Mark Spence is a consultant specializing in health & safety programs for manufacturing operations and products in the chemical & plastics industry following a 30-year career with the Dow Chemical Company. Following assignments as industrial hygiene chemist and then Laboratory Director of Dow’s AIHA-accredited Industrial Hygiene Laboratory, Mark served as a Senior Industrial Hygienist with Dow’s Global Industrial Hygiene Expertise Center. While at Dow, Mark supported Dow’s Polyurethanes business on industrial hygiene issues for 20 years. Mark has a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from Clarkson University, a Master of Science degree in chemistry from Michigan State University and is a Certified Industrial Hygienist.

Mr. McIntyre, a native of Vidalia, Georgia, received an A.A. degree from Young Harris College in 1959, a B.A. from the University of Georgia in 1963, and a J.D. from the University of Georgia School of Law in 1963.  He is a former Director of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget.  He represents clients in general corporate matters and trade association law and on legislative and regulatory issues in banking, insurance, finance, tax, and environmental areas.  He is a member of the District of Columbia Bar and the State Bar of Georgia.  He is admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court and the U.S. Court of Military Appeals.

Ryan Trainer is President of the International Sleep Products Association (ISPA) which seeks to enhance the growth, profitability and stature of the mattress industry. Prior to joining ISPA, Trainer was a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Clifford Chance, a global law firm where he specialized in product liability, international regulatory, trade policy, consumer privacy and commercial matters.

Michael Gallagher is a research consultant for The Mattress Recycling Council,  a non-profit organization dedicated to the development and implementation of statewide mattress recycling programs for states that have enacted laws. The organization provides valuable information and resources for industry professionals. Prior to working with the Council, he was Head of Innovation and Business Growth Services For Covestro.

Bob Clark is Executive Director of the Carpet Cushion Council.  The CCC represents the North American carpet cushion industry as an advocate and an educator. As the industry resource for answers to carpet cushion-related questions, the Carpet Cushion Council educates carpet retailers, manufacturers, distributors, and cushion manufacturers about the benefits of carpet cushion. Ultimately, the Carpet Cushion Council’s objective is to provide carpet retailers with tools necessary to improve communication with customers and increase overall sales.

Stephen Wieroniey is the director at the American Chemistry Council’s Center for the Polyurethanes Industry. In his role at CPI, he also serves as the director of the Spray Foam Coalition. Stephen is an expert in chemicals management and sustainability issues impacting the polyurethanes market. Prior to joining ACC, Stephen served as the director of Health, Safety, and Environmental Affairs at the American Coatings Association, where he focused on product stewardship, product regulation, labeling, and indoor air quality. Stephen began his career in chemicals management at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in the Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics assisting in regulatory matters associated with the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). Stephen graduated from the University of Maryland with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry. When he is not at work Stephen and his wife enjoy traveling, raising their two young kids, and running with their two dogs.

David Patten is a co-founder of Everchem and the Editor of the Urethane Blog.  The Blog was started in 2008 as a way to get urethane news out into the marketplace in an efficient manner.  Prior to Everchem, Dave worked in urethanes and raw materials at ARCO Chemical and Lyondell Chemical.  He has a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Lehigh University and an MBA from The University of Chicago.

Bill Gollnitz has more than 40 years’ experience in the flexible polyurethane foam industry. For more than 20 years, he has been Technical Director at Plastomer Corporation. Prior to that, he held group management positions at ARCO Chemical Company and Olin Chemical. He began his career in the foam industry with Firestone Foam. He has a deep understanding of how chemistry, manufacturing and suppliers can work together to advance the polyurethanes industry. He is a Past President of PFA, and currently serves on PFA’s Executive and Technical Committee. Gollnitz holds a B.A. in chemistry from Lipscomb University and an MBA from Bryant University.

Bobby Bush Jr. serves as Technical Committee Chair for PFA and Technical Director for the Upholstered Furniture Action Council (UFAC).  Though he remains active in many foam industry activities (ASTM, NFPA, UFAC, AFPF (CertiPUR-US)), he recently retired – after 45 years – from Hickory Springs Manufacturing Company. During the years his roles evolved from Sales Trainee to Senior Vice President of Foam Technology.   Bush wass responsible for the development and advancement of new foam products and technologies and for overseeing environmental and regulatory compliance at all company facilities.

Bush has been instrumental in developing some of the most important initiatives in the flexible polyurethane foam industry. He is a graduate of Duke University, with a degree in Business Administration and Management. He is a many-times past President of PFA.

Hybrid release agents can offer a clear advantage with respect to the emissions of volatiles to the atmosphere and exposure risks for workers. This article describes innovations in hybrid mold release agents, which can replace up to 70% of solvent with water.  This ready-for-market technology combines the VOC-reduction and sustainability benefits of water-based release agents with the good performance and production efficiencies of solvent based release agents.

From mattress and bedding to automotive seating, foam formulations and, consequently, raw materials continue to diversify and define modern-day comfort. Since comfort is a critical driver in flexible foam innovation, application-based solutions vary for conventional, high resilience, viscoelastic and HyperSoft™ foam to meet customer needs.

These innovations in foam formulations translate to manufacturing and process modifications, which introduce new challenges of their own. For example, as foam formulations continue to soften, slower cure time has become a consistent pain-point. These “stickier” formulations can slow production lines, increase operating expense and product loss resulting in a negative impact on the foam manufacturer’s bottom-line. This situation also applies to molded applications where de-molding time can be critical.

Temperature points and heat build-up in mattresses continue to define ideal customer comfort. In response to this need, the polyurethane flexible foam industry developed specialized heat storage and transfer agents (HSTA). Although HSTAs meet a customer’s need for a cooler night’s sleep, earlier generation formulations introduced more variability to manufacturers. For example, some HSTAs cause challenges when utilizing with CO2 foam processing.

To continue the pursuit of modern-day comfort with manufacturing and processing in mind, BASF continues to develop next generation materials for different grades of flexible polyurethane foams. This paper will discuss these innovative materials and their benefits to flexible polyurethane foam, specifically regarding their physical properties and processing improvements. Two innovations will be reviewed: foam formulations providing increased green strength and faster cure times as well as next generation Elastopan® polyurethane gel formulations for flexible foams.