Adligenswil, Switzerland, March 2020 – Sekisui Alveo, European manufacturer of high-quality polyolefin foams, has developed a new product with unique shock-absorbing properties. Alveolux XSA is a thermoplastic EVA-based PO foam designed specially to meet the stringent requirements of orthopaedics and other demanding applications such as body protection. The recently launched foam is also well suited to applications such as vibration protection, child car-seats and packaging.

Sekisui Alveo applied a special, advanced polymer technology in its production process in order to develop a new product with outstanding shock absorption properties: Alveolux XSA. The X in the name stands for Alveolux, and the SA stands for shock-absorbing, a property at which it excels. Physical forces applied to the foam are absorbed and dissipated by means of compression distribution, as opposed to the foam compressing and rebounding, which is the typical behaviour of most conventional foams. Alveolux XSA is Sekisui Alveo’s first shock-absorbing polyolefin foam to be produced.

Ideal for orthopaedics applications
Because Alveolux XSA covers the full range of key material properties, it is ideal for demanding orthopaedics applications such as running shoes, ski boots, and orthopaedic shoe shapes, especially insoles and diabetes-adapted insoles. The foam possesses suitable viscoelastic properties for efficient shock absorbing as well as soft cushioning. The closed-cell material is hygienic, clean, and washable. With high resilience and long-term elasticity of the material, components keep their shape with use over time.

Comfort and body protection
The excellent shock absorption and trauma-prevention properties of Alveolux XSA makes the material a prime choice for use in personal safety applications such as padding in protectors for heads, elbows, knees, shoulders, ankles and for backpacks or protective vests for police or military personnel. When such items are properly designed using the optimised material, the wearer will feel greater comfort and appreciate the pleasant tactile properties the lightweight foam provides.

Stringent requirements fulfilled
Shock-absorbing materials used in orthopaedic and body protection applications must meet many special requirements, and Alveolux XSA meets them all. Of course, such materials must be abrasion resistant yet soft enough to provide high comfort. ISO 10993 “Biological evaluation of medical devices” defines many requirements for biocompatibility: Materials must be non-cytotoxic, non-sensitising, non-skin-irritating, and resistant to fungi & bacteria growth. Because Alveolux XSA has a closed-cell surface, the material resists fungi & bacteria growth without additional additives with microbiological effects. The material shows negligible water absorption and is resistant to sweat and spittle. Öko Tex 100 (similar to SG compliance) stipulates that materials must be free from latex, sulphur and heavy metals.

High-quality material in large format
Alveolux XSA is a physically crosslinked closed-cell thermoplastic EVA-based polyolefin foam manufactured with consistently high quality and uniformity. The product is available as bun in 35mm minimum usable thickness measuring 1200 x 1200 mm. The nominal density is 110 kg/m3. Virtually any colour is available, and the product is also available in small quantities, both of which are good news for orthopaedics applications. Material samples are available through the Sekisui Alveo sales team.

Because Alveolux XSA possesses a complete range of key material properties, it is ideal for demanding orthopaedics applications such as orthopaedic diabetes-adapted insoles.

The excellent shock absorption properties of Alveolux XSA makes the material a prime choice for use in personal protection equipment such as protectors and helmets for police or military personnel.

Problem-free processing and converting
Trials conducted in house and in customers’ plants confirm that Alveolux XSA can be easily processed using most standard conversion methods including thermoforming, thermo-compression, cutting, water-jet cutting, milling, skiving, die cutting, sawing, plotting and gluing, lamination with other materials, and reprocessing. Unlike rubber or PU materials, the foam can be reprocessed in several different steps to achieve the desired form and shape. It keeps its softness and shock-absorbing properties after press moulding and thermoforming. Skiving Alveolux XSA to the needed thickness is easy, resulting in an attractive, smooth surface, thanks to the fine and regular closed cell structure of the material.

Other key properties
Alveolux XSA has been tested at Sekisui Alveo’s Application Service Laboratory in Switzerland at temperatures from -15°C to 40°C. The material’s shock-absorbing behaviour remains outstanding throughout this temperature range. The thermal stability is comparable to that of Alveolux XE up to 65°C. Compression set behaviour of Alveolux XSA is good in comparison with other foams of similar softness, and the material is significantly lighter than PU or rubber foams with comparable performance. There is virtually no embrittling or abrasion over the time, as seen with PU foams. Because it is a thermoplastic polyolefin, Alveolux XSA can be recycled or down cycled when the end of service life of the component has been reached.

Comprehensive technical support for customers
As a leading European provider of high-quality foams, Sekisui Alveo offers a very wide range of standard products and also supports customers by developing specific product solutions. The company provides technical and safety data sheets as well as certificates of conformity for its products regarding REACH, RoHS, and other EC directives and regulations. Sekisui Alveo’s in-house Application Service Laboratory is a technical competence centre that is unique in the industry in Europe, offering customers a range of specialised services such as co-engineering, application-specific product development, support regarding conversion techniques, production of prototypes, application-related testing, and transfer of processing know-how, making the company a preferred foam solution provider for many industrial sectors.