EVA foam is a copolymer of raw materials. Polyethylene is the base polymer; vinyl acetate (VA) is an additive that modifies the physical properties of the foam. The addition of the vinyl acetate creates a thermoplastic polyethylene/vinyl acetate copolymer with increased, softness, flexibility, resilience, and overall durability. It also makes for foam materials that are well suited for thermoforming as they soften and conform to the tool geometry very well during the forming process. The higher the percentage of VA in the copolymer, the softer the resulting foam will be. The percentage in these foams can range from approximately 8% to almost 20% depending on the specific manufacturer and grade of the EVA foam.
EVA foams are manufactured in both continuous roll and bun forms. EVA foam rolls are extruded at a thickness from 1/32” to approximately .5” thick. The most common roll width is 60”. The rolls can be manufactured in densities ranging from 2 lb/cubic foot to 20 lb/cubic foot. Flextech distributes and fabricates Sekisui Voltek’s Volara and Armacell’s Oletex EVA roll foam product offerings.
EVA foam buns are manufactured in a range of thicknesses, width, and lengths depending on the material manufacturer and specific density and grade of material. Buns can come in thickness of 1” to 4” and be 40” to 60” wide and 48” to 72” long. The density of the bun foams can range from 1.5 lb/cubic foot to 18 lb/cubic foot. Flextech distributes and fabricates EVA foam buns from Zotefoam’s Evazote product line, Sekisui Voltek’s Minicel products, and Armacell’s Oletex brand.
Like cross-linked polyethylene foams, the thermoplastic nature of EVA foams allows them to be heated and three-dimensionally shaped. This process is generally referred to as thermoforming. Flextech utilizes three unique foam thermoforming processes to create three-dimensional formed parts. The three methods are compression molding, encapsulation molding, and vacuum forming.
Because of their exceptional physical properties, EVA foams are utilized in a wide range of markets and applications. Flextech utilizes EVA foams to manufacture parts such as pads for orthopedic supports and braces, medical device components and comfort padding for military/tactical gear, just to name a few. There are countless other applications for this very versatile family of EVA foam materials.
We invite you to connect with our technical sales team to learn more about EVA foam as well as our other materials and capabilities.
We can be reached at 952-345-0012 or [email protected] We look forward to hearing from you.
