This silky feeling dense foam is a most versatile material. It is very lightweight, quite stiff but bendable, and about 1cm thick. It is made from expanded polyethylene (known as polythene in the UK): the same stuff as shopping bags. Over sixty million tonnes of this material is produced worldwide every year, which is even more than it sounds as it’s so lightweight.
This foam is expanded at the liquid stage using nitrogen gas to form a closed cell foam. This means that it is full of individual air bubbles which are not connected, giving the foam a robust, regular structure. If you squash the foam, it will immediately spring back to its original shape, making it a good material for indestructable children’s toys. It machines well and is able to hold a precision edge, good for 3D puzzles that are soft enough for small people, but rigid enough to snap the pieces together.
This materials is non-toxic, inert and acid-free, so it won’t react, harbour bacteria or degrade. This also makes it ideal for custom cases, for transporting and storing fragile or expensive items, or medical equipment. It is also a very efficient insulator for heat, sound and electricity. Its excellent shock absorbing capability makes it suitable for professional grade gymnastic mats. Its cell structure also makes it waterproof and incredibly buoyant and nice chunks of this have helped millions of people to learn to swim over the years. This disc has one silky, foamy side, and one shinier side where it has come into contact with the textured mould.
Sample ID: 457
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