Material:Foam

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Revision as of 14:11, 14 January 2019 by Lukas (talk | contribs) (→‎Closed-Cell Foam: mentioned XPS)

Foam is a cheap and lightweight material which is ideal for models and aircrafts. There are many different foam materials, which we're merely splitting into closed-cell and open-cell foams for now.

Closed-Cell Foam

MaterialInfoBox

Closed-Cell Foam

Ms-foam.jpg
Synonyms: styrofoam; DE: Styropor,
Styrodur, Schaumstoff
Suggested Tools: foam cutter, box cutters,
laser cutter if chlorine-free
Contains: e.g. polystyrene

Closed-cell foam is generally more rigid and water or air tight than open-cell foam.

These tips for sculpting a foam drone body contain a lot of basic information on working with polystyrene foam.

Styrodur (hard polystyrene foam) is also known as "XPS" (extruded polystyrene).

Foam rubber is also a kind of closed-cell foam.

Open-Cell Foam

MaterialInfoBox

Open-Cell Foam

Laser cut foam sheet.JPG
Synonyms: "sponge"; DE: Schaumstoff, "Schwamm"
Suggested Tools: foam cutter, shop scissors,
laser cutter if chlorine-free

Open-cell foam is rather soft, permissive to air and able to suck up liquids to some extent.

Besides mechanical protection (e.g. on the inside of cases), it is also frequently used for sound dampening surfaces.

Sourcing

  • "Feldherr" (main business seems to be tabletop game boxes) also sells simple foam sheets
    • 10 € minimum purchase, free shipping within Germany
    • approx. 14 €/m² (10 mm thickness)
  • recycle packaging material!