What is Polyethylene Foam (PE)?
Polyethylene is a class of thermoplastics practically ubiquitous in consumer products. In its foam form, polyethylene is used in packaging, vibration dampening and insulation, as a barrier or buoyancy component, or as material for cushioning. It is most frequently seen as a packaging material. Sixty million tons of polyethylene is produced worldwide each year, which is even more than it sounds like when you consider its low density. In the UK, polyethylene is known as polythene. Worldwide, the material is sometimes abbreviated as PE. Polyethylene is produced through the polymerization of ethylene. Like other polymers, polyethylene is made up of huge chains of ethylene and has a molecular weight in the millions. These chains stick together through weak Van der Waals forces, meaning the material can be ripped apart by human hands. Polyethylene with different densities or material properties is created by using different catalysts during the polymerization process. For example, HDPE (high
