As an OEM, your main goal is to create the best product with the highest efficiency and performance possible. A significant factor in preventing this involves how your equipment withstands noise, thermal, and vibration challenges.
Selecting foam to cushion problem areas better isn’t always as simple as using flat foam. Often, challenges arise with equipment parts that are oddly shaped and have many nooks and crannies that can continue to cause problems if not adequately covered or insulated. This is when you should weigh the pros and cons of custom molded foam over 2D cut foam.
Molded Foam vs. 2D Cut Foam: What’s the Difference
OEMs are always looking for the best solutions to ensure their equipment isn’t damaged by noise, vibration, and heat while in use. This is why finding the correct foam solution for your application is vitally important.
Many factors need to be considered when deciding between molded and 2D cut foam, many factors need to be considered. No two projects or equipment requirements are the same, and the chosen foam solution for each shouldn’t be either. Each option has advantages and disadvantages. It all comes down to whether or not the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.
Let’s look at molded foam and 2D cut foam side by side.
| Molded Foam | 2D Cut Foam |
| Moderate Manufacturing Cost | Low Manufacturing Cost |
| Tooling Required | Little Tooling Required |
| Long Application Life | Long Application Life |
| Little Assembly Required | Requires More Assembly |
| Uses Fewer Pieces of 3D Custom Molded Foam | Uses Multiple Pieces of 2D Foam |
| Custom Designed to Fit Perfectly Inside the Product | Absorbs Sound |
| Requires No PSA and Few Attachments | Damps Vibration |
| Faster Assembly Process | Perfect for Adhering to Flat Surfaces |
| Provides Superior Airborne and Structural Noise Control | Easy to Apply But Can Be Time Intensive |
As you can see from the chart, both products have positives and negatives. What you can’t see is that either could be the best option, depending on what you need the foam for. Just because the molded foam option is customizable and preferred by most doesn’t mean that 2D cut foam doesn’t have its merits for some smaller, more average projects.
Molded Foam Advantages
Naturally, the solution people are more inclined to lean toward is customizable foam. The Polymer Molded Products division takes time to fully understand our customers’ custom molded foam needs for each project. Naturally, that leads to a desire to only look at one option.
In this section, we will talk about why people prefer the custom option, but keep in mind that we will also break down the appropriate time to choose a 2D foam solution in the next section.
Molded Foam is ahead of the competition. If you choose a customized foam option, you can guarantee that it:
- Improves the quality and performance of equipment
- Serves as an internal chassis to enhance a structure
- Eliminates fasteners, screws, and more to simplify product assembly
- Provides a thermal barrier
- Manages sound and damps vibration
- Fills voids with lightweight material
- Makes inventory management easier
- Shortens the number of suppliers and vendors
- Has a moderate manufacturing cost
- Requires minimal assembly
- Reduces the overall cost of manufacturing
- Has a long application life
As you can see, choosing the custom molded foam option will improve your equipment in many ways. Molded foam is suggested for challenges that require more intricate and complex designs, where a flat piece of foam wouldn’t enhance the functionality and efficiency of the equipment in question.
We once helped an OEM of heavy trucks improve their equipment thanks to molded foam. This particular manufacturer was seeing their equipment fail under extreme temperature conditions. By creating a molded foam solution for this challenge, our customer saw a marked improvement in their equipment thanks to thermal insulation solutions developed by our PMP division.
2D Cut Foam Solutions
Just because you might need an energy-saving solution doesn’t mean you should completely overlook 2D cut foam solutions in favor of custom molded ones. Cut or flat foam materials are also versatile and capable of tackling a wide range of noise, vibration, and temperature control problems.
Here are some ways you can still benefit from cut or flat foam.
Thermal Control
Whether you are looking for thermal insulators to control temperature or heat shields to block extreme heat, our thermal insulation products are your best choice for efficiency and control.
Noise Absorption
Our POLYDAMP® melamine, hydrophobic melamine, and polyurethane foams are perfect for insulation applications to control excess noise and temperature.
Sound Barriers
Polymer acoustical barriers are perfect for installation in doors, walls, floors, and ceilings. These 2D cut foams are ideal for construction, power generation, medical, and transportation industry applications.
Vibration Damping
Our custom products are perfect for vibration damping in engine compartments, cab walls, enclosures, floor and ceiling systems, and door panels, to name a few.
Gasket Solutions
To help increase your application efficiency and reduce acoustical leaks, we supply POLYTECH® gasket materials made from various polymers, including PVC, polyurethane, neoprene, silicone, and blends to meet your needs.
Filtration Control
The HVAC, medical, and mass transportation industries frequently use our POLYTECH® reticulated urethane foams to enhance air filtration systems.
Deciding What is Best for Your Application
Selecting the right foam for your application is a collaborative process that begins with guidance from our highly skilled engineers. Selecting the best foam solutions requires industry insights and expertise, as well as a knowledgeable person to explain the benefits of one type over the other.
Whether you think going the custom molded foam route is more your speed than selecting a 2D cut foam or the other way around, Polymer Technologies is here to assist you. Contact us if you wish to learn more about how we can find the best foam solution for your equipment.