Stone wool can be used for a range of applications including pitched and flat roofs, flooring and external and internal walls. Stone wool is waterproof, vapour-permeable, durable, recyclable, resistant to chemicals and microorganisms, and does not enhance the growth of bacteria and mould.

What is Stone Wool Made From?

Stone wool is a fibre-based, loose-fill insulation. It has the appearance of wool, however it is stiffer, denser and more fibrous. There are two main types of Stone insulation. The first comes from natural stone fibres such as molten basalt or diabase. This type of stone wool is sourced from volcanic rock. This rock is melted, processed and then spun into “wool” and bound together by different resins and oils.

The second is made from spinning slag. Slag is a byproduct resulting from the production of steel. Manufacturers can also make it from natural rock or a combination of molten slag, natural rock and even glass. Both types of stone wool are typically sold in batts and as loose-fill. Typically, mineral or stone insulation contains up to 90% recycled content.

Stone Wool Production Process

Raw materials used for the production of stone wool include volcanic stones such as diabase, dolomite and basalt as well as briquettes and cement. Major chemical compounds in the composition of those materials are oxides of silicon, aluminium, calcium, magnesium and iron.

1. The production process for stone wool begins with placing raw materials in a cupola furnace where they are melted at a temperature above 1400°C. Coke is used as a fuel during this melting process. Oil is also added to incinerate flue gasses
2. The melted mass is then brought to the wheels of a centrifuge where it gets unravelled into fibres. The centrifuge wheels break the mass into drops while air is blown to stretch the drops into fibres. As the mass becomes a mist of yarn, the fibres are blown into a collecting chamber.
3. Primary felt then reaches a wool precipitation system – the so-called pendulum system that enables achieving excellent insulation characteristics by providing a uniform distribution of fibers and high level of their intertwinement, thus providing more space for »air retention«, which is one of the most important conditions for insulation material functioning
4. In the polycondensation chamber, the process of polycondensation or binder fixing is carried out which together with fiber binding provides technical characteristics of the product. The process is carried out at 270°C with water evaporation and fixing of the binder added in the mass unravelling phase. All flue gasses are incinerated and purified, thus closing the circle of flue gas release.
5. The chamber process is followed by cutting of final products in to required dimensions, their stacking and packaging.

Benefits of Stone Wool

Stone wool creates an incredibly effective insulation that is easy to use. It installs like any batt insulation in the wall cavity, but it can be either flexible or rigid, delivering a variety of solutions to match different needs. Key benefits of stone wool includes:

• Fire resistance – Stone wool is safer than other insulation types in one important way – it’s typically much more resistant to fire. So, if a fire starts, it will delay the spread.
• Sound insulation – Stone wool is excellent at absorbing sound. This makes it great for dampening sound throughout buildings and creating sound barriers in homes between bathrooms and bedrooms, and in noisier spaces like living rooms or media rooms.
• Moisture repelling – Stone wool naturally repels water and moisture, so the long-term thermal performance of the insulation is not affected by water. Damp and mould can affect your home’s structural integrity, have a detrimental effect on its thermal performance, and compromise the respiratory health of its occupants.

Technonicol Stone Wool Supplied by Plastek

Technonicol produces premium quality stone wool insulation for roofing, walls/facades as well as special applications. The fibrous structure of Technonicol stone wool products ensures excellent acoustic and sound-absorbing properties of the material.

At Plastek, we have extensive experience consulting and supplying Technonicol insulation products, helping to optimise projects by specifying and supplying the ideal solution. We can recommend the right insulation product for your specific project, ensuring a functional and high-performance solution

Related Questions

Does stone wool contain VOCs?

One of the historical pitfalls of stone wool in the past is that it has been that it typically contained a binder to hold the fibres together. These binders used to use chemicals that contained volatile organic compounds like formaldehyde. The insulation would then off-gas these chemicals. This off-gassing ends up being dangerous for anyone installing the product and negatively impacts indoor air quality.

In recent years, VOCs are less of a concern since there’s been a general move in the industry towards using low or no VOC binders, mitigating those pitfalls. Unfortunately, they’re still around, so you need to pay attention when picking your stone wool products. Technonicol stone wool is free of VOCs.

Is stone wool environmentally friendly?

Stone wool insulation is mostly sourced from natural, renewable, or recyclable materials. The steel and iron ore industry produce millions of pounds of slag each year. Instead of sending that material to landfills, it can be recycled into high-performance insulation. Stone wool is produced using a virtually inexhaustible natural resource. The earth makes 38,000 times more rock every year through volcanic and oceanic activity.

Is stone wool dangerous to breathe?

The dust from stone wool can irritate the skin and eyes if a person comes into direct contact with it. Gloves and goggles should be worn when working with the insulation material. However, stone wool is not as harmful to breathe in as asbestos because the fibres are short and thick, meaning the body can easily expel them.

The post A Guide to Stone Wool Insulation and How It’s Made appeared first on PLASTEK.

A Brief History of Rigid Foam Insulation

In the 1950s, an inventor combined polystyrene and isobutylene, inadvertently creating a foam polystyrene product. This was used immediately in flotation devices during World War II. Since then, advancements in manufacturing and quality control have diversified the application of polystyrene.

As a hard, solid plastic, it can be used in laboratory ware, automotive parts, appliances, food packaging and electronics. When it comes to building insulation, polystyrene can be made into an insulating foam material, the most common being expanded polystyrene (EPS), and extruded polystyrene (XPS).

Polystyrene Foam Materials Compared

EPS and XPS foams are both manufactured from the petroleum-based resin, a thermoplastic based on non-cross-linked polymers. EPS is commonly used in eskys, packaging, cups and takeout containers. Made of 2% plastic and 98% trapped air, EPS foam consists of tiny polystyrene beads expanded many times their original size.

XPS foam on the other hand, consists of polystyrene resin crystals combined with additives and a gas-blowing agent, continuously extruded through a machine and then cut to length. XPS foam boards are the ideal option when it comes to specifying high quality insulation for buildings, including roofing and below grade applications.

Benefits of XPS Foam for Building Insulation

XPS foam is valued for its high level of thermal efficiency and strength-to-weight ratio. This is because it features a closed-cell construction, making it highly water resistant and capable of performing well as an insulator even in the most challenging situations. The important characteristic that distinguishes it from EPS foam is that there are no tiny voids or spacing between the polystyrene cells. This is a result of the continuous extrusion production process.

Having a completely closed-cell construction is essential for reducing heat transfer and makes XPS foam highly resistant to water absorption. This gives it the unique ability to maintain low thermal conductivity in the presence of large amounts of water. For this reason, it’s specified for applications such as building foundations, underground walls, inverted roofs (including terraces and green roofs), cold storage facilities, parking lots and any other situation that requires high durability and water resistance.

High-Performance Insulation for Construction

When specified as insulation in commercial construction projects, XPS foam can save approximately 200 times the amount of its embodied energy by increasing the building envelope efficiency. It also has impressive compressive strength characteristics, allowing it to be used in load bearing floors. This is important as floors are a huge source of thermal transfer.

A closed-cell insulation material like XPS foam can resist freeze-thaw cycles, ensuring long term durability at a relatively low cost. Moisture that gets into tiny gaps of EPS foam insulation will shrink and expand as it goes through the freeze/thaw cycle. This significantly impacts its performance as an insulator on top of causing early deterioration. XPS foam insulation is water repelling and is capable of withstanding over 1000 freeze/thaw cycles.

XPS Foam Improves Energy Efficiency in Buildings

The homogeneous closed-cell composition of XPS foam insulation ensures heat transfer and air leakage is entirely prevented. This is crucial as the energy losses caused by air leaks and a poorly insulated building has a drastic impact on heating and cooling costs. In both summer and winter, properly specified XPS foam insulation boards regulate a consistent temperature inside a building, regardless if whether conditions are wet or dry.

XPS foam insulation has a consistent and predictably tested long-term thermal resistance, even in wet conditions and at low temperatures. It also maintains its thermal and mechanical performance for long periods of time, meaning it’ll continue to perform at a high standard over the life of the building. It is also able to withstand the stresses of temperature changes and freeze/thaw cycles.

Technonicol XPS Foam Insulation for Commercial Construction

Technonicol produces premium quality thermal insulation boards made of extruded polystyrene. Technonicol’s Carbon XPS foam insulation series comes in a range of sizes, thicknesses and compressive strengths to meet the demands of almost every application.

At Plastek, we have extensive experience consulting and supplying these XPS foam insulation products, helping to optimise projects by providing the ideal solutions. We can recommend the right Carbon XPS foam insulation product for your specific project, ensuring a functional and high performance solution for your building.

Related Questions

How long does XPS foam last?

XPS foam insulation is capable of lasting 100 years or more due to its rigid construction, meaning you never have to worry about replacing it.

Are rigid foam insulation boards a fire hazard?

Petroleum-based products are inherently combustible. However, insulation products manufactured by established companies must pass independent fire testing, whether it’s EPS or XPS, and be able to meet minimum safety requirements to ensure they don’t pose an unacceptable fire risk.

Is XPS foam bad for the environment?

XPS insulation can be salvaged during renovations and demolitions and is 100% recyclable. Using XPS foam insulation also contributes enormously to reducing energy use in a building. It lasts decades once installed and significantly lowers the carbon footprint of the building over its lifespan.

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Moisture Matters Most

Independent studies have clearly demonstrated that XPS is more moisture resistant than EPS and that XPS maintains R-value better. These are both critical performance indicators for insulation. Objective data from credible, third-party sources is now widely accessible to architects, builders and contractors, ensuring the building and construction industry are better informed about the proven benefits of XPS foam insulation.

Countless laboratory tests show that EPS absorbs more water than XPS, resulting in reduced performance and lost insulation (R-value). This is also seen when comparing both types of insulation in real applications. Numerous independent technical studies reviewed by experts confirm that XPS performs better than EPS in below grade applications.

R-Value Performance

Suppliers of EPS often claim that its R-value is higher when tested at lower temperatures. However, this is demonstrated to be true for both EPS and XPS. What’s important is that when EPS absorbs water, its R-value gets lower even when tested at a lower mean temperature. XPS on the other hand, continues to have a higher R-value at lower mean temperatures even in the presence of water.

To perform well in real world applications, insulation must retain R-value, even when exposed to water for long periods of time. This is because many situations where EPS and XPS are used involve exposure to water, the most prominent being below-grade applications and in roofing.

Production Processes of XPS vs EPS

XPS foam insulation is manufactured in a continuous extrusion process that produces a homogeneous “closed cell” matrix with each cell fully enclosed by polystyrene walls. The homogenous cross section of XPS means very little water is absorbed into the cell structure.

EPS is manufactured by expanding spherical beads in a mold, using heat and pressure to fuse the beads together. While each individual bead is a closed cell environment, there are significant open spaces between each bead where water enters. XPS performs better because there are no tiny voids between the polystyrene cells, limiting heat transfer.

XPS maintains its integrity because water does not penetrate and break down the material during freeze/thaw cycles. EPS, on the other hand, is capable of absorbing water and freezing, which will break down the material over time.

Summary of the Benefits of XPS Foam Insulation

As illustrated, XPS foam insulation is the ideal choice of insulation due to its high compressive strength, low moisture absorption, long working life and resistance to decay. XPS foam insulation is the better insulating material for a wide range of applications, from cold storage construction to apartment buildings, thanks to the superior characteristics it offers:

• Superior insulating characteristics
• Much higher resistance to water and water vapour
• Better freeze-thaw resistance
• Superb compressive strength
• Long-term durability
• Great long-term R-value

XPS foam insulation is also lightweight and easy to work with. It’s the ideal solution when you need insulating boards that won’t swell, shrink or absorb moisture.

Technonicol XPS Foam Insulation Boards Supplied by Plastek

Technonicol’s Carbon XPS foam insulation series is ideal for civil, commercial and industrial building and construction insulation, including floor insulation. At PLASTEK, we supply a range of Technonicol Carbon XPS foam insulation boards depending on the compressive strength specifications required. We’ll help assess the needs of your project and recommend the most appropriate solution.

Related Questions

What is the Australian standard for insulation?

All insulation materials that are sold in Australia must meet Australian Standard AS/NZS 4859, materials for the thermal insulation of buildings, even if they are imported.

Is XPS foam environmentally friendly?

XPS foam insulation is 100% recyclable and contributes enormously to reducing energy use, making it very eco-friendly. Once installed, it lasts decades and significantly lowers the carbon footprint of the building over its lifespan.

Can XPS foam be used for load bearing floors?

Compressive strength is an important consideration when it comes to flooring insulation. Uniformly distributed closed cells in XPS foam insulation give it superior compressive strength characteristics when compared to EPS. This makes it a reliable and long lasting solution when used for flooring.

The post Science Doesn’t Lie – XPS is Superior to EPS appeared first on PLASTEK.

XPS foam boards are the most popular when it comes to high quality insulation for roofing, below grade applications, commercial and recreational vehicle insulation and more. This is because it features a closed-cell construction, making it highly water resistant and capable of performing well as an insulator even in the most challenging situations.

What Does Closed-Cell Mean?

XPS foam insulation is a closed-cell insulation, meaning there are no tiny voids or spacing between the polystyrene cells. This is achieved through a manufacturing process that involves extruding the polystyrene through a die. EPS foam, on the other hand, is produced by expanding the polystyrene cell, which can lead to tiny, irregular gaps.

Having a completely closed-cell construction is essential for reducing heat transfer and makes XPS foam highly resistant to water absorption and water vapour transmission. This means it can maintain low thermal conductivity in the presence of a lot of water, making it uniquely suited for applications such as building foundations, underground walls, inverted roofs (including terraces and green roofs), cold storage facilities and parking lots.

High-Performance Insulation for Construction

In commercial construction, rigid foam insulation needs to meet a trifecta of requirements – thermal insulation performance, durability and economics. XPS foam as insulation can save approximately 200 times the amount of its embodied energy through its ability to increase the building envelope efficiency. It also has the compressive strength characteristics needed to be used in load bearing floors, which is important as floors are a huge source of thermal transfer.

A closed-cell insulation material like XPS foam can resist freeze-thaw cycles, ensuring long term durability at a relatively low cost. Moisture that gets into tiny gaps of EPS foam insulation will shrink and expand as it goes through the freeze/thaw cycle. This significantly impacts its performance as an insulator on top of causing early deterioration. XPS foam insulation is water repelling and capable of withstanding over 1000 freeze/thaw cycles.

Improve Energy Efficiency in Buildings

The homogeneous closed-cell composition of XPS foam insulation prevents heat transfer and air leakage. Energy losses caused by air leaks and a poorly insulated building can have a significant negative impact on heating and cooling costs. In both summer and winter, XPS foam insulation boards can regulate a consistent temperature inside a building over a long period of time, regardless of whether conditions are wet or dry.

XPS foam insulation has a consistent long-term thermal resistance even in wet conditions and at low temperatures. It maintains its thermal and mechanical performance throughout the life of the building. It is incredibly durable and has a high compressive strength for heavy and dynamic loads.

Technonicol XPS Foam – Resistant, Robust and Versatile Insulation

Technonicol offers thermal insulation boards made of high quality extruded polystyrene. Technonicol’s Carbon XPS foam insulation range comes in a variety of sizes, thicknesses and compressive strengths to meet the demands of almost every application and is:

• Extremely durable
• Capable of bearing heavy loads
• Highly resistant to moisture
• Guaranteed to have low, stable and predictable thermal conductivity
• Able to withstand the stresses of temperature changes and freeze/thaw cycles.

At Plastek, we have extensive experience consulting and supplying XPS foam insulation products, helping to optimise projects by providing the ideal solutions. We can recommend the right Carbon XPS foam insulation product for your specific project, ensuring a functional and high performance solution for your building.

Related Questions

How long does XPS foam last?

Due to its firmness and water resistance, rigid foam insulation like XPS will generally last 100 years or more, meaning you never have to worry about replacing it.

Is foam board insulation better than fibreglass?

Foam board insulation is a great alternative to common fibreglass batt insulation. It has a higher R-value per mm of thickness as well as being stronger, more resistant to moisture and easy to work with.

Is XPS foam environmentally friendly?

XPS insulation is 100% recyclable and contributes enormously to reducing energy use. It lasts decades once installed, it significantly lowers the carbon footprint of the building over its lifespan.

The post Extruded Polystyrene XPS Foam is Resistant, Robust and Versatile appeared first on PLASTEK.

The Two Types of Polystyrene Insulation

XPS and EPS foams are both types of rigid polystyrene foam insulations from different manufacturing processes that produce very different finished products:

• XPS foam is manufactured through a continuous extrusion process that produces a homogeneous closed cell cross section. This means there are no gaps between each polystyrene bead.
• EPS foam is manufactured by expanding spherical beads in a mold, using heat and pressure to fuse the beads together where they touch. Unlike XPS, this process leaves open spaces between the beads where they don’t touch.

One of the most important differences between XPS and EPS foams is the amount of water absorbed by each. Laboratory tests have found that the gaps that occur between the beads of EPS cause it to absorb more water, resulting in reduced performance.

Why Does Water Resistance Matter?

The gaps between the EPS foam cells allow both air and moisture to penetrate throughout the insulating material. Exposure to moisture drastically impacts the insulating performance of EPS as water is an excellent conductor of heat. Absorbed water ultimately results in lost insulation power (R-value). Lost R-value results in reduced performance. Moisture also causes the material to deteriorate faster and makes it prone to rot, mould and other moisture-related issues.

Any rigid insulation used in construction must possess water resistant properties. This is particularly critical when rigid insulation will be directly exposed to water, such as with protected membrane roofing or below grade uses including foundations, frost protected shallow foundations, and geotechnical applications such as under pavement and lightweight fill replacement.

Water Resistance is Essential for High Performance Insulation

Over the lifetime of a building or paved surface, moisture eventually gets into, and lingers in, the soil around the construction. Therefore, where the purpose of the insulation is to insulate, the most important characteristic of the insulation is its ability to retain R-value and continue to insulate even when exposed to water for long periods of time. If insulation is water soaked, R-value is lost.

The Freeze-Thaw Cycle

Rigid insulation used in construction must also be able to withstand freeze-thaw cycles that may occur in certain climates or applications like cool rooms or freezer rooms. During the cycle, any water that penetrates the insulation can expand and break the bonds between the polystyrene beads, further reducing insulating performance.

Wet soil and below grade insulation are often subjected to dozens if not hundreds of freeze-thaw cycles per winter season. When absorbed water freezes and thaws, the insulation structure will also break down over time and structural integrity can be compromised. A closed-cell insulation like XPS foam can tolerate wet environments, performing consistently in both wet and dry conditions.

What Does Closed-Cell Mean Exactly?

To resist water absorption, the plastic itself must be hydrophobic (repels water) instead of hydrophilic (attracts water). Secondly, the cell structure must be continuous and closed. Polystyrene is a hydrophobic polymer. The big difference that causes EPS to absorb more water than XPS is that the latter features “closed-cells” due to the manufacturing process.

The continuous extrusion process used to produce XPS results in a homogeneous “closed cell” matrix with each cell fully enclosed by polystyrene walls. With the EPS bead molding process, while individual beads are closed cells, there are still open voids between beads where water enters.

Even Small Amounts of Water Damages EPS

Industry standard tests measure water absorption when insulation boards are fully submerged in water. However, other tests have found that EPS wicks water into its open void structure even when only a small surface area is exposed to water. The open voids allow water to travel via water capillary action, eventually spreading throughout the foam board.

XPS Foam Boards – Ideal for Construction Applications

In addition to excellent long-term R-value and water resistance, XPS foam also offers additional benefits, including:

• High compressive strength
• Lightweight
• Can be trimmed to any shape with a saw, hot wire or cutter
• Long-term durability

XPS foam insulation is the ideal solution when you need high quality insulating boards that are resistant to temperature extremes and won’t swell, shrink or absorb moisture.

Technonicol XPS Foam Insulation Boards Supplied by Plastek

Technonicol’s Carbon XPS foam insulation range is ideal for civil, commercial and industrial building and construction insulation, including floor insulation. At PLASTEK, we supply a range of Technonicol Carbon XPS foam insulation boards depending on the compressive strength specifications required. We’ll help assess the needs of your project and recommend the most appropriate solution.

Related Questions

Is XPS or EPS Stronger?

Uniformly distributed closed cells in XPS insulation also ensure a high level of compressive strength in addition to water resistance. This makes it highly suitable for applications where it must bear heavy loads (such as in floor and wall construction) or deal with dynamic shear forces (such as bending and vibrational forces in a vehicle or strong winds). Irregular gaps in EPS foam mean it isn’t as rigid or durable by comparison.

Why is XPS foam a better insulator than EPS foam?

The voids found in EPS insulation also conduct heat due to the air inside them.

Is XPS foam environmentally friendly?

XPS insulation is 100% recyclable, lightweight and easy to work with. It lasts decades when used in the construction of a building and significantly lowers the energy usage of a building over its lifespan.

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