The reduction of soft foam issues in shipbuilding production line using EPS foam: A Case study

Abstract

This research investigates the issue of soft foam of shipbuilding in the production line of EPS foam in a case study. One of the factors leading to soft foam problem is the process of steaming the EPS foam. The control of the steaming time in the EPS foam mold affects the softness and adhesion of the foam beads. Due to the difficulty of controlling the quality of foam consistently, production control during the steam injection process is necessary. Therefore, this research aimed to identify factors affecting the softness of EPS foam, and to design a solution by replacing human operator with semi-automatic steam injection machine. Standardizing the injection time of steam into EPS foam mold can improve the quality of the EPS Foam. By using a semi-automatic machine, the steam injection process can reduce the problem of soft foam by 88%.