Polyurethane foams are an integral part of our lives. We use them in the production of many everyday objects. How is it possible that space technologies are so close to us?
Polyurethane is one of the most popular plastics today, and it owes its origins to tests before space missions. At that time, it was used to reduce vibrations and shocks affecting test pilots. Today, however, it is widely used in various areas of our lives. In the 1960s, polyurethane was considered a luxury good, and this was somehow confirmed by the fact that it was used to produce objects sent into space by NASA. It was perfectly light, and at the same time tight, and it retained heat well, so that it could be used to finish spaceships and probes built according to strict rules. The public career of polyurethane began in the insulation category. After its thermal insulation properties were discovered, it was used to insulate buildings.
Flexible and rigid foams
Flexible foams are used in the upholstery, automotive and aviation industries as well as in households. They are used to produce mattresses, sponges, pillows, seals, and even clothes and toys for children.
Rigid foams, due to their density and strength, are most often used in the construction industry. They are used to seal building structures, manufacture structural insulation boards, insulation of pipelines, cold rooms and tanks. They are also used as elements of equipment and sealing of ship and aircraft cabins. Other applications include strengthening floor and ceiling structures, as well as acoustic and thermal insulation.
Depending on the type of foam, they are used in industry. Gór-Stal is one of the manufacturers that use the properties of polyurethane. It offers a wide range of modern sandwich panels that are used in the construction of industrial, commercial and office halls, cold stores, freezers and livestock buildings. The speed and ease of installation, the ability to carry out works even in difficult weather conditions, low investment costs, modernity and versatility of the system make the panels the best material for construction. In addition, the company in Bochnia produces insulation boards with a core of polyisocyanurate PIR foam, which are used to insulate roofs, walls, floors and other partitions in residential and industrial construction.
Polyurethane and health
Everyone knows that PIR foam is a non-flammable product with increased fire resistance. Further, the question of the toxicity and impact of polyurethane on human health is frequently raised. Polyurethane is formed by a chemical reaction between the polyol and the diisocyanate. As a result of this process, a completely inert and safe for humans polyurethane foam is created. If it has the appropriate approvals and is manufactured in accordance with applicable standards, we have nothing to fear. To further emphasize the fact that foams are safe for humans, and especially recommended for allergy sufferers and asthmatics (no dusting), it is important to realize that polyurethane foams are present at every step around us.