RIGID EXPANDED POLYURETHANE CORAFOAM®

CORAFOAM® is the rigid expanded polyurethane produced by DUNA-Corradini; CORAFOAM® polyurethane foam is a material that, during its over 50-years-long history, has become synonymous of Energy saving and thermal insulation in its Low density lines of foams, and of workability and reliability in its High density lines of products.

Expanded foam CORAFOAM®, thanks to its closed-cells structure, has a first-rate insulating power and excellent mechanical characteristics, that make it suitable to be used not only as insulating material (Low density) but also as structural element in technologically advanced fields such as composites, tooling and modeling (High density).

CORAFOAM® is a high performing expanded polyurethane, able to meet existing requirements, as well as to offer new applicative solutions.

The high innovative potential of CORAFOAM® polyurethanes has never run dry; even today the foam is still object of research oriented to the application and transformation technique of polyurethane. The answer to such an intense research job is the constant introduction of new families and new types of foams in the product portfolio.

An important strength point of DUNA-Corradini lays not only in the deep knowing of the product, but also in the technical experience acquired in all fields of transformation and application of rigid expanded polyurethane. The technical advice to our customers is a further distinctive trait that characterizes significantly our presence on the expanded polymers market.

Many experts, designers, architects, thermo technical experts, engineers, scientists and scholars already know polyurethane foam CORAFOAM®, and we address ourselves to them in order to spur the research of more and more innovative applications for polyurethane.

Manufacturing of rigid expanded polyurethane CORAFOAM®

Rigid polyurethanes CORAFOAM® are manufactured with an “in continuous” process that assures the consistency of performances and characteristics.

Rigid expanded polyurethane foam CORAFOAM® produced in continuous is divided into blocks and later cut in sheets, or three-dimensional pieces of the shape and dimensions requested by customers.

The special manufacturing process allows to vary extensively the density of expanded CORAFOAM®, and since the properties of these materials largely depend on density, CORAFOAM® polyurethanes can be realized with a wide range of properties, according to the use which they are developed for: from polyurethane sheet that will become a core of an insulating panel, up to the structural element for modeling.

The density, however, is not the only element in the choice of a polyurethane; as every organic materials, CORAFOAM® expanded foams are combustible. Their fire behaviour however varies a lot according to the different product families: some kinds of CORAFOAM®, in fact, thanks to their special formulation, are able to meet fire behaviour requirements of the most strict European and International standards.

CORAFOAM® Low density

Low density CORAFOAM® polyurethane sheets represent the excellence in the field of thermal insulation, especially in conditioning refrigerated structures (cold chain), being able to combine a top-notch insulating power with high mechanical resistance and dimensional stability.  

Cold storage and refrigerated trucks are characterized by pressing needs of Energy saving (and consequent environment safeguard); Energy consumption for conditioning in hot seasons is comparable or even higher than the cost  of heating during cold seasons. Polyurethane therefore plays a leading role both as insulating and as structural material.

CORAFOAM® expanded rigid polyurethanes are very important along the whole cold chain, that goes beyond the traditional realization of panels for refrigerated trucks and cold storage rooms; it is in fact employed with success also for the insulation of pipes and tanks for refrigerated liquids, both in on-shore installation and on ships.

CORAFOAM® Low density materials are employed with success also wherever their properties of lightness and flotation are needed, such as the production of buoys, life jackets, surf boards, ship parts and ship-buoyancies.

CORAFOAM® High density

CORAFOAM® “High density” line of polyurethanes, established for years in the field of tooling and modeling, allows unlimited projects; High density expanded polyurethane sheets can be milled, coated and painted in order to obtain practically any decorative effect.

Even signs, raised letters, artworks, and elements of stage designing are often realized with rigid expanded polyurethanes CORAFOAM® High density.

Polyurethane foams CORAFOAM® withstand humidity, salt, solvents, the great part of acids and oils; they are non-toxic and compatible with a great variety of paints and primers.

They are biologically inert and immune to moulds, bacteria and fungi action; therefore, being chemically stable materials, they do not release harmful substances for the environment or waters and can be disposed as common  municipal solid waste.

Only a prolonged exposition to UV rays can affect the expanded polyurethane CORAFOAM®,  as it yellows and undermines its surface; in this case, the material needs to be protected from weathering, but a simple layer of paint is enough to preserve the surface of expanded polyurethane.

Quality controls on CORAFOAM® products

All CORAFOAM® products undergo a strict protocol of Quality Check, in order to assure that the characteristics of materials meet the severe requirements imposed by DUNA-Corradini standards.

Every batch of foam is submitted to a deep screening to verify that chemical and physical characteristics of the produced batch match with the internal specifications of acceptance.

A further series of geometrical and dimensional checks is carried out on CORAFOAM® materials that undergo further fabrications such as cut or shaping in sheets or in other kinds of pieces.

In this case checks make sure that the finished pieces respect the dimensional tolerances and that the geometrical parameters (flatness, squaring, bend radius etc.)  are respected;  also the surface finishing is monitored, with a particular attention to the High Density line products.

It must be kept in mind that expanded polyurethanes, as every other material, undergo dimensional variations because of temperature fluctuations (linear thermal contraction/expansion); being expanded materials, the volume of which is 95% made of gas, it is logical to expect more accentuated changes in comparison to non expanded materials.

Finally, a powerful system of marking and identification allows for a complete traceability of materials, enabling us to go back from the single sheet to the original raw materials employed to produce the block from where the sheet came from, granting the best quality in every point of our production system.