Blog Post

The top five sectors benefitting from high-performance foams

A wide range of performance properties make extruded Polyethylene (PE) foam packaging, or foam profiles, extremely versatile. They are being innovatively used in a variety of applications across Europe for protective packaging, pipe insulation, supporting worker health and safety, and even helping people to swim and exercise.

Sealed Air looks at the creative and effective use of Polyethylene (PE) foams throughout five different sectors

#1

Furniture

Both assembled and flat-pack furniture can prove challenging to package and protect during transit, handling and storage. Heavy items can tear through packaging, leaving furniture edges, corners and surfaces at risk of damage. The irregular shape and varying dimensions of products can also make it difficult to fully protect every surface and edge, especially during delivery when there’s a risk of movement causing surface abrasions and impacts.

Polyethylene (PE) foam profiles such as Sealed Air’s Cellu-Pro^TM provide a durable and lightweight solution to these challenges. The extruded foams have a compact, high-tensile profile which is highly resistant to tears and rips. Protective cushioning can absorb shocks and friction to minimise the risk of damage, while also reducing overall packaging requirements. Companies can avoid adding excessive packaging bulk and weight to already large and heavy items of furniture.

The flexibility of easily shaping, cutting and bonding Polyethylene (PE) profiles also perfectly suits irregular shapes. For example, U-shaped and O-shaped foam profiles can be easily fitted around chair legs and curved arms. This can protect hollow, tubular frames from dents and scratches to help ensure furniture arrives ready to use and not to be returned due to damage.

#2

Home appliances and electronics

The odourless, non-toxic features of Polyethylene (PE) foam profiles make them a popular choice for protecting white goods that are used for storing foods. Customers want fridges and freezers to be delivered in perfect condition and for them to be ready for ‘plug and play’. They don’t want to be confronted with unusual and off-putting odours that require deep cleaning.

L-shaped foam corners are often used on the exterior of appliances to protect corners from knocks and to avoid surfaces from being scratched. U-shaped profiles will be used on the inside of appliances as buffers to protect the edges of moving drawers and food and drink holders.

Various types of Polyethylene (PE) profiles are also used to deliver foam edge protection and foam corner protection for expensive and fragile home electronics. The Polyethylene (PE) profiles can protect flat screen TVs and laptops against shocks, impacts and friction that otherwise risk damage to internal components and external casings and screens.

#3

Automotive

The high strength-to-weight ratio of Polyethylene (PE) foam profiles make them an efficient protective packaging solution for automotive components. Manufacturers and supply chain partners often need to ship vehicle parts cost-effectively over long distances, either during vehicle assembly or post-production for vehicle repairs. Durable, lightweight foams help to minimise packaging size and weight, while maximising protection. This means transportation space can be optimised to transport more products per square metre.

Cellu-Pro^TM foam profiles are often used for edge and corner protection on vehicle windscreens. The shock absorption and cushioning help to protect against chips, cracks and scratches. In other applications, the flexibility and easy-forming of the foams are used to protect complex and circular-shaped automotive components. C-shaped profiles provide complete edge protection along the outer rims of allow wheels to reduce the risk of dents and surface abrasions.

#4

Construction

In building and construction, Cellu-Pro^TM foam profiles are still highly valued for their cushioning performance, but this is often to protect worker health and safety, rather than a product. Different foam profiles are used to wrap scaffolding tubes and joints to minimise the impacts of collisions and knocks for workers. The water-resistant and UV-resistant qualities of the Polyethylene (PE) foam profiles avoids the protective cushioning from degrading in various weather conditions. Construction site operators also value the compact nature of the foams, which means potential hazards can be practically padded without obstructing workers.

The tight, closed-cell structure of Polyethylene (PE) foams also delivers excellent thermal insulation and low-heat conductivity. This, along with the flexible nature of shaping foams, makes the profiles an excellent solution for pipe lagging. Cellu-Pro^TM can be effectively bent and bonded to protect water pipes against cracks caused by frost and knocks, while also minimising heat loss.

Cellu-Pro tubes

#5

Leisure

Many leisure industry professionals are choosing Polyethylene (PE) foam profiles for their waterproof performance, buoyancy and durability. The profiles have been formed to create swimming pool noodles to assist learners and are also popular for water-based exercise classes such as aqua aerobics.

The hard-wearing properties of the foam structure mean that they can withstand being pulled, stretched and bent into different shapes, while maintaining their integrity over long periods – often many years. The closed-cell structure of the Polyethylene (PE) foams can also make the noodles easy to clean and minimise the presence of bacteria that can cause wear and tear, and accelerated degradation. There’s a lower risk of the noodles breaking apart in swimming pools.

Other leisure applications include foam rollers. The lightweight, soft-cushioning performance of the foams make them a practical and easy-to-use piece of equipment for exercising.

While the many different applications vary, one factor that unites the popularity of Polyethylene (PE) foams across the different sectors is sustainability. There’s growing awareness that Sealed Air’s Cellu-Pro^TM is made containing a minimum of 95% recycled raw material, which is EN15343 certified.

Cellu-Pro^TM foam profiles are also compatible with mechanical recycling streams for Low-density polyethylene, depending on the scope and availability of foam collection, sortation and recycling programmes.

Polyethylene foams sheets and rolls