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SPF Innovations Waiting in the Wings

April 12, 2011

Spray polyurethane foam manufacturers are working on innovations that will better serve the construction industry. For example, Fomo Products is researching a type of foam that can be used to fill hollow wall cavities in commercial structures without damaging the wall.

“Expanding foam exerts pressure on the interior of a wall cavity,” says Tom Fishback, VP of R&D for Fomo. “Drywall and all kinds of commercial wall claddings can be damaged and distorted by that pressure. So there’s a need for a polyurethane wall-cavity fill product that takes away that worry. It would require innovative chemistry and dispensing equipment, and that’s something we’re focusing on.”

Rick Tucker, global business manager for Honeywell’s TerraStrong unit, says that within the next two years, a new blowing agent technology will be available that makes spray foam even more energy-efficient.

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