How do I resolve mattress quality issues?

This article explains how to resolve quality issues with the mattresses that the AIRplus Inflator produces. It covers poor seals and air chambers that are too soft or too firm. For power problems, error codes, and film jams, see the article on resolving issues with the AIRplus Inflator on the Soku support page.

In most cases, you will never need this article. The AIRplus Inflator comes with standard settings that work well in almost every situation. The inflator also has sensors that keep the quality consistent on their own. Almost anyone can open the Soku Fieldkit and start producing mattresses, without any training in advance.

If you do see a quality issue, you can resolve most of it with three settings on the control panel: the sealing temperature, the air volume, and the film feed speed (the speed at which the film moves through the machine). These three settings are also the only settings you can adjust without a Soku technician. Change only one setting at a time, in small steps. After each change, produce one mattress and check it.

Before you start

• Change only one setting at a time. After a change, check a new mattress before you change anything else.
• Write down the current settings before you change them. This lets you return to them later.
• Make small changes. The machine values are not fixed. There is no single correct value, and the best setting can change with the conditions. Always adjust by the result you see on the mattress.
• You can adjust the settings while the machine runs, or while the machine is stopped.

Tip: Note the current sealing temperature, air volume, and film feed speed before you start. This makes it easy to go back if a change does not help.

How to recognize a good mattress

• A good mattress has strong, fully closed seals along the side of the mattress.
• The air chambers are evenly filled. The mattress feels supportive, not hard.

Use these two points as your target when you make adjustments.

Keep production as continuous as possible

Stop the inflation as little as possible. When you start and stop the machine very often, some air chambers can fill less than the others. For even quality, produce the mattresses in a continuous run whenever you can.

Poor or weak seals

The air chambers are sealed along the side of the mattress. This is where the AIRplus Inflator fills each chamber with air and then seals it shut. A good seal fuses the film layers firmly together. The seal must be hot enough to fuse the layers, but not so hot that the film melts and becomes weak.

How to recognize it: The film layers at the seal come apart, or the seal is pulled open. An air chamber then loses air.

Cause: The sealing temperature is too low or too high. Too much air volume, or a film feed speed that is too high, can also cause a poor seal.

What to do:

1. Look closely at the seals along the side of the mattress.
2. If the film layers come loose and are not fused together, the sealing temperature is too low. Raise the sealing temperature in small steps.
3. If the seals are pulled apart, the sealing temperature is too high. The film has melted and become weak. Lower the sealing temperature in small steps.
4. If the seals are still poor, lower the air volume in small steps.
5. If the seals are still poor, lower the film feed speed in small steps. A lower speed gives the seals more time to form.
6. After each change, produce one mattress and check the seal.

Air chambers too soft

How to recognize it: The mattress feels soft. It does not support the user well.

Cause: The air volume is too low, or the film feed speed is too high.

What to do:

1. Raise the air volume in small steps.
2. If the mattress is still too soft, lower the film feed speed in small steps. A lower speed gives the air chambers more time to fill.
3. After each change, produce one mattress and check it.

Air chambers too firm

How to recognize it: The mattress feels hard. The air chambers are tight.

Cause: The air volume is too high.

What to do:

1. Lower the air volume in small steps.
2. After each change, produce one mattress and check it.

Note: A mattress that is too firm lowers sleep quality. It also puts stress on the seals and can shorten the life of the mattress. Do not fill the air chambers more than needed.

When the issue continues

If the seals or the fill level stay poor after several small changes, stop production. Always check the latest instructions on the Soku support page before a large deployment. Contact your Soku supplier or Soku Support if you need further assistance.