Design cuts used for foam bedding products are often referred to as convoluted or computer cut. The intricacy and design of the required look will determine what type of machine is used to make the foam products.

Convolute cutting

A common design cut in the manufacturing of economic bed covers. The unique “egg crate” pattern provides more cushion than flat foam since the coned peaks absorb physical stress and provide for better weight distribution. The material also permits more air circulation, and many hospitals use medical grade convoluted foam as bedding material to reduce the risk of bedsores.

Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) cutting

A far more precise cutting method, CNC cutting is used for shapes and contours that are more than geometric and linear. These intricate shapes can be designed and programmed into a computerized machine, allowing for more flexibility in design. Although very beneficial in achieving specialized designs, the CNC cutting method is more time efficient and thus more expensive.

GeoTech cutting

This method of cutting offers consumers more foam with more support than traditional egg crate convolutes. The proprietary patented process takes a slab piece of foam and runs it through a blade cutting system to create individual cells or “cushions.” By creating these cushions, a structured mobility is engineered to provide support to each pressure point applied to it.

Molding

Molded foams are used in bedding products, specifically latex and viscose, but are more commonly used in auto, furniture or recreational products where design precision, flexibility and accuracy are imperative. A shape or form is cast, and a reverse mold is created from this form and filled with foam polymer. Once this cast mold is created it can then be used to repeatedly reproduce the shape. Cast molds themselves, are more expensive to manufacture, and the quantity output for these foam products are dependent on the amount of molds created.