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Foaming Simulation: Digital processing of polyurethane systems

Transform your polyurethane process with our in-house foam simulation solution. Digital twins of our PU systems predict the foaming behavior with high accuracy and enable our customers to optimize their processing setups. Speed up your time-to-market and achieve superior product performance, while reducing costly physical trials and mitigating risks.

Story · September 12, 2025

The foundation: Building digital material twins

Since inventing polyurethane in 1937, an experience of 85+ years of formulation and processing excellence has been gained that Covestro builds upon - now digitalized in our proprietary foaming simulation solution. Our tailor-made solution integrates sophisticated material characterization with advanced numerical modeling that captures the reactive chemistry of polyurethane systems. We incorporate the most comprehensive chemical understanding possible, tracking reaction kinetics and chemo-rheological behavior with unprecedented accuracy, enabling simulation-driven decision-making. Experience the chemical heritage of Covestro transformed into digital precision for your next innovation.

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Our polyurethane foaming simulation

Building blocks for our digital material twins

  • Formulation

    Use information from PU system formulation as input for the digital material twin.

    Formulation

  • Experiment

    Perform experiments to characterize the PU materials and their processing behavior towards condition change.

    Experiment

  • Validation

    Cross-check with real PU processing data on the quality of simulation outcome.

    Validation

  • Optimization

    Run optimization loop based on state-of-the-art high performance computing technology.

    Optimization

Explore Possibilities

See what´s possible by exploring the following list of application examples:

Our simulation solution predicts foam flow patterns in open or closed mold filling processes for instrument panels with high accuracy. With our expert support, our simulation results help you to identify potential defects like air entrapments and ensuring desired aesthetics and functionality. They visualize material distribution throughout complex geometries, enabling optimization of gate locations and venting plans for consistent quality and dimensional stability. Transform your development workflow by virtually testing different pouring scenarios or different mold tilting angles before physical trials. Learn more: IP foaming simulation | Covestro

Our simulation accurately models the injection of liquid PU-reaction mixture and the pentane-driven expansion of the resulting polyurethane foam e.g. for refrigerator insulation. Explore various injection strategies considering single-point and multi-point injection with various output scenarios to optimize material distribution and evaluate the feasibility of foaming cabinet designs. The simulations help you identifying potential flow issues and density variations across complex cabinet geometries, ensuring consistent properties while minimizing material usage. We invite you to leverage our virtual prototyping capabilities while designing your product containing a molded PU-foam to prevent expensive production issues and to enable optimal product performance for enhanced consumer satisfaction.

Our simulation models polyurethane foam systems for EV battery cell encapsulation, predicting material flow around sensitive components, addressing critical safety and performance requirements unique to EV battery systems. The simulation enables you to optimize robot path for precise material application, enabling optimal coverage and foam distribution throughout complex battery pack geometries. By using our digital solution, you can identify potential flow issues and thermal hotspots during processing, enable stable battery production while minimizing material usage and weight.

Our simulation accurately models rigid polyurethane foam systems in continuous production lines, predicting the complex interplay of material laydown, density evolution, and curing behavior throughout the production process. The simulations enable optimization of process conditions such as belt speed, laydown patterns, and temperature profile with the overarching goal to improve product properties and production efficiency. The simulation solution identifies potential issues like uneven rising and density, when virtually testing recipes and process parameters variations. Thus, ensuring product quality.

Our simulation models multicomponent polyurethane foam systems, predicting the interaction and weld line formation between different foam formulations with distinct properties. Leverage our visualization of the material flow, expansion behavior, and interface development throughout complex geometries to enable you that your product has the desired properties in the right place.

Key benefits

  • Accelerated Development:

    Eliminate costly trial-and-error cycles with virtual prototyping

  • Material Selection:

    We support you to select the right material for your use case

  • Quality Improvement:

    Fine-tune process parameters and tool design

  • Formulation Flexibility:

    Quickly assess impacts of formulation changes

  • Cost Reduction:

    Minimize material waste and production downtime

  • Risk Mitigation

    Identify potential processing issues before production begins

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