Abstract
Japan is the only Asiatic country today with a significant cellular plastics industry. Rubber foam production began there in 1950, followed during the 1950's by polystyrene, urethane, cellular vinyl, phenolic and urea foams. Flexible urethane and rigid polysty rene foams now dominate the market.
Rubber foam is being replaced in bedding and cushioning by flexible urethane foam whereas rigid urethane foam is currently un successful due to high costs, difficult process ing and inflammability.
Rigid polystyrene foam is used as insula tion, molded packaging and containers. Food packaging and laminating utilized polystyrene film.
Cellular vinyl foam has no successful mar ket at present; foamed phenolics, brittle and expensive, have only selective uses and urea foam, limited by poor dimensional stability and mechanical strength, is restricted to sound-absorbing use.
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