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10.01.2006
Freudenberg Leverages Novolon Technology to Create
New Mattress Materials
Celestia Novo and New Structural Components Top List of New Products
Lowell, MA, October 1, 2006 -- Freudenberg North America of Lowell, MA is leveraging
yet another of its many proprietary core technologies into a growing line of
mattress components. Known by the name Novolon, this technology is a deep molding
process that allows structural and decorative materials to be produced with three
dimensional qualities.
According to company representatives, Novolon is ideal for producing inner
component mattress materials that can provide flexible body comfort and support.
Furthermore, it can also be interpreted in a variety of patterns and designs
for decorative exterior applications.
Announcing
this development was Mr. Ashutosh Karnik, the company’s market manager
for bedding products, who said that the development of Novolon based materials
as mattress components is part of a continuing strategy to offer as many mattress
applications as possible with products that can serve the combined functions
of construction, decor and flammability compliance.
Like Freudenberg’s
other advanced technologies, said Mr.Karnik, Novolon can be engineered specifically
to meet the demands of a given application. It is capable of producing
three dimensional, sturdy yet light weight materials, he says, which makes it
very manufacturing friendly. Novolon also has excellent memory qualities,
thanks to its inherent strength and resilience, making it very crush resistant
and allowing it to retain its original shape even after prolonged usage.
Other features include air and water permeability, which derive from the fact
that the material is structurally open, allowing a virtually unrestricted airflow. This
quality offers air ventilation, for better temperature control and heat distribution,
as well as odor control.
New Products
The Novolon process has been configured into a new mattress inner component called
Space Net™, a structural material, which provides strength with virtually
no increase in weight. Space Net™ also offers advantages in terms of resiliency,
support and shape retention.
The significance of resiliency in a mattress is very much related to the shape
and durability of the structure over time. Shape retention is a function of strength
at micro (molecular) and macro level. These materials are designed to be resilient.
Closely related to resiliency is the issue of fatigue, best understood when considered
within the context of repeated usage. Unlike conventional mattress support materials,
which can fail due to progressive fatigue, Space Net resists fatigue easily by
the nature of its construction.
As a Novolon based product, Space Net™ has a three dimensional design,
which produces a lightweight, incredibly strong fabric that can impart both volume
and resiliency without significant physical mass. As a result, when the
fabric is compressed, even under heavy weight and pressure, it retains its dimensional
characteristics, allowing it to resume its original shape time after time.
This characteristic, according to Freudenberg representatives, becomes important
with the passage of time. In fact, it is considered to be a factor in the
long term satisfaction to the consumer.
Celestia Novo
Another derivative of the Novolon process is a new composite FR material called
Celestia Novo, which serves as a decorative mattress border covering in place
of conventional quilted border materials. Celestia Novo combines mattress ticking
and fire barrier, thereby eliminating the need for a separate FR border material.
Because of the three dimensionality inherent in Novolon technology, it
is possible to configure Celestia Novo in a number of different patterns and
designs. These patters are different in appearance than conventionally
quilted patterns, offering the opportunity for market differentiation in terms
of appearance and style.
Celestia Novo is available in pre-cut, pre-slit formats, and it saves manufacturing
steps in terms of quilting, slitting and surging. Furthermore, Celestia
Novo reduces manufacturing floor SKU’s, making production planning easier.
Celestia Novo, says Karnik, “is another good example of how you can take
a material that was originally developed for flammability compliance and add
value to it to create a product that is not only decorative, but that also can
reduce manufacturing costs while offering an opportunity for product differentiation.”
About Freudenberg
Freudenberg
North America, which maintains headquarters in Durham, North Carolina, is part
of Freudenberg & Company of Weinheim, Germany. Freudenberg & Company
is a global leader in the field of technical textiles with operations in 34 countries
and annual revenues in the $5.5 billion range.
Freudenberg has been in North America since 1951, when it opened its first facility
for manufacturing apparel interlining products under the name Pellon. Over the
years the company’s presence grew to embrace a range of markets for industrial
automotive, home furnishing and health care products.
Today the
company maintains operations at six major sites on the North American continent,
employing over 850 people. In addition to mattress components, major markets
include hygiene/medical, air and liquid filtration, apparel interlining, tuft
and automotive interiors.
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