SABIC's dedicated foam grades target MEAF and Asia

Polymeric foams are widely used in numerous areas that encompass building & construction, automotive, packaging, sports & leisure, and more. Enhanced physical properties and excellent foamability of the polymers are key in enabling more efficient material usage and energy savings. 

 

At the beginning of 2016, during the Chinaplas event, SABIC announced the launch of two dedicated foam grades, SABIC® LDPE HP2024JDF and HP2024NDF aimed at the Middle East, African, and Asian markets for physical extrusion foam. These grades have been successfully adopted by the market. 

 

Next to SABIC LDPE HP2024NDF and HP2024JDF, a new dedicated LDPE foam grade SABIC LDPE HP0824NDF, will be launched in the beginning of 2017. The new foam grade, SABIC LDPE HP0824NDF, aims to broaden the application window for the tapes, seals and underlayment market. The advantages of SABIC LDPE HP0824NDF are the high viscosity, giving good head pressure for uniform and thicker foam thickness, relatively higher resin density for better mechanical strength, and good compression stress as well as resilience. 

 

In foam processing, the product quality and consistency of foam grades, including security of supply, are key requirements for customers. SABIC’s newly developed dedicated LDPE foam grades will help customers address their specific needs.

 

SABIC LDPE HP0824NDF offers special benefits using various foam production processes such as physical foam extrusion, the chemical cross-linking process, as well as the bun process resulting in lightweight foams. It offers material and energy savings, while retaining or even improving product performance; and it offers benefits in thermal and acoustic insulation, cushioning and protection. SABIC is helping to improve these benefits by enhancements to the physical properties and foamability of the polymers themselves.

 

 

All three grades are less sensitive to web-breaks and foam-collapse due to high consistency and a wider operating window compared to existing materials in the market, resulting in a higher material yield during processing. The foams produced give a higher compression strength, better resilience, uniform surface and cell structure, and fewer pinholes, as well as better dimensional stability compared to existing materials. This offers opportunities for material savings during production. 

 

The new dedicated foam grades were developed in the recently opened Foam Innovation Center where SABIC develops new polymer-based solutions that can help the entire value chain become more efficient, more sustainable, and more profitable. The center  is equipped with most foam processing capabilities, as well as analytical equipment, enabling SABIC to carry out developments on new foam solutions, technology innovations, and collaborative projects with customers, to reduce material footprint, enable energy and cost reductions, and decrease time to market. 

 

SABIC already has more than 35 years of experience in foams, and a significant share of the market for foamable polyolefins, with foam grades produced in Europe and in Saudi Arabia.