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expanded polystyrene foam

Top 5 Reasons to Use Expanded Polystyrene Foam

VWB Blog 2 years ago 36

The German Eduard Simon stumbled across expanded polystyrene foam (EPS) through experiments he was doing with materials way back in 1839! He isolated EPS from a natural resin but didn’t quite realize what he found.

In more recent times, we’ve used EPS for all sorts of applications. From packaging right through to home insulation, this material has been useful. And believe it or not, EPS is one of the most eco-friendly materials we can use for packaging these days!

So now, let’s take a look at five reasons to use expanded polystyrene foam over other packaging materials on the market.

What Is Expanded Polystyrene (EPS)?

manufacturers produce expanded polystyrene using thousands or millions of polystyrene beads. The beads are made from the monomer styrene.

The way manufacturers manipulate the material is to heat it to a high enough temperature where it melts. Then once they mold the material into the desired shape, manufacturers bring it back down to room temperature where it resolidifies.

The expansion happens in this process because there is gas locked away in each bead. So when manufacturers expose the beads to steam, this heat source makes the gas expand, and then EPS closed cells form for the final product.

1) It Protects Without the Use of Chemicals

Given that we transport organs for transplant operations in expanded polystyrene, you can realize that it’s not in any way a harmful or toxic material to use for packaging. Also, the food industry uses this material extensively for packaging its products.

Expanded Polystyrene EPS will decompose over time and won’t release any harmful gases or chemicals. Plus, you have to realize that more than 90 percent of its makeup is just air. And, it is one hundred percent recyclable!

So if you are in the packaging industry and want safe, reusable, and eco-friendly packaging solutions, EPS is a fantastic option. We recommend you check out Armstrongbrands.com for more info on this.

2) Expanded Polystyrene Insulation

Not only is EPS a great packaging material, but it also works amazingly as insulation. It’s becoming more and more common now that contractors are building new homes using this wonder material.

People who opt to use expanded polystyrene in their homes get the benefits of lower heating and cooling bills. Plus, it’s a super-easy material to install.

Although, like most forms of insulation, we recommend you install it from the go-ahead with a new project. Trying to fit this form of insulation into an existing structure can run up higher costs. But in any case, you’ll be pleased with the result as it provides very low U-values, making it one of the best insulation options on the market.

3) Lightweight and Versatile

Since it is more than 90 percent air, it’s no surprise that expanded polystyrene is lightweight. But another benefit you get from this material is that it is versatile.

For instance, you can choose from a vast array of colors to suit your branding. Furthermore, there are a variety of surface finishes to choose from. You can also request specific insert molding and there are dual-density molding options on the table.

So with all this flexibility, you can understand why so many industries use this material in multiple ways. For instance, the automotive industry uses it extensively and the military too for lightweight components. Plus, it is a great material for impact absorption.

4) You’ll Save Money

When you commit to using expanded polystyrene for your business, you’ll soon realize how much money you’re saving. Other material prices that have similar properties tend to cost more due to their more complex nature.

And since the material degrades in an eco-friendly manner, there won’t be any significant costs for disposing of it. Plus, if you’re a manufacturer, you can save money through insulating machinery so they run efficiently at their correct temperature.

5) It Can Be Aesthetically Pleasing

When you think of expanded foam-like materials, you may often picture white fluffy-looking boxes. However, these days, EPS can look sophisticated and nothing like a bog-standard white box.

As we mentioned, it’s a flexible material, and now many industries are using it in a way to produce beautiful aesthetics. The reason they can do this is that the molding options are endless. Therefore, if you are thinking of approaching a manufacturer about this material, don’t feel limited in what you want to request.

Advantages Of Expanded Polystyrene Foam

So now we’ve run through five benefits of EPS. We’ll now summarize some of the key advantages of this material:

  • Excellent thermal insulator
  • It has moisture resistance
  • Super-durable
  • 100% recyclable
  • It can be very strong
  • Great shape versatility
  • Good compression resistance

Plus, we should say that it is very easy to add branding and logos onto EPS. Furthermore, it’s shock-resistant, lightweight, and portable.

Getting Creative With Foam

To finish off this article, we’ll have a little fun and mention some fun ways you can have fun with this type of foam material. We figure, if you end up ordering a lot of EPS, you might have some leftovers which can use to have some fun with the kids!

For instance, you go all out with art and crafts and start creating various structures with foam like a castle, a spaceship, or a large frigate even. This is because the material is easy to cut, and you can paint it too.

Also, now you know that expanded polystyrene is a great insulator, nothing is stopping you from using it as a makeshift cooler. You can even keep liquid in a sealable box form of this material.

EPS Is The Way Forward

With so many people now concerned about the environment, expanded polystyrene foam is a no-brainer material that we all should be using more of. And, there’s potential for more applications, you just have to come up with them!

So thanks for checking out this post. If you found it interesting, please take a look at our blog.

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