DIY Ethafoam Packaging

Stick and Cut EthaFoam Yourself

*Always test a small piece of foam to best understand the effects of laminating and cutting methods.

Cutting Ethafoam

Ethafoam has a light but firm and crisp feel when cutting, making it the cleanest cutting foam without needing CNC machinery.

Simply use just about any blade or knife. A straight edge should be used if straight cuts are required.

Heating EthaFoam For Lamination

Place the foam piece to be stuck onto a burn proof surface.
To join the foam piece to another piece of Ethafoam or to the cardboard or plywood create.

The surface of the foam needs to be heated and slightly melted to make it sticky.
Use a heat gun at 300-600°C. Test a small piece of foam to achieve your ideal lamination.

Depending on the heat of the gun. hold the heat gun a few inches from the foam and move the heat gun slowly in a way the exposes each section of the face of the foam for about 2 seconds.

 

You should notice the foam begin to slightly darken or the thin top layer of the foam melting. 

 

Applying force to Stick the Lamination

The foam piece must immediately be pushed onto the surface where the foam piece is to stick.

The foam must be pushed and held firmly for about 30 seconds. For more difficult surfaces like cardboard or plywood, more heat and a stronger application for over 1-2 minutes may be necessary.  

The lamination is expected to hold is self in place to cushion packaged items. Depending on the lamination surface, it is not expected to hold weight in a lateral direction which may cause foam to peel off.