Infrared foams are ready for series production
A group of companies has developed a process of using infrared radiation to prefoam particle foams for industrial use.
Prefraction through infrared radiation can now be scaled up to industrial volume production. Source | Springer lightweight.design magazine
In the project IR-PreFoam, Neue Materialien Bayreuth GmbH (Bayreuth, Germany), Fox Velution GmbH (Lichtenfels, Germany) and Rygoll have developed an industrially usable process for the vapor-free prefoaming of particle foams. The partners opted for pre-foaming by medium-wave infrared radiation. The dry process developed by Fox Velution reportedly enables continuous processing with short cycle times. In addition, the process is said to eliminate the need to dry the beads, which is required in the usual use of propellant. According to Neue Materialien Bayreuth, the process is suitable for the finishing of all particle foams, even in the high-temperature range.
By clarifying the interrelations between the influence of radiation and the resulting material properties, the project partners say they can now precisely and reproducibly adjust the cell morphology and bulk density of the foam beads over a wide range of applications. Furthermore, the project developed approaches for scaling the process up to industrial volume production. After the appointment of the institute, essential prerequisites for the market maturity of the technology were created.
Conventionally, pre-foaming with propellant-loaded microgranules are expanded to foam beads, which can then be welded to form parts. So far, both sub-processes are based on water vapor as an energy source, which requires a relatively complex infrastructure and a high use of resources.
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