Compounding — Process Challenge

Chemical Blowing & Foaming Agents (Industrial Foam)

PVC, EVA and polyolefin foam producers (footwear, gaskets, profiles, integral-skin) use chemical foaming agents to gas-expand and weight-out parts, choosing by decomposition temperature. Exothermic azodicarbonamide gives high gas yield while endothermic bicarbonate systems give finer cells; this page addresses industrial polymer foam only
Updated Jun 2026
Solution Approach

RawSource supplies the base chemicals that go into these programs. We can help with product selection, grade matching, and sourcing from multiple origins for supply security.

Typical Formulation Workflow
1
Polymer & Process Definition
Identify the resin and process (extrusion, molding, film) and the targets — thermal stability, clarity, flame retardance, slip, or color.
2
Additive Selection
Match stabilizers, antioxidants, plasticizers, lubricants, flame retardants, or masterbatch carriers to the polymer and processing temperatures.
3
Compounding Trial
Confirm loading and dispersion on a compounding or molding trial, checking processability, mechanicals, and aesthetics against the control.
4
Validation & Scale-Up
Verify long-term performance (heat aging, migration, weathering) and lock the formulation, packaging, and lot specs for production.
Recommended Chemistries (3)
Azodicarbonamide (ADC)
CAS 123-77-3
Dominant exothermic chemical foaming agent; decomposes near 200-215 C releasing nitrogen and CO/CO2 to gas-expand the polymer melt into closed-cell foam (source on demand)
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Sodium Bicarbonate (Baking Soda)
CAS 144-55-8
Acids & Salts
Conditioning
Endothermic foaming-agent base; decomposes to release CO2 and water for fine-cell nucleation, commonly paired with citric acid
Melting Point: Decomposes at 109 °C   Density: 2.159   Solubility: 1 in 10 % at 25 °C
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p,p'-Oxybis(benzenesulfonyl hydrazide) (OBSH)
CAS 80-51-3
Lower-temperature (~150-160 C) exothermic blowing agent for heat-sensitive EVA and rubber foams (source on demand)
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