With chemical foaming agents for thermoplastic materials and intensive advice on their selection and use, Tosaf supports users meet the urgent demand from society and legislation for greater sustainability. Foamed plastics offer significant advantages, including the avoidance of sink marks and a reduction in rejects, even when demanding surface quality is required. Importantly, foaming has no adverse effect on recycling behavior, ensuring the recyclability of plastics within the materials cycle is maintained.
Tosaf's comprehensive foaming agent portfolio comprises endothermic and exothermic types, each with application-specific advantages across a wide range of thermoplastics. Achieving consistent material properties and uniform cell size in foam production requires expertise in selecting the right foaming agent and optimising the process. As a leading manufacturer of additives and colours, Tosaf offers extensive support in matching foaming agents to plastics and additives, as well as optimising customer-specific foaming processes.
Endothermic, exothermic or both
Endothermic agents absorb energy in the process. They are usually based on sodium bicarbonate, possibly in combination with a weak acid, e.g. citric acid. When exposed to heat, they release carbon dioxide. They are considered safe to use, are approved for food contact, and usually require relatively low temperatures for activation.
In this group, Tosaf offers three main grades that differ in terms of the amount of gas yield and foam characteristics. Accordingly, the applications range from thin-walled films and molded parts with high surface quality such as small parts for the electric and electronics industry as well as PP tapes, to XPS and XPE trays for food packaging as well as small technical parts, to large and thick-walled parts such as waste containers, pallets, and garden furniture.
Exothermic foaming agents release energy in the process and combine a high foaming effect with very good dispersibility. They are usually based on azodicarbonamide. The company also offers tailor-made solutions for the exothermic types, for example for construction foams, non-food contact products as well as sewage pipes. Also available from Tosaf are combined exothermic and endothermic foaming agents in one concentrate. These have been developed for PVC applications such as sheets, profiles and pipes.
Beyond foaming agents, Tosaf's portfolio includes other additives that can contribute to greater sustainability, including antioxidants, moisture and odour absorbers, processing aids and chain extenders.
