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Re: Creating Forming Styrofoam (dinnerware like) Parts??

FOSECO

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They make custom lost foam patterns.

Tooling isn't cheap. Price based on volume. Expect to pay $20K plus for tooling depending on the complexity of your pattern.

You could try pouring urethane into hand made plastic moulds as one-offs for hobby use.

Or buy blocks of Styrofoam and cut with a hot wire. Do only in well ventilated areas as this produces nasty chemical by-products.

Or machine your part on a CNC...

Can anyone point me to companies out there that can produce parts made > out of the same material that common sytrofoam dinner plates are made > from? You know that white, relativity rigid, smooth skinned, > lightweight and thin foam-like material. I would like to get an idea > of how much the setup charges would be to mold small parts (< 20 sq. > in.) out of this material. After searching a bit on the net it looks > like the process is rather complex and out of the reach of the > hobbiest. Any companies out there that mold this stuff in medium > quantities? Thanks in advance for any help... please post answers to > the group if possible.
Reply to
Mike D2
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Thomas Register of Manufacturers.

Yours,

Doug Goncz, Replikon Research, Seven Corners, VA

The hormones work at different speeds: In a fight-or-flight scenario, glucocorticoids are the ones drawing up blueprints for new aircraft carriers; epinephrine is the one handing out guns.

Reply to
Doug Goncz

I guess my real question is what do you call the material used in those white styrofoam dinner plates. The foam commonly used to make wings on model airplanes or pack computer monitors, or is sold in blocks at the local Lowes is not the same stuff. The dinner plate material is rigid in thin sheets and has a smooth skin (very small cells?). If I knew the name of the material or the name of the process used to build the plates I could call around to manufacturers to get more info. Does anyone have any ideas? Thanks in advance.

Reply to
Daniel Rubin

Some years ago I did some prototypes with the process you describe. The Styrofoam beads are supplied in several sizes to produce the different size expanded beads. The smallest available at the time were called type "T" beads, about 0.01 to 0.02 inches in diameter; they vary in size a little in each grade. The beads contain a foaming agent which creates the gas for expansion when heated. The foaming agent gradually degraded or leaked out of the beads during storage. So old beads would not work well. I would get my supply from a local firm that produced the thin wall coffee cups. I have not located any old data sheets on the material but I think it was from Dow, trade name "dyalite"?

Reply to
Billy Hiebert

Reply to
Billy Hiebert

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