From packaging to acoustics to mattress toppers, people recognize eggcrate foam, also known as convoluted foam, the second they see it. The peak-and-valley pattern cushion provides much more than something interesting to look at though. An egg mattress topper offers superior pressure relief, the design diffuses sound acoustically, and in packaging it is a soft but secure shipping solution.

While many people recognize eggcrate foam, few understand how it is made. Not surprisingly, the manufacturing of this interesting material is also unique and yet another reason it is such an economical and efficient product in all of its uses.

Convoluted packaging foam, mattress toppers or sound treatment all start out the same way: in a solid sheet form. Sheets of foam, typically up to four inches thick but long and wide enough to be a mattress or topper, are fed into the machine which features two special rollers. These rollers are made up of alternating studs that create areas of greater and lesser compression as it goes through the machine. Between the two rollers is a sharp blade that passes through the compressed foam. The area of foam under a stud results in the peak because more material is compressed under the blade through pressure and the areas under less pressure form a valley. This cutting technique produces two reciprocating sections of eggcrate from the original sheet, creating two products from a single manufacturing run.

This two-for-one technique makes eggcrate an incredibly economical material to produce, which in turn makes it affordable to the customer. This efficiency in manufacturing, combined with its utility makes eggcrate one of the most useful foam products available.