Foam Material Science
Solid foam, like sponge rubbers, are versatile cellular materials whose compressibility, light weight, and resilience make it an ideal material for shock absorption, insulation, and sealing applications
Solid Foams at Boyd
Foam and sponge rubber are compressible, resilient, lightweight materials that help insulate, absorb shock and impact, damp noise and vibration, and seal gaps and joints. Foams can be closed-cell, more suited to sealing applications, or open-celled, which are typically better for damping applications. Both come in a vast range of base chemistries, densities, thicknesses, and additional properties to help meet specific product requirements.
Boyd’s proprietary foam formulation, SOLIMIDE® Foams, is an extremely lightweight, broad temperature range, fire resistant foam that is ideal for thermal and acoustic insulation. We leverage our foam material science expertise broadly across our strategic partnerships with foam innovators to guide foam solutions optimized for a variety of performance needs.
Featured Foam: SOLIMIDE®
SOLIMIDE® Foams are a high performance, lightweight, open-celled polyimide foam formulated and converted at Boyd. With excellent thermal and acoustic properties, enhanced fire protection, and safety characteristics, SOLIMIDE® Foams are ideal for a broad range of critical applications from battery insulation and thermal runaway protection, noise damping and air diversion in data center racks, and heating jacket insulation. Lightweight characteristics of SOLIMIDE® Foams create significant weight savings compared to products with similar thermal, acoustic, and insulation performance, ideal in transportation, aerospace, and marine installations. SOLIMIDE® exhibits an exceptional blend of weight, insulative properties, fire resistance, non-toxicity, and our extreme operating temperature range.
Foam Materials
| Foam Material | Subcategory | Key Characteristics | Products & Industries |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conductive Foam | Open | Lightweight Compressible and Resilient Electrically conductive | Electromagnetic interference shielding for electronics, Electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection |
| Foam Tape | Open | Adhesive | |
| Melamine | Open | Trade Names: Basotect, Vixum, Low Density, Thermal Insulation, Sound Absorption, Flame Retardant. | Acoustic Insulation, Pipe and Duct insulation, Railway and bullet train insulation |
| Polyester | Open | Derived from Polyurethane, Acts as an evaporative surface, Moderately Durable, Washable and reusable | Reticulate-Filter FoamCommon Filter Media, Cleaning up oil spills, Collecting vaporized oils from industrial equipment. |
| Polyether | Open | Common Trade names: Poron, Boyd MCUF Derived from Polyurethane Excellent Resistance to Compression Set Durable, long term performance Good vibration damping/impact resistance Flame Retardant: UL HBF Easy to Convert Easy to Laminate Moderately Expensive Moderate Temperature Range | Medical devices, packaging, filters, acoustic and thermal insulation. |
| Polyimide, SOLIMIDE® | Open | Lightweight Fire Resistance Exceeding FAR 25.856 specifications Minimal Smoke Generation Heat and Pressure Formable Flexible and Stable at Cryogenic Temperatures Hydrolytic Stability and Non-Wicking Non-Toxic and Formaldehyde Free Low Off-Gassing Does Not Support Microbial Growth Self-Supporting | Hyperscale computing and cloud servers, aerospace thermal insulation, eMobility battery protection and insulation, heat jacket insulation, marine insulation. |
| Polyurethane | Open | Either classified as Polyester or Polyether Polyurethane Wide temperature range Thermally and Acoustically Insulating Mold and fungus resistant | Seals and gaskets, flexible seating cushions, rigid thermal and acoustic insulation panels. |
| EPDM | Open, Closed | Can be Extruded Resistance to heat, acids, alkalis, salts, chlorine solutions High dielectric strength Synthetic rubber Vibration damping | Automotive insulation, Automotive weather seals, Door seals, Window seals, Trunk seals, Hood seals. |
| Ethylene Vinyl Acetate, EVA | Open, Closed | Retains flexibility and resilience Rapid recovery from compressions Low-water absorption Thermal and acoustic insulation Vibration and impact absorption Weather and Chemical Resistance | Appliances, electronics, medical and health care, automotive applications. |
| Chloroprene (Neoprene) Blends | Open, Closed | Meets government specifications Insulation Electrical insulation General good chemical stability Maintains flexibility over wide temperature range | Laptop sleeves, Orthopedic braces, Gaskets, Weatherstripping, Packaging, Closure seals |
| Polypropylene | Open, Closed | Expanded Polypropylene foam, EPP foam Durable, high tear strength Recyclable Lightweight Flexible | Insulation and cushioning, Automotive interior applications, HVAC insulation |
| Silicone | Open, Closed | High Temperature range exceeding 204ºC (400ºF) UL Rated Flame Resistance 94 V-0 and 94 HF-1 Low toxic emission when exposed to fire Excellent resistance to ozone and UVFire retardant thermal insulation Vibration isolation in electronic components | Dust and fluid ingress, outdoor gaskets, cushioning and vibration management, acoustic insulation in automotive, mass transit, and marine applications. |
| Nitrile | Closed | Buna-N, Acrylonitrile Butadiene Rubber, NBR, Oil and UV resistance Resists water Good abrasion and tear resistance Excellent compression set | Broad Application Range, Automotive and Aerospace fuel hoses, gaskets. |
| Styrene Butadiene | Closed | Buna-S, SBR Shock absorption and vibration dampening Flexible and resilient Resistant to wear and weak acids High abrasion resistance | Gaskets and weatherstripping, Vehicle Interiors. |
| Epichlorohydrin | Closed | ECH, ECO Excellent chemical resistance Excellent oil resistance Excellent weather resistance Large operating temperature range low gas permeability Good compression set Good heat and mineral oil resistance | Automotive Gaskets, Weatherproofing, Vibration Isolation. |
| Natural Rubber Foam | Closed | Isoprene Excellent tear and abrasion resistance Compression set resistance Good non-skid properties | Vibration reduction |
| Polyethylene | Closed | Shock Absorbing Moisture/Air Seal Solvent Resistant Range of Colors Lightweight Widely Available Narrow Temperature Exposure Takes Compression Set | Shock absorption, Thermal Insulation, Aerospace Noise Reduction, Packaging. |
| Polystyrene | Closed | EPS Foam Moisture Resistant Durable Thermally Insulating Dimensional Stability Lightweight | Thermal Insulation, Automotive Sound Dampening, Packaging. |
| PVC Sponge | Closed | Also called Polyvinyl Chloride, Vinyl Shock Absorber or Sound Damper Resilient, Soft Conforms to irregular surfaces and curves Ideal alternative to low permeable urethane Able to make long life seal against air, moisture, light and dust penetration Inherently resistant to fire, UV rays, most chemicals, acids and solvents | RV seals, Automotive gaskets and seals, Marine and Transportation. |
Closed Cell and Open Cell Foam Options at Boyd
Boyd maintains an immense array of closed cell and open cell foam options with varying performance characteristics to meet the needs of a wide range of temperature and environmental exposure applications. Need a waterproof acoustic insulator? No problem. A flame retardant, environmentally friendly thermal insulator flexible at cryogenic temperatures? Also no problem. Our vast material selection expertise combined with advanced precision converting technologies enables Boyd to provide the optimal foam for desired compression force deflection combined with additional materials like pressure-sensitive adhesives and plastic films for a fully customized, complete sealing solution.
Overcoming our Customers’ Challenges
Foam is such an integral part of how Boyd solves problems for customers, we have our own non-flammable, lightweight, high performance polyimide foam material, called SOLIMIDE® Foam, ideal for acoustic and thermal insulation applications. Our foam solutions reduce your total cost of ownership by solving technical challenges in a streamlined solution for easy assembly and installation.
Optimal Foam for Your Application
Boyd’s strategic supply partnerships with great foam technology innovators span up to seven decades. Our global footprint provides access to some of the most exciting technology leaders with regional development. We are engineered material experts – able to match your performance needs to the inherent material characteristics of thousands of foam options in the market today with the design expertise to customize the utilization of the optimal foam for your application through design for manufacturing. And because our manufacturing technologies are globally replicated and scalable, we can support your sealing, cushioning, and energy management needs using foam from three continents.
Have questions? We’re ready to help!