2009 R&D 100 Winner
After long period of development, Ford Motor Company, Dearborn, Mich., and Lear Corp., Southfield, Mich., recently began an industry-first use of functionalized soybean oil in the manufacture of flexible, polyurethane foam for automotive seating.
The use of renewable materials as a feedstock for Automotive Soy-Based Seating Foam offers many benefits including reducing environmental footprint, replacing limited petroleum-based products with sustainable materials, and providing an alternative material choice.
Development was not easy, however. Soy-based foams pose various challenges to manufacturers, including low chemical reactivity, blend separation, odor, fogging, and green strength. The team invented and developed new foam formulations to overcome all of these limitations and meet the stringent mechanical requirements of automotive seating, including adequate manufacturing cycle time. First used in the company’s Mustang car, the seat will soon be added to other automotive lines.
Technology
Soy-based seating foam
Developers
Ford Motor Company
Lear Corp.
