How Ad-air® Technology Works

Expanding Plastics

A roll of solid plastic is prepared for saturation by layering it with a porous material. The roll is then pressurized with a gas such as food grade CO₂. The interleaved porous material provides a pathway for the gas to saturate the polymer roll. Once saturated, the polymer is removed from the vessel and heated. As the polymer softens, billions of gas bubbles nucleate in the polymer, reducing the density and causing expansion. In general, this process increases the length and width by 150% and the thickness by about 200%. This expansion results in a dramatic decrease in density, typically to about 20% density relative to the original polymer material.

Ad/Air Technology — PET Expanded

Materials

Ad-air^® technology applies to most common thermoplastic polymers, including recycled PET (rPET) and biopolymers (PLA). We are currently focused on PET because of the opportunity to leverage the existing recycling infrastructure and add value to the most recycled plastic in the world today.

Solid State Process

Extruded solid sheet or roll material is expanded without any additives or re-melting of the material.

Density Reductions

This very controllable process achieves density reductions of up to 80% (i.e., 20% of the density of solid plastic).

Integral Skin

The finished plastic contain billions of microscopic bubbles (microcells) with an integral solid skin surface. You get the beneficial properties of layered materials without the added steps of lamination or co-extrusion.

Crystallization

Ad-air technology creates high temperature resistance in semicrystalline polymers (up to 300°F for PET). Crystallization is achieved without any additives.

Thermoformable

This technology enables deep-draw thermoforming of expanded thermoplastics. Ask us about our Gas Impregnated Thermoforming technology.

Benign Gases

Our eco-friendly technology uses benign gases such as scrubbed atmospheric CO₂ to expand our material.

Common Equipment

Converters can utilize existing equipment for printing, die-cutting, embossing, debossing, foil stamping, scoring, folding, gluing, sealing, extrusion coating and thermoforming, with little to no modification.

Open-Celled Materials

Ad-air technology can create open-celled materials. These open cells are dispersed throughout the surface of the sheet or in pre-defined patterns, creating channels through which liquid can flow if desired.

MicroGREEN is now developing open-celled products for food packaging, electronic chip cooling, filtration and other applications. We are also working with chip manufacturers to develop products and future applications. Our focus is on open channel fluidic cooling, which promises faster, better technology than is available from other sources.