www.stnonline.com
the Bar
es, 36, 30 to even 26. And, rather than use multiple pieces of foam to create the cushioned seat back, Lamparter purchases molded urethane foam. Te idea of employing new forms of foam is not new to others players
in the school bus market. For Brandon Billingsley, it is the future, one that is safer and more affordable. Two years ago, at the NAPT trade show in Grand Rapids, Mich., Billingsley set up a new seat in his Heavy Duty Bus Parts booth and waited for the response. It was only a concept and was a few years off from becoming a finished piece, but it was an idea he was both proud of and excited to show. “Injection molded foam with an integrated bonded
skin is basically a vinyl over foam replacement,” ex- plained Billingsley. “We are using a composite form where we can put other things within the mold before it is shot with the foam so that it can take up some other types of ure- thane, which can lower the costs and take up some of the space. Yet, it is as energy absorbent, if not more, than the typical re- bonded urethane foam that is used today in the foam that would go underneath the vinyl on school bus seats.” Tis new procedure would
not only create a stronger, safer seat, it would eliminate the use of a vinyl covering. Te process may seem confusing at first, but, sim- ply put, a chemical mixture takes place when the polyurethane foam is placed within the mold. As the foam reaches its boiling point — typically around 95 degrees — it begins to expand within the mold. As it expands, it rushes to any open area, becoming more dense in areas where it pushes up to the alu- minum of the mold. Tis causes the ex- terior foam to cool faster and form a skin, which would be used in place of a vinyl covering. Te polyurethane skin is actually more flame-retar-
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