Understand How Eggcrate Foam is Made

In packaging, acoustics and mattress toppers, people recognize eggcrate or convoluted foam the second they see it. The material’s peak-and-valley patterning does much more than provide something interesting to look at, however. An egg mattress topper offers excellent pressure relief, the pattern in acoustics can diffuse sound, and in packaging it offers a very cushioning pad.

But while many individuals can identify eggcrate foam, not many understand how it’s made. Not surprisingly, the way this material is created is as unique as its appearance, and another reason that it’s such an economical and efficient product.

Convoluted packaging foam, mattress toppers or sound treatment all begin as a solid sheet of foam. Generally up to four inches thick, the sheets are fed into a convoluter machine, which has two rotating rollers. These feature alternating studs that create areas of greater and lesser pressure in the foam as it is passed through the machine. Between the two rollers is an incredibly sharp blade that slices through the foam as the rollers pull it through. The spots on the foam under a stud end up with a peak because more material is compressed under the blade when it cuts through. The areas with less pressure form valleys. This cutting method results in two reciprocating foam to size sheets generated from the original; a two-for-one manufacturing run.

This efficient cutting technique makes eggcrate foam an incredibly economical material to produce, which in turn makes it more affordable to the customer. This efficiency in manufacturing, combined with its numerous uses makes eggcrate one of the most useful foam products available.