Ease of fabrication
- Cutting, slicing, adhesion and other machine processing is easy.
- There is no need for expensive injection molding, so small-lot production is perfectly viable.
- Reduces time from trial-production to mass-production.
Processing characteristics of SUNTEC FOAM™
SUNTEC FOAM™ is well suited to many kinds of machine processes, such as cutting, slicing, pressing (punching), grooving, and mortising, as well as adhesion.
Cutting
SUNTEC FOAM™ can be easily shaped using a vertical cutter (cutting machine) or box-cutters.
Pressing (punching)
- Pressing with a hydraulic press is easy.
- Items of the same shape can be efficiently fabricated very conveniently.
- SUNTEC FOAM™ is an expanded polyethylene that recovers its shape well after compression. This makes it suitable for pressing (punching). (Styrofoam is not suitable for pressing.)
- For pressing dies, plywood (structural plywood) with an embedded Thomson blade is used.
→ Compared to the molds needed for bead forming, these press dies are much cheaper and faster to make.
Adhesion
- SUNTEC FOAM™ is a non-crosslinked foam made of polyethylene-a thermoplastic resin-so it can be thermally adhered. A hot gun (industrial dryer) or hot plate can be used for this purpose. In general, commercial crosslinked foam products cannot be joined together by thermal adhesion.
- To adhere SUNTEC FOAM™ to other kinds of materials, such as cardboard and wood, an adhesive agent is used.
Note) Hot-melt adhesives are used for adhesion to cardboard and wood.
Note) Rubber-based adhesives are used for adhesion to metals and smoothly planed board.