Plastazote® foam – what is it and should you be using it?

You may have heard the term “Plastazote® foam” before. You may not.

You may be aware of the benefits of foam packaging, and how it can cushion your products or equipment from knocks, impact and vibration in transit. Or you may not.

One thing you will almost certainly be aware of is the issues your business could face from consistently supplying damaged products or parts to your customer, or having equipment arrived on site damaged as unusable.

And if not, you really should.

The costs to your business can be significant. Returned products, written off stock, unproductive staff, project delays, upset customers, poor brand perception and more can all result from transit damage.

So are foam inserts the answer? And if so, what is Plastazote®, and should you be using it for your protective packaging?

Plastazote® is actually a brand name for a specific type of foam, although it has quickly become the industry standard for high-performance foam packaging.

Manufactured by Zotefoams®, and part of a larger range of foams (the “AZOTE® family”), it is effectively a closed cell, cross-linked foam that offers a wealth of benefits and can be easily converted and fabricated into foam packaging.

The foam itself is made up of a large number of nitrogen cells that are held within a polyethylene material.

It is termed as “closed cell foam” as these nitrogen cells are not open / connected like a sponge. This also means that gases and liquids are not easily absorbed into the material.

In fact, this is one of many benefits of the material.

It is light in weight, is completely odourless, as it doesn’t absorb water is buoyant, it is non-toxic and being made of polyethylene it has exceptional chemical resistance to most oils, solvents, acids and alkalis.

Besides this, it is weatherproof, has a high level of ultraviolet stability, is durable, can be washed and disinfected and wiped clean relatively easily.

However, arguably its most important property is its ability to recover from repeated impacts being highly energy absorbent (which also makes it a good thermal insulator).In effect, each cell acts like a balloon, enabling the foam to bounce back to its original shape.

This is what makes it so suitable for foam inserts for cases and foam packaging in general.

Whilst the material itself is manufactured in a process whereby nitrogen is “blown” into the polyethylene before expanding, perhaps of more interest is the foam conversion processes that this material allows for.

Plastazote® foam can be easily shaped and cut. It can be routed cleanly using CNC machinery, as well as being easy to spilt, saw, die cut, shaped using water jet equipment, butt welded and even heat laminated.

As such, the material can also be bonded to other materials including fabrics, wood, plastics and metals (making it ideal to fix into cases as inserts).

Finally, the cross-linked nature of the foam also means it is easy to mould the material at low temperatures, thermoforming either by compression or vacuum moulding. As polyethylene has a low softening temperature, the foam is easy to form without the need for excessive heat.

All of this means that there are numerous ways to create incredibly detailed profiles, allowing fragile or high value items to have bespoke levels of protection engineered into the foam.

This can actually be taken a step further, with a little known (or used) piece of software allowing for exact levels of protection to be created based on theoretical compression testing and real life drop test data.

This in effect can completely eliminate transit damage, and is why Plastazote® is the material of choice for high protection packaging applications.

The list of benefits associated with Plastazote® is actually incredibly vast and varied. However, here is a summary of the key features that make Plastazote® such a versatile packaging material

• Lightweight & durable
• Good impact absorbing properties
• Good surface protection characteristics
• Consistent with regular cell size
• Wide range of densities and colours
• Water repellent and buoyant
• Excellent chemical resistance
• Good thermal insulation
• Range of high-performance options
• Non-toxic & safe for handling
• Easy to work & shape
• Non-staining
• Extremely low odour

It is all very well highlighting how versatile and high performance a material is, but unless this has applications in the real world that provide tangible benefits for your business, it is pretty meaningless.

Fortunately, Plastazote® is popular for more than just its credentials, being widely used in a huge range of applications, even just within the packaging and transit markets.

So, if your business uses any of the following forms of packaging or handling products in your day to day operations, you could make serious improvements through the utilisation of Plastazote®.

• Case Inserts
• Tool Control
• Cushion packaging
• Tote inserts / pads / fitments
• Cradles / dunnage / line-side
• Electronics Packaging
• Military Packaging / Explosives
• Medical Packaging
• Retail packaging
• Archival Packaging

Please continue reading for further information on each of these applications, and how the use of Plastazote® can drive efficiencies, cost savings and minimise damage.

Perhaps the most widespread use of Plastazote® (at least within the packaging market) is that of foam inserts for cases.

This is for a number of reasons.

Firstly, as mentioned above, Plastazote® can be manufactured to provide specific cushioning performance from shock, impact and general mishandling. This means that, when coupled with a suitable protective case, high-value products, tools, equipment or components can be given the highest level of transit protection.

Besides this, the ability to create detailed recesses and profiles within the foam allows for items with them in case to be held in place during transit.

This not only keeps them organised, but also ensures that they do not damage each other through colliding when being moved.

Finally, with the foam being low odour and available in a range of colours ensures it is useful for presentation and branding purposes too.

As a result, Plastazote® is used in a wide range of presentation and sample cases to enhance their aesthetic appeal during important sales pitches and presentations.