Conference on cutting edge polymer foam technology to be held in China

Applied Market Information Ltd is pleased to announce the programme for the international conference Polymer Foam 2008, with presentations on innovations in technology and applications. The conference will take place from 11-13 November 2008 at the InterContinental Pudong Hotel, Shanghai, China. Foam technology provides a means to reduce weight and cut material costs in production, but the foam has to have the right chemical and physical properties for each application. In addition, new polymer materials are being developed and changes in legislation are driving innovations in the foam industry. Energy saving is a big issue worldwide. Structural foam products, particularly insulation, are providing solutions to improve the environmental footprint of the building industry. BASF has made advances in polystyrene foaming for high thermal insulation. Rohm and Haas (China) has improved PVC foam. Zotefoams, with worldwide expertise in polyolefin foams, has developed PVDF insulation foam for cleanrooms. Extrusion Dies Industries has new production technology for foam boards. In terms of foam technology, Sekisui has new microcapsules as blowing agents and Clariant Chemical (Taiwan) has foaming agents for technical polymers. Cellect (part of Nova Chemicals) has new foaming additives for polyolefins and Lanxess has new production methods for rubber foam. The Northwest Composites Centre has used microwaves to generate polyolefin foams while Leistritz Asia has developed new twin screw extruders to improve manufacturing efficiency. Trexel is a world leader in microcellular injection moulding. Professor Chul Park of Toronto University (and South China University of Technology) has worked on thin wall microcellular moulding. Researchers have discovered methods of foaming high performance plastics: Rhodia has developed foaming techniques for nylon while Ticona has foamed long-fibre reinforced plastics. Kyoto University has worked on controlled production of nanocellular foams. South China University of Technology has worked on microcellular foaming of polyolefin blends. Biodegradable and recycled polymers have been foamed by MicroGreen Polymers, Tongji University, University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Washington. Thermoset materials such as polyurethane have been foamed for years, but there are now added-value products in this field too including conductive PU foam (from Huaqiao University) and foam with unique viscoelasticity from Mitsui Chemicals Polyurethanes BASF will be announcing a brand new product of foamed melamine at this conference. Top international companies and researchers are speaking at this year's Polymer Foam November 2008 conference. It is the place to hear about cutting edge foam technology and to network with experts from across the globe. China has a rapidly developing plastics industry and the conference will be located in the ancient trading city of Shanghai.