Compressed Foams

Compressed foams are specialised materials, which are produced by compacting reticulated polyurethane foam through a series of thermal forming processes to create denser materials with a uniform and exact cell size.

These unique characteristics offer specific benefits in applications where precise absorption and distribution are paramount, and as a result the major use of compressed foams is in ink jet cartridges, ink rollers, ink pads and stamps, where accurate ink handling and distribution are vital.

As the leading UK-based specialist in producing a wide range of compressed foams for world-famous brands, we manufacture ink pads, rollers and stamps in almost 100 different grades of compressed reticulated foam to offer customers the bespoke, precision, quality products they require from these ultra-thin foams.

Attention to detail

Compressed foams are not simply standard foams that have been made smaller. They are precision-engineered products that have been developed to offer specific benefits in ink and liquid handling applications. These benefits include:

• Homogenous cell size and 100% open-cell uniform porosity – to ensure even distribution of inks and liquids
• Narrow tolerance limits in thickness to weight ratios
• Superior void volume – to enable the optimum volume of ink or liquid to be stored
• Non-linting – for perfect printing every time

Foam Ink Rollers

Precision is vital to ensure clear and crisp reproduction in both domestic and commercial printing applications, and ink rollers play an essential role in ensuring high quality printing is achieved.

Therefore, the manufacture of ink rollers, which produce consistent, top quality results, is a highly specialised field in which even the slightest discrepancy in pore size or density can have a hugely detrimental impact on performance.

As the leading UK-based engineering-biased manufacturer of high specification foam ink rollers for both home and professional printing applications, we have the enviable reputation as the foremost producer of precision-engineered, technically advanced ink roller foam solutions in the world.

Checking the fine print

While many companies may claim to be the “leader” in their field, we truly are. As the only ink roller foam manufacturer with the technical and engineering capabilities to produce rollers within a tolerance of +/-0.25mm, we lead the way in this sector. As a result, we export our ink roller products all over the world and have supplied many global brands such Epson, Lexmark and Hewlett Packard.

In addition to the superior precision of our products, we also pride ourselves on stocking the widest selection of ink roller foam materials to ensure that we can always to provide our customers with the perfect foam to meet their unique and specific requirements. Produced from specially developed thermo-compressed polyether and polyester reticulated foams, we supply ink roller foams in a wide spectrum of densities ranging from as low as 30kg/m³ coarse cell 60ppi, to high density 350kg/m³ foams with a fine cell of 110ppi.

With outstanding manufacturing facilities and access to the latest state-of-the-art reticulated foam grades, we are able to produce ink roller foam solutions with the finest of pore sizes, thus ensuring consistent ink dispersion that is both precise and uniform.

Pure performance

When it comes to ink roller foams, not only do they have to offer exact and precise densities and pore size, they also need to be kept totally clean and pure throughout the manufacturing process to ensure that contaminants are not present, which could react with the printing substrates.

As an established and recognised ink roller foam supplier, we have a great deal of experience in handling these materials and have tried and tested written protocols in place to maintain a completely pure environment during processing.

Rolling out bespoke products

We supply ink roller foams in a vast range of foam grades and in almost every conceivable shape and size, but we never offer ‘standard’ products. We take an individual approach to each and every one of our customers, supplying ink roller foams to meet their precise specifications.

A large number of the ink roller foams we produce are bespoke, and this is where our engineering expertise comes to the fore. With state-of-the-art conversion facilities and an expert in-house engineering department, we can develop and produce custom tooling to manufacture even the most complex of ink roller foam products to meet your specifications.

Contact our technical team to discuss your individual requirements.