Zotefoams drives pure performance at Foam Expo North America 2020
Zotefoams will present its unparalleled line-up of closed cell foams from the AZOTE® polyolefin range plus High-Performance Products (HPP) from ZOTEK®, including ZOTEK N and latest innovation ZOTEK T on booth 2208.
In the heartland of North America’s automobile industry, Zotefoams will demonstrate how it can help manufacturers rise to the triple challenge of evolving technologies, higher safety standards and efficiency considerations through the light weight, consistency and compliance with standards of its AZOTE® and ZOTEK® foam ranges.
AZOTE foams have long been used in automotive components manufacture thanks to their ease of fabrication and purity, with a volatile organic compound (VOC) content minimal compared to that of foams produced by other manufacturers thanks to Zotefoams’ unique production methods. AZOTE’s consistency and isotropic characteristics also enable relatively higher performance than other foams, such that a 15, 18 or 24kg/m3 AZOTE foam can outperform a competitor’s 30kg/m3 material, with attendant benefits in terms of weight and material reduction.
The range incorporates many grades and densities – from 15 to 115kg/m3 – for a myriad of automotive applications and is available in formats including sheets and rolls. AZOTE foams have a high resistance to many chemicals including greases, brake fluids and coolants and, due to their closed cell structure, do not absorb or transmit water or water vapour. Significantly, as the electric vehicle (EV) movement gathers momentum, AZOTE’s fire-retardant grade LD24FR is in demand for insulation and transportation of batteries thanks to its UL94 HF1 flammability rating.
Foams produced from engineering polymers are the basis of the ZOTEK range, with the latest addition being ZOTEK T, a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) material boasting light weight, outstanding energy return, excellent high and low temperature resistance, high impact strength at low temperatures, ease of thermoforming and superior protection against noise, vibration and harshness (NVH). With physical and chemical properties that create the potential to replace current foamed rubber, silicon or solid TPE solutions in the automotive sector, ZOTEK T offers real cost and weight savings in applications hitherto unsuitable for foamed materials.
For insulation of electric vehicles, ZOTEK F PVDF foam is an excellent choice, boasting a flammability rating of UL94 V0.
Also showcasing will be ZOTEK N: produced from polyamide 6 (nylon), its key properties are toughness, energy/impact absorption and heat tolerance, making it ideal for under-bonnet applications. ZOTEK N is currently the focus of interest as a core material in sandwich structures and visitors to Foam Expo will have the opportunity to see nylon used as a tied core within a carbon fibre body panel that is markedly lighter than those manufactured from conventional materials.
Outside the automotive arena, the company will demonstrate the benefits of its materials for applications in packaging, healthcare, sports and leisure, where their consistency, durability, purity and ease of fabrication offer real advantages to fabricators.
Zotefoams Group CEO David Stirling, comments, “We expect this to be a landmark show for Zotefoams thanks to the portfolio we are now able to offer to the automotive industry. We believe we have the best and most extensive range of foams to help manufacturers meet their objectives and obligations at a time of considerable change in how the industry is perceived and its regulatory framework. Recent capacity investments combined with ever-closer relationships with our customers in North America mean that we are better placed than ever to help automotive manufacturers look to the future and drive performance.”
- Zotefoams’ Director of Technology and Development, Dr Karl Hewson, will be taking part in a panel discussion on Tuesday 24 March at 10:00am; Karl will be discussing the balance between cost-efficiency and sustainability. Later in the day Karl will moderate a panel considering how to boost public perceptions of petrochemical products.
North American distributors for Zotefoams exhibiting at Foam Expo include
- Jacobs & Thompson Inc, booth 1324
- kristoFOAM Industries Inc, booth 2311
- RAM Technologies Inc, booth 1815
- UFP Technologies, booth 2302
- Worldwide Foam, booth 1224 (Platinum Distributor)