MANUFACTURING OF MOLDED PARTS
Moldings in automated foaming equipment.
With regards to moldings in automated foaming equipment, the air inclusions in the predominantly closed-cell foam beads act as a blowing agent; only air, water and steam are required to produce the molded parts. Its processing is performed in five steps:

Filling the molding equipment and simultaneously compressing the beads;
Melting and expanding the foam beads;
Cooling;
Removal from the mold;
Drying of moldings.
Drying and dimensional stabilization are achieved by tempering the moldings. This processing step can be left out for molding densities above 50 g/L and particularly when there are less stringent demands on dimensional accuracy. No chemical reactions occur.

Molded parts of EPP exhibit a wide range of properties:
High energy absorption with low weight
High resilience following static and dynamic loading
Unchanged energy absorption after repeated impact loading
Isotropic deformation performance, independent of the direction of impact
Negligible water absorption
Functions reliably over a wide range of temperatures
Good resistance to chemicals and oils
Molding density adjustable to meet specific requirements
Good heat insulating properties
Easy to clean and sterilize
Environmentally friendly and can be recycled in a variety of ways
Free from propellant gases and other chemical blowing agents