22nd Oct 2018
Closed Cell Polyethylene Foam for Food Contact Applications
Closed cell polyethylene foam is often used within the catering industry for disposable packaging for food and beverages, from supermarkets, grocers, market stalls, delicatessens and fast food restaurants, it’s a popular low-cost, high-quality item for food contact applications.
Polyethylene (PE) foam has several qualities and benefits that make foam an excellent candidate for food packaging, whether that’s for storage, protection or display purposes.
Thermal insulator
Closed cell foam has excellent thermal insulation properties to help maintain a regulated temperature throughout transportation or storage.
Vibration and impact dampening
PE foam is often used for its vibration and impact dampening qualities for food items that are particularly fragile (such as fruit and vegetables) to protect them during transportation, storage and contact. The foam comes in a range of densities but it’s non-abrasive and makes for a soft surface for contact with more delicate items.
Sealing applications
Closed cell foam can also be used within packaging to seal space and act as a gap filler to protect goods during transportation.
Easily backed with adhesive
Adhesive backing can be added to polyethylene foam sheets so it can easily be joined with other materials, such as boxes or displays, to keep the foam in position for continual use.
Waterproof
Due to the nature of polyethylene foam having closed cells it makes the foam incredibly waterproof with low absorption which is perfect for protecting food from leakages, condensation and weather damage.
Laser engraving
When laser engraving no pressure is applied to the foam material, saving on time and money, and the quality of the finished piece. That means it’s possible to engrave branding such as logos or key messages into the foam to personalise packing for your company.
Benefits of Closed Cell Foam for Food Contact Applications:
- Food safe colours
- Highly resistant to chemicals
- Non-toxic and flame retardant
- Waterproof
- Excellent thermal properties
- Available in a range of densities and thickness
- Lightweight
- Environment friendly
- Wide range of shapes and sizes and comes in sheets or rolls
- High strength to weight ratio
- Low odour
Whatever you’d like to achieve, our expert team can work with you to design and develop products and components, choosing and using the very best materials for the job. We can split, saw, rout, die cut, water-jet cut, butt-weld, laminate, adhere, thermoform or compression mould all of our foams to create even the most complex shapes and sizes, so talk to us about your latest food application challenge.