Lucerne, March 2015. Sekisui Alveo, manufacturer of polyolefin foams, has recently invested in new extrusion, crosslinking, and foaming oven equipment, and is pushing the width limits to a new standard for vertically foamed polyolefin foams. The leading European foam provider now offers its portfolio of vertically foamed, physically crosslinked PP and PE foams at widths up to 2.5 metres.

The most common PP foam grades used in the automotive industry are available in a width of 2.3 metres. For productivity reasons, the current trend in all markets is toward wider semifinished roll products. In response to this demand, Sekisui Alveo recently invested in new extrusion, crosslinking, and foaming oven equipment, and is now offering its vertically foamed, physically crosslinked PP and PE foams at widths up to 2.5 metres, on request, and depending on thickness and density. The physical properties of the high-quality foams remain the same regardless of width.

The new wide foam portfolio allows customers to either use the full width capabilities of their conversion equipment or benefit from wider multiple lane products in double or even triple width, e.g. 1,200 mm / 1,200 mm. Horizontally foamed products are already available 2.5 metres wide, but these cannot provide certain important benefits that vertically foamed materials offer, specifically, a very fine cell structure and surface aspect as well as availability in thicknesses down to 1 millimetre.