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What is PMI foam?
PMI (Polymethacrylimide) foam is a cross-linked rigid structural foam material. It uses methacrylic acid (MAA) and methacrylonitrile (MAN) copolymer as the base resin and adopts a unique solid foaming technology. It has a 100% closed-cell structure and its comprehensive performance is very superior. Its uniformly cross-linked cell structure can give it good mechanical properties, heat deformation temperature and chemical stability.
Performance of PMI Foam Core
Lightweight & high strength
Among foams of the same density, PMI foam is currently the rigid closed-cell foam material with the highest specific strength and specific stiffness. It is much lighter than traditional materials (such as wood and metal), but its strength is close to that of some aluminum alloys.
Waterproof and moisture-proof
The pores of PMI foam are closed and isolated from each other. Since the foam is completely closed, it is difficult for moisture and water to enter the sandwich core.
High temperature resistance
The polymer chain of PMI foam is a complete imide ring structure and interchain cross-linking structure, which greatly improves the heat and pressure resistance of the material, and the long-term use temperature can reach 180–250°C.
Easy to bond
PMI foam has a highly polar molecular structure and a densely cellular surface state. It can form good bonding with various resins such as epoxy, bismaleimide, and cyanate ester in the co-curing molding process of composite sandwich materials.
Easy to process
PMI foam is easy to cut, slice, mill, etc. It can be processed into special-shaped foam parts using CNC machine tools. Foam sheets can also be bent into various single curved surfaces under heating conditions, increasing the freedom of design and process.
Low dielectric property
PMI foam has extremely low dielectric constant and dielectric loss, and is suitable for structures that need to emit and transmit microwaves.
Specifications
| Size | 1250X2500mm or 1800X800mm. |
| Thickness | 1mm – 100mm. (Tolerance ±0.2mm) |
| Density | 75/110/205kg/m³. |
| Color | White/yellow. |
Performance parameters
(Micropore structure)
| Density | kg/m³ | 75 | 110 |
| Compressive Strength | MPa | 1.68 | 3.65 |
| Tensile Strength | MPa | 2.28 | 3.84 |
| Shear Strength | MPa | 1.44 | 2.38 |
| Elastic Modulus | MPa | 102.9 | 181.1 |
| Shear Modulus | MPa | 42.2 | 67.9 |
| Elongation at Break | % | 3.12 | 3.43 |
| Heat Deflection Temperature | °C | 239.4 | 243.1 |
| Dielectric Constant | – | 1.11 | 1.15 |
| Dielectric Loss | tanδx10-3 | 5.4 | 5.7 |
Performance parameters
(Mesopore structure)
| Density | kg/m³ | 75 | 110 |
| Compressive Strength | MPa | 1.68 | 3.65 |
| Tensile Strength | MPa | 2.28 | 3.84 |
| Shear Strength | MPa | 1.44 | 2.38 |
| Elastic Modulus | MPa | 102.9 | 181.1 |
| Shear Modulus | MPa | 42.2 | 67.9 |
| Elongation at Break | % | 3.12 | 3.43 |
| Heat Deflection Temperature | °C | 239.4 | 243.1 |
| Dielectric Constant | – | 1.09 | 1.15 |
| Dielectric Loss | tanδx10-3 | 5.4 | 5.4 |
Performance parameters
(Macroporous structure)
| Density | kg/m³ | 75 | 110 | 205 |
| Compressive Strength | MPa | 1.68 | 3.65 | 9.01 |
| Tensile Strength | MPa | 2.28 | 3.84 | 6.85 |
| Shear Strength | MPa | 1.44 | 2.38 | 4.82 |
| Elastic Modulus | MPa | 102.9 | 181.1 | 350.2 |
| Shear Modulus | MPa | 42.2 | 67.9 | 145.4 |
| Elongation at Break | % | 3.12 | 3.43 | 3.51 |
| Heat Deflection Temperature | °C | 239.4 | 243.1 | 241.6 |
| Dielectric Constant | – | 1.11 | 1.15 | 1.27 |
| Dielectric Loss | tanδx10-3 | 5.4 | 5.7 | 6.5 |
Application of PMI foam
PMI foam has a wide range of uses, including wind power generation, electronic communications, aerospace, medical, shipbuilding, automobiles, sports equipment, etc.
PMI foam is an ideal core material for high-performance sandwich structure composite materials with fiber-reinforced resin layers as skin layers.
PMI foam will be used as the main load-bearing material when the force is not large and the material is required to have good wave transmission or surface properties.
Wind power generation
Used as the core material of wind turbine blades, it provides advantages such as high compressive strength, corrosion resistance, and aging resistance.
Aerospace
Used to produce various types of helicopter blades, aircraft engine intake side panels, etc.
Medical equipment
PMI foam is low in aluminum equivalent and is used for the bed plate of medical testing equipment, which can obtain clear images at the lowest radiation dose.
Sports equipment
Used to produce bicycle racing wheels, tennis rackets, snowboards and surfboards, etc.
Railway transportation
PMI sandwich panels are used in the floor, roof, sidewall or partition of rail vehicles to reduce vehicle weight and improve insulation performance.
Antenna and radar cover
Because the dielectric properties of PMI are very close to those of air, radar beams can pass through the foam core without obstacles.
Automotive industry
Composites made of PMI foam core and carbon fiber can reduce the weight of the vehicle body by 50% or more.
Shipbuilding
The use of PMI composite sandwich structures in deck and bulkhead structures enables ships to have greater payload and faster speed.
Choose TOPOLOGROUP
TOPOLOGROUP provides excellent high-temperature dimensionally and weight-stable PMI foam, which provides the necessary quality assurance for the preparation process of composite sandwich materials and overcomes the quality problems of foam collapse, delamination, bulging, etc. that may occur in other foam core materials during hot pressing.
- Free of Freon and halogen.
- Customized foam density for different application requirements.
- High-precision CNC machining services are available.
Notices
Storage environment
- The storage environment requires dryness, ventilation, and fire prevention.
- Foam products are strictly prohibited from being squeezed, exposed to rain, immersed in water, or in contact with harmful substances such as oils, acids, and alkalis.
Usage conditions
- Foam products should be used up within 48 hours after unpacking.
- If the humidity of the place of use exceeds 80%, it should be used up within 24 hours.
- It is recommended to use the ambient humidity <50%.
Drying treatment
Drying treatment should be carried out in an air circulation oven, heating at a rate of 2-3℃/min, drying at 71℃ for 3-5 hours or at 50℃ for 12 hours. When the thickness of the foam board exceeds 25mm, the drying time should be appropriately extended.