Marine Fabricator January/February 2022 - 46

Shop Talk Interior
Salons usually use a 2.5 density and a
30-45 ILD with a comfort layer of 1 " Dacron
or 1-2 density 14-25 ILD. This is the type of
project where the author encourages
clients to pay more for higher quality foam.
Reticulated foam has an open cell
structure that works like a net scrunched
together-water runs right through it.
THE LAYERED CAKE EFFECT
M
ultilayering foam provides unique comfort, particularly
if you use a higher ILD foam as the foundation
layer or to encase the edges of a project. This gives a
nice defi ning edge to hold the cover's shape and provides
stability and security for the boater in rough seas.
* #1 Yellow; center
of seat
* Density = 2.5-2.6
* ILD = 31-35
* #2 Blue; supporting
bolsters on each side
* Foam density = 2.5-2.6
* ILD = 65-75
* #3 White; bolster
inner layer
Layering foam can be very sophisticated. Some
formulas have upwards of six or seven layers of density,
which achieve highly personalized custom ergonomic
styles and comforts.
46 Marine Fabricator | January/February 2022
* Density = 0.9-1
* ILD = 24-34
* #4 Pink; center of seat
* Density=1.5 ILD=70
* #5 Pink; top of bolster
* Density=1.5 ILD=70
4.0 density or 1.0 density. The higher
density foam always lasts longer.
Resilience: This determines how
quickly foam will regain its shape,
and it also determines its cost. To
understand the cell structure of the two
major types of foams, high resilience
(HR) foam and conventional foam,
envision a Jenga game of stacked
blocks. The HR foam has the Jenga
pieces crisscrossed and overlapped,
providing both vertical and horizontal
strength, which enables the foam to
retain its shape longer. This complex
cell structure is also what makes HR
foam very expensive, as it is more costly
to produce. HR foam is used in most
types of expensive furniture, including
mattresses for yachting and boating.
We always encourage our clients to use
HR foam in the salon and also in hightraffi
c seating areas. It is very buoyant
and resilient.
With conventional foam, which is still
a good foam and is used in 75 percent
of soft good applications, the cell
structure is like Jenga pieces that are
stacked on top of each other like little
towers close together. They provide
vertical strength but are apt to collapse
side to side. This cell structure is less
costly to produce.
It is important to note that HR
foam is a " high density " or HD foam,
but not all HD foam is also HR foam.
Therefore, two foams with the same
density but different resilience can have
signifi cant price point differences.
Memory foam
Memory foam was developed by
NASA scientists to reduce the stress
on astronauts during takeoff and
reentry into Earth's atmosphere. The
foam recipe was proprietary until the
early 1980s when foam manufacturers
gained access to the recipe, refi ned
the formula and catapulted the
foam into mainstream use.
Marine Fabricator January/February 2022

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