ABOUT FOAM COMPRESSION MOLDING

Name: Compression Molded Foam
Brand: Flextech Foam
Rating: 4.8 (322 reviews)

Foam Compression molding is a process utilized for the manufacturing of three-dimensional molded foam and foam composite parts. It is an ideal process for making parts that have intricate features, require very defined part geometry, have varying wall thicknesses, or need to be held to critical dimensional tolerances. At Flextech, we use this manufacturing process to produce custom molded foam components for our customers in the medical, industrial, and personal protection markets.

The Foam Compression Molding Process

The foam or foam/fabric composite is heated in an industrial convection oven and then placed in a machined, matched tool which is mounted in a molding press. The mold is then closed using hydraulic pressure. This pressure forces the heated and now pliable material into contact with all of the mold surfaces while the pressure is maintained. Once the material has cooled, the mold is opened and the finished part is removed from the tool. On most parts, we are also able to cut the perimeter and any internal features of the part during the molding process. Cutting features in tandem with the molding process results in a finished part and allows us to avoid the expense of a secondary cutting operation.

Foam Materials That Can Be Compression Molded

We have the ability to compression mold the closed-cell polyolefin family of foams, which includes cross-linked polyethylenes and ethyl vinyl acetate (EVA) foams, as well as open-cell polyurethane foams. We can also mold an extensive range of foam composites. Using our various lamination processes to create composite materials, we can then compression mold the open and closed-cell foam composites. These custom composites can incorporate different types of foams or dual densities of foams, knit and woven fabrics, polyolefin films, pressure-sensitive adhesives, medical-grade coatings, and many other materials. We are also willing to experiment with the lamination and molding of unique materials that our customers provide.

Markets That Utilize Foam Compression Molding

Flextech utilizes our foam compression molding process to manufacture parts for medical, industrial and personal protection markets.

For the medical market, we compression mold pads for orthopedic supports and braces, orthotics, patient positioning parts, patient interfaces for diagnostic/therapeutic devices and medical device packaging.
For industrial markets, we compression mold thermal insulation parts for refrigeration applications, three-dimensional gaskets, seals and case inserts, to name just a few.
We also produce a wide variety of compression molded foam parts for the broad personal protection market. We manufacture helmet liner pads, ballistic vest pads, parts for law enforcement, military and tactical gear, backpacks, occupational safety padding components and many other padding parts for protective recreational products.