*This article is about sodium polyacrylate (SAP) for reusable gel hot/cold packs.
Freshwater is directed at the individual sheets of ice packs to activate them; Superabsorbent Polymer instantly starts absorbing the water and converting it to a Gel by placing them under fresh tap water; in about 20 minutes time it is seen to soak up enough water to form small cushion-shaped Ice Cubes.
Here're the important indicators to tell the good sodium polyacrylate.
As we know, some gel pack is disposable and some gel pack can be used multiple times.
Hydration time means how long the gel in the pack would melt. It determines the quality of the gel pack.
- When gel strength is too hard, the hand feel of the pack would be terrible;
- When gel strength is too soft, the hydration time would be short.
The common granular size of SAP is 10-100 mesh. We can purchase the right size according to the gel pack's manufacturing technique.
Another side, the granular size would influence the hydration time and gel strength.
- If the purchasing order is big (like more than 16 tons), we can get a good price from SAP factories;
- If the purchasing order is not so big, a trading company specialize in SAP would be a better choice.