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Metal foam

< Introduction >

Features / Application

Standard specification / Size

Construction / Properties

Workability

What is metal foam ?		 Features / Application

Our metal foam manufactured by the "Slurry foaming method"(patent registered), developed by Mitsubishi Materials Corporation, has the following unique characteristics .

  1. High porosity !
  2. Series of four types of pore sizes including the small pore size that cannot be produced by other metal foams !
  3. Can be manufactured from various materials !
  4. Thin thin metal foam !
  5. Low pressure loss and high specific surface area!
  6. Various forming works are possible !
  7. Various applications !


(1) High porosity !
Metal foams manufactured by Mitsubishi Materials have one of the highest porosity (void ratio) (97%) among various porous metals.

(2) Series of four types of pore sizes[*] including the small pore size that cannot be produced by the other metal foams !
The metal foam is available in four pore sizes including the smaller pore sizes such as 50 Mum. The conventional metal foams-have and 300 Mum and 600 Mum sizes.
[*] Nominal pore size value

(3) Can be manufactured from various materials !
The following table shows the material (pure metals & alloys) from which metal foams can be made.
Our metal foams can be manufactured from not only copper and stainless steel, but even from the corrosion and heat resistant nickel alloys Mitsubishi Materials Okegawa Plant has the speciality these alloys.
Pure metal Copper, nickel, precious metals (Ag, Au)
Alloy Stainless steel(SUS316L, SUS310S, etc.)
corrosion and heat resistant nickel alloys (MA22, MA276, MA600, MA23) etc
For details, please contact us. Click here for inquiry form

(4) Thin metal foam !
Thin metal foam with high porosity can be manufactured.
<Example>
Material Nominal
pore size
 Thickness
 Porosity
SUS316L 150Mum 0.5mm 97%
Cu 300Mum 0.2mm 88%
SUS316L 150Mum 0.1mm 70%
Mitsubishi Materials logo mark can be seen through a thin metal foam Thickness of the thin metal foam (on the right is a 1- yen coin)

Note: For detailed specification and product size, etc, please contact us. Click here for inquiry form

(5) Low pressure loss and high specific surface area !
Due to its continuous porosity structure and high porosity, pressure loss is low.
Since the metal foam has very small irregularities on its bone structure, it has higher specific surface area in comparison to the other metal foams.
Click here for pressure loss measurement data
Click here for specific surface area measurement data

(6) Various forming works are possible !
The metal foam can respond to various forming works (cutting, bending, bonding, brazing, welding, plating, etc.) requested by customers.
For details, see "Workability"

(7) Various applications !
By utilizing the various characteristics, properties and functions of our metal foam (in addition to the above (1) to (6), air permeability, capillary property, liquid holding property, electric conductivity, thermal conductivity, corrosion and heat resistance, gas diffusion property, etc), it can cover various applications. We collaborate with our customers to develop applications and components for a wide industrial field which utilizes the functional properties of metal foams, such as filter components, evaporation components, heat transmission and heat radiation components, fuel cell related components, etc.