Are you looking to develop innovative new sports equipment or protective gear? Did you know that foam injection molding, using closed-cell foam, is the best process and material? Let’s look into the top 3 reasons why you should look for a closed-cell foam injection molding manufacturer for your next project.
- 1-Closed-cell foam for sports durability
When it comes to sports equipment and protective gear, manufacturers often want a highly durable material. It won’t crack and withstands breakage. Cross-linked and closed cells foam, is highly resistant to water. In fact, closed-cell foam injection molding does not allow any air or moisture to penetrate; therefore, bacteria and mold cannot grow inside and destroy the product’s mechanical properties over time. The same holds true for the sun’s rays: closed-cell foam isn’t impacted by the UV light, which enables it to maintain a stellar appearance over time. Even if punctured or torn, closed-cell foam products maintain their integrity.
Typical applications: Cross-linked injected foam is a great material for water sports equipment (such as swim boards, water games, workout belts, rescue tubes, etc.), bike saddles, bike grips and tires, dock protectors, etc.
- 2-Closed-cell foam for sports performance and protection
Foam injection molding using closed-cell cross-linked foam offers unprecedented performance for sports equipment and protective gear. Its resilience and superb strength-to-weight ratio make it impressively shock-absorbent; it can withstand repetitive impact and force—all while maintaining its shape. It will never crush or flatten. While it is ultra-strong, closed-cell foam is very lightweight, making it a viable option for sports products that need to optimize weight, such as seats for kayaks or boats.
Typical applications: Closed-cell foam injection molding is used to create helmets, shoulder pads, knee pads and cushions, hand, wrist and shin guards, chest protectors, and more.
- 3-Closed-cell foam for both simple and complex projects
Regardless of the complexity of your project, closed-cell foam injection molding can address a myriad of specifications for sports equipment or protective gear. Apart from the benefits mentioned above, there are other advantages as well.
First, closed-cell foam products are very easy to clean. Even the toughest cleaning products can be used to disinfect and clean cross-linked foam injection products. This is particularly important for sports or protective equipment that are used by different athletes or users. Even during a pandemic, a product can remain safe when properly cleaned.
Second: sports equipment—and even protective gear—manufacturers are always looking to highlight their brands and offer the very best aesthetics for teams, athletes and consumers as a main product differentiator. Some closed-cell EVA foam injection manufacturers provide unprecedented versatility when it comes to colour choice, adding logos to products, customized textures and their expertise in creating cutting-edge designs in a co-creation design process.
If you are interested in learning more about how cross-linked foam injection molding could be the answer to your project’s needs for the sports market, talk to one of our specialists today.
Additionnal information about Foam :
- Foam Injection molding the best material for water products
- 6 steps process to designing products with XL EXTRALIGHT
-Top 10 reasons to use foam injection parner in North America
- Why XL EXTRALIGHT® foam injection molding beats out other foam processes