Monday, June 30, 2008

Foam - The True Nature of Comfort

What makes a sofa feel cozy? Or a bed so soft and comfortable? -- perhaps it is a mixture of several materials such as cotton, special fabrics, springs but most importantly foam. In order to define foam we must first illustrates its structure which is geometrically peculiar, it possesses several bubbles which are filled with air and the connections between the material which helps form the foam itself can take hexagonal shape or a variation of it, the structure itself is very similar to the internal structure of a beehive.

According to several sources foam is better defined as the result material off the combination of the substance (solid or liquid) which is used to trap air molecules. Foam has been manufactured and used ever since the beginning of the 20th century, it has been given multiple uses as a temperature isolation device, a flotation substance, to pack and stuff materials, to extinguish dangerous oil fueled fires and of course to make you feel comfortable at home.

There are several types of foam which are used for many purposes, let's describe some of them:

Memory foam:

This particular type of foam has become very famous because it was originally developed by NASA and then used and marketed in one of the best mattresses in the world, Tempur as well as similar brands. This material adapts to the shape of a person's body without creating pressure points which is why it is so comfortable to lay on top of this material.

The egg profile:

This one is more of a commercial type of material which is obviously shaped like the inner boxes which has been designed to hold eggs, compared to cardboard boxes this material is a lot better and provides better protection for the eggs during the shipping process. This egg profile cushion is also used to isolate and protect commercial items and consumer electronics such as digital cameras as well as to insulate and soundproof a music recording studio or a movie theater.

Pink reflex:

This is a very common material which is used to create cushions for sofas and mattresses, this material has also been used to create sitting and back cushions for other type of furniture, this is the material which most of the time separates cold hard metal, wood and sturdy plastics from making contact with your body.

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