Goods and Services

The Importance of Fire Retardant Foam

With the wide range of uses for foam materials, it makes sense that some applications need to hold their products to different standards than others. For applications that expose materials to potential ignition sources or even open flame, fire retardant polyurethane foam is the right material to get the job done safely.

While often used in situations where it is a part of construction or encased in a cover, some foam uses require the material to be exposed and out in the open to perform their job. One of these uses is acoustical treatment, where foam can be used in an assortment of ways. Acoustic material foam can absorb vibrations, reduce echoes and standing waves and clarify and clear sound in products from wall tiles to corner bass absorbers. These products are mounted in environments like recording studios where there are many potential sources for ignition like smoking, candles or the amount of wiring and electronics in the space. Proper acoustic foam materials are fire retardant so in the case of an accident, the foam treatment will smolder and provide an opportunity for extinguishment, rather than burst into fast-spreading flames. This can easily be the difference between a close call and tragedy.

Another example of the importance of fire retardant materials in the right application is a motocross pit. Used to provide extreme sports athletes a safe landing area to experiment and practice tricks, these are filled with foam blocks. Landing a motorcycle or ATV in materials not treated to resist fire is incredibly dangerous. This is why riders exclusively use fire retardant foam materials for landing cushions in their foam practice pits.

Specialty products exist for specialty purposes, and fire retardant foam is just one example of a product that has identified the unique requirements of a job and rises to meet expectations.