EPE polyethylene foam

The abbreviation EPE stands for uncrosslinked polyethylene foam, or expanded polyethylene in English.
Its production and, consequently, also its properties differ from cross-linked foam. EPE polyethylene foam is made by foaming polyethylene with inert gases (usually propane-butane with additives).
In doing so, it is necessary to set the right temperature and several other parameters, and the result of the process is a roll of foam, which can be shaped and further processed as desired.

It is worth noting that EPE foam is a material that is ideal for recycling.
100% of the used product can then be used for another purpose.
This makes uncrosslinked polyethylene foam competitive with other less environmentally friendly raw materials.

What is the EPE polyethylene foam used for?

The use of EPE foam is really very wide.
It is safe to assume that most people have seen EPE polyethylene foams due to their prevalence.
This is because they are used to protect goods from damage in transit, to separate products from each other, for thermal insulation and even to make mattresses.
They are most often used to secure things.
A good example is multi-element electronic devices, which are packed into a cardboard box filled with polyethylene foam in a tightly fitted shape.

Advantages of using EPE polyethylene foam

Foam wouldn’t be such a popular solution if its advantages only included plasticity in processing and recyclability.
In fact, it has many other advantages due to the characteristics of the material.
EPE polyethylene foam is distinguished primarily by:

• Resistance to mold and fungi,
• Insensitivity to chemical agents,
• high flexibility,
• Very good thermal insulation,
• excellent durability and longevity,
• harmlessness.

At the same time, it should not be forgotten that non-cross-linked polyethylene foam simply looks good.
In view of this, it can easily be used to protect premium products.

Professional processing of EPE polyethylene foams

The foam can easily be adapted to any object it is intended to protect.
All you need to do is carry out professional processing with the appropriate tools for this purpose.

One of the most common services in this area is the cutting and slitting of EPE polyethylene foam, which makes it possible to obtain 2D shapes.
This is done using oscillating knife cutting technology.
In this way, boards with maximum dimensions of 120 x 200 x 60 cm can be processed.

The second popular service is welding EPE polyethylene foams using high temperatures.
This is a very durable method of joining individual components together.
And where it is not possible to use welding, we recommend gluing them together with hot glue.
In this way, you can connect EPE polyethylene foam to cardboard, wood or other plastics.