News Articles

Why Is My Spray Pattern Inconsistent?

Why Is My Spray Pattern Inconsistent? If you’re not getting a consistent finish when spraying a high-pressure material, there may be something wrong with the... Read More

Why Is My Urethane Plastic Part Shrinking?

Why Is My Urethane Plastic Part Shrinking? If you’re new to working with urethane materials, you may not know much about their dimensional stability. While... Read More

How to Seal Foam for Durability on Theming Projects

How to Seal Foam for Durability on Theming Projects Do you have to repeatedly replace your foam props, sculptures, custom signs, and other structures due... Read More

Understanding the Properties of Urethane Foam

Understanding the Properties of Urethane Foam Understanding the properties of expanding urethane foam is important to optimize performance and success when using the material. They... Read More

Why Can’t I Paint My Urethane Plastic Part?

Why Can't I Paint My Urethane Plastic Part? Because urethane plastics tend to have high surface energy, most can be primed and painted, providing part... Read More

Why Isn’t My Urethane Plastic Part Curing?

Why Isn't My Urethane Plastic Part Curing? If you’ve ever used urethane plastic for your part-making or prototyping projects and it won’t dry or cure,... Read More

Why Does My Urethane Plastic Have Bubbles?

Why Does My Urethane Plastic Have Bubbles? When making industrial or prototyping parts out of thermoset urethane plastic, the last thing you want to see... Read More

Why Is My EPS Foam Bending After Applying a Hard Coat?

Why Is My EPS Foam Bending After Applying a Hard Coat? If you’re working with long, thin EPS boards and urethane hard coats for your... Read More

Understanding the Properties of Urethane Plastic

Understanding the Properties of Urethane Plastic In the part making and prototyping world, understanding the properties of urethane plastic is essential for choosing the best... Read More

Why Is My Concrete Casting Shiny?

Why Is My Concrete Casting Shiny? Decorative concrete elements are used to enhance the architecture of residential and commercial structures with various colors, textures, and... Read More

Why Is My Urethane Foam Not Expanding / Collapsing?

Why Is My Urethane Foam Not Expanding / Collapsing? If you’re familiar with rigid or semi-flexible urethane foam, you know that each product has its... Read More

What Is Causing Bubbles or Blisters in My Polyurea/Hybrid Coating?

What Is Causing Bubbles or Blisters in My Polyurea/Hybrid Coating? Once you’ve applied a fresh layer of polyurea or hybrid coating to a surface, the... Read More

How to Create Durable Foam Halloween Decorations

How to Create Durable Foam Halloween Decorations Since most Halloween and holiday décor or facades are meant for the outdoors, they must be strong enough... Read More

Do I Need a Protective Coating for My Trailer?

Do I Need a Protective Coating for My Trailer? Because trailers take a beating in transport, a protective coating is essential to keep them in... Read More

Why Isn’t My Polyurea or Hybrid Coating Adhering to the Surface?

Why Isn't My Polyurea or Hybrid Coating Adhering to the Surface? If you notice your polyurea or hybrid coating isn’t adhering to the surface, several... Read More

Why Is My Urethane Rubber Mold Sticky?

Why Is My Urethane Rubber Mold Sticky? Some urethane rubber users have come to us and are confused as to why their rubber is sticky... Read More

Why Is My Urethane Mold Deforming?

Why Is My Urethane Mold Deforming? So, you’ve done everything right in the process of making your mold, but after you’ve demolded it, it’s begun... Read More

Why Can’t I Remove My Casting from My Urethane Mold?

Why Can't I Remove My Casting from My Urethane Mold? Some urethane rubber users have run into issues with being unable to remove their concrete... Read More

Why Is My Urethane Rubber Mold Not Drying?

Why Is My Urethane Rubber Mold Not Drying? VFI has had customers using two-component urethane rubber come to us saying their material is not drying... Read More

Do I Need to Use a Release Agent with Urethane Rubber?

Do I Need to Use a Release Agent with Urethane Rubber? Release agents are required for any application when making a two-part urethane rubber mold... Read More

Why Are There Bubbles in My Urethane Rubber?

Why Are There Bubbles in My Urethane Rubber? We’ve come across urethane rubber users in the past who have wondered why there are bubbles in... Read More

How Much Liquid Rubber Do I Need to Make a Mold?

How Much Liquid Rubber Do I Need to Make a Mold? Before making a mold, the most important thing to consider is how much liquid... Read More

Why Is My Hard Coat Cracking?

Why Is My Hard Coat Cracking? Hard coats are supposed to be durable protection over surfaces like EPS foam for theming, so why are customers... Read More

How to Fix Holes or Cracks in Urethane Hard Coat

How to Fix Holes or Cracks in Urethane Hard Coat Accidents can happen when using urethane hard coats over EPS foam shapes, signs, and props.... Read More

Why Is My Hard Coat Project Failing?

Why Is My Hard Coat Project Failing? In the past, we’ve had customers think they could use a hard coat in a casting capacity for... Read More

Why Isn’t My Urethane Hard Coat Drying?

Why Isn’t My Urethane Hard Coat Drying? Customers of urethane hard coats have called VFI asking why their urethane hard coat isn’t drying. Mix ratio,... Read More

Why Should You Hard Coat EPS Foam Props?

Why Should You Hard Coat EPS Foam Props? There are several reasons that you should hard coat EPS foam props. If they are being used... Read More

Why Is My Urethane Hard Coat Bubbling?

Why Is My Urethane Hard Coat Bubbling? Customers of polyurethane coatings have called VFI about bubbles forming while mixing their material or when the material... Read More

Understanding the Properties of Industrial Polyurea and Hybrid Coatings

Understanding the Properties of Industrial Polyurea and Hybrid Coatings Understanding the properties of industrial polyurea and hybrid coatings is essential for proper use. Some industrial... Read More

Understanding the Properties of Urethane Hard Coats

Understanding the Properties of Urethane Hard Coats Understanding the properties of urethane hard coats is essential to picking the best material for theming projects. They... Read More

Why Is My Urethane Rubber Mold Expanding?

Why Is My Urethane Rubber Mold Expanding? Liquid urethane rubber molds shrink from low temperatures, but problems also arise if they are used in warm... Read More

Understanding the Properties of Liquid Urethane Rubber

Understanding the Properties of Liquid Urethane Rubber It is always essential to look at the properties of liquid urethane rubber when choosing a material for... Read More

What Is Shore Hardness & Why Does It Matter?

What is Shore Hardness & Why Does It Matter? Shore hardness is a property that determines how hard a material is, or rather, its resistance…

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How to Seal Styrofoam for Outdoor Use

How to Seal Styrofoam for Outdoor Use There are several ways to seal styrofoam for outdoor use. You should prioritize weather-resistant materials to seal the... Read More

Why is UV Stability Important for Spray-in Bed Liner?

Why Is UV Stability Important for Spray-in Bed liner? UV stability is important to prevent your spray-in bed liner from deteriorating. Spray-in bed liners provide... Read More

Vacuum Degassing vs Pressure Potting: Are They Necessary?

Vacuum Degassing vs Pressure Potting: Are They Necessary? Vacuum degassing and pressure potting are techniques professionals use to get clear, bubble-free molds and castings. Either... Read More

Why Is My Urethane Rubber Mold Shrinking?

Why Is My Urethane Rubber Mold Shrinking? Urethane rubber is often called an elastomer because it comes with elastic properties. These properties can be very... Read More

What Can You Spray on Styrofoam to Make It Hard?

What Can You Spray on Styrofoam to Make It Hard? There are plenty of sprayable materials you can use to harden Styrofoam. Styrofoam is a... Read More

Thermoset vs Thermoplastic: Which is Better?

Thermoset vs Thermoplastic: Which is Better? When looking at thermoset vs thermoplastic, choosing the best material for your project will highly depend on the application,... Read More

Determining Shore Hardness of Rubbers & Plastics

Shore Hardness is the resistance a material has to indentation. Determining a materials Shore Hardness requires the use of a durometer, which is a device…

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