1. Is your foam open- or closed-cell?
SOLIMIDE polyimide foam is primarily open-celled. The measured percent open-cell content varies according to test method.

2. Is your foam flexible or rigid?
SOLIMIDE polyimide foam is flexible and self-supporting. These resilient qualities facilitate quick and easy installation for many configurations. 

3. What thicknesses are available?
 SOLIMIDE foam is cut according to customer specifications.  Generally, SOLIMIDE foam can be cut as thin as 1/8 inch (3 mm).  SOLIMIDE Densified HT foam is available from “paper” thin sheets up to approx. 3 inches (75 mm) thick.

4. Is pipe insulation available?
Yes, SOLIMIDE foam can be cut into 4 foot (1.2 m) lengths with varied ID, OD and wall thickness.

5. What types of adhesives can be used with your foam?
SOLIMIDE foam readily accepts most adhesives. Your application temperature and use conditions dictate the adhesive that best suits your design needs.

6. How can the foam be cut or fabricated?
Manufactured as large buns approximately 4 ft x 5 ft x 8 ft (1.2 m x 1.5 m x 2.4 m), SOLIMIDE foams are fabricated into a variety of forms. Sheets can be cut using saw blades, hot wires, and knife-edge slitters. In addition, intricate finished parts are produced with water jets, die cutters and lasers by our global network of distributor/fabricators.

7. What is the R-value of your foam?
Depending on the grade, room temperature R-value is in the range of 3.0 – 3.5 (hr•ft2•ºF)/(Btu•in) [0.50 – 0.60 (m•K)/W)] per 1 in (25 mm) of thickness. Because SOLIMIDE polyimide foams retain their thickness, the practical thermal insulating values remain constant over time.

8. What is the maximum use temperature?
The maximum continuous use temperature for SOLIMIDE HT-340 foam is 575°F (300°C). However, it can be used at higher temperatures if they only occur intermittently or if the heat is just on one side. All other SOLIMIDE foams have a maximum continuous use temperature of 400°F (200°C).

9. Does SOLIMIDE foam out-gas?
SOLIMIDE foams exhibit minimal out-gassing. They are used in a variety of applications with very stringent requirements for low out-gassing.

10. What is the average life span of SOLIMIDE foam?
Based on installation monitoring and the reports of users, SOLIMIDE polyimide foams have a minimum shelf life of ten years under normal indoor storage conditions. In marine applications specifically, installed foam would be expected to last the life of the vessel.

11. Are there any heavy metals, CFCs or HCFCs in SOLIMIDE foams?
No halogens, heavy metals or ozone-depleting substances (including chlorofluorocarbons and hydro-chlorofluorocarbons) are used in the production of SOLIMIDE foams. Therefore, there should not be even trace quantities of these chemicals in the final product.