Supplying engineered foam presents a raft of challenges

Foam. Do people really give it even a second thought? It’s just that stuff in packaging. Well actually no. It’s an incredibly useful and versatile substance that is used in a huge range of products and processes to make life easier and better in so many different ways. Consumers benefit enormously from foam, often without appreciating just how important it is. Manufacturers however appreciate its true value and importance.

The demand for engineered foam is enormous across a wide range of industries. Of course it is used in packaging, but its scope of use extends way beyond that and the demands of manufacturers for shaped foam tests technical suppliers to the very limit. High grade technical foam is very different to the ordinary everyday stuff that most people are familiar with.

Foam is used in safety gear, like crash helmets for example. It’s commonly found in the medical industry, is used to create high end packaging and is an important component in headphones and speakers. When people stop and think, actually they realise that it’s one of the most useful and amazing substances there is.

Shaped foam presents a massive challenge, both for the firms that need it and the firms who they turn to to supply it. Creating technical foam to order for needs of individual businesses is complex. Suppliers must source, design and deliver this special kind of engineered foam. Sometimes it’s a complete end to end process, other times it takes several different partners to deliver the final product. The relationship between the foam supplier and manufacturers is an important one.

Technical foam suppliers who can manufacturer on site have a natural advantage. They offer a neat one stop shop solution for the design, creation and delivery of specialist foam products and components. And that’s an invaluable service.