Expanded Beads of High Melt Strength Polypropylene Moldable at Low Steam Pressure by Foam Extrusion

We explore the foam extrusion of expanded polypropylene with a long chain branched random co-polypropylene to make its production process simpler and cheaper. The results show that the presence of long chain branches infer high melt strength and, hence, a wide foamability window. We explored the entire window of foaming conditions (namely, temperature and pressure) by means of an ad-hoc extrusion pilot line design. It is shown that the density of the beads can be varied from 20 to 100 kg/m(3) using CO2 and isobutane as a blowing agent. The foamed beads were molded by steam-chest molding using moderate steam pressures of 0.3 to 0.35 MPa independently of the closed cell content. A characterization of the mechanical properties was performed on the molded parts. The steam molding pressure for sintering expanded polypropylene beads with a long chain branched random co-polypropylene is lower than the one usually needed for standard polypropylene beads by extrusion. The energy saving for the sintering makes the entire manufacturing processes cost efficient and can trigger new applications.

Automated summary

This study explores the foam extrusion process of expanded polypropylene using a long chain branched random co-polypropylene to simplify and reduce the cost of production. The presence of long chain branches in the co-polypropylene increases melt strength and provides a wider foamability range. The study investigates the entire range of foaming conditions using CO2 and isobutane as blowing agents, and shows that the density of the foamed beads can be adjusted. Mechanical properties of the molded parts were also characterized, and it was found that the steam molding pressure for sintering with the long chain branched co-polypropylene is lower than that required for standard polypropylene beads by extrusion. The energy saving in the sintering process makes the entire manufacturing process cost efficient and opens up new possibilities for applications.