Crosslinked Polyolefin Foams for Protective Packaging

The following article shows the different range of crosslinked polyolefin foams available from Zotefoams plc.

Crosslinked Polyolefin Foams

Zotefoams' Azote crosslinked polyolefin foams are ideal for providing cushioning protection in Returnable Transit Packaging (RTP) applications. Azote foams are odourless, lightweight, strong, flexible, resistant to chemicals and water and are little affected when exposed to UV light. Nitrogen is used as the foaming agent making the material virtually chemically inert. These features make the foams ideal for protecting a vast range of items without fear of corrosion or staining. The crosslinked polyolefin foams are so safe they can be used to protect delicate high value items such as antiques and works of art.

Many packaging solutions can often be perceived to be wasteful. Zotefoams however goes a long way to help reduce packaging wastage. Azote foams benefit from excellent impact resistance and therefore require less foam to protect items. The protective packages can in turn be physically smaller resulting in the ability to transport a greater numbers of items. Unlike many standard protective packaging solutions Azote foams are also designed to be reusable, cutting down heavily on waste costs.

Azote foams can be infinitely adapted to suit individual packaging requirements. The foams are available in differing densities ranging from maximum resilience to softer, more tactile foam. They are also available in a range of colours to match differing styles of packaging and can even be made to match individual customer colour specifications. The foams can be converted by sawing, water jet cut, die stamping or machining with a router but because they are crosslinked they can be thermoformed successfully they can also be heat moulded, or vacuum formed. Where larger or thicker sheets are required, Azote foams can be heat laminated and butt welded to provide a solution.

For those wishing to design foam packaging scientifically, Zotefoams provides a "Foam Cushioning calculator". The Cushioning Calculator creates cushioning curves for a given set of circumstances and parameters and help designers determine the foam requirements and optimise cushioning design.