There’s no denying the immense potential of foam. This material can be adapted to suit a hugely diverse set of requirements and it is used in nearly all spheres of modern life. It’s now hard to imagine our society without the many and varied uses of flexible foams.

However, if your company is to make the very most of this resource, it’s important that you find a UK foam company capable of meeting all your needs and making your ideas a reality.

Look no further

This is where we come in. Here at Technical Foam Services we’re perfectly placed to assist you and we offer a comprehensive service that sets us apart from our rivals. Our expert in-house engineering department enables us to work with you at each stage of the process, ensuring that the end results are just what you have in mind.

The jewel in our crown

Our engineering department is the jewel in our crown. Led by engineering manager Tom Wallace, who has nearly three decades’ experience in the foam conversion industry, it enables us to offer you the most efficient and wide ranging services around.

You’re bound to be impressed by the quality and choice of engineered foam products we supply. This means you can really let your imagination run wild.

Hands-on

As well as maintaining and servicing all of our machinery ourselves, we also design and build bespoke tooling and machines in-house to produce prototypes and completely new products. This means we don’t have to look elsewhere when it comes to innovation.

It’s worth noting that we’re the only UK-based foam and rubber suppliers with this capability. Many suppliers sub-contract their engineering capacity and this can lead to confusion, delay and inflexibility.

A superior and bespoke service

Our service includes:

• Bespoke tooling capability
• The widest range of processing and shaping capabilities
• Custom-built machinery for new products
• Fast development and production of prototypes
• In-house design and production services
• A personal approach to customer requirements
• A deep understanding of the raw materials and processes
• Highly maintained machinery that helps ensure uninterrupted service and quality

Raw materials

You may also be interested to discover that we collaborate with the planet’s best-known raw material suppliers so that we can develop and produce the most innovative and high quality products around. This also enables us to meet even the most specific demands of our clients.

Honesty

When you come to us looking for flexible foams or anything else, you can rest assured you’ll benefit from an honest response. Indeed, we pride ourselves on our openness and integrity.

You’re always welcome to visit our factory and we’ll be honest about what we can and can’t do for you. If we can’t help you, we’ll say so and we’ll even endeavour to forward you onto a firm that may better fit the bill.

More details

If you like what you’ve read so far and think we may be perfectly placed to progress with your foam project, just take a look around the rest of our website or get in touch with our friendly and helpful team.

Coming up with new and innovative consumer products is not an easy task these days. Indeed, there are times when it seems everything which can be done, has been done.

However, it is important not to lose sight of your goals, especially if developing and selling new products is your bread and butter. Whilst it may be tempting to look into overly elaborate solutions and try and dream up new products which are somewhat convoluted in their design, it is worth remembering that it is often the simplest ideas which go on to have the greatest effect. Moreover, it is also the case that products made from easy to manufacture materials are often the ones which turn out to be the biggest money spinners.

Foam rollers are perhaps the perfect illustration of this.

What is a Foam Roller?

A foam roller is simply a long cylindrical piece of extruded hard-celled foam. Think of those long, noodle-type things you see kids playing with in swimming pools; they are like them, only a little denser and larger in diameter.

What Does a Foam Roller do?

In essence, foam rollers are devices which provide soft tissue massage for the masses. They first came about when athletics coaches and personal trainers observed how the performances of elite level athletes improved after they experienced soft tissue work (massage). Indeed, many coaches and trainers considered the question: ‘How can I mass-produce ‘massage’ or soft tissue work for large groups of athletes at a reasonable cost?’ and low and behold, the foam roller was born.

Initial Use

Physical Therapist Mike Clark is credited with exposing the athletic and physical therapy communities to the foam roller and to what he called ‘self myofascial release’ (essentially, self-massage). Clarke published a manual which included a few photos of self-myofascial release techniques using a foam roller. These techniques illustrated in very simple terms how athletes could use a foam roller in conjunction with their own bodyweight (and usually a therapist) to apply pressure to areas of the body which felt sore. Indeed, rolling the relevant area of the body on this foam aid enabled athletes to mitigate the effects of ‘trigger points’, ‘knots’ or more simply ‘areas of increased muscle density’ and relieve themselves of the discomfort they caused.

Foam Rollers Today

Although foam rollers were initially used in an acupressure type way, they are now seen as being very much a tool for self-massage. To be sure, foam rolls are now most commonly used to apply longer more sweeping strokes to the long muscle groups like the calves, adductors and quadriceps and deliver small directed amounts of force to areas like the TFL (Tensor Fascia Latae), hip rotators and glute medius.

So don’t lose hope; persevere with the simple ideas and one day soon you too will be approaching foam suppliers like us here at Technical Foam Services with an idea to make foam products which will fly off the shelves!

Although we here at Technical Foam Services are perhaps most well known for our state-of-the-art foam products and solutions, we are equally proud of some of our more ‘old school’ offerings. Indeed, we have long considered items like sponges to be our ‘bread and butter’ as these are things which people everywhere need to keep themselves, and their valuables, nice and clean.

Foam Sponges

Sponges are of course the ideal option for all types of cleaning. To be sure, the offerings we provide here at Technical Foam Services can be manufactured to carry out a number of different cleaning uses, from natural bath time sponges to heavy duty car cleaning sponges.

Below is a brief rundown of the sponges we offer and how they can be used.

Sponges for Bath Time

Everybody needs a sponge or two in their bathroom. After all, if you don’t give yourself a thorough clean on a regular basis then potentially harmful bacteria will build up on your body and increase the chances of you catching detrimental viruses and developing health complications. Although our high-quality manufactured sponges can help any bath time to be a truly relaxing affair, natural sponges can be especially good choices when it comes to bathing young children. The reason for this is that their ultra-soft construction is perfect for sensitive skin, therefore it can brush away dirt or grime with unrivalled gentleness.

Natural Sponges

We here at Technical Foam Services are the largest importer and distributor of natural sea sponges in the United Kingdom. Indeed, if you have recently bought a natural sponge from a leading British retailer, such as Tesco, Sainsbury’s or Morrison’s, then chances are that we will have supplied it.

There are several different types of natural sponges. For instance, there is the ever popular honeycomb sponge, which many people consider to be one of the best sponges money can buy. Then there are sponges made from grass and wool. These are ideal for personal bathing as they have an incredibly resilient texture and offer super-impressive levels of absorbency. In addition to the aforementioned options, there are also sponges made from silk. These are perfect for ladies (or modern gents) looking for facial and cosmetic appliers as they have a wonderfully smooth surface.

Sponges for Car Care

In addition to our natural sponges for personal bathing, we also manufacture sponges which are designed for more industrial purposes, such as cleaning cars. The car care sponges we offer are made out of tough absorbent materials that are able to retain a great deal of water; therefore you can be sure they will be as effective as can be when you are using them to give your pride and joy its own personal bath on a Sunday morning! In addition, you can also rest assured you will get the best product available as all of our manufactured sponges are tested under the most stringent conditions to ensure that they are 100% perfect before they are released for sale.

Foam is a very versatile material which in its various forms can be used in a whole host of different fields and industry sectors. Indeed, foam-based products have now become commonplace in homes and workplaces everywhere as well for a whole swathe of leisure, safety and scientific purposes.

However, there is one field where foams have made a very significant difference in the last half a century – medical health.

To be sure, engineered foams of all kinds are now used in hospitals, doctors’ surgeries, care homes and rehabilitation centres all over the world. Below are some of the most well known ways in which these foams are used

Wound Dressings

Hydrophilic, PU and PVA foams are all used to make highly effective wound dressings. In general, hydrophilic foams are used where fluid absorption is required (such as in moist dressings and medical wipes). PVA foams are ideal for dressing open and moist wounds as they absorb fluids and bacteria without adhering to the wound. Reticulated PU foams are perfect for negative pressure treatment on chronic and acute wounds.

HME Foams

HME (Heat and Moisture Exchange) foams are now a common feature of medical breathing and anaesthesia systems and equipment. The reticulated PU foams used in these applications have an open cell structure which helps to collect and retain some of the heat and moisture from a patient’s exhaled breath. This heat and moisture can then be returned to the patient during inhalation. The fact that the cell size and porosity of HME foams can be precisely controlled makes them the perfect solution for filtration applications, such as blood filters, swabs and wipes.

Disability Applications

The body-shaping properties of memory foam makes it an ideal material for a number of disability applications as it is able relieve pressure on the body’s joints and provide a disabled individual with a high degree of comfort. To this end, memory foam-based beds and seats are now commonplace in care homes and rehabilitation centres, as are specially designed disability chairs which enable people with mobility issues to stay seated in them for long periods of time without getting uncomfortable.

So as you can see, foams are used to manufacture a wide range of important medical products. To be sure, medical necessities such as cervical collars, wound dressings, surgery masks, wheelchair and bed cushions, prosthetic devices, filters, swabs and wipes, as well as many other applications besides, all benefit greatly from being manufactured out of engineered foams.

As the UK’s leading supplier of and manufacturer of engineered foams, we here at Technical Foam Services appreciate just how vital foam-based products can be to the health and wellbeing of people who need suitable medical care. As such, we can manufacture and supply foam to meet any specific needs; so if you have an idea for a product or require a specific medical solution which you think might benefit from our invaluable services then please give us a call.

Those drizzly, dull mornings when we all put off getting out of bed until the latest possible moment are the mark of the winter months for many. The wind, the rain, the forty-minutes standing up on a packed train – it’s no wonder being torn from our beds is such a terrible start to the day!

But if you’re a light or difficult sleeper, getting enough sleep in the winter can be tough. As leading foam suppliers, we’ve worked on plenty of projects on the theme of sleeping – memory foam mattresses, visco memory foam body supports, pillows and so on – so we’ve picked up a handful of tips to encourage healthy, happy, deep sleeping during the winter months.

In Winter, Your Body Wants More Sleep

And it’s nothing to do with being lazy. Ever noticed how chickens often stop laying in winter? It’s because there’s not enough light to set off their internal clock and tell them to produce an egg. It’s a similar situation with people. The absence of early morning light messes with our internal clocks and leaves us sullen, grouchy and without lots of the normal cues that tell our bodies how to behave.

Think about your usual reaction to the morning sunlight; you may decide to roll over and sleep for a few more hours, but your body’s first reaction to perceiving sunlight is to wake up. It’s the same with darkness, which tells our body it’s time to go to sleep. Our internal processes slow down or stop altogether and our cells recharge. That’s why we all get a bit groggy around 4PM in the winter months but can happily toil on until 9PM in the summer without flagging!

Serotonin and Melanin

Both these neurotransmitters are produced in our brains naturally. Melanin is produced when we sleep – it makes us sleepy and keep us asleep through the night, and the longer sleeps in winter mean an abnormal amount of melanin is produced, which then means we’re constantly a bit sleeper than usual. In light conditions (e.g. the summer) the vitamin D we pick up from the sun causes us to produce more serotonin, which is responsible for elevating our mood and keeping us bright and perky. Less sun = less serotonin = more bad moods!
Boosting serotonin levels with vitamin D rich foods can help boost serotonin production and make winter a little less blue.

Overcoming the Sleepiness

The sun may not be rising much before 8AM, but if your day is anything like ours, you need to be up nearer 6AM! Meditation, changing sleeping position, a new memory foam mattress, lavender scented pillows, calming music – a huge part of getting up early and feeling refreshed is about going to bed early enough. An earlier bedtime in the winter months won’t give you the same buzz of a sunny summer morning, but it can help you feel a bit more rested. Experts say it’s especially important in winter months to avoid things like exercise, caffeine and stress close to bedtime if you want a decent night’s sleep!

We’re foam manufacturers with diverse and often bizarre experience across the sector of engineered foam and related materials. After all, with so many foam applications, it’s no wonder we’ve picked up so much information along the way!

One of the areas we find exceptionally interesting is the place of protective materials like neoprene and memory foam in outdoor activities. Sure, we all know wetsuits are made of neoprene, but did you know there are different grades for different seasons and different cuts for the variety of outdoor activities you need a wetsuit or neoprene layer for?

We’re a blend of camping-phobics and ultra-lightweight trekking fanatics here, so here’s what we consider to be a fairly decent all-round list of tips that apply as much to the seasoned spelunker as the teen training for their first school camping trip!

1. Hazard awareness

We often think of the UK as being basically hazard-free. No poisonous jellyfish, no lurking crocodiles, no hurricanes, no earthquakes and no man-eating birds of prey.  But the UK winter can be exceptionally punishing, especially around coastal areas. The best way to identify serious threats is often to contact someone like the local coastguard, lifeboat station or emergency services representative. They can tell you if you’re planning on camping in a flood zone or windsurfing close to a dangerous rip.

2. Do your research

You might climb Snowdon in the summer without much thought for things like terrain or ascending in time for a daylight descent, but the winter months are undoubtedly more treacherous. What kind of weather could you be up against? Where are the nearest emergency services? Will you have a mobile phone signal? In our experience, the key to successful outdoor adventures in the winter lies a great deal in not underestimating your destination! Organisations like UK Mountain Rescue offer free advice and information on most regions of the UK.

3. Invest in the right kit

Neoprene wetsuits for the UK winter should be at least 4/5mm thick to provide adequate protection from the freezing UK waters. Hypothermia is a serious consideration of autumn/winter outdoor activities. Since hypothermia is caused by prolonged exposure to below conformable temperatures, make sure you invest in the right kit to keep you warm, dry and heading in the right direction! UK Mountain Rescue services consistently urge people not to venture out without the proper kit – those extra 2mm on your winter wetsuit could save your life!

4. Don’t take chances

It’s usually okay to head off down an interesting-looking pass during the summer months – it’s summer and you’ve got a pretty good sense of direction, right? The UK winter can be exceptionally punishing and unpredictable.

We work on all kinds of protective foam projects, and keeping the human body safe in perilous situations is an ongoing element of our job. Everything from cycling helmets to insulating fabrics comes under our belt, but by far the best thing you can do to avoid foolish danger is to be careful. It’s simple advice, but it works!

When it comes to business in the modern world, image is everything. No matter whether you trade online or from physical premises, if you have unattractive products, the chances are that they will not sell to customers. In some ways we are all material girls living in a material world. A product that looks dirty, badly packaged, or broken is simply not good enough for the modern consumer. As a business selling products, it is your job to attract and build a customer base. But this is almost impossible to achieve if you do not manage to present the right image to your target audience.

If you are setting up a new business, or trying to drum up interest in your existing one, it is important to research your target market carefully. Find out who is most likely to buy your product. Are you targeting a male or female audience, or is you product likely to appeal to both sexes? What age range does your core market fall into? What type of lifestyle choices do they like to follow? Questions such as these are vital for forming an accurate perception of the type of image that you should strive for your business and products to present.

The Internet is a prime example of the importance of image. Unfortunately there are many unscrupulous online merchants out there who have no qualms in packing sub-standard goods to look like they are quality products. These scammers realise that if a product looks good enough, people could be duped into buying it. After all, Confucius once stated that a picture is worth a thousand words and if you see something that you just have to have, the chances are that you will make a purchase. Whilst customers are unlikely to make repeat purchases from dodgy online sellers, the scam merchants don’t really care, as they have already made their money.

Reputable businesses would never dress up a product as something it is not, but that is not to say that you should not package a product’s image to look as attractive as possible. Fortunately, we offer a range of services which can ensure that your goods stay in tip top condition. For example, no matter what type of products you require we can supply foam cut to size which will suit your purposes. This is ideal for delicate or large items which need custom made packaging in order to keep in good shape.

We also supply a range of flexible foams which are ideal for products that are unusual shapes and need to be transported through the post. Indeed, it is not just the package image of a product which is important. Offering packaging solutions such as flexible foams has helped us to cement our status as the number one UK foam company. If you are sending our products to customers through the post, you need to ensure that they arrive at their destination in a brand new condition which will ensure repeat sales.

What we do is about creating foam products across domestic and industrial sectors to the highest possible standard. But sometimes it’s nice to sit back and remind ourselves about the end product.

Since it was invented in 1930 by DuPont laboratories, neoprene (originally called ‘DuPrene’) has become an incredibly important material across a rather eclectic number of sectors and industries. As a type of foam rubber that’s incredibly resistant to breakdown by environmental concerns like the sun and sea, neoprene has found a place in the sports world. But it’s also spread as far as your car and numerous electrical devices.

Machinery

It was twenty years between the invention of neoprene and it’s application as a wetsuit material. In those years, it was a huge commercial success in the automotive field, mostly as a sealer on gaskets, hoses and car fan belts. Neoprene is splendidly resistant to the effects of oils and chemicals, making it the ideal sealer for car engines, factory machines and other demanding mechanical devices.

Fly Fishing Waders

The first neoprene clothing was not the wetsuit, but the fly fishing wader. In it’s original form, neoprene wasn’t really flexible or breathable enough for fitted clothing, but it’s texture and qualities suited the needs of fly fishermen perfectly, especially in colder climates like here in the UK, where warmth and weatherproofing are always a necessity!

Dicing Suits and Wetsuits

The diverse grades of neoprene now available mean marine activities like diving, swimming and surfing have been transformed in the past fifty years. Foam manufacturers now produce seasonally and environmentally tailored neoprene grades, the most typical being 3mm for summer and 5mm for winter use.

• Excellent sun protection

• Durable

• Flexible

• Easily manufactured to seasonal and pastime certifications

• Resistant to salt water and fresh water

• Resistant to cold

• Allows body to breathe without losing too much heat

• Quick drying

Some lifejackets are also manufactured using neoprene because of its resistance to environmental changes like the weather and its fire retardant qualities.

Goods

We’re happy to say here at http://www.technicalfoamservices.co.uk we often take on commissions to create prototypes products. Neoprene has features heavily in our work, including the likes of iPod sleeves, laptop cases, remote control covers and various pieces of personal protective equipment for the home (e.g. grab rail covers in the bathroom) The tough, pliable quality of neoprene makes it a great choice for gadget protection.

Personal Protection

Although memory foam is the flavour of the decade in terms of protective gear for the likes of extreme sports, neoprene offers great low-level protection when combined with other materials. A lot of knee and elbow pads are manufactured using neoprene as a durable, wearable base or as lightweight padding. Neoprene-lined protective products are considered high-end and often more expensive than other foam options.

Considering the future of particular foams is a huge part of what we do. The road ahead for neoprene looks to involve a lot more streamlining in terms of seamless production. We also foresee the production of even thinner, more effective grades of neoprene with increased flexibility and therefore more applications across the industry spectrum.

Offering advice on how to care for your make-up brushes and natural sea sponges may not seem like the most likely subject of our blog, but a huge part of what we do is about perfecting tools for the cosmetic industry in relation to production costs, design, usefulness and maximum lifespan.
Setting up a home-based or mobile beauty business isn’t just about having a knack with a comb! We deal with plenty of sole trader clients looking to have their niche mobile beauty needs met with our various foam and rubber products. But we realise it’s not just beauty therapists who need their tools of the trade to do the job 100%, so here are our four top tips for cleaning and caring for various necessary beauty tools.
1. Get the right tools for the job
Do you need latex-free, hypoallergenic tools? Are you using the right foam shapes for skin foundation application? We may work in a lab, but some of the projects we work on are very sensitive and based in the cosmetics industry. Our products are always designed with specific intentions in mind. E.g. skin foundation foam sponges are always cut to contour the face and slide gently over the skin. After all, you wouldn’t use a foam car sponge on your face!
2. All tools have a shelf life
With carful cleaning and care, beauty tools can last for a long time. The main issues are bacterial build-up and wear and tear. Regular cleaning, careful storage and gentle use can maximise the life of your tools.
3. Synthetic or natural?
Of course, we work predominantly in synthetic materials, but many make-up and beauty tools are made using natural fibres like animal hairs. Using the right cleaning products can maximise the life of the tool. Take the example of something like a synthetic foam make-up sponge, which can be easily cleaned with a non-toxic household cleaner or specialist product from a beauty store.
We don’t just deal in technical foams and synthetics. We also supply natural sea sponges to UK companies like Tescos, Morrisons and Mothercare. Out bath sponges are all ethically harvested from locally managed beds in the Mediterranean and Caribbean. We understand the importance of natural products in the cosmetic industry. Chemicals can easily damage natural products. The best way to clean a natural sponge is to run the sponge under cold water, soak it in a bowl of cold water with 2tblsp vinegar (per litre) for about two hours, rinse in cold water, squeeze and leave to dry on a towel in a warm environment.
4. Regular care beats occasional scrubs
It’s what any beauty professional would tell their clients – a little care each day always outweighs an occasional bit of pampering. Keeping beauty tools in top condition is about suing the right tools for the job, cleaning them regularly and using the right cleansing substances.