By David Reed, UT EditorCastle Donington, UK-In a somewhat surprising move, a UK maker of PVC foams has installed a state-of-the-art flexible slabstock polyurethane foam plant.Duflex Foam Ltd, a joint venture between the existing Duflex company and upholstery specialists Belfield Furnishings Ltd, installed a Beamech Ltd Ultima foam machine late last year. This gives the firm a range of operating options from liquid lay-down Maxfoam style and standard Maxfoam, to conventional inclined conveyor, said Duflex, in a 2 March statement prepared for Urethanes Technology. Initially focusing on satisfying the requirements of Belfield Furnishings, some foam will soon be available to sell to industry converters to the furniture trade, the firm said in a 2 March statement, while refusing to supply any idea of the amounts involved. [Beamech's website indicates that the Ultima machines typically offer outputs in the 2000-20 000 tonnes-a-year range; they are designed to give large-volume foamers increased flexibility in terms of range of grades of foam, while allowing small-to-medium-sized firms to make good quality foams with low wastage, also in a wide range of grades.]Further details will be included in the next issue of Urethanes Technology magazine."
