making Styrofoam packaging inserts

[Kubla Kraus]

Hello All,
I am working on something and would like to make some kind of styrofoam packaging insert blocks for it... like the kind of protective packaging that comes with new electronics. I can make molds and such and have the shape of the insert block master designed and ready to be 3d printed. But the few videos I looked at on Youtube make using styrofoam look like a fairly industrial process. Has anyone ever done this? Or know of a product that would produce nice white foam blocks?
thanks.

 

[Darksyde13]

Using expanded polystyrene (EPS) or Extruded polystyrene (XPS) is not really a start from scratch at home project. You can however carve it really easily to get the shape you want. It's just a bit messy if you aren't using hotwire foam cutting tools. You can either find some extra thick sheets from craft places for eps or get some foam insulation boards or xps from your local home depot/lowes or what have you to glue down with foam compatable glue and then cut out the bits you need.

If you have some good sturdy plastic bags you can do a bit of a poor mans custom fitt by useing expanding polyurethane foam like what is in spray foam cans. It comes as a two part liquid that you mix and poor in to a plastic bag or under a thick plastic sheet with your part/item on top and held in place so the foam expands around and hopefully part way up it behind/inside the plastic liner. Once hard you have half of what you need. Just repeat with the sape process on top for you an entire foam sandwich and off you go. fiddly but very custom fit.

You can find the foam a few places online. Brick in the Yard and Smoot-On are a couple of the most popular state side.