When it comes to PU foam furniture, almost everyone talks about its color change. Many people think that PU foam furniture is very harmful to the human body, so when buying furniture, you must not be greedy for cheap, and you can only cry in the toilet when you buy poor quality furniture. But is PU foam furniture really so terrible? Where exactly is it sacred?
What is PU foaming?
PU is the abbreviation of Polyurethane. It is a new type of non-toxic synthetic material. It was first used in German military manufacturing. It was introduced into China in the 1990s and began to be widely used in furniture manufacturing.
PU foam material is a kind of PU material. We separate the four words "PU foam", which are "PU" and "foam". The meaning of "PU foaming" is roughly "low-density PU material injected with gas". Its manufacturing process is a foaming technology. After the raw materials are chemically reacted, foamed plastics are formed, and then solidified and molded. The PU foam board we often hear is a kind of board made of PU foam. The appearance of this kind of plate is very beautiful, and the tensile strength is 2.5 times that of ordinary aluminum plate, which is very convenient for construction and operation. At present, the PU foam boards on the market mainly include polyurethane PU foam boards, aluminum-magnesium-manganese PU foam boards, PU foam boards, EPS sandwich boards, and low-density PU foam boards. Due to the excellent properties of PU foam board, such as compression resistance, moisture resistance, good texture and easy processing, it is widely used in domestic and foreign furniture markets, especially in European and American countries that pay attention to environmental protection, and has achieved good economic and social benefits.
Is the cost of PU foaming really cheap?
In the furniture industry, the manufacturing technology of PU foam products was introduced to mainland China from Italy by a Hong Kong-owned furniture factory as early as the early 1990s. At that time, the price of PU foam carved furniture was much higher than that of solid wood carving. PU foam material is mainly used to replace "less complicated" furniture carvings. The advantage of PU foaming technology is that in addition to being safe and stable, it can also be molded at one time and produced in large quantities.
In recent years, the wages of furniture and solid wood carving workers have risen. Carving workers with better skills can earn more than 300 yuan a day. Another problem with solid wood carving is that the finished carved products depend on the craftsmanship of workers, and the quality is unstable, resulting in high manufacturing costs. In addition, before engraving, in order to avoid insect eyes, wood knots, cracks, etc., the material must be selected, and the cost must be increased. The most critical problem of hand-carving is that it is difficult for furniture factories to recruit workers. When the demand for furniture is strong, it is difficult to increase the ramp-up speed of production capacity. In the off-season, they have to spend money to stabilize the team of carvers. These factors constitute the cost disadvantage of solid wood carving.
This is also the reason why many manufacturers favor the use of PU foaming technology. This "favor" is more because it lowers the technical threshold of manufacturing and improves the quality of the finished product. 1/10".
The difference between PU foam furniture and ordinary furniture
Let's look at the material first. There are many styles of PU foam furniture we see in furniture stores and distribution centers, all of which are beautiful. Its entire appearance is formed in one piece, with no redundant screw holes and connection ports, and the lacquer effect and detailed carving are outstanding. The main disadvantage of PU foam furniture is that it is not fireproof. This is also a limiting factor for the development of new synthetic materials.
Second is price. In terms of raw materials and manufacturing costs, PU foam furniture has great advantages over pure solid wood furniture and cork furniture, which is naturally much more affordable when reflected in the terminal price. Foam furniture may not sound as loud as solid wood furniture, but its high cost performance has also won the favor of many post-80s and post-90s buyers.
Furthermore, it is environmental protection, which is the most controversial point of PU foam furniture. After PU foam furniture is formed, it is non-toxic and harmless. Considered by some consumers to be toxic, it actually happens under burning conditions. Generally speaking, the combustion of chemical synthetic materials will produce toxic gases, such as our common plastics. Under normal use, PU foam furniture is very environmentally friendly.
The advantages of PU foam material in furniture
The strength of PU foam furniture is higher than that of ordinary wood, but the density is much lower, so it can not only be cut and perforated like wood, but also can be made into various complex carvings.
PU foam is used in furniture. Its texture, color and texture are close to wood, and it is better than wood in terms of strength, moisture resistance, and insect resistance. This not only ensures the beauty and quality of the furniture, but also increases the service life of the furniture.
Compared with solid wood furniture and cork furniture, the utilization rate of PU foam in furniture manufacturing can reach almost 100%, while solid wood furniture generally does not exceed 25%, and the raw material utilization rate of cork furniture does not exceed 50%. Furniture made of PU foam can greatly reduce production costs and naturally have a price advantage.
