What do you call this kind of foam and where can I source it?

[CZroe]

I used some from a hard drive to package a game in this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqzq8AQdrgE
Edit: Note that the foam is semi-flexible (enough to cushion/bend) and semi-rigid (enough to support/hold). That sides are rough due to the shape being made from glued layers but the main surfaces are soft and will not scratch like styrofoam. Some of the rigidity may be due to the adhesive holding together multiple layers, which is exactly what I need to do.

I usually get it with Chinese replacement parts for mobile devices (iPad digitizers and such), but I've used all my scrap/salvaged piece and I need a lot more. Sometimes it is pink instead of white.

I found rigid foam that looks very much like it at Jo-Ann's Fabrics and Michael's, but I specifically need the soft flexible kind you see in the video. It's often layered to form the shapes the shipper needs which is exactly what I need to do. For example, an iPad digitizer and glass assembly would be on a backplate of the stuff. Another layer with an iPad-shaped hole in it is glued to that layer, forming a wall around the digitizer. A piece sized very close to what was removed is then placed on top of the iPad digitizer so that it has foam surrounding it on all sides. From there it is all slid into a box and sealed.

If I knew what it was called then I might be able to source it locally. McMaster Carr has will-call service.

 

[rudeguy]

packing foam

We order from Uline for bulk. For smaller just use Amazon.

 

[dainthomas]

Is source a verb now?

 

[rudeguy]

Is source a verb now?

very much so

I ask people all the time if they can source something. Its easier than asking if someone makes or sells or can get a product. I've only heard it used in wholesale terms though.

 

[waffleironhead]

Looks like polylam it's sold in different densities.

 

[feralkid]

Is source a verb now?

Always has been a transitive verb.

 

[*kjm]

http://www.mcmaster.com/#polyethylene/=w6hr9c

 

[rudeguy]

http://www.mcmaster.com/#polyethylene/=w6hr9c

Use Uline's website to figure out what you want then use *kjm's link to order. I don't know what Uline's minimum order amount is.

http://www.uline.com/Grp_18/Foam

 

[CZroe]

packing foam

We order from Uline for bulk. For smaller just use Amazon.

Thanks, but part of the problem is that searching for "Packing Foam" returns all types of foam. I'm trying to get more specific.

Is source a verb now?

Ever heard of "Locally sourced" or "Crowd sourced," or "Open sourced?"

Looks like polylam it's sold in different densities.

Thanks. So Polylam is semi-rigid, semi-flexible like that?

 

[CZroe]

Use Uline's website to figure out what you want then use *kjm's link to order. I don't know what Uline's minimum order amount is.

http://www.uline.com/Grp_18/Foam

Well, I'm trying to identify it so that I can find it somewhere today. Is the kind you're talking about semi-rigid and semi-flexible? I basically need to make a box out of the stuff with a very particular shape so that some parts of the object are suspended and not in contact with anything and the parts that are in contact would get scratched by strictly rigid foams or styrofoam.

 

[Smoblikat]

Is source a verb now?

"I need you to source some old 9800GT's for me"

 

[CZroe]

http://www.mcmaster.com/#polyethylene/=w6hr9c

Thanks, but I think the link is broken. Was it supposed to take me to a specific product? It just took me to a selection of many foams, which is what I have been poking around at all morning. I can't identify them based on their descriptions. They are describes as varying degrees of "soft" instead.

Edit: I see that you had limited it to a particular materl. When I look on eBay, that looks like it could be the right stuff. Thanks!

 

[rudeguy]

Well, I'm trying to identify it so that I can find it somewhere today. Is the kind you're talking about simi-rigid and semi-flexible? I basically need to make a box out of the stuff with a very particular shape so that some parts of the object are suspended and not in contact with anything and the parts that are in contact would get scratched by rigid foams or styrofoam.

Yes. Its flexible yet rigid. I use it for padding when I ship electronics.

Your best bet is going to be to go to a craft store and describe what you want.

 

[Belegost]

http://www.amazon.com/Pratt-Perforat...583233&sr=1-39

 

[CZroe]

Yes. Its flexible yet rigid. I use it for padding when I ship electronics.

Your best bet is going to be to go to a craft store and describe what you want.

I checked all those types of places in town before giving up and making this thread (the two places mentioned in the OP are only the ones people might recognize). They all have the same stuff as Hobby Lobby: strictly rigid or completely flexible with nothing in between. McMaster, on the other hand, offers local will-call service but I can't exactly browse their warehouse. If I could identify which of those foams they offer is the right kind, then I can do this.

 

[CZroe]

http://www.amazon.com/Pratt-Perforat...583233&sr=1-39

Thanks, but nothing in a roll is rigid enough. It would be sheets I could layer together with adhesive or already-layered planks.

 

[rudeguy]

Places I would try:

Walmart
Fedex Kinkos
UPS Store
Mom and Pop shipping store


Otherwise come grab some. I have 3 boxes.

 

[Drako]

Instapak Foam

http://www.uline.com/BL_7708/Instapak-Quick-Room-Temperature

 

[CZroe]

Places I would try:

Walmart
Fedex Kinkos
UPS Store
Mom and Pop shipping store


Otherwise come grab some. I have 3 boxes.

Will do. I know I can find it at Lowe's as that black tubular insulation for pipes and cushioned bars and such but that isn't going the be the right form at all. Thanks again.

 

[Drako]

I believe the stuff in your video is Polyethylene Plank Foam.

 

[Carson Dyle]

I used some from a hard drive to package a game in this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqzq8AQdrgE

Dude. I can't believe you're not wearing gloves to handle that priceless collectible. You spend ten minutes going over every minute detail and tiny flaw in the original packaging, yet you're pawing it up with your greasy fingers like it was a common commodity.

 

[rudeguy]

I believe the stuff in your video is Polyethylene Plank Foam.

No its different. Unless you've seen it, its hard to explain. Its almost like foam bubble wrap. It comes in different thicknesses and its *almost* rigid. It can hold some serious weight but you can very easily bend it into shape. When I ship out iPads I roll a piece up and put a piece on each side. The iPads can move but the rolled up foam could absorb any beating Fedex throws at it.

I also ship credit card terminals that have shock sensors in them to prevent tampering. If I use bubble wrap, the tamper trips. If I use foam, I never have an issue.

 

[Drako]

No its different. Unless you've seen it, its hard to explain. Its almost like foam bubble wrap. It comes in different thicknesses and its *almost* rigid. It can hold some serious weight but you can very easily bend it into shape. When I ship out iPads I roll a piece up and put a piece on each side. The iPads can move but the rolled up foam could absorb any beating Fedex throws at it.

I also ship credit card terminals that have shock sensors in them to prevent tampering. If I use bubble wrap, the tamper trips. If I use foam, I never have an issue.

It's still a form Polyethylene foam. There are different densities, open cell, closed cell, etc. Cell sizes can vary widely too.

 

[CZroe]

Dude. I can't believe you're not wearing gloves to handle that priceless collectible. You spend ten minutes going over every minute detail and tiny flaw in the original packaging, yet you're pawing it up with your greasy fingers like it was a common commodity.

Then I guess you're REALLY going to hate this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGX9MIRwvdA

It came from a thrift store 15 years ago and hasn't been wiped down since God knows how many people handled it. The wipe-down would happen before they send it off for VGA grading, if that's what they desire. It even had a pen mark that still needed to be rubbed off and a price tag that misrepresented it as "Used."

No its different. Unless you've seen it, its hard to explain. Its almost like foam bubble wrap. It comes in different thicknesses and its *almost* rigid. It can hold some serious weight but you can very easily bend it into shape. When I ship out iPads I roll a piece up and put a piece on each side. The iPads can move but the rolled up foam could absorb any beating Fedex throws at it.

I also ship credit card terminals that have shock sensors in them to prevent tampering. If I use bubble wrap, the tamper trips. If I use foam, I never have an issue.

Yep. I do believe that it is some kind of polyethylene though. I think those extremely rigid sheets at the craft stores are polyethylene too but they bend even less than normal Styrofoam before breaking.

Thanks again.

 

[Carson Dyle]

Isn't it this closed cell polyethylene foam? Which exact density is anyone's guess without seeing it in hand, but I'd guess it's one of the lighter ones.