TPU Foam Sheet is a kind of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) foam material- Suzhou Shincell New Material Co., Ltd.

TPU Foam Sheet is a kind of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) foam material that is fully recyclable and can be extruded into a film before being easily expanded into foamed sheets. It has been developed by Huntsman, in conjunction with Shincell New Material Company Ltd and is being utilized for insole, midsole and forepart insert applications by some of the world’s leading footwear brands.

The TPU Foam Sheet is manufactured by spraying a mixture of solvent-free and water-free TPU resins onto an aluminium foil. This is then heated by steam, resulting in the TPU resins melting and expanding. This expansion forms the TPU foam, which is then cut into various sizes and shapes. The TPU Foam Sheet is available in a wide range of colours and textures, and can be printed with logos and graphics to meet specific design requirements.

In addition to its environmental benefits, TPU Foam Sheet has high tensile strength and good elongation at break. TPU Foam Sheet is also lightweight, which makes it a very attractive option for footwear manufacturers seeking to reduce the weight of their products. TPU also has very good elasticity, which means it can absorb a large amount of energy and return it quickly to its original state.

TPU foams can be used in a variety of applications, including sports shoes and clothing, due to their excellent rebound properties and long-lasting cushioning function. They are particularly suitable for use in high-performance sports and recreational activities, such as basketball, gymnastics, running, tennis and football. However, there is a concern that TPU foams can be accelerated by heat and moisture. This is known as the ageing process, and it occurs because the pores in TPU expands faster than the surrounding structure. The ageing process can be slowed by keeping TPU away from direct sunlight and by not using harsh cleaning agents.

In order to investigate the influence of the TPU foam’s cellular morphology on its hardness, samples with different densities and varying cell structures were tested for their Shore A durometer hardness. The results showed that the hardness of TPU foams increased with increasing density, but this relationship was highly dependent on the cellular morphology. In addition, samples with coalesced cells exhibited a lower hardness than those with intact cells.

SEM micrographs of cross sections of fracture surfaces obtained from tensile testing showed that the mechanical properties of TPU foams processed under optimum compression molding conditions depend on failure at either the interface or at the cell depending on the cellular morphology. The tensile strengths of TPU foams processed under inadequate conditions are significantly low.

In addition, the ball rebound property of TPU foams is significantly influenced by the foam’s expansion ratio. TPU that foams at higher pressure has a better ball rebound performance than those that are compressed at lower temperatures, and this effect is stronger for medium-density TPU than that of high-density TPU. This suggests that a proper TPU foaming process can enhance the ball rebound property of TPU.