Caligen debuts lowest emission foam to meet DaimlerChrysler standard

By Liz White, UT contributing editorDüsseldorf, Germany-Caligen Foam has gained homologation from car manufacturer DaimlerChrysler AG for a new low-emission foam, which offers makers of car interior component the opportunity to meet the tightest VOC levels, according to Freddy von Raepenbusch, sales manager with Breda, the Netherlands-based Caligen.This new 'Lowest Emission Foam,'-designated LOM-has been specially developed for automotive interior parts by Caligen. The Dutch foamer, part of British Vita plc's Vita Interfoam group, is especially pleased to have met the DaimlerChrysler VOC-emission specifications since the German car maker, "has the toughest limits,"-although Volkswagen group also has very tough limits, he commented. Currently, DaimlerChrysler's DBL 5450 standard has a maximum emission of 50 ppm for emissions of VOCs (volatile organic compounds), and at the moment what happens is that "everybody supplies with derogation," von Raepenbusch said. "We have, at the moment, reached under 10 ppm," with two foam densities, and Caligen is working on a third density, and then a fourth, he added. DaimlerChrysler has five catagories of foam density but the lowest density will never be made in the low-emission type, van Raepenbusch said.Now the foamer has the additional hurdle of getting the foam into use by the laminators, the companies who supply foam-backed textiles as trim and covers to the car seat, door-panel and headliner makers such as Faurecia and Johnson Controls, van Raepenbusch commented. See Urethanes Technology Dec 2004/Jan 2005 for more on this story. "