Foamcore, foam board, or paper-faced foam board is a lightweight and easily cut material used for mounting of photographic prints, as backing for picture framing, for making scale models, and in painting. It consists of a board of polystyrene foam clad with an outer facing of paper on either side, typically white clay-coated paper or brown kraft paper.
The original white foamcore board was made in 1⁄8-and-3⁄16-inch (3.2 and 4.8 mm) thicknesses for the graphic arts industry by Monsanto Company under the trade name "Fome-Cor®" starting in 1961. [1]
The surface of the regular board, like many other types of paper, is slightly acidic. However, for modern archival picture framing and art mounting purposes it can be produced in a neutral, acid-free version with a buffered surface paper, in a wide range of sizes and thicknesses.
Foam-cored materials are also now available with a cladding of solid (non-foamed) polystyrene and other rigid plastic sheeting, some with a textured finish.
Foamcore does not adhere well to some glues, such as superglue, and certain types of paint. The foam tends to melt away and dissolve.[ citation needed ] Some glue works well in casual settings, however, the water in the glue can warp the fibers in the outer layers. Best results are typically obtained from higher-end spray adhesives. A hot glue gun can be used as a substitute, although the high viscosity of hot glues can affect finished projects in the form of board warping, bubbles, or other unsightly blemishes.
Self-adhesive foam boards, intended for art and document mounting are also available, though these can be very tricky to use properly; this is because the glue sets very fast. It is considered cheaper to buy plain foam board and use re-positionable spray mount adhesive.
Specialty constructions have been developed for engineering uses. [2] [3]
Foamcore is commonly used to produce architectural models, prototype small objects and to produce patterns for casting. Scenery for scale model displays, dioramas, and computer games are often produced by hobbyists from foamcore.
Foamcore is also often used by photographers as a reflector to bounce light, in the design industry to mount presentations of new products, and in picture framing as a backing material; the latter use includes some archival picture framing methods, which utilize the acid-free versions of the material. Another use is with aero-modellers for building radio-controlled aircraft.
Researchers at the University of Manchester created their Giant Foamboard Quadcopter (GFQ) claimed to be the largest possible Civil Aviation Authority licensed drone with an all-up weight (UWT) just below the maximum of 25 Kg (c.55 lbs). [4]
Plywood is a composite material manufactured from thin layers, or "plies", of wood veneer that are glued together with adjacent layers, having both glued with each other at right angle or at 90 degrees angle. It is an engineered wood from the family of manufactured boards, which include medium-density fibreboard (MDF), oriented strand board (OSB), and particle board.
Drywall is a panel made of calcium sulfate dihydrate (gypsum), with or without additives, typically extruded between thick sheets of facer and backer paper, used in the construction of interior walls and ceilings. The plaster is mixed with fiber ; plasticizer, foaming agent; and additives that can reduce mildew, flammability, and water absorption.
Lamination is the technique/process of manufacturing a material in multiple layers, so that the composite material achieves improved strength, stability, sound insulation, appearance, or other properties from the use of the differing materials, such as plastic. A laminate is a permanently assembled object created using heat, pressure, welding, or adhesives. Various coating machines, machine presses and calendering equipment are used.
A structural insulated panel, or structural insulating panel, (SIP), is a form of sandwich panel used in the construction industry.
Flocking is the process of depositing many small fiber particles onto a surface. It can also refer to the texture produced by the process, or to any material used primarily for its flocked surface. Flocking of an article can be performed for the purpose of increasing its value. It can also be performed for functional reasons including insulation, slip-or-grip friction, retention of a liquid film, and low reflectivity.
A primer or undercoat is a preparatory coating put on materials before painting. Priming ensures better adhesion of paint to the surface, increases paint durability, and provides additional protection for the material being painted.
A picture frame is a protective and decorative edging for a picture, such as a painting or photograph. It makes displaying the work safer and easier and both sets the picture apart from its surroundings and aesthetically integrates it with them.
Lost-foam casting (LFC) is a type of evaporative-pattern casting process that is similar to investment casting except foam is used for the pattern instead of wax. This process takes advantage of the low boiling point of polymer foams to simplify the investment casting process by removing the need to melt the wax out of the mold.
Hot-melt adhesive (HMA), also known as hot glue, is a form of thermoplastic adhesive that is commonly sold as solid cylindrical sticks of various diameters designed to be applied using a hot glue gun. The gun uses a continuous-duty heating element to melt the plastic glue, which the user pushes through the gun either with a mechanical trigger mechanism on the gun, or with direct finger pressure. The glue squeezed out of the heated nozzle is initially hot enough to burn and even blister skin. The glue is sticky when hot, and solidifies in a few seconds to one minute. Hot-melt adhesives can also be applied by dipping or spraying, and are popular with hobbyists and crafters both for affixing and as an inexpensive alternative to resin casting.
A laminator is a device which laminates pieces or rolls of paper or card stock.
Exterior insulation and finish system (EIFS) is a general class of non-load bearing building cladding systems that provides exterior walls with an insulated, water-resistant, finished surface in an integrated composite material system.
In materials science, a sandwich-structured composite is a special class of composite materials that is fabricated by attaching two thin-but-stiff skins to a lightweight-but-thick core. The core material is normally of low strength, but its greater thickness provides the sandwich composite with high bending stiffness with overall low density.
Building insulation materials are the building materials that form the thermal envelope of a building or otherwise reduce heat transfer.
Package cushioning is used to protect items during shipment. Vibration and impact shock during shipment and loading/unloading are controlled by cushioning to reduce the chance of product damage.
In the picture framing industry, a mat is a thin, flat piece of paper-based material included within a picture frame, which serves as additional decoration and to perform several other, more practical functions, such as separating the art from the glass. Putting mats in a frame is called matting, a term which can also usually be used interchangeably with mat. The French term, occasionally used in English, is passe-partout. A picture is placed beneath it, with the cutout framing it. The passe-partout serves two purposes: first, to prevent the image from touching the glass, and second, to frame the image and enhance its visual appeal. The cutout in the passe-partout is usually beveled to avoid casting shadows on the picture. The French word may also be used for the tape used to stick the back of the picture to its frame.
Crêpe paper is tissue paper that has been coated with sizing. It can then be creased in a way similar to party streamers to create gathers, giving it a crinkly texture like that of crêpe. This creasing process is called creping or crêping.
A sandwich panel is any structure made of three layers: a low-density core, and a thin skin-layer bonded to each side. Sandwich panels are used in applications where a combination of high structural rigidity and low weight is required.
Aluminium foam sandwich (AFS) is a sandwich panel product which is made of two metallic dense face sheets and a metal foam core made of an aluminium alloy. AFS is an engineering structural material owing to its stiffness-to-mass ratio and energy absorption capacity ideal for application such as the shell of a high-speed train.
The conservation and restoration of Tibetan thangkas is the physical preservation of the traditional religious Tibetan painting form known as a thangka. When applied to thangkas of significant cultural heritage, this activity is generally undertaken by a conservator-restorer.