RC Hobby Model Airplanes made of molded EPO foam:
EPO has many advantages that we feel make it the better overall material for big RC plane models:
•As you can see in the photos, EPO has a much better surface finish than even perfectly molded EPP, meaning a glossier, more aerodynamic (and prettier!) plane .
•EPO does not ‘relax’ and deform like EPP can when exposed to the elevated temperatures common in car trunks and shipping containers.
•EPP is molded at a higher temperature than EPO, so the plastic skeletons are more susceptible to being deformed by the foam beads pushing past them in the molding process.
•EPO is compatible with a wider range of glues and paints, both of which are important to building, repairing, and hacking the planes.
•EPO is stiffer at the same density – meaning that the airframe will react faster to quick changes in direction.
Another important benefit is that EPO will allow us to deliver your planes more quickly - from what we have seen, each mold tooling revision requires between one and two weeks, and getting EPP to mold correctly would likely take multiple further revisions. With EPO, we only need to do one revision to adjust the elevon hinge thickness before we can start production. Lastly, because EPO does not require any pre-expansion or post-curing, the molding company will take less time to manufacture all of the foam sets.
If you have any questions or comments about EPP and EPO plane, please do not hesitate to contact us.
