The next episode of Tale of the Tape is here! Matt Tempelis walks us through a few common types of closed cell polyfoams and their advantages. In part one of this mini series, Matt covers Low Density Polyethylene Foam, Expanded Polystyrene Foam, and Expanded Polyethylene Foam.
Interested in learning more? Check back soon for part two!
Transcript:
Hello, and welcome to another episode of Tale of the Tape. I'm Matt Tempelis, President of Engineered Materials and your Minister of Tape. Today, I'll be taking the first in a series of deep dives in the most common types of closed cell foams and their advantages. Most specifically, today, we'll be talking about polyfoams that are on the lower end of the cost spectrum, that are great for cushioning agents and insulators, used a lot in packaging as well as construction, but they're also used for those same purposes within the manufacture of durable goods. Remember, closed cell foams are great for gasketing, seals, and as insulators because within the cellular structure they actually form and trap air within that structure and make for very low air and moisture intrusion, thus making great seals and insulators. We'll be focusing today on low density polyethylene foam, expanded polystyrene foam, and expanded polyethylene foam. Low density polyethylene foams come in both extruded and bun form that can be skived down into the thickness of your choice. Often known by Sealed Air's brand name, Ethafoam®, this product is used a lot in packaging. You can see by the cell structure it's quite open, which keeps costs down while also providing a great cushion. It comes in density ranges from 1.5 pounds to 9.6 pounds (per cubic foot), but at the same time, your most common pounds (per cubic foot) that we see in industry are 1.7 up to 4, but often 1.7 to 2.2. Great tensile and tear and cushioning values. Not great as an insulator. Generally speaking, you see this a lot in any application in packaging within. If you're trying to to hold something within a box and keep it well cushioned, at the same time, it's a great cushioning agent used in industry.
Expanded polystyrene is better known by the ubiquitous brand name Styrofoam™. It's a rigid, beaded product that is produced in density ranges from 1 pound to 2.5 pounds (per cubic foot). When it's produced, it's extruded into very large blocks, and then those can be skived down to the thickness of your choosing. It also can be injection molded into specific parts. It is a low cost insulator and protector. Thus, it's used quite a bit in packaging applications. You will see this all over construction sites as an insulator for walls, and it's also used often as an insulator in the production of HVAC systems as well as appliance products. Expanded polyethylene foams come in bun form and can be skived to the thickness of your choice. Typical density ranges from 1 pound per cubic foot to 4.6 pounds. They're a great flexible foam as a great cushioning agent that can absorb a lot of shock. It's a beaded product, as you can see here, from this 1.4 pound per cubic foot product that we have. It has got excellent insulation values. The K-value Imperial is 0.25, so very very good insulator. It is used a lot for packaging, custom packaging applications, but can be used as a cushioning and insulating agent within industry. We've touched on a few lower cost closed cell polyfoams in this episode. We have these and many other closed cell foams in-house to make parts for your application. We'll see you next time on Tale of the Tape.
