Is Neoprene really Compressed?

[sambolino44]

I've been doing some casual internet research on neoprene and, like a lot of things, it looks like there's a lot of vague terminology, conflicting information, and commonly-misused words.

It seems to me that "compressed neoprene" is not ever really compressed in the way that I would imagine what that word would mean; by physically pressing it. From what I've been able to find out (which is not nearly as much as I'd like) they call it compressed because it exhibits the properties one would expect from regular neoprene if it actually was compressed; namely, smaller bubbles. In fact, I think the difference in process is why they came up with a different name for "crushed neoprene", which is actually squeezed between rollers.

But how do the bubbles get into neoprene in the first place? I know you can buy neoprene with no bubbles at all. I know a lot of materials are created through a combination of chemical and physical processes (for instance, add the catalyst and heat until it solidifies), but do the bubbles in neoprene come from a chemical reaction, like in swiss cheese, or do they actually blow bubbles into the liquid form of the material before it solidifies?

It seems that you can make neoprene with just about any combination of properties; density, bubble size and distribution, stretch, etc. If it isn't actually compressed, at what point do you call one formulation "compressed" and another standard?

I'm asking because I've been asked if my suit is made of "compressed neoprene", and I'd rather answer accurately than spread misinformation.

 

[Thalassamania]

Bubble get in one of two ways, gas blown or chemically blow.

Compressed or Crushed Neoprene is a bit or a misnomer, the gas bubbles that are embedded in the neoprene are crushed out of existence.

 

[Doc Intrepid]

Crushed Vs Compressed Foam 2009

At one point a few years ago, the DUI catalog included a photo of the chamber device they were using (then) to actually treat neoprene rubber to crush interior bubbles in the material.

 

[drbill]

I was down at our dive park yesterday chatting with two divers from Switzerland. They introduced me to "bioprene." Bioprene is the natural insulation we carry in our bodies (fat). I'd like to find a way to compress that!!

 

[sambolino44]

Thanks, everyone, but remember, I'm not trying to find out about the DUI/Abyss crushed neoprene. Thanks to DUI, there's more information available about that than anything.

My question is, is compressed neoprene really compressed, or is it just created from scratch with smaller or fewer bubbles?

 

[mdb]

Thanks, everyone, but remember, I'm not trying to find out about the DUI/Abyss crushed neoprene. Thanks to DUI, there's more information available about that than anything.

My question is, is compressed neoprene really compressed, or is it just created from scratch with smaller or fewer bubbles?

sambolino44:

From our website:

"Smaller is better 4.0 microcell neoprene has 20% smaller bubbles than conventional neoprene. Rather than crushing material to decrease density: Microcell is produced by blowing a gas, generally nitrogen, into the liquefied rubber to make a foam.

Apollo turned to Heiwa Corp. to help develop a better material for drysuits leading to the development of a microcell neoprene with smaller bubbles than conventional neoprene. This thinner neoprene could be used without sacrificing warmth, strength or durability, while improving the stretch and flexibility. Smaller bubbles are more resistant to crushing, even at depth, yielding a similar warmth factor of a thicker 7 mm standard neoprene, even at a slim 4.0 mm thickness."

So; you are correct the term compressed neoprene is used to describe neoprene sheets with a smaller honeycomb bubble structure and the neoprene sheets are not actually crushed or compressed.

 

[RonFrank]

IMO leave the information or lack thereof to the manufacture.

If you suit says compressed, tell the individual asking that yes it IS compressed. If you go into a long explanation over the process, and then disagree with the manufacture based on your wisdom, your audience is now asleep. When they wake up, they may no longer want to be around you, and if they do, that might be scary!

 

[sambolino44]

Maybe it's people who are more worried about having other people want to be around them than they are worried about being correct and accurate who have created this whole culture of B.S.