PU Foam Technology (OCF)

Over the last fifty years, we have witnessed not only revolutions in industry, technology, communication but also in the quality of construction. Only decades ago, housing was focused on having a stable roof over our heads with heating systems based on burning wood or coal in a stove. Today, quality of housing is measured in ways nobody could have conceived before.

At the same time, people have never consumed more energy than they do today. But we have never had more options than ever before to limit this consumption, either. Using the right construction materials to optimize performance as well as durability, will make sure any investment in housing or general construction will optimize quality and limit residential energy consumption.

Many synthetic materials have only appeared decades ago, but they have entered the construction industry at an impressive pace. Due to their unique set of properties, these materials replaced existing construction systems and have now become commodities. One such product is polyurethane construction foam.

Construction foam is typically supplied in a can to be extruded on the job site. It will physically connect materials, insulate, render airtight but let water vapour migrate through it. Using the product takes no more than minutes and it will typically cure in little over an hour. All of these properties – and many more – have made polyurethane construction foam (or ‘OCF’ in short) appear on millions of sites around the world. This unique set of properties has enabled construction professionals to improve the installation of doors and windows with a reliable, fast and efficient “OCF” solution.

Given the numerous advantages it exhibits, no wonder OCF has become a commodity in the construction world. However, it is striking that no official standards have been developed for this family of products. If some commercial claims about OCF properties seem optimistic, how can consumers check if those claims are valid? And will any given product be sufficient for the requirements of all construction applications?

To answer these questions, the majority of the European OCF industry has joined forces to develop industry standards to measure performance of this unique product. Within the European FEICA organisation, which represents the leading adhesive and sealant manufacturers in Europe, a number of OCF manufacturers, have developed testing methods which could be universally adopted.

The first goal is to define a completely transparent set of measurement methods, any interested party can use to measure performance of the product. The manufacturers themselves have also agreed to adopt these methods, in order to make product performance more transparent for any consumer to compare. As a further step, the industry will try and set a number of performance requirements related to a given type of application. As such, the requirements for the installation of window frames, the placing of interior doors or filling of all kinds of gaps will certainly be addressed.

The first “Feica OCF testing methods” have been published on the Feica website in the first half of 2010, so all interested parties have access to all details of these testing procedures. Feica will continue to communicate on the progress of this initiative, so the market will be able to appreciate all properties of the OCF in full detail.