When was XPS foam invented?

Trademarked brand for extruded polystyrene

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Styrofoam brand insulation extruded polystyrene foam (XPS), owned and manufactured by DuPont

Styrofoam is a trademarked brand of closed-cell extruded polystyrene foam (XPS), manufactured to provide continuous building insulation board used in walls, roofs, and foundations as thermal insulation and as a water barrier. This material is light blue in color and is owned and manufactured by DuPont. DuPont also has produced a line of green and white foam shapes for use in crafts and floral arrangements.[1]

The term Styrofoam is often used in the United States as a colloquial term to refer to expanded (not extruded) polystyrene foam (EPS).[2] Outside the United States, EPS is most commonly referred to as simply "polystyrene" with the term "styrofoam" being used in its capacity to describe all forms of extruded polystyrene, not just the Dupont brand itself. Polystyrene (EPS) is often used in food containers, coffee cups, and as cushioning material in packaging.[3][1] Styrofoam is, however, a far less dense material than EPS and is more commonly suited to tasks such as thermal insulation.[2]

Additionally, it is moderately soluble in many organic solvents, cyanoacrylate, and the propellants and solvents of spray paint.

History

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In the 1940s, researchers, originally at Dow's Chemical Physics Lab, led by Ray McIntire, found a way to make foamed polystyrene. They rediscovered a method first used by Swedish inventor Carl Georg Munters, and obtained an exclusive license to Munters's patent in the United States.[4] Dow found ways to adapt Munters's method to make large quantities of extruded polystyrene as a closed cell foam that resists moisture. The patent on this adaptation was filed in 1947.[5]

Uses

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Styrofoam has a variety of uses. Styrofoam is composed of 98% air, making it lightweight and buoyant.[6]

DuPont produces Styrofoam building materials, including varieties of building insulation sheathing and pipe insulation. The claimed R-value of Styrofoam insulation is five per inch.[7]

Styrofoam can be used under roads and other structures to prevent soil disturbances due to freezing and thawing.[8][9]

DuPont also produces Styrofoam blocks and other shapes for use by florists and in craft products.[10] DuPont insulation Styrofoam has a distinctive blue color; Styrofoam for craft applications is available in white and green.[1]

Environmental issues

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The EPA and International Agency for Research on Cancer reported limited evidence that styrene is carcinogenic for humans and experimental animals, meaning that there is a positive association between exposure and cancer and that causality is credible, but that other explanations cannot be confidently excluded.[11][12]

See also the expansive list of environmental issues of Polystyrene, among which it being non-biodegradable.

See also

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References

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XPS, closed cell polystyrene foam, is a form of thermal insulation, the very first foam used for thermal insulation. The closed-cell polystyrene foam was developed in 1941 during World War II by the Dow Chemical Company, and patented in 1944. The material, equipped with excellent insulating properties, was initially used in six person naval lifeboats, as unsinkable high buoyancy blocks. Due to its good thermal insulating abilities and buoyancy, its use was later extended to other types of water-craft. Its application in construction began in the 1950s under the name Styrofoam.

Closed-cell polystyrene foams were initially used in the construction industry to insulate cold storage units. Due to its high compressive strength, floors can be insulated for following which no restrictions to truck, or cargo traffic are required. After floors, the material soon started to appear on roofs as well. The waterproofing of a flat roof is constantly subjected to extra stress, due to intense solar radiation and increased thermal fluctuation.
The waterproof XPS thermal insulation made it possible to cover and preserve the waterproofing and provide good quality thermal insulation for the roof. The roofs produced this way have remained flood-resistant and non-absorbant for many decades, with the possibility of designing open car park roofs and pleasant terrace roofs with rich flora.

Dow made it clear with eloquent names which product was for which application. This is how Roofmate, Floormate, Agmate, Perimate brands were born.

In 1963, the blue foam crossed the Atlantic Ocean and set foot on the European continent. At first it was only sold in Europe and from 1964 onwards, coloured thermal insulation boards were manufactured. Between 1964 and 2000, dozens of factories were established in Europeand both consumption and production capacity rose sharply.

As a result of continuous developments, from 1989, manufacturers gradually switched first to soft freon production and then between 1995 and 2001 to the environmentally friendly, freon-free production technologies still used today. The rapid development of extruders also made it possible to produce 18-20 cm thick thermal insulation.

Since August 2015, closed-cell polystyrene foam manufacturers have only been able to use a new type of non-HBCD flame retardant in the manufacture of their Class X E thermal insulation, complying with the latest REACH requirements.

And the story does not end here. As a result of the latest developments, it is now possible to weld extruded polystyrene foam boards quickly and efficiently. As a result of this revolutionary technology, it has become possible to produce high-thickness thermal insulation without the use of excipients or adhesives. The product combines the low thermal conductivity of the low-thickness XPS with simple, safe, fast installation, whilst retaining its initial properties and homogeneous material structure.

Ravago Building Solutions Hungary Ltd. has been at the forefront of technological developments since January 2016, and, with its revolutionary new technology, it manufactures high-thickness RAVATHERM XPS products between 120-280 mm.

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