POE Foam
also Engage/Infuse POE
Supercritical-fluid or bead-foamed polyolefin elastomer (metallocene-catalyzed) giving very high energy return and resilience; increasingly used as a premium alternative to EVA in performance footwear.
Reference datasheet — POE Foam is not in the instant-quote catalog. Upload your part and an engineer will quote it in this grade or suggest the closest stocked equivalent.
Values for the SCF-D15 condition
POE Foam grades and fills
POE Foam is supplied in 8 conditions, soft to hard. SCF-D15 is the default FabDigit quotes; the values on this page are for it.
Compare all 8 grades and fillsHide
| Grade · open for datasheet | Best for | Yield MPa | Tensile MPa | Elong. % | Hardness |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ultra-low-density supercritical POE foam, 0.08–0.11 g/cm³ | Pick when minimum weight matters (racing midsoles, lightweight padding); softer and less durable. | 1 | 200 | 25 Shore A | |
Expanded POE bead foam, steam-chest molded | Choose for complex 3-D near-net shapes and the highest energy return (E-TPU-like bead structure) with tunable local density. | 2 | 180 | 33 Shore A | |
Antistatic / carbon-loaded conductive POE foam | For electronics packaging and cleanroom cushioning where static dissipation is required. | 2 | 150 | 45 Shore A | |
Halogen-free flame-retardant POE foam | Specify for transport interiors, battery-pack padding and electronics gaskets needing UL 94 V-0 / low smoke. | 2 | 130 | 12 Shore D | |
SCF-D15Default Supercritical CO₂/N₂ foamed POE, 0.15 g/cm³ | Standard physically-foamed (non-crosslinked) POE midsole/cushion sheet — best balance of resilience, weight and cost. | 2 | 220 | 35 Shore A | |
Peroxide-crosslinked, chemically blown compression-molded POE foam | Conventional footwear-plant route (same tooling as EVA phylon); better set resistance and heat stability, slightly lower rebound than physical foaming. | 2 | 230 | 42 Shore A | |
POE/EVA blend foam | Cost-down blend: keeps much of POE's rebound and cold flexibility while improving adhesion, dimensional stability and price. | 2 | 260 | 44 Shore A | |
High-density supercritical POE foam, 0.20–0.28 g/cm³ | Use where load support, durability and low set matter more than weight (heavy-duty midsoles, industrial padding). | 3 | 250 | 48 Shore A |
Supply forms, finishes and certifications
Ways POE Foam is supplied — form, process route, surface or paperwork — without a datasheet of their own. The property values above apply.
| Option | What it is | Type |
|---|---|---|
UV | UV/heat-stabilized POE foam | Grade option |
What is POE Foam?
Supercritical-fluid or bead-foamed polyolefin elastomer (metallocene-catalyzed) giving very high energy return and resilience; increasingly used as a premium alternative to EVA in performance footwear. POE Foam has a density of 0.15 g/cm³ (0.0054 lb/in³), lighter than 86% of polymer grades. Its glass-transition temperature is -52°C (-62 °F). POE Foam has a tensile strength of 2 MPa (0.261 ksi), weaker than 85% of polymer grades. Elongation at break is 220% and the elastic modulus is 0.01 GPa (0.0012 Msi).
What is POE Foam used for?
- performance running shoe midsoles
- sports cushioning inserts
- premium packaging cushioning
- vibration damping pads
Advantages
- Lightweight — 0.15 g/cm³ (0.0054 lb/in³), better than 86% of polymer grades
- Forms and bends easily — 88/100, better than 85% of polymer grades
- Low embodied carbon — 3 kg CO₂/kg, better than 83% of polymer grades
- Ductile — tolerates forming and impact — 220%, better than 77% of polymer grades
Limitations
- High mold shrinkage — 2.5%, worse than 93% of polymer grades
- Poor heat conductor — 0.05 W/m·K (0.026 BTU/hr·ft·°F), worse than 85% of polymer grades
- Limited service temperature — 65°C (149 °F), worse than 83% of polymer grades
- Low stiffness — 0.01 GPa (0.0012 Msi), worse than 82% of polymer grades
POE Foam properties
Typical room-temperature values for POE Foam-SCF-D15; bars are the position among polymer grades.
Physical5
POE Foam has a density of 0.15 g/cm³ (0.0054 lb/in³), lighter than 86% of polymer grades. Its glass-transition temperature is -52°C (-62 °F).
Mechanical9
POE Foam has a tensile strength of 2 MPa (0.261 ksi), weaker than 85% of polymer grades. Elongation at break is 220% and the elastic modulus is 0.01 GPa (0.0012 Msi).
Thermal8
POE Foam is rated for continuous service to 65°C (149 °F). It conducts heat at 0.05 W/m·K (0.026 BTU/hr·ft·°F), worse than 85% of polymer grades. Thermal expansion is 200 µm/m·K (111.1 µin/in·°F).
Electrical5
POE Foam has an electrical resistivity of 1×10¹⁴ Ω·m.
Chemical & Environmental2
UV resistance is fair.
Sustainability4
Producing a kilogram of POE Foam takes about 88 MJ of energy and emits 3 kg of CO₂ — less than 76% of polymer grades. Typical recycled content is 5%.
Manufacturability7
POE Foam's machinability is good (60/100, better than 51% of polymer grades); weldability good (55/100); formability excellent (88/100).
Common Calculations4
Values are nominal handbook figures for design screening. Certified mill or lot data ships with every FabDigit order on request.
Strength versus weight in the polymer family
Yield strength against density for every polymer grade FabDigit runs. POE Foam is highlighted; hover a dot for its name, or open the interactive family chart.
Working with POE Foam
Is POE Foam easy to machine?
Die-cut, water-jet, skive or CNC hot-wire; use sharp steel rule dies and light spray lubricant — routers smear the soft skin and buffing wheels load quickly.
Can POE Foam be welded?
Hot-air/hot-plate and impulse welding work on the skin; the non-polar surface is not RF weldable, so corona, plasma or UV-primer treatment is required before PU/water-based adhesive bonding.
Can POE Foam be formed, bent or molded?
Compression-mold at 160–175 °C then cold-set for XL-POE, steam-chest mold at 110–135 °C for bead foam, or extrude/inject with supercritical CO₂/N₂ (MuCell-type) at 150–200 °C melt; expect 1.5–5 % post-mold shrinkage over 24–48 h and design tooling oversize.
POE Foam chemical composition (wt %)
Limits by weight percent from the governing specification, written the way the spec states them — a single maximum for impurities, a range for alloying elements, and the base element as balance. Nominal is the typical mid-range value.
| Element | Spec limit (wt %) | Nominal |
|---|---|---|
| 1-octene (comonomer)controls density/crystallinity; 1-butene or 1-hexene used in some grades | 12 – 40 | 25 |
| physical blowing agent (CO₂/N₂)supercritical fluid, largely removed after expansion | 0.5 – 6 | 3 |
| chemical blowing agent (AC/OBSH)crosslinked XL-POE route only | 0 – 5 | 0 |
| peroxide crosslinker (DCP)XL-POE route only | 0 – 1.2 | 0 |
| talc / nucleating agentcell-size control | 0.2 – 2 | 0.8 |
| antioxidant / UV packagephenolic + phosphite, HALS in UV grades | 0.1 – 1 | 0.4 |
| ethylene (repeat unit)metallocene ethylene–α-olefin copolymer backbone | ≥ 60 (balance) |
What surface finishes work on POE Foam?
Buff and wash before cementing; water-based PU primer plus corona treatment is standard for sole bonding. Foam takes solvent inks and pad printing poorly — use in-mold color masterbatch or foam-compatible screen inks.
Equivalent designations
Standards and trade names that resolve to POE Foam in FabDigit's catalog. Equivalence is nominal — check the exact specification when certification matters.
- Trade names
- Engage/Infuse POE
- Similar grades
- D3575
How much does POE Foam cost?
POE Foam is a premium-cost polymer ($$$), cheaper than about 51% of the materials FabDigit quotes. Part price depends far more on geometry, tolerance and quantity than on the raw stock — upload a CAD file for a live quote.
POE Foam — frequently asked
What is POE Foam used for?
POE Foam is typically used for performance running shoe midsoles, sports cushioning inserts, premium packaging cushioning and vibration damping pads. In short: higher rebound than EVA; low-density footwear foam; surface treatment needed for bonding.
What is the tensile strength of POE Foam?
POE Foam has a typical tensile strength of 2 MPa (0.261 ksi) — weaker than 85% of polymer grades. Strength varies by condition: see the 8 listed tempers.
Is POE Foam easy to machine?
Reasonably — machinability is rated good (60/100, better than 51% of polymer grades). Die-cut, water-jet, skive or CNC hot-wire; use sharp steel rule dies and light spray lubricant — routers smear the soft skin and buffing wheels load quickly.
Can POE Foam be welded?
Yes — weldability is rated good (55/100). Hot-air/hot-plate and impulse welding work on the skin; the non-polar surface is not RF weldable, so corona, plasma or UV-primer treatment is required before PU/water-based adhesive bonding.
What surface finishes work on POE Foam?
Buff and wash before cementing; water-based PU primer plus corona treatment is standard for sole bonding. Foam takes solvent inks and pad printing poorly — use in-mold color masterbatch or foam-compatible screen inks.
Can POE Foam be formed, bent or molded?
Compression-mold at 160–175 °C then cold-set for XL-POE, steam-chest mold at 110–135 °C for bead foam, or extrude/inject with supercritical CO₂/N₂ (MuCell-type) at 150–200 °C melt; expect 1.5–5 % post-mold shrinkage over 24–48 h and design tooling oversize.
What is the maximum service temperature of POE Foam?
POE Foam is rated for continuous use to about 65°C (149 °F), and briefly to 90°C. Strength falls off well before that limit — check the elevated-temperature data for load-bearing parts.
How much does POE Foam cost?
POE Foam is a premium-cost polymer ($$$), cheaper than about 51% of the materials FabDigit quotes. Part price depends far more on geometry, tolerance and quantity than on the raw stock — upload a CAD file for a live quote.
Sources
- ASTM D3575 — Flexible Cellular Materials Made from Olefin Polymers — ASTM International (2020)
- ENGAGE / INFUSE Polyolefin Elastomer resin datasheets — Dow (2023)
- Handbook of Polymeric Foams and Foam Technology — Hanser (2004)
- ASM Engineered Materials Handbook Vol. 2 — Engineering Plastics — ASM International (1988)
- CAMPUS / UL Prospector polyolefin elastomer entries — CWFG / UL (2024)
Property data is compiled from published supplier and standards handbooks and normalised for comparison; hardness values on non-Brinell scales are converted approximately for charting only. Manufacturability limits are FabDigit quote-engine defaults and may be relaxed by engineering review. Nothing on this page is a certification — request mill certs, CoC or material test reports with your order.