Ultraboard- Styrene faced foamcore

Andrew Gorman · Post by **Andrew Gorman** » Wed Apr 09, 2014 11:27 am

In my incessant scavenging, I've been running across some styrene faced foamcore- usually used for signage for conferences, conventions, etc. I tracked down a manufacturer at:
http://www.ultraboard.com/ultraboard/specs/
This could be a useful material for those who like to build BIG- I was thinking of studio scale star destroyers or a 1/1000 Babylon 5 Omega. It's interesting stuff. Sturdier than paper backed foamcore, rigid and light, but the thinnest is still 3/16 inch thick. I found some inexpensive pieces at my favorite Bay Area hobby shop, SCRAP:
http://www.scrap-sf.org/

Joseph C. Brown · Post by **Joseph C. Brown** » Wed Apr 09, 2014 12:26 pm

Looks to be really great material!

I'd have to find a Knoxville/East Tn distributor for getting enough to tackle some projects I have in mind... that's not a complaint, just a fact.

Kylwell · Post by **Kylwell** » Wed Apr 09, 2014 1:01 pm

My worry would be how the expanded, however dense, polystyrene foam would handle various glues.

Umi_Ryuzuki · Post by **Umi_Ryuzuki** » Wed Apr 09, 2014 2:31 pm

Polystyrene foam does not like CA glue.
However there are "foam safe" CA glues out there.

Something to consider:

Heat can cause different rates of expansion in foam and the coating.
If you have ever watched foamcore warp you have seen the potential.
Gatorboard, and perhaps this new Ultraboard may be more stable, but
I would still select the outer side of a warped gator board to mount graphics.

Obviously you wouldn't display a model in direct sunlight, but temperature
variations in the display area, lighting around or inside the model can make a
difference.

TrekFX · Post by **TrekFX** » Wed Apr 09, 2014 3:47 pm

I have similar material I bought well over 10 years ago. Some has been in-use with fabric mounted, in an enclosed space which has seen plenty of thermal cycles and changes in humidity. Still pretty true, even larger pieces up to a few feet long. Leftovers (some a few feet square, some strips a few feet long, misc bits) I set aside and left in the back of the closet are still in good shape. It seems reasonably stable. I like this stuff!