K - Show 2022

AM Solution, a strong company specializing in high-performance polymer materials, will showcase its gas-foamed foam material at the world's largest plastics exhibition.

The supercritical gas-foam material developed by AMSolution for the first time in Korea will be available at the booth (Booth B80 / Hall 12) of Taiwan's Tienkang & FCS, a global gas-foam equipment manufacturer, at the 'K Show 2022' held in Dusseldorf, Germany from the 19th.

AM Solution, a venture company founded in 2014, is preparing for commercialization after successfully developing Korea's first eco-friendly foam material for shoes that is 100% recyclable (recyclable), following its main business of high-performance golf ball materials. The foam material was developed through three years of technical cooperation with a well-known overseas shoe foam equipment manufacturer.

The developed foam material is characterized by excellent elasticity and mechanical properties under the foaming process by supercritical nitrogen gas or carbon dioxide gas through alloyization by functional polymer additive (AdfinTM), which is a unique technology of AMSolution that can control elasticity, based on thermoplastic elastomer. The company is actively promoting the commercialization of foam materials that can be applied to the midsole of shoes.

According to AMSolution, most of the foam materials currently used as midsole for shoes are manufactured using chemical foaming agents, which generate harmful organic substances (VOCs) and are a serious source of global environmental pollution, especially since they are not recyclable and require landfill or incineration after use. Therefore, the ESG policies of global material companies are strengthening, and the recycling market for plastics to protect the global environment is growing rapidly. Recently, in response to consumers' increasing interest in environmental protection, global major shoe manufacturers and start-up shoe manufacturers have been developing recyclable prototypes in cooperation with materials companies to apply natural or recyclable shoe materials, but they are still in the early stages of market entry.

The 100% recyclable eco-friendly foam material developed by AMSolution has a rheology suitable for the gas foaming process, so the size of the bubbles (foam cells) inside the foam can be finely adjusted and evenly distributed to obtain optimal foam density (~0.22g/cm3). It is characterized by excellent elasticity (compression set), strength, and durability for shoe midsoles, and the price competitiveness of the foam material is about 20% more favorable than competitors.

The market size of foam materials for shoe midsoles is expected to grow to about KRW 30 trillion in 2030, and most of them are expected to be replaced by recyclable foam materials, so the competition between materials and shoe manufacturers for the recycled foam material market is expected to become increasingly fierce.

AMSolution is promoting business cooperation with shoe manufacturers with the goal of commercializing foam materials that can be applied to shoe midsoles, and gradually expanding to bicycle saddles, sporting goods, home mats, furniture, and other products.