Press release
PU Additives
September 21, 2021

Evonik launches ORTEGOL® 700 series of compression set additives to support booming “Bed in a Box” market

  • New additives improve recovery speed and quality of compressed flexible polyurethane foams
  • Latest product solutions enable flexible foam industry to take advantage of increased “Bed in a Box” demand
  • Evonik continues to strengthen its portfolio of innovative PU flexible foam additives with new ORTEGOL® series

Essen, Germany. Evonik has introduced its ORTEGOL® 700 series of polyurethane additives to significantly improve the final quality of compressed flexible foams. The new additives enable compressed mattresses to unfold and recover to their original volume much faster. The ORTEGOL® 700 series are also designed to enhance the final performance of compressed foams, especially after long periods of storage and transportation.  

“The market for compressed flexible foams has been steadily increasing over recent years. Since the COVID-19 pandemic “Bed in a Box” sales have really boomed as consumers have only been able to buy new mattresses online for delivery in boxes,” said Ralph Marquardt, Head of Evonik’s polyurethane additives business. “That's why improving the compression properties of polyurethane slabstock foams is more important than ever. To help the industry take advantage of the very high demand, our technical teams have been working hard to develop and quickly bring these game-changing new solutions to market.”

Shipments of compressed foams to manufacturers of finished mattresses and foam rolls have also dramatically increased to meet the new demand. However, previously it could take a long time for compressed foams to recover after shipping before being ready for production. In many cases, the foams do not always fully recover, with deformed foams unsuitable for mattress production creating waste. Additionally, today’s consumers expect products to be ready straight out of the box. Any foam deformities because of long-term storage in boxes, can often mean mattresses are returned, leading to much higher scrap rates, costly return shipping fees and consumers unlikely to re-purchase.

Evonik has developed and launched its ORTEGOL® 700, ORTEGOL® 701 and ORTEGOL® 702 additives to support the industry overcome these challenges. With significantly improved aging resistance, the new additives have all been optimized for odors and emissions, with each one passing the low VOC Chamber Test. Additionally, ORTEGOL® 701 is also suitable for automotive seating applications and passes the latest VDA 278 standard.

Recommended for use in combination with Evonik’s DABCO® NE 
range of emission optimized catalysts and TEGOSTAB® surfactants, all three new ORTEGOL® products reduce curing times before compressing, helping to lower costs and significantly improve the compression set during roll tests. In the case of ORTEGOL® 702, foams can be compressed much earlier after curing, usually achieving full recovery after around one day following a long period of compression.

Please watch the video for a simulation of a stored rolled mattresses using the roll test method. 

Company information

Evonik is one of the world leaders in specialty chemicals. The company is active in more than 100 countries around the world and generated sales of €12.2 billion and an operating profit (adjusted EBITDA) of €1.91 billion in 2020. Evonik goes far beyond chemistry to create innovative, profitable and sustainable solutions for customers. About 33,000 employees work together for a common purpose: We want to improve life today and tomorrow.

About Specialty Additives

The Specialty Additives division combines the businesses of versatile additives and high-performance crosslinkers. They make end products more valuable, more durable, save more energy and simply better. As formulation experts in fast growing markets such as coatings, mobility, infrastructure and consumer goods, Specialty Additives combines a small amount with a big effect. With its 3,700 employees the division generated sales of €3.23 billion in 2020.

Disclaimer

In so far as forecasts or expectations are expressed in this press release or where our statements concern the future, these forecasts, expectations or statements may involve known or unknown risks and uncertainties. Actual results or developments may vary, depending on changes in the operating environment. Neither Evonik Industries AG nor its group companies assume an obligation to update the forecasts, expectations or statements contained in this release.