . . . . . . . 25 (3.6) | . . . .32 (4.6). . . . . . . . . . . 36 (5.3) | . . . .40 (5.7). . . . . . . . . . .49 (7.1) |