Insulated foam materials
Insulated foam materials
(OP)
We're currently trying to source a material to be used as an insulating jacket for a bottle (this is for a major global client)
Material Requirements:
1.1 Primarily, an insulation effect - to keep the bottled liquid cool or warm.
1.2 Must not degrade over time, through repeated microwaving / dishwashing
1.3 FDA approved
1.4 Wall thickness - dependant on material properties. But ideally 5mm max.
1.5 Translucency - being able to view the liquid level through the material would be a benefit.
1.6 An Injection mouldable material is preferable.
1.7 Ideally, the material would be soft & 'squidgy' to aid grip ,and have a little flexibility to enable the bottle neck to snap in.
If you can get back to me with any suggestions/product samples etc. that may help I would be very grateful.
Material Requirements:
1.1 Primarily, an insulation effect - to keep the bottled liquid cool or warm.
1.2 Must not degrade over time, through repeated microwaving / dishwashing
1.3 FDA approved
1.4 Wall thickness - dependant on material properties. But ideally 5mm max.
1.5 Translucency - being able to view the liquid level through the material would be a benefit.
1.6 An Injection mouldable material is preferable.
1.7 Ideally, the material would be soft & 'squidgy' to aid grip ,and have a little flexibility to enable the bottle neck to snap in.
If you can get back to me with any suggestions/product samples etc. that may help I would be very grateful.





RE: Insulated foam materials
Does it really need to be FDA as I presume it will not contact the food directly.
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RE: Insulated foam materials
Foaming a polymer usually involves addition of a blowing agent, which can affect the properties of the polymer, so picking the right blowing agent can be tricky. This will limit your supplier base, since some/many injection molders don't know about blowing agents. How well the material insulates will depend on how light the foam gets (more blowing = more bubbles = thinner bubble walls = better insulator), but there are limits with each of the above polymers to how light a foam can get before you get settling/segregation effects and non-uniform foam density.
RE: Insulated foam materials
I would like to change your thinking . . .
For thermal resistance conversion to metric
(Imperial R20=RSI 3.5 Metric)
1. At typical room temperatures the
still air film has a R=0.68
2. Five mm of "good" foam (extruded polystyrene) will
have a R of R=1.0
3. Total R with foam = 1.68 or a 2.5X in R value
4. If you went to a clear plastic covering with a 0.5 inch (13mm) air space between the plastic and the bottle
the R will be 1.2 (assuming emissivity =0.5) so total R = 1.88 . The covering could be spaced out from the bottle by "pins" that are part of the plastic part.
Check out ASHRAE Fundamentals -Design Heat Transmission Coefficients
RE: Insulated foam materials
Heat Transfer & Thermodynamics engineering forum