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We were approached by a foam manufacturer with an application to measure the pressure and distribution of pressure between two ends of a large block of foam that they needed to glue together.
Their process involved feeding a foam block, 60 meters long, 2 meters wide and 80cm high into a machine that loops the foam block round, so the two ends of the foam block face each other. An adhesive would then be applied, the two ends of the block then being pushed together for several minutes while the adhesive cures. The two ends of the foam block were held in place by gravity only.
XSensor’s pressure mapping technology was ideal for this application, as it can give a live image of the pressure distribution, record that distribution and plot the data on a time vs pressure graph. Using a high-resolution sensor normally used for bed and mattress R&D applications gave us the ability to see, measure and record three critical elements;
Using an XSensor pressure mapping system, PX100:64.160.02 sensor and Pro V8 software, we were able to show what level of pressure application gave the best possible contact area, the size of the contact area, where any peak or low points of contact were located and that there was no decline in pressure over time.
The test was repeated several times with the ends of the foam block being cut vertically and diagonally at various degrees. This was to see if any of these different cuts would offer an improvement in the contact area or pressure that could be applied.
The customer was very pleased with the data provided as they had not previously been able to make measurements over the entire contact area, measure the pressure being applied or test the effectiveness of different cuts.
