WHY POLYETHYLENE FOAM IS THE BEST OPTION WHEN IT COMES TO PACKAGING

Polyethylene foam is known for its wide application in the packaging industry. Most industries have shifted to polyethylene due to numerous reasons. First of all, polyethylene is cheap and readily available. It is manufactured from recycled polymers hence cheaper and economical as compared to other options. Most governments also recommend the use of polyethylene for purposes of conservation of environment and recycling of harmful polymers. Other than the cheap cost, polyethylene has thousands of properties that make it suitable for the packaging of goods. Some of the properties are discussed in depth in the rest of the article.

Generally, polyethylene foam is soft, flexible, bendable and pliable. It can easily yield when exposed to external forces and regain its original shape once the forces are withdrawn. This property makes it a good shock absorber that can be used for the transportation of fragile goods. In addition to this, the level of flexibility or rigidity can be varied depending on customer preferences and the goods that are to be contained inside. For instance, heavy goods will require a rigid casing while light fragile goods will require flexible packaging. The extent of rigidity is varied by including various additives during the manufacturing process.

Polyethylene foam has other favorable properties such as good fire proofing properties, anti-static properties, self-extinguishing properties and water resistant properties. Each of these properties can be obtained by including various additives in the primary ingredients of molten polyethylene. Above all, polyethylene can take different colors depending on customer preferences. Different colors are achieved by including dyes in the primary ingredients. The color property of polyethylene makes it suitable not only for packaging but also for marketing of various brands of goods using the company’s color brand. Polyethylene can also be customized into different shapes that can hardly be achieved using other materials such as rubber. This makes it one of the best materials for the packaging and transportation of goods in industries.