For any product, the right material can make or break customer satisfaction, regardless of how interesting or innovative the product design process looks on paper.
Comprehensive material selection helps ensure that a product performs as well as it’s designed to — for as long as possible. Depending on the product, that may mean choosing a material with high tensile strength or one that can withstand erosion from moisture and ultraviolet light. For many foam products, the material must do both or more, and injection molded EVA-based foam is designed specifically to excel in all areas.
Better Performance, Higher Customer Satisfaction
We find our material works best when the touch and feel of a product, as well its durability, are strongly connected to the end user’s experience. Therefore, when recommending the material, we seek to answer a few key questions first, such as:
1. Is foam integral to the product’s design, use, or appeal?
With products ranging from soccer balls and massage rollers to pet toys and electronic protectors, PopFoam’s versatility is clear. With our closed-cell foam production, we create cross-linked material that is completely waterproof. It is also resistant to mold and other chemical and environmental factors. The molded material is lightweight but is still stronger and tougher than most other foams, ensuring it can withstand physical wear and tear longer and more effectively.
Take, for instance, the soft seats of playground equipment, which need to be comfortable and flexible enough for children to enjoy safely.
Traditionally, these seats have been made from polyurethane, which fades, tears, and becomes water-soaked within a few short years. PopFoam’s proprietary cross-linked, closed-cell production, on the other hand, creates a material that outperforms PU in every area. It can provide a safer, better experience for children and is a more cost-effective solution for manufacturers.
2. What are the product material’s specific performance requirements?
Some foam products need to be made from lightweight material, while others need to be particularly strong or cost-effective to produce. In most cases, the material must also be aesthetically pleasing to attract consumers, to fit into a particular niche, or to showcase a company’s logo and design. Depending on the material and how it’s manufactured, it may be costly, inconsistent, or impossible to meet all three requirements of durability, weight, and aesthetics.
PopFoam easily meets multiple material requirements for a wide range of applications. In healthcare, for example, soft seats are an essential part of products such as mobility chairs, where patients spend considerable amounts of time. Such equipment is exposed to plenty of water and needs frequent cleaning. After struggling with PU for years, manufacturers are now turning to PopFoam. Products made with our closed-cell production technologies are easier to sanitize, are 100 percent waterproof, and boast a much lower rejection rate in production.
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