SPE Foams® 2026

Program

General Information

FOAMS® 2026 conference - June 24-25

Held at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi, MI, FOAMS® 2026 conference is the premier forum for presenting recent advances in foaming technologies. It will feature talks by leading researchers from industry and academia, covering foam fundamentals, micro/nanocellular foams, sustainability, specialized properties, and industrial applications.

Receptions and Student Poster Exhibition - June 22-24

FOAMS conference attendees will have access to the daily networking cocktail receptions (June 22–24) hosted by our partner, Foam Expo. The student poster exhibition will take place during the reception on June 24, and an award luncheon will follow on June 25.

Technical Program

Wednesday June 24th, 2026

8:30AM – 8:40AM

Welcome / Conference Opening

Xiaoxi Wang. The Boeing Company

8:40AM – 9:25AM

Plenary Talk – The Future of Protective Packaging

Byron Racki. President of Protective, Sealed Air

9:25AM – 10:25AM

Session 1: Extrusion foaming

Foam extrusion. A controlled process — Dave Molloy (Promix)
Foam Extrusion of Polyester Based Material with Nano-additive — Tianran Chen (DuPont)
Biobased and Biodegradable PHA Based Products for Extrusion — Akanksha Patel (CJ Biomaterials)

10:50AM – 12:30PM

Session 2: Elastomeric Foams

Insights into the mechanisms underlying the high-cycle fatigue — Paolo Iaccarino (U. Naples Federico II, Italy)
Investigation of the Impact Response of Recycled Polymer — Márton Tomin (Budapest U. Technology, Hungary)
Foaming Performance of Vitrimer-modified Linear Polypropylene-based Elastomers — Nathan Chang (U. Toronto, Canada)
Humidity-Programmed Cellular Structure and Circularity in Boronic-Ester EVA Vitrimers — Jesús Fernández (CellMat Lab-U. Valladolid, Spain)
Enhancing Foaming Performance of Linear Polypropylene-based Elastomer Foams Through Ionic Modification — Mahmoud Embabi (U. Toronto, Canada)

12:30PM – 2PM

Lunch Break

2PM – 3:20PM

Session 3: Low density Thermoplastic Foams

Low density PP foam – Are we ready for lightweight, future proof and sustainable solutions? — Antti Tynys (Borealis Group)
Improving Dimensional Consistency and Processing Robustness of Expanded Polypropylene Foams for Automotive Applications — Joshua Parker (JSP)
The "DryBead" Value Chain for eco-efficient Production and Refinement of new Particle Foams — Jörg Vetter (Fox Velution)
High-Power and High-Energy E-beam as Continuous Reactor for Tailored Long-Chain Branched Polymers Enabling Lightweight Foams — Marin Steenackers (Iba Group)

3:40PM – 4:40PM

Session 4: Advanced Characterization

Acoustic probing of stiffness in micro and nanocellular PMMA: role of structure beyond cell size — Judith Martín de Leon (CellMat Lab-U. Valladolid, Spain)
A Novel PVT-Based Method for Measuring Gas Diffusivity in Polymer Melts — Shu-Kai Yeh (NTUST, Taiwan)
TEM and FIB-SEM cryo-tomography in nanocellular polymers — Jorge Torre (CellMat Lab-U. Valladolid, Spain)

4:40PM – 6PM

Poster Session

Thursday June 25th, 2026

8:30AM – 9:15AM

Plenary Talk – Taking Flight: Developing and Transitioning Materials for Aerospace Applications

Todd E. Steyer. Chief Engineer, Boeing Engineering & Technology Innovation (E&TI)

9:15AM – 11:05AM

Session 5: Foams in industrial applications

Improving reprocessability of automotive polyurethane foam via incorporation of covalent adaptable networks (CANs) — Xiaojing Wang (Ford)
Engineering Materials for OEM & Industry Performance Demands — Carol Ann Mundy (Armacell)
New Safety Standards for Expanding Insulation Foam Products Packaged in Pressurized Cylinders — Bill Frauenheim (Diversified CPC International)
Forever Young XPS: Performance, Sustainability, and Code Compliance for the 21st Century Buildings and Beyond — Valentina Woodcraft (DuPont)
Resolving Structure–Property Discrepancies in Extruded Polystyrene Foam — Ray Varona (Kingspan)
Starch as raw materials in Foam Industry — Fengqiu Fan (Primient)

11:05AM – 12:35PM

Award ceremony luncheon

12:35PM – 2:15PM

Session 6: Advanced Cellular Polymers

Tunable structural morphologies of PMMA porous materials: from aerogels to foams — Antonio Largo Barrientos (CellMat Lab-U. Valladolid, Spain)
Potential of Aerogel Technology Combined with Foam Materials to Address Challenges in the Electric Vehicle Market — Thomas Koch (Armacell)
Influence of CO2 sorption/desorption on the glassy state and mechanical behavior of nanocellular polyetherimide — Felix Lizalde Arroyo (CellMat Lab-U. Valladolid, Spain)
Multi-layered, multi-structured mono-material parts — Ernesto Di Maio (U. Naples: Federico II, Italy)
Halogen free-flame retarded PU foams – Making old folks invincible — Cristina Saiz Arroyo (CellMat Technologies)

2:45PM – 3:45PM

Session 7: Silicone Foams

Enhancing EV Battery Safety and Longevity with Silicone Foam Thermal Barriers — Sravya Nuguri (DOW)
Understanding Formulation Sensitivity in Silicone Foams: Effects of Trace Impurities on Cure Kinetics and Cell Morphology — Kshitish A. Patankar (Rogers Corporation)
Overview of Compression Force, Sealability, and Stress Retention for Silicone Foam Gaskets — Josh Hand (DOW)

This educational program is provided as a service of SPE. The views and opinions expressed on this or any SPE educational program are those of the Speaker(s) and/or the persons appearing with the Speaker(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Society of Plastics Engineers, Inc. (SPE) or its officials, employees or designees. To comment or to present an opposing or supporting opinion, please contact us at info@4SPE.org.

Refund Policy

Full refund 30 days prior to the event start date. Please contact customerrelations@4spe.org for assistance with registration.

SPE may take photographs and audio/video recordings during the conference, pre-conference meetings and receptions that may include attendees within sessions, networking areas, exhibition areas, and other areas associated with the conference both inside and outside of the venue. By registering for this event, all attendees are providing permission for SPE to use this material at its discretion on SPE's websites, marketing materials, and publications. SPE retains ownership of copyright to all photographs and audio/video recording obtained at this event and attendees may request copies of any material in which they are included.

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