Raw material and variety
Particle foams are 95% air-filled thermoplastic granules. They have densities in the range of 15 to 80 kg/m³. They possess outstanding mechanical properties, a high thermal insulation capacity and enormous lightweight potential.
The granules are made either in a reactor (suspension polymerisation) or on an extrusion line with gas loading and underwater granulation to generate beads that are as spherical as possible.
We process the following particle foams
- EPP – expanded polypropylene,
- EPS – expanded polystyrene,
- ETPU – expanded thermoplastic polyurethane,
- EPA – expanded polyamide,
- EPPE – expanded polyphenylether,
- and other polymers,
- as well as copolymers and special materials.
While the majority of foams, such as EPP, are supplied ready for processing in the desired bulk density by our raw material manufacturers, EPS, for example, must first be expanded to the required density in a pre-process called pre-expansion.
EPS is supplied as raw material with a density of around 600 g/l. It contains an active blowing agent, allowing the raw material to be pre-expanded to the desired bulk density using steam. The density ranges from 15 to 200 g/l.
EPP and other particle foams are pre-expanded by our raw material suppliers using nitrogen or carbon dioxide and no longer contain any active blowing agents in the raw material. EPP is also available in various bulk densities (40 to 300 g/l), which are set directly during the raw material production process, so that a suitable variant can to be chosen depending on the required properties.
All advantages at a glance
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Light
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Excellent thermal properties, insulating
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High mechanical load capacity
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Freely and almost limitlessly mouldable
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High economic efficiency
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100% Recyclable
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Great variety and choice of colours
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Multifaceted application options
