Method for manufacturing essentially wrinkle-free foamed articles with an upholstery material adhering thereto and resultant article

摘要

A foam-padded article such as an auto seat cushion having an outer upholstery integrally adhered to the foam is made by vacuum forming an airtight upholstery layer to which the foam adheres and then introducing the foamable cushioning material and foaming it into contact with the formed upholstery. Controllable folds are intentionally formed in desireable locations in the article, as for example, in one or more corners of a cushion not subject to heavy wear, by pressing one or more fold-forming plates into the upholstery layer in the forming mold before the foamed cushioning material sets thereby tensioning the remainder of the layer. The apparatus yieldably clamps the edges of upholstery surrounding the area to be folded while non-yieldably clamping it in areas to be tensioned. The folds so formed may be sealed with an adhesive before foaming occurs thereby assuring more permanent tensioning of the upholstery in the product.