A selection of offerings from mattress suppliers

Mattress industry suppliers are providing products to help streamline manufacturing processes, save both time and money and help meet other challenges of producing and selling beds today.

For a comprehensive list of products and services available to the mattress industry, check the BedTimes Supplies Guide. The 2011 guide will be published in the December issue of the magazine. The guide also is available online at www.bedtimessuppliesguide.com.

Descriptions and images in this section were provided by the companies. Product claims are not endorsed by BedTimes.

FIBERS & THREADS

Advance Fiber Technologies Corp. (AFT)
Advance Fiber Technologies Corp. (AFT), which is headquartered in Hackensack, N.J., offers SQ–63, an enhanced quilting thread designed to solve tack–and–jump sewing problems. The thread virtually eliminates repairs, as well as the need to trim loose ends on tack–and–jump panels, according to the company. Unlike traditional quilting threads, SQ–63 is engineered to sew through the thick layers of foam and FR barriers used in today’s mattresses. It is resistant to heat and abrasion and has lower elongation, which yields cleanly cut ends.
Phone 800–631–1930
Email rick@aft3.com

Contact Rick Brumfield

ADVANSA

ADVANSA, a manufacturer of polyester fiber and filament with world headquarters in Hoofddorp, Netherlands, is promoting two products:

  • Suprelle Memory, a fiber for top–of–bed applications, is a polyester microfiber made from a modified polymer that mimics properties of visco–elastic foam. The patent–pending technology can be used in pillows to help them mold to the sleeper’s head and neck. The fiber provides greater support than typical polyester fiber fill and sleeps cooler than foams, according to the company.
  • Thermo°Cool is a thermo–regulating yarn that combines hollow–core fibers with ridged–surface fibers. Textiles made with Thermo°Cool wick away perspiration and accelerate the evaporation process via channeled fibers, while the hollow fibers capture air and act as a natural insulator. The yarn offers flexibility when developing fabrics of any structure or weight. Its temperature–regulating characteristics are permanent—they will not decrease over time due to wear or washings, according to the company. It’s currently being used in ticking by DesleeClama.

Phone 704–535–6139
Email tomtaylor1@att.net
Web www.advansa.com
Contact Tom Taylor

INNERSPRINGS

Leggett & Platt
Leggett & Platt, based in Carthage, Mo., is touting two innerspring technologies:

  • The Softech innerspring unit for mattress toppers is a response to the problem of body impressions. Rollator tests have shown that mattresses topped with Softech’s encased coils maintain their structural integrity and are less susceptible to body impressions than those made with visco–elastic and polyurethane foams, according to the company. Other benefits include the fact that the “encased coils stay fresh, airy and never need turning,” the company says. Softech is designed for mattress toppers but can be used in other applications.
  • The VertiCoil Edge innerspring is designed to deliver equal support from edge to edge of the mattress. “It firms and responds to body weight and natural sleep movements, offering advantages sleepers can feel,” L&P says. The unit has a coil count 21% higher than the industry average. According to research conducted at Kansas State University and the Institute of Environmental Research, mattresses made with VertiCoil Edge innersprings sleep 28% cooler than foam.

Phone 417–358–8131
Email vicki.hale@leggett.com
Web www.beddingcomponents.com/softech
Contact Vicki Hale

MACHINERY & EQUIPMENT

Farnsworth Logistics  
Farnsworth Logistics, with headquarters in Lexington, N.C., offers a variety of fabric roll racks for product transportation. The racks are designed to eliminate waste throughout the supply chain. They are customized to roll dimensions, enabling safe, clean and damage–free transport of fabric from vendor location to manufacturing destination and quilting station. The racks allow for forklift unloading, increasing unloading efficiency by 75%, according to the company. By eliminating waste and keeping textiles off the floor, they also increase plant safety.
Phone 404–361–8542
Email marym@farnsworthlogistics.com
Web www.farnsworthlogistics.com
Contact Mary Mullinax

FillMatic GmbH

FillMatic GmbH, which is based in Mannheim, Germany, offers two foam handling machines:

  • The FillMatic Model ATE 220 Automatic Stocking Filling Station is an automated unit that encases foam and latex cores within a fabric sleeve. Key components of the ATE 220 are a mattress core feeding station, filling machine, sewing unit and receiving station. The foam cores are transported via a centering station to filling arms, which encase the cores in a knit stocking. The stocking is sewn closed and excess fabric is trimmed. The core is then transported to a receiving station.
  • The FillMatic Model SEK 250 Profile Foam Cutout Peeler cleans foam cores of their profile cutouts by brushing them out and transporting them to a waste collection basket. Foam core is transported into the SEK and through the cleaning station. After passing crushing rollers (optional), the core arrives back on the conveyor, ready for another pass to clean the other side of the foam.

Phone 952–448–1935
Email info@pbjerre.com or main@fillmatic.com
Web www.fillmatic.com
Contact Peter Poulsen/P. Bjerre Inc.

Global Systems Group

Gribetz International and Porter International of Leggett & Platt’s Global Systems Group in Sunrise, Fla., as well as Teknomac, a GSG partner company, are promoting new and re–engineered equipment for mattress manufacturing.

  • The PALS–2000 Semi–Automatic Border Label Machine from Porter International is the latest addition to the PALS auto–label machine series. The PALS–2000 stitches labels while allowing the operator to perform other tasks between loading and unloading. A range of label sizes can be programmed with zig–zag or straight stitches. Other key features include de–skilled operation, pneumatic clip assembly to hold labels, sewing area up to 6 inches by 9 inches, capability to handle materials up to 6 inches thick and high–speed operation. It can yield 500 or more labels per eight–hour shift.
  • The SSB–300U Heavy–Duty Binder from Porter International handles heavy, thick quilt panels. The multitasking machine builds a single–sided “bucket” with nonskid base or attaches a border to the mattress top panel, adding tape and flange in the same process. It’s well suited to lean manufacturing as it reduces production steps and improves productivity, according to the company. The SSB–300U prepares either side of “no–flip” bedding; has a compound walking foot for better control; allows the operator to sit down or stand up; has a single–needle, chain–stitch sewing head; eliminates preflanging; and accepts border rolls or preclosed borders.
  • The PVH–3500 Vertical Border Handle System from Porter International is designed for high–volume production. Zig–zag stitching secures precut handles to the top and bottom edges of border sections. The small, modular design makes it easy to incorporate into a plant’s existing border operation, according to the company. Other features include electronic, automatic foot lift; a self–oiling sewing head; and a needle positioner. It can produce as many as 360 queen–size borders with four handles during an eight–hour shift.
  • The PZM–2500 Compact Mattress Zipper Machine from Porter International adds zippers that join mattress borders to mattress quilt tops at the tape–edge. In an easy sewing operation, the machine allows you to sew the zipper to the border section, close the border loop, flip it over and attach it to the mattress top with binding tape, the company says. The PZM–2500 performs as many as 2,500 stitches per inch. It works with specific fit–to–length zippers, as well as roll–fed zippers. The machine can produce 180 or more queen–size removable–top mattresses per eight–hour shift.
  • B–45 Border Quilter from Gribetz International improves the efficiency of quilted border work cells by producing enough quilted border to supply two panel quilters. The machine is half the width of a typical multineedle quilter, reducing material waste and the need for frequent changes to needle settings. A built–in winder collects quilted material. Built–in slitter blades enable you to take material straight from the quilter to the border department. The B–45’s shortened material path between needle bars and slitter blades creates more accurate patterns on mattress borders, according to the company.
  • The TK306A Roll Pack Machine from Teknomac has been redesigned to accommodate larger mattresses and offers a range of product packaging options. It compresses and rolls mattresses, coil units, foam and latex. The roll pack adjusts to handle small or large units, creating a packaged product with diameters of 12 inches to 16 inches. Following compression, the machine can roll product into more symmetrical, circular shapes, which enhance shipping, storing and product presentation, the company says. Other updates include a heavier compression platen, heavier platen–drive assembly and tighter rolling of thicker mattresses.

Phone 417–358–8131, Ext. 4890
Email randy.metcalf@leggett.com
Web www.gsgcompanies.com.
Contact Randy Metcalf

IDM Instruments Pty. Ltd.

IDM Instruments Pty. Ltd., a manufacturer of testing and measuring equipment based in Hallam, Australia, showcases the Model F0025 Universal Testing Machine. The unit offers twin testing capabilities—compression testing within the inner frame and tensile testing on the outer frame. It can be used to test polyurethane foams, plastics, rubber, textiles, springs and more. The machine reduces operator fatigue and speeds production by running an array of tests without requiring a change of compression platens or tensile grips, according to the company. The testing instrument is controlled by PC–compatible proprietary software.
Phone 61–397–08–68–85
Email info@idminstruments.com.au
Web www.idminstruments.com.au
Contact Julia Lucey

MAMMUT/Nähmaschinenfabrik Emil Stutznäcker GmbH & Co. KG

The high–speed MAMMUT VMK Select Chain–Stitch Multineedle Quilter comes from machine maker Nähmaschinenfabrik Emil Stutznäcker GmbH & Co. KG with headquarters in Cologne, Germany. It has two needle bars and 64 individually programmable sewing positions as standard equipment. Options include as many as 144 sewing positions on two needle bars capable of creating patterns at speeds as high as 1,600 rpm. Pattern changes require no tools, just a touch of a button, according to the company. Every sewing position has top and bottom thread cutters. The multineedle quilter handles material up to 106 inches wide.
Phone 952–448–1935
Email info@mammut.de or info@pbjerre.com
Web www.mammut.de
Contact Peter Poulsen/P. Bjerre Inc.

MATTRESS FABRICS

Innofa
Innofa, a mattress fabric producer with world headquarters in Tilburg, Netherlands, showcases its patented AirVent, a fabric that improves mattress ventilation. According to the company, the ticking increases sleep–surface air flow, creating a more comfortable environment that helps reduce tossing and turning. Depending on mattress construction, AirVent can improve ventilation by 100% over double–knit covers of similar weight, the company says. The fabrics have breathable air grids whose placement varies from design to design. The grids can be customized to align with existing air channels in a mattress core.
Phone 31–135–29–99–60
Email job@innofa.com
Web www.innofa.com
Contact Job Dröge

OTHER PRODUCTS

Albatross USA Inc.
Albatross USA Inc., a cleaning products supplier with headquarters in Long Island City, N.Y., offers NPE II, a cleaning solvent blend. The cleaning fluid doesn’t contain any chemicals restricted or regulated by California’s Proposition 65 (the state’s Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986). Other nonflammable spot removers can contain chlorinated solvents or brominated hydrocarbons, which are Prop 65–listed chemicals that require the posting of a warning sign at all facility entrances, according to the company. NPE II will not damage fabrics and is suitable for cleaning stained bedding products.
Phone 800–233–4468
Email sales@albatross–usa.com
Web www.albatross–usa.com
Contact Paul Fields

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