Foams and foam products are increasingly finding their way into the domestic DIY arena. Care, however, should be taken when choosing the right foams for the right job.

EPDM rubber foam rolls and foam sheets, for example, are excellent for protecting a flat roof from the elements, including extreme heat and torrential rain. They are also easy and perfectly safe to cut to size. As flexible foams, varieties of EPDM can also be cut up and made to fit into awkward nooks and crannies where draughts and water infiltration are a problem.

When it comes to rigid foams, on the other hand, foam sheets made from polyester foams have proven to be easy-to-install but highly effective wall insulation panels.

On many occasions however, the wrong type of foam can be chosen for an application.

A very basic example of using the wrong type of foam is employing a soft, natural sponge for cleaning a rough surface whereas tougher, cellulose sponges would work more effectively.

A more complex example is in mistakenly using open cell foams for roof insulation purposes where the climate is cold. Such open cells – or pores – will fail to block the transfer of warm moisture from inside the house, thus allowing it to condense on contact with the cold underside of the roof; which can in turn lead to damp problems.

There may of course be times when a professional should be called in. At Technical Foam Services however, we can make sure you at least buy the correct, and most cost-effective, foam for your household needs.

When choosing the most appropriate foam for a commercial application it is strongly advisable that all options are kept well and truly open; foams vary considerably, not only in what they are capable of, but also in what they could potentially be capable of.

Polyurethane, or ‘PU’ foam, for example, cover a wide gamut of applications, depending on their pore – or ‘cell’ – structure. Not only do PU foam products range from toys to industrial filters, they have also been developed as specialist engineered foam solutions. An example is found in memory foam, or visco memory foam, for use in bedding mattresses. These PU confor foams respond to shape and body heat to provide full body support. Such slow recovery foams have since also been employed in other areas where a similar comfortable, supportive fit is required, such as sports helmets.

It could be the case, however, that polyethylene, or ‘PE’, foams are more appropriate. PE foams are found in applications as diverse as swimming aids and insulation materials. PE foams have also been developed as highly protective, moisture-resistant foams for the packaging of delicate and vulnerable items. Such foams include plastazote and jiffycell.

With such a varied choice of foam materials, it is essential to choose a foam producer that does not limit its offerings to one type of foam but, on the contrary, is willing to explore the pros and cons of all known foam options available.

We at Technical Foam Services can do this and much more: we regularly develop unique engineered foam solutions on behalf of our customers’ needs.

One of the more exciting aspects of foam is that it not only serves as a general bulk material for domestic and commercial usage (in the form, say, of foam blocks, foam sheets or foam rolls); but it can also be adapted by engineers into precision tools and components.

Many photocopiers, for example, rely on foam products such as toner measuring blades, paper transfer rollers, and solid moulded foam housings in order to work effectively. As well as the fact that being heat-resistant and impervious to chemical compounds makes such foam products perfectly suited to the inside of a photocopying machine, these applications also demonstrate the ingenuity on the part of the foam producer in generating such high quality machined foam.

Foam technology, however, is not only concerned with producing different shaped foams; it can also be used to modify the very structure of foams. Specially engineered foam of this nature will often vary in the size and structure of its pores, or ‘cells’.

Air or water filters, for example, can be developed with cells that are larger or smaller depending on the nature of the particles that require trapping. The structure of these cells can also regulate the speed at which the air or liquid is required to pass through.

Foams can also be engineered to precise specifications designated for particular medical uses such as absorbency in wound dressings or in breathing assistance devices.

At Technical Foam Services we can identify the most efficient ways in which foam can meet your specific needs.

Synthetic rubber is used in a variety of applications. In many cases however rubber foams can prove more effective than standard rubber.

Rubber foams are produced by creating air pockets – or ‘cells’ – in a standard rubber, by introducing a ‘blowing agent’ into the rubber. The results are either rubber open cell foams – in which air or liquids are free to move in and around the cells (sponge rubber); or rubber closed cell foams in which air or gas is trapped in the cells and where damage to one section of the foam does not impact on its other areas.

Rubber foams possess all the benefits of standard rubber but ultimately provide more cushioning and greater flexibility.

Neoprene foam for example is, like neoprene itself, highly impermeable to degradation by sunlight, ozone, and general weathering. It is also highly chemical resistant. However, as a foam rubber, Neoprene affords a much greater degree of stretch, and, can also provide better resistance to abrasion. Diving suits made from closed cell neoprene foam, for example, stretch to fit more snugly around the body, and are much less likely to puncture or tear.

Similarly, PVC nitrile foam shares the benefits of standard nitrile rubber, including being resistant to oil, acids, high temperatures, and many chemicals. As foam, however, its increased cushioning protection gives maximum support when used in items such as exercise mats.

At Technical Foam Services, one of the UK’s leading foam rubber suppliers, we can demonstrate more ways in which rubber foams can often go one better than standard rubber.

It is often thought that all cleaning sponges and applicator sponges are much the same. A closer examination however reveals that particular types of sponge are more suitable for certain tasks than others.

All sponges share a capacity for absorbing and holding liquid. This is because they all have multiple air pockets or ‘cells’ which are ‘open’; in other words, liquid is able to flow without hindrance from one cell to another. When pressure is subsequently applied to the sponge the liquid is expelled from the cells at a rate dependent on the degree of pressure applied.

The key factors in deciding which type of sponge to use are the softness and durability of the sponge material.

Cellulose sponges, for example, benefit from a very resilient fibrous quality which is largely derived from the processing of wood pulp. As such, cellulose sponges are highly effective at cleaning hard, unyielding surfaces such as plaster walls without the sponge breaking up or flaking easily.

A natural sponge on the other hand, whilst being fairly resilient, is much softer and kinder to vulnerable surfaces like human skin or delicate paintwork. It is often recommended, for example, that natural sponges be used as bath sponges for infants.

Sponges made from polyurethane foams, or PU foams, meanwhile, are often favoured for use in applications such as industrial pipe cleaning, owing to their smooth, non-abrasive character.

At Technical Foam Services we are not just a UK foam exporter, we can also offer advice on – and provide – all types of synthetic and natural sponge.

In industrial and commercial spheres, polyurethane, or ‘PU’, foams are well known as the basis for a variety of applications. Their low weight, ease of handling, and capacity for being supplied as foam blocks, foam sheets, or as shaped foams, make PU foams ideal material for everything from filters through to insulators, and to furnishings. Deciding to use PU foams however is not as straightforward as many businesses might be led to believe. There are in fact two main variations of PU foam: polyether foams and polyester foams; each with their own distinct characteristics.

Polyether foams have a softer feel than polyester foams and are therefore ideal for use in applications where comfort or protection are at a premium, such as sports apparel, packaging and medical equipment. Polyether foam is also highly waterproof and strongly resistant to fungus growth.

Polyester foams, on the other hand, have a greater tensile strength than polyether foams and are also more resistant to chemicals, UV light and heat. Polyester foams also have more uniformly spaced air pockets or ‘cells’ than polyether foams, rendering them more effective for absorbing sound waves and for trapping dust and dirt when used as the basis for the manufacture of air filters.

To complicate matters further, both polyester and polyether foams are also available in a number of different grades, each grade displaying particular characteristics suitable for very specific applications.

At Technical Foam Services our experts will guide you through the maze of different PU foams available and find the best version for your requirements.

Rubber is an ‘elastomer’ – in other words it is capable of flexing and stretching following the application of force. It will then immediately regain its original shape once that force has been removed.

It is important when choosing rubber to identify the degree to which the rubber is required to yield, as this will affect which type of rubber is chosen. In applications where increased flexibility may be needed, it may be wise to select sponge rubber or rubber foams over standard rubber, as the former are far more responsive than ordinary rubber. Types of rubber foam include Neoprene, EPDM and PVC Nitrile.

An example where sponge rubber is widely used is in the manufacture of table tennis bats. Most modern table tennis players prefer their bats to be covered with a layer of sponge rubber rather than the thin pimpled rubber layer found on more traditional bats. This is because the extra springiness of sponge rubber increases the speed of play and adds more spin to the balls as they are hit.

Another example of sponge rubber being used is in the form of adhesive strips around windows and doors for effective weatherproofing. Like standard rubber, sponge rubber provides an effective insulating, waterproof seal. The flexibility of sponge rubber, however, makes it so much easier to bend the strips and then secure in place with the adhesive backing, thus achieving a tight-fitting seal even around the most awkwardly-shaped areas.

At Technical Foam Services, we can identify the most appropriate and cost-effective flexible foams for all your needs, including rubber foams and sponge rubber.

In a world of e-commerce, in which both retail and business to business sales are predicted to become ever more reliant on delivery services, the need for appropriate, economical packaging becomes all the more crucial. In this world, various grades of foam are already playing a vital part.

High density polyethylene, or PE, foams such as Plastazote and jiffycell, for example, are non-abrasive, chemically inert foams that are highly shock-absorbent, moisture resistant, and temperature resistant. Such foams are therefore ideal for protecting highly delicate or vulnerable items, regardless of the distance travelled, local temperature variations, or the number of occasions the package is handled during its journey. PE foams will also insulate sensitive technical instruments from the effects of static electricity.

In addition, because such packaging PE foams are what are known as closed cell foams, the unlikely chance that any damage does occur to one part of the foam will have no impact on the rest of the foam. PE foams of this nature therefore contrast favourably with other packaging formats such as inflated air bags which can easily become pierced.

Other types of packaging foam include polyurethane, or PU, foams such as undulating ‘egg-crate’ polyether foams and Chipfoam.

The advantage that all foams share is that despite their high protection levels they are still relatively light and therefore help to minimise transport costs. They can also be easily machined or shaped so as to fit around particular items in a precise and secure way.

At Technical Foam Services, we can produce a variety of shaped foams and machined foam for all packaging needs.

Many domestic, artisan and recreational challenges are often solved on an ad hoc basis through the use of foam; bright individuals are often intuitively drawn to the flexible, absorbent, or insulating qualities of foam when looking to repair, fill or replace items, or even when creating new items from scratch. Rather than improvising solutions from foam however, it is often very easy and inexpensive to secure bespoke machined foam products from a specialist foam producer.

A prime example of machined foam products in use can be found in the film and theatrical industries. Rather than improvising safe but rather unconvincing-looking props such as axes from pieces of wood, plastic or foam joined with tape, a range of realistic-looking, simulated props can instead be created by machining, say, one of the appropriate grades of polyurethane, or PU, foams. Similarly, some grades of polyethylene, or PE foams, can be used to create very realistic-looking theatrical face masks.

It is only a short step away from such specialist uses where one sees such machined foam products also being applied to other applications. Promotional and recreational items such as foam dice and large foam hands, for example, are safe and relatively cheap to produce; yet like their theatrical counterparts, are also highly visually effective.

Moving further along the continuum one also sees machined face masks made from PE foams being used in a protective, rather than ornamental, capacity in various sporting environments.

At Technical Foam Services we are a UK foam company that can also produce a variety of machined foam for all your needs and at highly competitive rates.

Foam is an increasingly popular material, but it is crucial however to understand when, and why, foam should be given preference over other available materials. Firstly, foam products are relatively lightweight; foams are made by inflating a substance with gas or air by way of a ‘blowing agent’ which creates pockets or ‘cells’ in the substance.

Secondly, foam products are extremely durable. Depending on the substance used to create the foam, and the way it is chemically treated, a foam can be highly resistant to heat, tearing, puncturing, light, mould, sound waves, and even the full effects of fire.

A third point is that several options are available to the foam producer in terms of:

• whether to create rigid or flexible foams
• whether to produce open cell or closed cell foams (in other words whether air or water can flow easily between cells – as in a sponge; or whether such movement between cells is blocked – as in a padded exercise mat);
• whether to increase or decrease the density – or weight – of the foam (foam bedding mattresses, for example, can be denser than sofa cushions)

Finally, specially engineered foam can be made with precision-built filtering qualities for use in certain medical or industrial applications.

Indeed, foam is suitable for all applications other than those where a more heavy duty solid material such as UPVC plastic is needed, or where the touch and feel of natural materials such as wood is preferred.

At Technical Foam Services our experts can demonstrate the benefits of various foams for a wide range of applications.