Foam board is absolutely new material, which has already gained great popularity in the advertising and artistic and decorative fields: it has high rigidity and density with a relatively low weight.
Description of material
Foam cardboard - what is it? This sheet material sandwich construction, consisting of polyurethane foam or polystyrene, on both sides of which there is cardboard. Foam board is light boards with a thickness of 3, 5, 10 mm, less often - 15 mm.
Sheet sizes are not regulated, there are no standards for them, everything depends on the manufacturer’s equipment and the wishes of the customer. The most common panel dimensions found in stores:
- 700 x 1000 mm;
- 700 x 1400 mm;
- 800 x 1000 mm;
- 1000 x 1000 mm;
- 1000 x 1400 mm;
- 1400 x 2500 mm;
- 1400 x 3000 mm.
Concerning color range, then it should be noted that foam board is such universal material, which can be made in any color: black, white, grey, red, green, yellow, blue, orange. You can even find fluorescent shades.
To facilitate installation of the image on the surface of the panel, the foam board can have one side with a self-adhesive coating. Some manufacturers coat the product with moisture-proof substances, however, this significantly increases the cost.
For frameless fastening of foam board, galvanized steel hinges are used, which have 5 spikes. They provide reliable grip. The weight of one sheet 5 mm wide in A3 format is about 10 grams.
Advantages
The material has the following advantages:
Flaws
It has already been noted that foam board is a multilayer material coated with cardboard, that is, essentially paper. Therefore, the main disadvantages of the material are related to its properties and characteristics:
- Due to its instability to moisture, foam board can only be used in indoors. It is not suitable for decorating street stands and signs.
- The surface of the sheet is quite easily soiled. In order not to stain it before starting work, you should not remove the sheet from the factory packaging in advance.
- Compared to PVC sheets, foam board is more fragile and can withstand less shock loads. During transportation, the edges should be protected from chipping.
- Large sheets (more than 1.4 m2) are prone to bending, so they must be attached to the wall in several places around the perimeter of the product.
Where can I use it?
The areas of application of foam board are varied due to its many advantages. So, it is used:
Foam board is a universal material for creating design works of any complexity: an image of any format can be easily applied to its surface, and if desired, the sheet can be given any desired shape. One application is to print photographs on foam board - this is a wonderful budget method decorate the interior. Even with direct printing, the colors remain rich and bright. So, foam board can be used to create modular picture(multi-panel panel). For this:
- Print the image on glossy paper.
- Cut it into required quantity parts.
- Glue each fragment onto a sheet of foam board with a 1 cm gap at the edges.
- Trim off excess material.
- The resulting panel is hung on the wall with a distance between parts of at least 5 cm.
Storage
To ensure that the product does not lose its performance properties, the following conditions must be met during storage:
- Avoid low temperatures.
- The room must be dry and should not be allowed in high humidity.
- Avoid interaction with water and sediment.
- The sheets must be horizontal to avoid distortions and bends.
It should be remembered that foam board is a multilayer material with paper covering Therefore, it is unacceptable to store it near sources of fire or in the presence of sudden temperature changes.
Manufacturers
Russian companies producing foam board:
- JSC "Proletary" (Surazh, Bryansk region).
- Decoriton.
- "Lilia Holding" (Moscow).
- St. Petersburg paper mill of JSC Goznak.
Foreign manufacturers:
- Airplac (France).
- Foam ( South Korea).
- Lion (England).
- Fedrigoni (Italy).
- Sadipal Plumacolor (Spain).
- "Kapa" (Germany).
Where can I buy
Material with a polystyrene filler costs 1.5-2.5 times lower than a sheet with a polyurethane base. The price also depends on the color of the coating (multi-colored or white), and on the presence of additional processing.
In Moscow, foam board can be purchased in framing workshops, stores for artists and designers, art studios and salons, stores selling handicrafts, or through an online store with delivery.
Good day, dear readers of my review!
I would like to discuss today such an issue as foam board. What is it and what is it eaten with? In what areas is it used and in general why is it needed?
Drywall is used for construction, in this case the production principle is the same. Only the layer between the cardboard sheets is not a layer of gypsum, but a foamed mass called polyurethane.
What color can the outside be? To be honest, the whole point here is why this material is needed in principle. however, the most popular layers are white, gray and black. Another feature is that instead of cardboard, some manufacturers use other varieties. These include SINTREX-PS from Airex Alususse Composites, KAPA-PLAST, HartPlus from Hartman, KAPA-MOUNT from Alcan Kapa GmbH.
What is the thickness of the foam board?
In terms of sheet thickness, you can most often find options of 3 mm, 5 mm, 10 mm. The thickness depends on your purpose of use. The thicker the foam board, the stronger it is. but despite this they maintain their elasticity.
What are the dimensions of a sheet of foam board?
From 700x1000 mm to 1400x3000 mm. Sometimes these sizes are frighteningly huge. But this is necessary for the work of art studios, since the customers are different and everyone’s tasks are also different.
In what areas is foam board used?
This material is designed for indoor use, as upper layer can't resist weather conditions. he will simply get wet from high humidity, rain and snow. however, this does not detract from its popularity.
Foam board is used for making advertising, in art workshops and publishing. Photographs are applied to its base, thereby imitating canvases. It looks very interesting. Such paintings in your image will be an excellent addition to a living room or room. The images on them look voluminous and alluring.
How are photographs created on foam board?
All simple images are applied by rolling onto the surface of the film. For this purpose, enterprises use thermal presses and roller laminators.
foam board can be used to create collages, but this poses a number of difficulties. The first and main one is that foam board is difficult to cut. The difficulty lies even in straight processing, not to mention creating graceful curved, curly and rounded lines. Moreover, the thicker the canvas, the more difficult it is to do this. However, this does not scare the masters of their craft!
Video review
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general information
Foam board is a lightweight sandwich panel white(or colored) with an inner layer of extruded polystyrene foam or polyurethane. The foam material is characterized by a uniform structure and isolated micropores, which allows it not to absorb moisture. On both sides, the inner foam layer is covered with high-quality cardboard or sheet monolithic polystyrene of small thickness. All components of the panels are chemically and biologically inert, do not contain acids and are characterized by a pH value = 7 ± 0.5, corresponding to a neutral substance.
Foam board sheets are elastic, flexible and retain their color even under conditions of prolonged UV irradiation.
Features and Benefits
Easy to handle by hand, no risk of damage;
easy to laminate;
high surface quality, the surface is ideal for screen printing;
elastic inner layer;
easy to cut with a stamp;
has very low weight;
high dimensional stability;
bending without damaging the cardboard layer at the bend;
Processing methods
Lamination
Foam board can be laminated using any equipment that serves this purpose. The use of adhesives based on strong solvents should be avoided. If it is necessary to laminate one side, it is recommended to laminate the other side as well to avoid curvature of the sheet. To maintain a flat surface, both sides must be laminated at the same time. You can prevent foam cardboard deformation during one-sided lamination if you place the back cardboard surface on a damp cloth.
When laminating with foil and other water- and vapor-proof materials, it is recommended to use contact or fast-drying reactive adhesive. This requirement is due to the fact that moisture in this case will not be able to evaporate from the adhesive layer either through polystyrene foam or through additional layers after lamination. While retaining residual moisture, exposure to heat from various sources (increase in temperature environment, impact sun rays etc.) may cause bubbles to appear.
For manual lamination, the use of adhesives on water based Not recommended. You can successfully use dispersion and wood adhesives compatible with polystyrene, aerosol adhesives, and special strips for laminating edges.
In order for the material to remain flat after lamination and not deform, it should be kept in a flat position until the glue dries completely (if possible, under an appropriate load, evenly distributed over the surface of the sheet.
Felling
Cutting can be carried out using any crucible, tape and bridge dies. To fulfill small orders, it is advisable to use crucible stamps.
When preparing the stamping tool, the following recommendations should be followed:
The thickness of the base plate should be 15 – 18 mm;
thickness of the cut line – 0.71 mm;
material hardness cutting tool can range from I to III on the hardness scale, the selected degree of hardness depends on the type of material being processed;
the steel knife must be fixed to the plywood every 10 cm.
Types of steel strip sharpening
Single-sided flat - for foam board.
Wedge-shaped or double-sided flat if necessary, cutting down positive and negative forms– for foam board and plastic-coated foam.
In all cases, the tool must be covered with synthetic or porous rubber. It should be possible to increase the thickness of the rubber if necessary.
Before cutting begins, the knife must be cleaned of any glue remaining from lamination. Gaps between the blade and the rubber can cause tears in the paper, cardboard or film covering the material.
Cutting grooves on foam board up to 3 mm thick can be successfully done with conventional tools. For material thicknesses from 5 to 15 mm, in order to avoid thermal shrinkage, it is recommended to use a tool heated to 80 ° C.
Foam with plastic outer layers is not advisable to be cut with a die due to the hardness of its coating.
Screen printing
On all types of foam materials you can get excellent results when screen printing. In general, the recommendations boil down to using environmentally friendly water-based paints of any type. famous manufacturer screen printing inks. To obtain images on the surface of foam board, it makes sense to use inks for printing on films.
It should be borne in mind that those used in printing production For foam board, solvents must be alcohol-based. The sheets must be well dried so that solvent residues do not destroy the applied paint and the foamed inner layer.
Thanks to high quality outer layers can be obtained good results for both single-color and multi-color printing. To avoid the appearance of stripes and unevenness on the paint layer, use soft squeegees and run them over the entire surface of the stencil.
Coloring
High-quality surface coatings of foam board are suitable for applying paints (including lithographic, dispersion, enamel) and varnishes. Paints should not contain solvents to avoid destruction of the adhesive connection between the coating and the polystyrene foam base or the base itself.
Sheets of thin thickness should be wetted and laminated equally on both sides, even if the image is applied on only one side. This balances the stresses and prevents warping of the material.
Application of dispersion paint should be done using a squeegee or wool roller.
The plastic coated material is suitable for printing with oxidative drying paints. Provide adequate ventilation while the paint is drying.
Cutting
Foam board sheets are cut easily and with good cut cleanliness using any sharp knives for cutting carpets and decorative materials(the use of ordinary knives is not recommended). The best result is achieved when the knife is positioned at an angle of 45° to the surface of the material.
Knives, which have two blades located at an angle of 45° to each other, make cuts that allow you to bend the foam board at a right angle. With the help of such knives, excess material that is formed during normal bending is removed.
Material with plastic external coatings You should not cut with breadboard knives. It is best to use a circular, band or circle saw.
Sawing
Foam board sheets can be sawed with minimal dust formation using circular, circle and band saws.
Disc diameter – 350 mm;
disc thickness – 2.6 mm;
number of teeth – 108;
rotation speed – 6000 rpm.
Circular saw:
Blades (without teeth) for textiles, soft rubber and soft plastics.
A sharp blade with a sharpening point for cutting textiles.
To work at home, you can use a jigsaw.
Grooving, milling, screw connections, pinning and bending
Foam board sheets are suitable for cutting grooves using woodworking machines. Milling is recommended to obtain clean surfaces.
Using a sanding block you can achieve high precision surface treatment despite the lightness and friability of the material. To protect the edges from deformation, you can use a T-shaped block, the presence of which will at the same time increase stability during processing.
The foam board can be secured with any commercially available wood or metal screws. To obtain high stability, it is recommended to use wood screws with large heads, which can be used both vertically and horizontally. It is also possible to fasten sheets using pins. However, wooden pins must be additionally fixed with glue.
Prenocardboard can be bent without damaging the surface layer using a bending machine or on the edge of a table. On sheets with a thickness of more than 10 mm, in places of the desired bend, it is necessary to cut wedge-shaped grooves using a knife with blades located at an angle of 45° relative to each other.
Gluing
Foamboard and plastic-coated foam can be glued using any commercially available adhesives suitable for bonding cardboard or polymers of the following groups - PS, PVC, PU, ABS. To glue foam board at home, you can use such affordable adhesives as PVA and Moment. PVA glue should not be applied in a thick layer, since when it dries there is a high risk of helical deformation of the material.
When gluing large surfaces, it is recommended to apply the glue using a brush, roller, spatula or spray gun. To achieve good adhesion, a drying time of 2 to 25 minutes should be maintained. depending on the types of materials being glued, adhesives, surface area and amount of adhesive applied.
To apply hot melt adhesives, you can use a spray bottle with a temperature regulator. It must be taken into account that the melting point of polystyrene foam is 120 °C.
In many cases, for joining sheets or foam board parts, double-sided adhesive tapes can be an excellent substitute for glue.
Chemical resistance
The inner layer of foam board, made of foamed polystyrene, is resistant to chemical exposure and complies with the standard for polystyrene blanks. Tests on various materials carried out in accordance with DIN53428 standards have confirmed that foam board is resistant to:
Water and soap solution;
ammonia;
lime water;
bleaches such as hydrogen peroxide and hypochlorites;
diluted acids - nitric, hydrochloric, sulfuric, acetic, 50% phosphoric, 90% acetic, 90% formic;
concentrated acids– hydrochloric (up to a concentration of 35%), sulfuric (up to 95%), phosphoric;
weak acids - carbonic, lactic, citric;
sea water;
silicone lubricants.
The inner layer is not resistant to:
Simple and esters;
ketones;
halogenated hydrocarbons;
aromatic carbon compounds;
amines;
nitrites;
phenols.
When gluing and screen printing, the use of ketone-containing solvents should be avoided. Good ventilation and low content of the above substances will ensure successful operation.
Insulating properties
Foam board sheets ≥ 10 mm thick have thermal and sound insulation properties equivalent to brick wall 257 mm thick. The thermal conductivity of the material is 1.21 kJ/kg/K.
Moisture resistance
The inner layer of foam board is water-resistant and has a high resistance to water vapor dispersion (0.6 g/m²/hour). Water absorption for 7 days is 0.3 – 0.7% of the volume of liquid.
Despite the moisture resistance of the polystyrene foam layer, foam board cannot be used in a humid/wet environment. Surface cardboard swells when in contact with water, which leads to irreversible damage to the surface and helical deformations of the sheet after the moisture dries. Plastic-coated material is not as susceptible to moisture, but nevertheless should also be used in rooms with standard climatic parameters.
Fire resistance
Foam board and plastic-coated polystyrene foam are flammable materials. Combustion occurs with the formation of soot flakes and is accompanied by a specific smell of styrene.
The inner layer and plastic surface layers melt safely when burning without the formation of droplets of molten substance. The flammability of materials is determined by the DIN 4102 standard and corresponds to class B2.
Safety
Foam board sheets are extremely lightweight. Injuries when installing them or as a result of them falling during correct use and circulation are practically excluded. There is no risk of splinters during processing.
Foam board is physiologically inert, safe and can be used in the production of toys.
Foam board is environmentally friendly, does not contain harmful components, including acids, and can be disposed of as regular household waste.
Storage and transportation
Expanded polystyrene materials can be stored under the same conditions as paper and cardboard, i.e. in a dry room, avoiding local overheating and strong cooling.
Large quantities of materials should be transported on wooden pallets or in corrugated cardboard boxes. During transportation, carefully protect the edges of the sheets.
In all cases, cardboard-coated material should be kept in a production premises(under processing conditions) within 24 hours.
Tatiana Dementieva
process engineer
Knurling is modern technology applying any images to hard surfaces. Used as a strong base for knurling various materials, however, the undoubted leader is foam board. This is a completely new material, which, thanks to its high performance managed to become a favorite in the printing industry and the field advertising business. As a result of the technology of rolling onto foam board, photographs and any other images are reliably protected from creases and can be easily mounted on the wall.
What is foam board and why is it used for rolling?
Foam board is a new material that is available in sheets of various thicknesses and sizes. It has a high degree of rigidity and at the same time is lightweight and easy to operate. This is a thin tile of foamed plastic covered with a layer of ordinary cardboard. Due to this design, foam board has a smooth surface, good strength and relatively low weight.
Several types of foam board are offered, the choice of which depends on the desired rolling result and design solutions:
- Sheets with a thickness of 3-5-10 mm, and overall dimensions from 1.3/1.0 m to 2.5/1.4 m.
- The color of foam board can be black or white, or combined - when one side of the sheet is covered with brightly colored cardboard.
- The sheets can have a self-adhesive side, which greatly facilitates the work when rolling onto foam board.
The surface of the cardboard can also be of different textures - wood, old scratched metal, canvas. This allows you to create stunning effects and more realistic images.
Advantages of foam cardboard for knurling
- High level of strength and rigidity.
- Minimum weight.
- Easy to process and quick to install.
- Resistant to deformation and sunlight.
- There is no need to use mats or baguettes.
- Prevents images from yellowing over time.
- Affordable price material.
It is worth noting some of the disadvantages of foam board. Firstly, this material is not protected from the aggressive effects of moisture, so it cannot be used to design street posters and stands. Secondly, foam board is easy to get dirty, so you should unpack it only before work, and open packaging should be stored in a clean, dry place.
Where is knurling used on foam board?
Rolled structures on foam board are practically weightless, so there are no problems with transportation. All works designed using rolling technology are distinguished by their original stylish design and are great for use at home, in offices, at private exhibitions, in any enclosed space.
Foam board is a universal material that can be used as a reliable basics For:
- Various types of applications made from film material and stencils
- Rolling photos, posters, drawings, posters
- Images for showcases and exhibitions
- Adjustable stands and tablets on the wall
- Interior signs, notice boards, information signs, etc.
This material is universal in terms of creating non-standard design works: images of any format and size can be applied to the surface, and if necessary, a sheet of foam board can be given any shape.
Rolling onto foam board will become optimal solution for the design of presentation materials, advertising posters and personal photos. This technology allows you to create truly bright and creative design works at low financial costs.
Standard dimensions of POP BOARD foam board sheets: 910 x 610 x 5 mm (black), 1830 x 915 x 3/5 mm (white), 2440 x 1220 x 3/5/7/10 mm (white), 2440 x 1220 x 5 mm (black).
Base - polyurethane
KAPA foam board (Alcan Kapa GmbH, Germany) is an exceptionally lightweight sheet material, consisting of slabs of polyurethane foam, covered on both sides with a layer of cardboard or other material. In addition to the exceptional properties of the polyurethane foam inner base, the outer layers of special cardboard have a number of advantages compared to other types of cardboard materials. For the KARA brand, a special cardboard called “chrome-ersatz” is used (according to the international classification - FBB-cardboard). As a rule, this is a three-layer box cardboard. Its top layer is made of bleached chemical cellulose with cast highlighting, the middle layer (liner) contains chemical-thermomechanical wood pulp (sometimes waste paper), and the bottom has a light highlighting. "Chrome-ersatz" has high rigidity. The weight of cardboard reaches 350 g/m², which determines its increased strength. The raw materials for chrome-ersatz cardboard are bleached and unbleached cellulose, wood pulp, and waste paper. In addition to other advantages characteristic of all types of cardboard ( a light weight, compactness, possibility of all types of printing), “thin” cardboard is cheaper than pure cellulose cardboard, but has the same physical, mechanical and operational characteristics:
Combination of low weight and sufficient strength; high level rigidity;
. interior polyurethane layer has a closed cellular structure, does not absorb moisture; All components of the panels are chemically inert and do not emit volatile substances harmful to the environment and humans.
Foamed polyurethane, due to its chemical structure and special structure, gives KAPA foam board a number of specific beneficial properties:
Holds its shape better, has excellent flatness and good dimensional stability, including when making large-sized products (for which polystyrene foam board is too elastic);
. high heat resistance allows the material to be processed and used for a long time at temperatures up to +100 °C and withstand short-term exposure to temperatures of +200 °C;
. The inner polyurethane layer is resistant to most types of adhesives and solvents;
. at angular bending with outside the material does not have the deformations characteristic of cardboard, the angle is even and smooth;
. ease of processing and cutting - unlike expanded polystyrene, it does not break or crumble during processing;
. suitable for printing by all standard types ink.
Alcan Kapa GmbH is one of the leaders in the production of foam boards, so the product range is quite wide. Main positions:
. KAPAline - standard white foam board with a smooth matte surface (the inner layer is yellowish-white);
. KAPAcolor - foam board with a semi-gloss surface made of thin paper coated polymer material(inner layer is gray), has two color options: both sides are black; one side is black, the other is gray.
KAPAcolor is suitable for printing with all standard inks, including solvent-based inks. When painting, it is recommended to use solvent-containing paints ( dispersion paints unsuitable). There is also a variety of KAPAFix with a single- or double-sided adhesive layer.
Standard dimensions of KARA foam board sheets are 1400 x 1000 mm, thicknesses are 3, 5, 10, 15, 20 mm (KAPAline), 5 mm (KAPAcolor). The KAPAline brand has specific dimensions: 2050 x 1530 mm, thickness 5, 10 mm. Basic physical-mechanical and performance characteristics KAPA foam boards are given in the table.
Foam board processing
The processing capabilities of polyurethane foam board are somewhat wider. For example, when working with POP BOARD you can:
Effortlessly cut and cut it with a regular breadboard knife;
. apply vinyl applique to sheets, stick various paper or polymer image carriers (using wide double-sided adhesive tapes or using a series of foam boards with an already applied adhesive layer);
. glue foam board using glue (excluding compounds containing solvents) and double-sided tape.
When working with KAPA foam board you can:
Cut it with a regular knife, jigsaw (using a file for finishing laminated chipboard), as well as using a water jet cutting machine or saw, since the polyurethane core does not break or crumble during processing;
. glue (including end-to-end) using glue or a hot-melt gun;
. cover with all types of paints, varnishes and aerosols (the ends of the sheets are painted with a brush or roller);
. apply vinyl applique to sheets, stick various paper or polymer image carriers, including using wide double-sided adhesive tapes;
. subject foam board to screen printing and stamping.
