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Foamed Polyethylene
MEF™
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Flexible but tough
Enabling design freedom
MEF™ stands for "Moldable PolyEthylene Foam" Being inherently light and flexible, PE foam offers exceptional shock absorption and durability. As it is molded by steam chest molding, it can be formed into different shapes and sizes easily, and is suitable for automotive parts (especially for car interiors). It is also suitable for returnable packaging in shipping of automotive parts.
QDoes MEF™ contain any hazardous substances?
QHow do you supply MEF™ in Japan?
QCan you provide a sample board for our company?
QPlease let us know the grades and types of MEF™.
QDo you use any CFC material for the foaming agent?
MEF™ is light in weight and excels in flexibility, shock absorption, and durability. Also, MEF™ has a high degree of freedom of molding and generates little squeaking noise as well as abrasion-causing dust. Therefore, MEF™ is suitable for returnable containers and cushioning materials (logistics materials) used for transporting various parts, including automotive components.
MEF™ is light in weight and excels in flexibility, shock absorption, and durability. Also, MEF™ has a high degree of freedom of molding and generates little squeaking noise as well as abrasion-causing dust. Therefore, MEF™ is suitable for returnable containers and cushioning materials (logistics materials) used for transporting various parts, including automotive components.
High flexibility
Foam molded products made of MEF™ are characterized by light weight, flexibility, and crack resistance. Therefore, parts can be made thinner, enabling flexibility of designs of molded parts. MEF™ is an option for reducing the weight of current parts or expanding usable space in the vehicle. Another merit is that MEF™ excels in maintaining its strength in low-temperature environments compared with other types of foams, such as polypropylene.
Low rubbing noises
As the surface friction resistance of foam molded products made of MEF™ is low, they have abrasion resistance and can reduce rubbing noises. Since MEF™ can help reduce rubbing noises generated by the friction between the foam molded product and other parts, MEF™ can be used without other materials as an effective means of reducing unwanted noises in vehicles.
High durability
When a parts manufacturer delivers various parts to a vehicle manufacturer, delicate parts with complicated shapes must be handled with care. The use of cushioning materials made of MEF™, which is flexible as well as crack-resistant and which has excellent shock absorption, protects the delicate parts from impact during transportation. Furthermore, since MEF™ has excellent compression recovery properties, cushioning materials made of MEF™ can be used repeatedly.
Effective measure against rubbing noises
To deal with unwanted noises generated in places where a part comes in contact with another vehicle part, sometimes manufacturers take measures such as attaching a different material (nonwoven fabric, etc.) to the foam material in secondary processing. Compared with other foam materials, MEF™ rarely generates rubbing noises and can be used without combining it with another material. Therefore, MEF™ can simplify the process of reducing unwanted noises.
Using MEF™ for returnable boxes
As MEF™ is flexible and crack-resistant, it is suitable for repeated use. Furthermore, very few particles are generated by friction. Therefore, MEF™ reduces the possibility of inclusion of foreign objects in the parts which are being transported. On the strength of these merits, MEF™ is best suited to be used for returnable boxes for parts.
To guard against impacts during part transportation, such as the fall of a packaged part, Asahi Kasei uses its proprietary packaging design solution system PAOSS™. It simulates an impacts on the packaged part as well as the behavior of the part when surrounded by compressed cushioning materials. Foam molders can use these data points to design MEF™-based optimal protective packaging solutions – minimizing materials, maximising protection. This brings about a reduction of materials, costs as well as overall weight.
Contribution to the environment
A polyethylene foam with low specific gravity, MEF™ reduces the total weight of a vehicle. This contributes to fuel consumption improvement and vehicle emission reduction. Furthermore, since MEF™ is a foam, it can reduce the use of raw materials, contributing to resource saving.
Burning MEF™ does not generate chlorine gas, black smoke, or other harmful emissions. Thus, it can be thermally recycled in commonly used incinerators for plastics.
Furthermore, MEF™ is crack-resistant and generates few particles, compared with other types of foams. It can thus suppress the generation of microplastics.
We give full consideration to the sustainability of MEF™ in manufacturing processes.
MEF™ is a sustainable material that will be needed in the era to come.