Foam Sheets And Foam Padding

Upholster a piece of furniture, send a package to a friend, prevent bedsores on an invalid, build an RC airplane, or pad almost anything from baby gear to the room where they keep crazy Aunt Lula. Any of these plus a zillion other applications is accomplished with the use of modern foam padding. Foam sheeting for your construction, industrial, or craft use is available in polyurethane (common use insulation), polyethylene (common use packaging), and polystyrene (common use .fast food cups).

Open Cell foam

Open cell foam sheets are porous and are inherently less durable than closed cell. They are not used in applications in which they contact moisture. It is a better sound barrier than closed cell foam (melamine foam for sound studios, also known for fireproofing.). And it is less expensive than closed cell due to the fact that less material is used to make an equal sized structure.

Density of closed cell foam varies from medium to hard enough to walk on without serious distortion. It is strong, nonporous (making it waterproof), and higher R value rated due to the gas inside the cells It absorbs energy in spite of the high density, or actually because of its high density. The individual cells in high density foam can withstand more force without breaking than low density foam. (Low density foams bend more on impact, but reach the maximum breaking point sooner.) This is a major factor in the automobile industry as better instrument panels are needed for head impacts in crashes. In fact, there is a standard for energy management in several areas of automobile manufacture. This is applicable to all forms of transportation.

For the same reason, many manufacturers have turned to the use of more energy absorbing foams.

A high density black form is used to insulate electrical devices and parts such as computer boards due to the ESD protection it provides. There is firm black foam designed to crumble less that allows the use of pin insertion to hold items and flexible black foam that is for cushioning only.

There is a pink high density foam sheet that is antistatic and used in cushioning delicate devices also.

EPP foam, expanded polypropylene, (the flying foam) used to make RC airplanes is also used in the construction, industry, and in packaging. Car bumpers, sports padding, crash helmets, and “real” aircraft cockpits make use of EPP.

EPS FOAM expanded polystyrene is not just for drinking cups. It is used in construction industry, and in the craft industry as insulation, floating docks, sculpture, and even indoor pitching mounds.

Neoprene foam (aka Monarch) is flexible and durable and is usually black, but can have a reverse side in many colors. It is used for wetsuits as any real water enthusiast knows. It is also used to make mouse pads. The medical industry uses neoprene for braces and body padding.

Many foam materials came into existence due to research for the aerospace and marine industries. This is not a complete inventory of foam sheeting.