Making Foam Pads. A look at Lake Country Mfg

A foam pad is a foam pad, right?

Wrong! Years of research and development can go into a pad. This technology can spell the difference between a flawless, concours-winning shine or a mass of swirls.

To learn what goes into making a quality foam pad, we paid a visit to America's premier pad company, Lake Country Manufacturing. Located just outside of Milwaukee, in Hartland, Wis., Lake Country creates some of the most advanced polishing pads on the planet in their modern, 42,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility.

Lake Country Pads

42,000 Sq. Ft., Hartland, Wisconsin plant.

The story of Lake Country Mfg. goes back to the Milwaukee Tanning Company, a 108 year old family business specializing in sheepskin apparel and sheepskin buffing pads. In 1977, the owner of Milwaukee Tanning placed the company for sale. He wanted to retire and no one in the family wanted to assume over the company. It was purchased by Jim Schneider, the current Chairman, who discontinued the apparel lines, focused on increasing production of sheepskin pads and changed the name to Lake Country Manufacturing. Back then, there was a huge demand for sheepskin pads as they were being used by domestic automakers. Jim couldn't make them fast enough. For over a decade, these pads were the company's primary product.

In the early 90's, the company expanded into an emerging polishing technology, foam. Like everyone else, they made pads from domestically manufactured foam and spent countless hours researching what worked and what didn't. Collaborating closely with customers in the automotive, marine, aviation and composites industries, Lake Country quickly expanded into importing specialty foams from Europe. Today, Lake Country Mfg. supplies foam and wool pads to customers in nearly 80 countries around the world.

Lake Country Pads

Arriving at the plant, we were greeted by Jim Schneider, Chairman, Dennis Pordon, Lake Country's President and Scott McLain their Director of Sales and New Product Development . After a tour of the plant (photos below) we had an opportunity to sit down with Dennis and Scott and learn what goes into making a high quality, polishing pad.

Question: For those readers new to machine polishing or perhaps buying polishing pads from a local store, what makes one pad different or better than another?

Jim Schneider, Chairman (left)
Dennis Pordon, President (right)

Answer: Two features distinguish our best pads. First, we use various, engineered foams imported from Europe that are specifically designed for compounding, polishing and buffing. When I say "engineered" I'm referring to the fact that these foams are built to various levels of "cut" or aggressiveness. The vast majority of domestically produced foam is designed for air filtration, not polishing. These "off-the-shelf" filter foams from the U.S. and other low cost countries cannot match the quality, performance and consistency of the best European specialty foams. The pads used at the OEM level worldwide (Ford, GM, BMW, Daimler-Chrysler, Porsche, Audi, VW, etc.) including those produced by 3M are all made from European foams. In most cases, these bulk foams are substantially more expensive than domestic foams and then we have currency fluctuations, ocean shipping, customs duty and tariffs to deal with. If you're looking at a modestly priced pad at your local auto parts or department store, It's highly unlikely that they are made with a European foam.

Another factor distinguishing our pads is shape and our CCS, Closed Cell Structure technology. This technology puts a pattern of collapsed "dimples" on the surface of the pad to slow the rate of polish absorption. This technology has proven superior time after time on production and assembly lines around the world and is patent pending world wide.
	Lake Country's Advanced, CCS Technology Pads

While developed for the new super-hard, scratch-resistant clear coats, CCS pads can also be used on conventional paints and clear coats.

CCS Pockets reduce surface tension, prevent pad skipping and allow the operator to run the pad flat on the working surface.

Lake Country Pads

Q: What's wrong with a flat pad?

A: There's nothing "wrong" with a flat pad. It's just that we can optimize it's performance by reshaping it. Think of it this way. You have a car that goes 60 miles per hour and gets 20 miles to the gallon. By making the car more aerodynamic, we can make the same car go 65 miles per hour and get 22 miles to the gallon. It's the same with a foam pad. By shaping it, we can make it perform better.

For example, a flat pad has difficulty transversing body seams or transitioning over rises. When a flat pad hits a panel incline it doesn't want to go over it. It wants to cut into it. This can be a problem if you're buffing a freshly painted car on the assembly line. By rounding over the outer edge of the pad we're making it easier for the pad to transition a seam or incline without scratching or hazing the finish.

Our best 6-1/2 inch, CCS Technology Pads have rounded outer edges. We recommend these pads for dual-action polishers like the Porter Cable 7424.

Lake Country Pads

6-1/2 inch CCS Pad with rounded Outer Edge.

Our Advanced 7-1/2 inch, CCS Technology Pads feature a "mushroom cap" design. This curvature allows easy transitions over seams and inclines. We recommend these pads be used with professional circular polishers but they can be used with dual-action machines like the Porter Cable 7424 and Two Mode machines like the Makita BO6040.

These pads do not have a traditional "polish pocket" because the CCS Cells regulate polish release, reduce splatter and eliminate paint "squiggles."

Lake Country Pads

7-1/2 inch CCS Pad with mushroom cap design.

Q: Besides the type of foam used, the shape and CCS Technology, is there anything else that sets Lake Country Pads apart from competitive pads?

A: We have a patent pending on a process that bonds a layer of engineered, urethane durometer between the pad and the backing plate. This layer acts as a cushion or shock absorber between the machine, the operator and the surface being worked on. It absorbs off-axis motion while maintaining a constant and uniform pressure on the surface. We call this "Constant Pressure™" technology and include it on our best 6-1/2, 7-1/2 and 8-1/2 inch pads.

Lake Country Pads

Blue "Constant Pressure" foam backing
absorbs unwanted polishing motions.

Q: Will these Constant Pressure pads make a klutz like me a master polisher?

A: I wouldn't go that far but they do allow even the beginner to achieve a more professional-like result. Paint technicians have learned through experience to keep their machine parallel to the surface being polished. Raising or tilting the machine in any direction can exert an excessive and uneven pressure on the paint that could result in surface haze (dullness). Our Constant Pressure technology absorbs or greatly reduces unwanted motions before they can be transferred to the paint. It allows an inexperienced operator to be a little "sloppy" without fear of damaging the paint.

Q: If a person is new to machine polishing, what pads should they start with?

A: Persons new to machine polishing will typically start with a dual-action machine like the Porter Cable 7424. Our 6-1/2 inch, CCS Technology Pads were designed specifically for that type of machine. We offer

specific, engineered European foam formulas for compounding, polishing, glazing and finishing all with CCS Technology, rounded outer edges and our latest Constant Pressure backing. These pads are very easy to control, forgiving of less-than-perfect technique and yield consistently excellent results.

Q: You mention that you have pads for compounding, polishing glazing and finishing. Briefly what are each of these procedures?

A: Compounding typically refers to defect removal. You are abrading away the top paint or clear coat layer to remove a swirl, scratch or water spot. Compounding is accomplished using an abrasive polish (often called a compound) and a foam or wool pad with maximum cutting power. This abrasion may leave the surface dull. We call this dullness "compounding haze".

Polishing restores surface gloss and prepares the surface for the final wax or sealant. Polishing is done after compounding to remove compounding haze but can be done anytime to restore surface gloss, remove existing wax or sealant coatings and visually reduce minor swirls. Many different polishes are available. Some are nonabrasive (very safe for beginners) and some have mild abrasives (to remove fine swirls and spider-webbing). Polishing pads typically have a mild "cut" that offers gentle cleaning without creating surface haze.

Glazing or finessing is a step used by professionals and show car owners to obtain maximum light reflection and/or liquidity. Glazes are typically polishes without any cleaning ability. They will "wet" the surface with oils to maximize surface gloss and may contain fillers to hide minor defects not removed by polishing. Glazing is done after polishing but before applying the final wax or sealant. Glazing pads are softer than polishing pads, typically having no or almost no cleaning or cutting ability.

Finishing refers to applying the final wax or paint sealant. Finishing pads are the softest of all foam pads. They should almost float over the surface. Finishing pads have no cutting or cleaning power. They can also be used to build up layers of wax or apply one sealant on top of another. Waxes and sealants are typically applied by machine and buffed by hand using a Microfiber Buffing Cloth.

Q: How should you clean and care for foam pads?

A: I'm not a big fan of machine washing. I prefer to soak pads in a bucket of soapy water or use a pad cleaning solution like our Snappy Clean Pad Cleaner. Thoroughly rinse pads, (a garden hose works great), hand wring out excess water and allow to air dry. That's it. Clean pads after each use and they will last for years. Do not allow polish and wax residues to dry in the pad. The biggest cause of pad

failure or pads creating swirls is from improperly cleaned (dirty) pads.

This concludes our interview and tour of Lake Country Manufacturing. I would like to thank Jim Schneider, Lake Country's Chairman, Dennis Pordon, Lake Country's President and Scott McLain their Director of Sales and New Product Development for their time and hospitality.

VELCRO® is a registered trademark of Velcro Industries B.V.

Making a foam polishing pad:

Lake Country Pads

Pallets of 2-ply and 3-ply sheets of European, engineered foams
ready to be stamped into the latest CCS Technology, Constant Pressure Pads.


Foam sheets are die cut to the appropriate size.	Here, Scott McLain removes a center plug on a just-cut, CCS pad.

Die cut foam circles can then go to a milling machine for edge shaping.	Hook and loop backing discs are silk screened with the customer's name and part number.

After drying, backs are ready to be applied to the foam pad.	Hook-and-Loop backing is centered on the pad.

The backing discs are then thermally bonded to the foam pad.	Lastly, pads are shrink wrapped and sent by conveyer belt for packing.

VELCRO® is a registered trademark of Velcro Industries B.V.