ACH Foam Technologies Premiers at PackExpo!

Posted on September 11, 2014 by William Hill

By: William Hill, Packaging Specialist

We hope you plan to visit ACH Foam Technologies at the PackExpo November 2-5th at the McCormick Center in Chicago! ACH Foam Technologies, a leader in Expanded Polystyrene manufacturing with 8 strategic manufacturing locations across the nation, is your show destination for information on protective foam packaging. ACH Foam can assist you with stock or custom packaging solutions and provide you with competitive pricing.

PAckExpo

ACH Foam Technologies also has the capability to provide you or your clients with a solution that will meet your unique criteria, along with required testing specifications established within various niche market places. We have extensive design capabilities, can produce prototype parts that are machined to your exact specifications for testing purposes, and conduct design evaluations. Our in-house testing lab is capable of providing impact drop testing data or thermal test results for those items needing to be temperature controlled during shipping.

Let ACH Foam Technologies’ team of packaging specialists introduce themselves to you at the show and answer all your protective packaging questions. ACH Foam’s team will be located this year at PackExpo Booth 8821. We look forward to meeting you soon.

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Foam-Control EPS Roof Insulation - A No-Brainer

Posted on September 2, 2014 by Pat Austin

By: Pat Austin, Sales Representative - Architectural Products

In Wisconsin, a lot of folks with German ancestry play a card game called sheepshead. When someone is playing sheepshead and gets dealt a hand with all the dominant cards, in which there is no possible way they could lose, it is referred to as a no-brainer. The thought process is that the person could have a frontal lobotomy and still somehow throw their cards on the table and win.

AF1698

With respect to roof insulation – choosing Foam-Control EPS is a no-brainer. Time and time again, on projects all across the country, ACH Foam Technologies ships EPS to customers who’ve looked at the rigid foam insulation options with a discriminating eye. To the informed consumer, the advantages are obvious:

- Stable, long-lasting R-value; no loss of performance due to off-gassing of entrained gases.
- Versatility: our products are cut out of large billets allowing custom thicknesses and lengths; additionally many densities are offered with corresponding compressive strengths from 10-60psi.
- Code approvals for direct-to-deck installation.
- Fire resistance with industry-leading flame spread and smoke density performance.
- Full-system warranty availability with any type of single-ply membrane.
- Environmentally-Conscious: EPS is fully recyclable and ACH Foam Technologies recycled 5.4 Million pounds in 2013. We recycle every day.
- Cost: Foam-Control EPS simply has the lowest cost per R-value of all the rigid insulation options. Money is a resource worth conserving.

It’s an easy decision when you look at all the variables and compare them across the board. Choose Foam-Control EPS Roof Insulation from ACH Foam Technologies when you need a winning hand.

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Looming Changes in FedEx and UPS Dimensional Weight Pricing

Posted on August 12, 2014 by Dennis Smith

By: Dennis Smith - Packaging Specialist

Effective December 29, 2014, UPS is changing to Dimensional Weight Shipping pricing for its ground services with FedEx implementing their changes January 1, 2015. Experts claim that 33% of all Ground shipments will be impacted by this change.

Currently, FedEx Ground charges dimensional weight pricing only to packages measuring three cubic feet or greater, but the new Dimensional Weight Pricing changes will apply to all packages. UPS already applies Dimensional Weight pricing for UPS air services (domestic and international), UPS Standard to Mexico ground services and for UPS ground packages and UPS Standard to Canada packages measuring three cubic feet in size or larger. Starting December 29, 2014 dimensional weight will be utilized to calculate the billable weight of a shipment of all UPS ground services and UPS Standard to Canada packages followed by FedEx implementing the same policy a few days later on (January 1, 2015).

Determining the impact:
For example, a FedEx Ground package of 20x14x12 the dimensional weight is 20 lbs.

Calculation:
20” x 14” x 12” = 3,360 cubic inches

Volume/dimensional divider = 3,360/166 = 20 lbs.

You then compare the dimensional weight to the actual weight, and the higher of the two becomes the billable weight. For example, if the actual weight is 14 lbs. you will then be billed at the 20 lb. dimensional weight.

How to help offset this rate increase:

The most significant way to help offset this increase is to be aware of the box size and not using unnecessarily large boxes for lighter shipments.

EPS (Expandable Polystyrene) Fabricated and Molded protection options:

Obviously, EPS protective packaging is lightweight and, at the same time, also offers critical impact protection and thermal values. It also occupies a certain amount of space within the shipping container that adds to the Dimensional Weight calculation.

ACH Foam Technologies offers optimal utilization of EPS foam (fabricated and molded) through proper design for a variety of products. By understanding the particular requirements of our customers and the wide array of products they manufacture and ship, we can incorporate the optimal protection thermal value to assist in maintaining the least amount of package dimension in order to help offset the new FedEx and UPS Dimensional Weight Pricing changes.

Proper utilization of EPS Loose-Fill (Peanuts):

To properly protect fragile products in transit, center the object in the container, surrounded by loose-fill.

Start by filling the corrugated container approximately half-way with EPS Loose-Fill (peanuts), then center the object in the container and continue filling the container with loose-fill so there is a slight dome above the top edge of the container. Then, taking the flaps of the container, compress the dome downward and seal with tape.

This compresses the loose-fill in and around the object to be protected; locking it in place so that it doesn’t shift and migrate to the edge of the corrugated container (subjecting it to potential damage). This offers better protection and utilization of the EPS protective packaging within the package dimensions. The size of the container and the amount of loose-fill used would of course have to be determined by the weight and fragility of the object being protected.

For assistance in helping design a package for your application and to help offset the new changes in Dimensional Weight Pricing changes, please contact your nearest ACH Foam Technologies Packaging Specialist in your area.

Posted in Custom Molded EPS Packaging, EPS Packaging, Fabricated Packaging | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Foam-Control Plus+: “The Right Choice”

Posted on July 29, 2014 by Jim Nugent

By: Jim Nugent, Regional Sales Manager

It has been very exciting to see the continued growth in the use of EPS in a wide range of below-grade, underslab, and frost protected foundation applications. The growth of ACH Foam’s brand of architectural grade insulation, Foam-Control Plus+ has been particularly impressive. Foam-Control Plus+ highlights the EPS material types from ASTM C578 that range from 15 psi to 60 psi, or as we like to call it “architectural grade” EPS. Beyond the applications previously mentioned, Foam-Control Plus+ is also being used is plaza decks, green roofs, cavity walls, precast concrete cores, and more.

photo (2) photo 1 (7)For several years ACH Foam has been committed to educating the engineering and architectural design communities about the benefits of EPS rigid insulation and EPS Geofoam. In recent years our focus has been on below-grade and cavity wall applications where extruded polystyrene had long been the default specification. The primary reason XPS had been in so many specifications was the marketing of their ASTM water absorption data. In simple terms, the ASTM test used to evaluate water absorption of both XPS and EPS is a short term laboratory test intended for quality control guidelines for the manufacturers but in no way is indicative of the in-service performance of either material.

There is now a significant amount of data available to owners, architects, engineers and contractors that evaluates the performance of both EPS and XPS in below-grade applications. These evaluations are from real world projects, where EPS and XPS were installed on buildings for many years, then excavated and measured for water absorption, R-value retention, and permeability. Permeability is the ability to shed moisture (or not shed moisture in the case of XPS) during drying conditions and is a critical physical property that is often overlooked. All evaluations were done by third party testing laboratories.

This post does not allow me space to detail the results of each evaluation. You can certainly visit www.achfoam.com and review moisture bulletins 101,102,103,104, and 105 to review the findings. To summarize what you will learn from these moisture bulletins:

  1. When in service on buildings both EPS and XPS can absorb moisture beyond their ASTM data which will impact R-value; however, in many cases XPS absorbed significant amounts of moisture.
  2. EPS showed the ability to shed moisture during drying conditions while XPS did not as easily. Shedding moisture in drying conditions is a key factor to long term R value performance
  3. EPS out performed XPS in R-value retention when confronted with bulk moisture.

This eye opening data is the driving force behind the success of Foam-Control Plus+. Architects around the country are now specifying Foam-Control Plus+ where they had previously specified XPS. Contractors are also benefiting from the lower cost of Foam-Control Plus+, the handling advantages of installing larger pieces, and in some cases the ability to have custom sizes.

On a personal note this year I have been involved with a dozen Passive House projects where either Foam-Control Plus+ or EPS Geofoam was used in frost protected shallow foundations. (The similarities of these two materials is a topic for a future blog post.)
Passive House designers prefer the design flexibility and insulating properties of EPS for their super insulated shallow foundations. This is just one more example why Foam-Control Plus+ is the right choice for below grade and perimeter insulation.

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Advantages of EIFS in the Market

Posted on July 21, 2014 by John Myers

By: John Myers, Sales Representative - Architectural Products

While the design community began to shy away from Exterior Insulation Finish Systems or EIFS a few years ago in favor of other cladding choices, EIFS manufacturers have done a great job responding to the market. As partners with these manufacturers, new opportunities exist to grow this segment of our market. EIFS is no longer the stucco or sand finish product of the 80s and 90s.

The options have grown to imitate brick, metal finishes, unlimited architectural details, and a wide variety of colorfast finishes. The design community now has a varied and interesting pallet from which to choose. This is one of the factors leading the resurgence of EIFS finishes. But beyond the pretty face, changes in energy codes have also bolstered the practicality and benefits of EIFS. The outboard continuous insulation requirements make EIFS a smart choice.

There are no fasteners in the system to penetrate the air/vapor barriers. The system allows for back drainage of any moisture that might find its way into the system. There are no sealant joints between different components of the cladding, greatly reducing the opportunity for moisture intrusion. In addition, the system can be designed to move the dew point to the outer edge, where moisture can escape to the exterior, preventing mold issues within the wall cavity. These designs contribute to the increase of WSG thickness and increased sales for each job. Four inch WSG is becoming more commonplace with the advanced EIFS systems. Finally, as to code NFPA 285—concerning fire resistance—many EIFS systems comply with NFPA 285, while other cladding systems have been slower to respond, as the costs and requirements can be restrictive.

Partnering with the Exterior Insulation Finish System industry will provide growth for ACH as the need for higher insulation values continues to grow, and the implementation of continuous outboard insulation drives the designers to consider the broad pallet of aesthetic choices modern EIFS brings to the market.

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