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I'm Looking for an Odd Item...

ronemca

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Many things come in cases: tools, fancy glassware, instruments etc. etc. etc..

And many of those items are nestled into a custom-shaped foam cavity within their cases...which has been created by dispensing some sort of liquid foam into the case when the item is already there. The result is much better than a pick-n-pluck cavity; it is a perfect, form-fitted cavity...into which the item can be returned again and again for secure and damage-free transport.

I'm guessing the liquid must be warm when it is dispensed so that it will flow to a certain extent(?) Therefore I presume that the item(s) must be at least somewhat resistant to heat(?) But I know nothing else. Would the foam be warm? Very warm? Hot? I guess something like a handgun or a set of screwdrivers would withstand the heat, but what about a plastic box of cartridges or an OBDII reader (which has a plastic housing)?

I want to know what this process (or machine or product) is called. And - more importantly - I want to learn whether it is practical to do this at home, because...

I have a few items that I'd like to be able to transport in a plastic case (like a Milwaukee drill case or a plastic briefcase)...along with some smaller related items...and I don't want to mess around with bubble wrap or try to carve shapes out of Styrofoam.

Can somebody tell me anything about this? Please?
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Jobodizo

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I think you’re talking about Instapak bags. It’s essentially a 2-part closed cell foam that expands like 10x when you mix them. You can do it with 2 part pours as well, but Instapak is nice because you crack it, place/hold the item, let it expand around it and it’s all contained (no mess). It gets hot, but not melt-plastic hot. Maybe 130-140*F? You can touch it, but it’s extremely uncomfortable for long-term contact.
 
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ronemca

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Thank you for replying! I had a look at those, and I am intrigued at the possible application(s), but it's not what I was thinking of - no. The exploration of the Instapak bags led me to the commercial version from the same company. They have a fluid dispensing gun fed from a pair of 55G drums that spews a material much like the spray-on insulation that's used in workshops and attics etc. But it's certainly NOT for the DIY-er.

I know that the Great Stuff gap-filling foam-in-a-can is something that can be used in the way that I'm thinking, but the fragility of the item must be balanced against the expansion power of the foam! It would probably be great for a well-wrapped camera or a handgun or something, but I was thinking about my RC helicopter transmitters, which are far more delicate (and have tiny switches and control sticks poking out all over the plastic housing).

I'll keep looking, and meanwhile perhaps somebody else will chime in.
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