“Waffle Iron” Makes Cushions Of Foam Rubber (Oct, 1947)

“Waffle Iron” Makes Cushions Of Foam Rubber

WAFFLES of rubber, “grilled” in molds resembling giant kitchen utensils, make comfortable upholstery padding that does not lose its resiliency. Production of foam-rubber automobile seat cushions and train seats, interrupted by the war, has now been resumed at the Mishawaka, Ind., plant of the United States Rubber Company. Featherweight mattresses of the same material, easy for any housewife to straighten or lift from a bed, will soon be available.

Millions of air bubbles whipped into the raw material—milky latex from Malaya plantations—give the foam rubber its light weight and flexibility. Seasoned with a dash of chemicals, the mix goes into a mold and is popped in an oven for a baking that vulcanizes the rubber and imparts its permanent shape. Thoroughly washed to remove chemicals and soaps, the nroduct emerges clean and odorless from a drier.