Hey,
We are thinking of getting some of the uncoated foam sheets from the store page. We would like to bond the sheets, machine them and eventually coat it. May I know what is the coating solution fore the coated foams that are sold in the store page? It would be nice to go with the same solution since it’s tested.
Thanks.
What material is your foam made from?
We are still deciding between DIABs HCP 30 (which I think made mainly from polyurethane) vs. the polyurethane foam from blue robotics website https://www.bluerobotics.com/store/parts/float-r1/.
I am thinking of getting polyurethane coating on the foams but I am not sure that is the right choice.
Haven’t really looked at foams before … that HCP-30 looks really good. The specification sheet is nice.
Have you found a distributor for the HCP series material? I have been doing Google searches for it and trying to see what it cost etc. without much luck. I guess one would have to just request a quote from the nearest sales office. They are at least Worldwide from their site.
I didn’t see anything about having to coat the HCP-30. If you are cutting and shaping, I would recommend asking them for the best bonding material.
Here is a link that I found for an extensive tech sheet for the series. http://www.resipol.com/image/news/brochure%20HCP%20eng.pdf
DIAB sells foams in bulk with a minimum order of $500 as far as I remember. So unless you are looking at a human-sized ROV, it may not be a suitable option.
The link is pretty useful. Thanks. I contacted DIAB and they did inform me of the recommended bonding agent. I guess I should also ask them about the recommended coating agent.
Ah yes … the dreaded min buy 
Stupid question would be … how much do you get for that amount?
The R-3300 foam is compatible with a lot of coatings. Unfortunately we haven’t had a chance to test too many coatings yet. According to the manufacturer’s website, “Easy to finish with nearly any resin or coating system; minimal paint absorption”. We also asked them about it in an email and they said their customers have successfully used the following types of coatings:
Following are coatings that have been successfully used by our customers in similar applications.· Polyurea such as SPI K-5
· Epoxy
· Silicone-epoxy hybrid
· Antimicrobial
Please keep in mind that depending on thickness, coating could add weight and volume to the finished part.
Best,
Rusty