Restonic will use GE resin in new FR foam line
By David Perry -- Furniture Today, February 28, 2004
Pittsfield, Mass. — GE is the latest major supplier to enter the mattress flammability arena with a flame-retardant resin that will be incorporated into a new line of Restonic bedding.
The bedding maker has selected Ultem resin from GE Advanced Materials for the first Underwriters Laboratories-certified bedding that complies with California's new mattress flammability standard. Restonic's Ergo Sleep foam bedding is being introduced this month.
GE provides polyetherimide material in resin form, which is converted into a fiber and then made by Western Nonwovens into a flame-retardant barrier. The barrier is inherently flame resistant, which eliminates the use of conventional halogenated additives that generate toxic smoke when burned, GE said.
The new barrier also helps deliver high-loft comfort and resilience, GE said.
"We're proud to be the first national bedding producer to have received certification from UL that our new Ergo Sleep line meets California's stringent new open-flame mattress flammability standard," said Restonic President and CEO Kevin Toman. "Not only does the (GE Ultem-based) barrier help enhance the fire safety of our new mattresses, it also provides excellent lofting and greater resiliency, which has enabled us to create a new product with much more comfort than competitive (California)-compliant mattresses."
The barrier is sandwiched between the Ergo Sleep mattress foam core (both visco and latex versions are available) and the outer fabric layer, creating a fire barrier that separates the foam from the fire and helps inhibit flame spread, GE said.
"Our work with Restonic helped this important GE customer develop a new mattress line that provides enhanced flame retardancy with a high degree of comfort that has been largely missing in traditional mattresses," said John Carrington, general manager of Global Marketing for GE Advanced Materials.
The Ultem resin is targeted for a number of household applications, including upholstered furniture and an array of textile-based home furnishings. The resin is widely used in firefighter helmets, lightweight components for aircraft, train and marine interiors, and high-end electronics components, GE said.
GE, a diversified technology, media and financial services company, joins other well-known companies like Owens Corning and DuPont in offering FR materials.
