What is a Foam Peeling Machine?

Foam peeling is an effective method for processing long foam sheets. The foam peeling machine is used to slice cylindrical or square foam blocks, which must first be punched at the center using a punching machine and mounted onto a rotating shaft (Figure 1). The blocks are then transferred to the foam peeling machine for slicing, as shown in the schematic (Figure 2). Since square blocks only yield about 65%-69%, they are now rarely used. Cylindrical foam blocks are much more common in foam peeling applications.

A typical foam peeling machine uses a fixed frame with two blade wheels. The blades feed tangentially into the rotating foam cylinder, and the shaft supporting the foam descends at a constant rate during the cutting process. Each rotation of the foam block results in one sliced sheet, with the shaft’s radial descent determining the thickness of each foam sheet.

Figure 1: Foam Punching Machine

Figure 2: Foam Peeling Principle Diagram

The diameter of the cylindrical blocks used in a foam peeling machine typically ranges from 1.3 to 1.5 meters, although some specialized machines can handle even larger blocks. The cutting speed is usually adjustable between 0-100 m/min. Most foam sheets cut by a foam peeling machine are thinner than 5 mm, with a maximum thickness generally not exceeding 10 mm. The diameter of the final foam rolls is usually under 1.5 meters.

While foam peeling requires relatively low investment in equipment and factory space, it does have some drawbacks. As the block diameter decreases during peeling, the natural tendency of the foam sheets to curl becomes more pronounced. This curling negatively affects the usability of the sheets. Additionally, due to the vertical or box foaming processes used in producing cylindrical blocks, small air bubbles often form inside the foam. As a result, sheets cut by a foam peeling machine are typically of slightly lower quality compared to those made by circular cutting methods.

Furthermore, a core of around 200 mm must be retained and cannot be further peeled. Combined with the initial trimming of the blocks, this leads to slightly lower yield rates for foam peeling compared to ring cutting. Foam sheets produced by foam peeling machines are mainly used for lamination with fabrics.