Technology of foam extrusion - Today and tomorrow

The establishment of new value chains from raw materials to end products is, taking into account sustainability, climate protection as well as using local bio-based resources for the industry, one of the important future-relevant R+D tasks. Especially the realisation of the energy transition issues a big challenge to our society. A vital role in this game is assigned to the sustainable production of resource saving materials. In general, however, it is true that resources can only be saved by not using them at all. Consequently, the foaming of plastics is the key technology of this century, as only reducing the density by foaming leads to going easy on resources by saving material already during production. Although more and more plastic processing technologies have been focussing on foaming in the course of the last 15 years, foam extrusion is since the 1950s a well-known and since the 1970s an established manufacturing technology. It is the first time that foam extrusion must reposition itself because otherwise - due to the developments of the other production technologies - its advantages based on its unique characteristics would be lost.