BASF's new brand Infinergy has created the world's first popcorn foam material-Thermoplastic Polyurethane (E-TPU), which is widely used in Dunlop rackets, Adidas Boost series running shoes, Ergon saddles and other high-quality innovative products.
BASF's Infinergy E-TPU/popcorn foam material, the full name is called expanded thermoplastic polyurethane or expanded thermoplastic polyurethane ETPU (Expanded thermoplastic polyurethane). It is a high-tech molecular material prepared by the E-TPU physical foaming method using the principle of gas phase differentiation. Because the shape is similar to popcorn, it is also called E-TPU/popcorn foam material.
The processing design process of BASF's Infinergy E-TPU/popcorn foam material is fundamentally different from the traditional plastic processing technology that uses steam to weld foam into components. It is through the diffusion and entanglement of molecular chains at the interface, the small TPU molecules made of solid particles are expanded like popcorn, and the beads are bonded in the mold to be processed into a product of the desired shape.
The E-TPU/popcorn foam material created by this steam-free design process has the outermost particles slightly melted and adhered into a stable shape, but the internal pore structure is not affected. The volume of the material after pressurized foaming is 5-10 times of the original, the size is less than half of the ordinary foamed particles, the diameter is between 2.5 and 3.5 mm, and the density range is only 0.15-0.25g/cm3.
In addition, Infinergy E-TPU/popcorn foaming material particles contain a large number of microporous structures, and the cells are packed with a large amount of air. The cell diameters range from 30 microns to 300 microns. It has many advantages such as full elasticity, super light weight, good resilience, etc., which perfectly avoids the shortcomings of traditional TPU materials such as high hardness, poor shock absorption performance, and low resilience performance.
The so-called resilience is the physical effect that the elasticity of the material can be maintained under continuous load. According to tests, BASF's Infiniti E-TPU/popcorn foam material has a resilience of over 80%. Compared with the 75% energy rebound of traditional foamed elastic materials such as EPP, EPS, EVA, it still has a great The advantages. After long-term evaluation and feedback, BASF's Infinergy E-TPU/popcorn foam material is the most resilient plastic on the market.
In addition to its excellent resilience performance, Infinergy E-TPU/popcorn foam material has very good low temperature and high temperature resistance. At a temperature of minus 20°C, traditional foamed elastic materials will experience cracking, and their elasticity will be greatly depleted. The Infinergy E-TPU/popcorn foam material is still very soft and maintains the best elastic state; at a high temperature of 40°C, Infinergy E-TPU/popcorn foam material can also continuously and efficiently carry out energy Feedback. Infinergy E-TPU/popcorn foam material will not reduce the rebound effect due to climate changes, and its temperature resistance is more than 3 times higher than traditional foam elastic materials, which is sufficient to meet different climatic conditions.
BASF, the world's largest chemical giant, is committed to creating new chemical applications. The Infinergy E-TPU/popcorn foam material created with a new design process has many leading high-tech material properties. Through BASF's continuous technological innovation, Infinergy E-TPU/popcorn foam material will showcase its many applications and innovative methods to help customers from all walks of life meet the needs of today and future social development.