Asia has emerged as the world's most important production base for metal foam, hosting a deep ecosystem of manufacturers that supply aluminum foam, nickel foam, copper foam, iron foam and engineered porous metal components to automotive, battery, electronics, aerospace, rail, construction and energy customers worldwide. From Japan's high-precision porous nickel for hybrid vehicle batteries, to China's massive nickel-foam capacity for HEV and energy storage, to India's advanced materials suppliers and Indonesia's fast-growing research ecosystem, Asia offers buyers an unmatched combination of capacity, cost competitiveness and material diversity.
This 2026 sourcing guide reviews the top 10 metal foam manufacturers and suppliers in Asia, covering closed-cell and open-cell aluminum foam specialists, battery-grade nickel foam producers, copper foam and porous metal suppliers, and engineered foam component makers. It is written for procurement managers, design engineers, R&D buyers and technical decision-makers sourcing metal foam for lightweight structures, crash energy absorption, battery electrodes, catalysts, thermal management, acoustic control or filtration systems. For each company, you will find its manufacturing focus, product portfolio, key products, application coverage and the reasons buyers choose it — so you can build a qualified supplier shortlist in minutes instead of weeks.
Asian Metal Foam Manufacturers Comparison Table (2026)
| Company | Country | Main Products / Business |
|---|---|---|
| Sumitomo Electric Industries | Japan | Celmet™ open-cell porous nickel foam |
| Shinko Wire Company | Japan | ALPORAS® closed-cell aluminum foam (melt foaming) |
| Shanghai Winfay New Material | China | Nickel, copper, aluminum and alloy foam |
| Changde Lyrun Material | China | Battery-grade nickel foam, Ni-Fe and copper foam |
| Yiyang Foammetal New Material | China | Nickel, copper, iron and Ni-Fe foam |
| BEIHAI Composite Materials Group | China | Aluminum foam panels, sandwich panels, copper/nickel/silver foam |
| Shanghai Xinglu Chemical Technology | China | Copper foam, aluminum foam, stainless steel foam |
| Liaoning Rontec Advanced Material | China | Open-cell and closed-cell aluminum foam and engineered products |
| Intelligent Materials Pvt. Ltd. | India | Copper foam, nickel foam and porous metal products |
| AMI Scientific (PT. Advanced Material Indonesia) | Indonesia | High-purity nickel foam for battery and electrochemical research |
1. Sumitomo Electric Industries (Japan) — Celmet™ Open-Cell Porous Nickel Foam
Company Overview
Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. is one of Japan's largest and most historically significant materials and component groups, founded in 1897 and headquartered in Osaka. With consolidated sales exceeding 5.1 trillion yen and more than 300,000 employees worldwide, the group operates across five business segments — automotive, electronics, information and communications, environment and energy, and industrial materials. The group's dedicated metal foam business, branded Celmet™, is produced at scale by its subsidiary Sumitomo Electric Toyama Co., Ltd., and traces its origin to a 1967 Dunlop-developed metal foam technology that Sumitomo has continuously refined for nearly 60 years.
Celmet™ is positioned as a high-end functional porous metal rather than a structural foam. Sumitomo positions itself not as a catalog material seller but as a development partner for battery, fuel-cell and electrochemical customers that need ultra-high porosity, controlled pore structure and automotive-grade quality management.
Metal Foam Products
Celmet™ is a three-dimensional, open-cell, sponge-like nickel foam produced by a continuous electroplating process on a polyurethane foam substrate that is subsequently removed. The result is a highly porous metallic skeleton with up to 98% porosity and a specific surface area reaching 5,800 m²/m³ for the finest grade. The portfolio includes eight standard grades (#1 through #8) covering pore counts from 8 to 55 pores per inch, with thicknesses ranging from 1.2 mm up to 10 mm and a long-length coil format that supports continuous high-volume production. Material variants extend beyond pure nickel to Ni-Cr and Ni-Sn alloys, with aluminum and copper Celmet under active development.
Key Products: Celmet™ open-cell nickel foam (grades #1–#8), Ni-Cr and Ni-Sn alloy foam, long coil (hoop) foam for continuous battery production, custom-cut and stamped Celmet parts, compressed and rolled foam products.
Application Coverage: Ni-MH battery positive electrodes for hybrid electric vehicles, solid oxide and polymer electrolyte fuel cell (SOFC/PEFC) gas diffusion electrodes, alkaline water electrolysis hydrogen production electrodes, catalyst supports, photocatalyst carriers, grease filters, heat-dissipation components, electromagnetic shielding and filtration media.
Main Markets: Global automotive OEMs and battery manufacturers (most notably Toyota HEV battery supply chains through Panasonic and Sanyo), fuel cell developers, hydrogen energy system builders, and electronics and appliance manufacturers in Japan, Europe, North America and Asia.
Why Consider Sumitomo Electric
Sumitomo is the global benchmark for open-cell porous nickel foam in battery and energy applications. Buyers choose Celmet™ when they need the highest available porosity (up to 98%), tight pore-size control across eight grades, automotive-grade quality management with strict foreign-metal contamination control, and the world's largest production capacity — reported at 1 million m²/month in 2019. For battery and fuel cell developers, Sumitomo is typically the reference supplier against which all alternatives are evaluated.
2. Shinko Wire Company (Japan) — ALPORAS® Closed-Cell Aluminum Foam
Company Overview
Shinko Wire Company, Ltd., headquartered in Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan, is the original inventor and commercial producer of melt-foamed closed-cell aluminum foam, marketed under the trademark ALPORAS®. The technology was developed in the late 1980s and entered commercial production in 1986, making Shinko Wire one of the earliest companies in the world to industrialize metal foam. ALPORAS® is frequently cited in academic literature and engineering textbooks as the reference closed-cell aluminum foam material, and it has been used in construction, infrastructure, transportation and defense applications for nearly four decades.
Unlike electroplated open-cell foams, ALPORAS® is produced by a batch melt-foaming process in which calcium is added to molten aluminum to increase viscosity, followed by titanium hydride (TiH₂) as a blowing agent. This yields relatively large, closed, roughly spherical cells with uniform distribution and predictable mechanical properties.
Metal Foam Products
ALPORAS® is supplied as blocks, panels and custom-cut shapes in a range of densities (typically 0.2–0.5 g/cm³), thicknesses and panel sizes. The closed-cell structure provides high specific stiffness, excellent energy absorption under compression, low thermal conductivity, sound damping and fire resistance. Shinko Wire supports custom cutting, surface finishing and bonding to face sheets for sandwich applications, and supplies both prototype quantities for development projects and series volumes for industrial customers.
Key Products: ALPORAS® closed-cell aluminum foam blocks and panels, custom-cut foam shapes, foam-filled structural profiles, aluminum foam sandwich panels, energy-absorbing foam cores.
Application Coverage: Crash energy absorption in automotive and rail structures, sound and vibration damping panels, building and architectural decorative panels, fire-resistant lightweight cladding, machinery bases, defense equipment protection and infrastructure noise barriers.
Main Markets: Japanese construction, transportation and machinery industries; defense and aerospace engineering customers; architectural designers; and international research institutions sourcing reference closed-cell aluminum foam for academic study and product development.
Why Consider Shinko Wire
Shinko Wire remains the only commercial producer using the original melt-foaming process at industrial scale, and ALPORAS® is widely treated as the reference material for closed-cell aluminum foam worldwide. Buyers who need well-characterized, decades-proven closed-cell foam for energy absorption, fire resistance or acoustic damping — particularly for Japanese or defense-related projects — will find Shinko Wire an unrivaled partner with deep application engineering expertise and historical data.
3. Shanghai Winfay New Material (China) — Multi-Material Metal Foam Specialist
Company Overview
Shanghai Winfay New Material Co., Ltd. is one of China's longest-established specialized metal foam manufacturers, founded in 2000 and headquartered in Shanghai. The company combines a self-owned metal foam factory with an international trading operation, and positions itself as one of the earliest and most experienced porous metal producers in China, with over 25 years of continuous operation. Winfay has developed proprietary thick-porous-metal manufacturing technology and maintains cooperative R&D relationships with universities and research institutes for ongoing product upgrades.
Winfay's business model is built on material breadth and project flexibility. Rather than focusing on a single foam type, the company offers an unusually wide range of foam materials, structures and custom formats from one Shanghai-based source, making it a practical partner for buyers that need to consolidate several metal foam specifications under a single supplier relationship.
Metal Foam Products
Winfay's portfolio spans both open-cell and closed-cell structures in aluminum, copper, nickel, Ni-Cr, Ni-Fe, Ni-Cu, zinc, tin, tungsten-nickel and silicon-carbide / ceramic foam. Formats include sheets, panels, discs, blocks and custom-shaped components, with non-standard dimensions and special pore sizes available on request. Copper foam specifications, for example, reach up to 480 × 360 × 6 mm at 25 PPI, and the company also supplies nickel foam sand-control pipes, nickel-plated perforated steel strips and high-bond-strength nickel foam for demanding electrode applications.
Key Products: Aluminum foam panels, copper foam sheets and discs, nickel foam (battery and filtration grades), Ni-Cr / Ni-Fe / Ni-Cu alloy foam, zinc foam, SiC / ceramic foam for casting filtration, nickel foam sand-control pipes, high-strength nickel foam, nickel-plated punched steel strip.
Application Coverage: Aerospace, automotive (energy absorption, sound damping, exhaust silencing), construction, chemical processing, metallurgy, pharmaceuticals, electrochemistry, defense; functional roles include filtration, heat absorption, silencing, vibration damping, catalyst supports, fluid distribution, heat exchange, flame retardancy, porous metal electrodes and electromagnetic shielding.
Main Markets: Global export network covering Europe, the Americas, the Middle East and Africa, served through direct export and trade partners; Chinese domestic and Asian customers served from the Shanghai facility.
Why Consider Shanghai Winfay
Winfay stands out for buyers that need to source multiple metal foam materials (aluminum, copper, nickel and several alloys) from a single China-based supplier with long operating history and proven export experience. Its proprietary thick-foam technology, flexible non-standard customization, Shanghai logistics advantage and 25-year track record make it a low-risk, high-versatility partner for industrial procurement teams that prefer one consolidated supplier over multiple single-material specialists.
4. Changde Lyrun Material (China) — Battery-Grade Nickel Foam Global Leader
Company Overview
Changde Lyrun Material Co., Ltd., established in April 2003, is headquartered in the Changde Economic and Technological Development Zone in Hunan Province, China. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hunan Corun New Energy Co., Ltd. (Shanghai Stock Exchange: SH600478), one of China's leading battery materials companies. Lyrun is widely recognized as the world's largest civilian nickel foam manufacturer, holding an estimated 40%+ share of the global market, and its continuous strip nickel foam technology was the first of its kind in China, developed as part of China's national 863 research program and listed as a national key new product.
Lyrun operates more than 10 production lines with an annual capacity of approximately 4 million m² of metal foam, 3 million m² of HEV-grade nickel foam, 800 tons of nickel-plated perforated steel and 950,000 m² of electromagnetic shielding materials. The company holds 47 authorized patents (32 invention patents and 15 utility models) and has received the National Science and Technology Progress Second Prize, the Light Industry Science and Technology Progress First Prize, and national recognition as a green factory, specialized "little giant" enterprise and manufacturing single champion.
Metal Foam Products
Lyrun's core product is continuous strip (coil) open-cell nickel foam produced by an electrodeposition process on a porous substrate, supplied in rolls that support high-volume continuous battery production. The portfolio extends to copper foam, Ni-Fe foam and Ni-Mo foam for specialized battery and catalytic applications, as well as downstream products such as nickel-plated perforated steel strips, omni-directional conductive foam, tin-plated copper strips, nickel strips and tin-plated PI films used in battery manufacturing.
Key Products: Continuous strip nickel foam for HEV/EV batteries, civilian-grade nickel foam for energy storage, high-strength and high-bond nickel foam, copper foam, Ni-Fe foam, Ni-Mo foam, open-cell metal foam for filtration and catalysis, nickel-plated perforated steel strips, omni-directional conductive foam, tin-plated copper and nickel strips.
Application Coverage: Hybrid and electric vehicle (HEV/EV) battery electrodes, energy storage system electrodes, alkaline water electrolysis nickel-based catalysts, electromagnetic shielding, electronic devices, industrial filtration, energy conservation and vibration damping.
Main Markets: Exported to the United States, France, Germany, Japan, South Korea and Hong Kong; major customers publicly disclosed through Corun include Toyota (Japan), FDK (Japan), Panasonic (Japan), SAFT (France), VARTA (Germany), PowerGenix (USA), Unipack (USA) and GP (Hong Kong).
Why Consider Changde Lyrun
Lyrun is the benchmark supplier for buyers that need large volumes of battery-grade nickel foam for HEV, EV or stationary energy storage applications. Its unmatched global capacity, listed-parent financial transparency, 47-patent technology base, and a customer list that includes Toyota, Panasonic, SAFT and VARTA make it the default reference supplier for high-volume nickel foam procurement. For battery and energy storage customers, Lyrun offers the combination of scale, quality certification (ISO 9001 / ISO 14001) and proven OEM-grade supply reliability that few competitors in Asia can match.
5. Yiyang Foammetal New Material (China) — Nickel, Copper and Iron Foam Specialist
Company Overview
Yiyang Foammetal New Material Co., Ltd. (brand: FOAMMETAL), established in 2015, is headquartered in the New Material Industrial Park of the Changchun Economic Development Zone in Yiyang City, Hunan Province, China. The company was founded with a total investment of 120 million RMB and occupies a 72-mu (about 48,000 m²) site. It is recognized as a National High-Tech Enterprise and a Hunan Provincial New Material Enterprise, and has been entrusted with a Hunan Provincial strategic emerging material industrialization task. Yiyang Foammetal holds 28 patents and operates an independently designed continuous production line for open-cell metal foam.
The company combines an in-house R&D team with a quality control team that has 10 years of metal foam and conductive shielding material manufacturing experience. Its business model emphasizes flexible sample-first validation, custom pore-size engineering and rapid response — positioning it as a practical mid-volume partner for buyers that need to evaluate material quality before committing to bulk orders.
Metal Foam Products
Yiyang Foammetal's foam is a three-dimensional open-cell porous metal with purity above 97%, porosity of 95–98%, open-cell ratio above 98%, pore sizes from 5 to 150 PPI (0.1–10 mm) and thicknesses from below 1 mm to above 30 mm. Material options cover nickel, copper, iron, Ni-Fe and Cu-Ni alloys, plus specialty variants such as photocatalyst-grade nickel foam and high-surface-area foam for catalytic and electrochemical use. The portfolio also extends into conductive foam, conductive fabric and tape, range-hood grease filters and foundry ceramic foam filters.
Key Products: Nickel foam (multiple porosities and sizes), copper foam, iron foam, Ni-Fe foam, Cu-Ni foam, three-dimensional metal foam (Ni / Cu / Fe / Ni-Fe / Cu-Ni / Ni-Fe-Cr), photocatalyst nickel foam, high specific surface area metal foam, nickel foam substrates, conductive foam, conductive fabric and tape, range-hood grease filter, foundry foam filter.
Application Coverage: Filtration and separation, electromagnetic shielding, catalyst supports, integrated circuit electronics, lightweight vehicles and engineering equipment, aerospace, battery electrodes, thermal management and automotive systems.
Main Markets: Exports to Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, South America and North America, serving customers ranging from multinational corporations to small enterprises.
Why Consider Yiyang Foammetal
Yiyang Foammetal is the right partner for buyers that need sample-first validation before committing to volume orders, custom pore-size and thickness engineering, or iron and Ni-Fe foam variants that are less commonly available from competitors. Its 28-patent portfolio, independent continuous production line, Hunan Provincial strategic material designation and free-sample policy make it particularly attractive for engineering teams that want to evaluate material performance in parallel across multiple specifications before locking in a supplier.
6. BEIHAI Composite Materials Group (China) — Aluminum Foam Panels and Sandwich Structures
Company Overview
BEIHAI Composite Materials Group, legally registered as Jiujiang Xingli Beihai Composite Co., Ltd., was founded in 2005 and is headquartered in the Beihai Industrial Park of Jiujiang City, Jiangxi Province, China. The group operates six factories with more than 2,300 employees and over 26 years of experience in advanced building and composite materials. BEIHAI claims to be the first Chinese company to set up its own aluminum foam panel (AFP) production facility, and its dedicated AFP division integrates R&D, production, sales, application engineering and technical service for foamed metal products. The group is ISO 9001:2000 certified and exports approximately 90% of its output.
BEIHAI's positioning is unusually broad: it covers aluminum foam (closed-cell, open-cell, translucent and flexible), copper foam, nickel foam, silver foam, nickel and titanium fiber felts, stainless steel fiber mats, sintered wire mesh and ceramic foam filters — with roughly 286 SKUs in its catalog. This makes it one of the widest single-source porous metal portfolios in Asia.
Metal Foam Products
The aluminum foam range includes blocks up to 1,250 mm in size, closed-cell and open-cell panels, punched-hole panels, translucent aluminum foam for backlit architectural walls, aluminum foam sandwich (AFS) panels, aluminum foam composite panels with wood-grain or marble surface finishes, and decorative spherical porous aluminum. Beyond aluminum foam, BEIHAI supplies copper foam, nickel foam, silver foam (99.9% purity), nickel and titanium fiber felts, stainless steel fiber mats, sintered wire mesh and ceramic foam filters (alumina, silicon carbide, zirconia). The group also produces finished acoustic products such as roadbed sound barriers.
Key Products: AFP blocks and closed-cell / open-cell aluminum foam panels, translucent aluminum foam, aluminum foam sandwich (AFS) panels, aluminum foam composite panels, copper foam, nickel foam, silver foam, nickel / titanium fiber felts, stainless steel fiber mats, sintered wire mesh, ceramic foam filters, roadbed sound barriers.
Application Coverage: Building facades and interior decoration, lighting fixtures, partitions and decorative artworks, high-speed rail and automotive (energy absorption, sound damping, lightweighting), sound barriers and acoustic walls, crash beams and buffer components, thermal insulation, filtration, electromagnetic shielding.
Main Markets: Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, South and North America; approximately 90% export ratio with nearly 10 years of export history; multilingual website supporting 19 languages for global buyers.
Why Consider BEIHAI
BEIHAI is the strongest choice for buyers that need architectural-grade or large-format aluminum foam panels, sandwich panels, or a single supplier that can deliver aluminum, copper, nickel, silver and ceramic foam in parallel. Its first-mover advantage in Chinese AFP production, 2,300-employee group scale, 286-SKU catalog, unique translucent aluminum foam product and 90% export orientation make it the most versatile one-stop porous metal supplier in this list for architectural, transportation and decorative applications.
7. Shanghai Xinglu Chemical Technology (China) — Copper, Nickel and Stainless Steel Foam
Company Overview
Shanghai Xinglu Chemical Technology Co., Ltd. is headquartered in Minhang District, Shanghai, with two production facilities in Shandong Province covering approximately 30,000 m² and employing more than 100 staff (including 10 senior engineers). Founded around 2010, the company operates under the "Advanced materials, better life" philosophy and is ISO and SGS certified. Its core business historically has been rare-earth materials, master alloys and nanomaterials, supported by R&D, pilot-scale and batch production lines, two laboratories and one inspection center.
In recent years, Xinglu has extended its advanced-materials portfolio into porous metal foam, including copper foam, aluminum foam and stainless steel foam. The company combines its Shanghai trading and R&D front-end with Shandong-based manufacturing, allowing it to serve both research-grade and industrial buyers that need porous metals alongside rare earth, master alloy and nanomaterial sourcing from a single counterparty.
Metal Foam Products
Xinglu's porous metal portfolio centers on high-purity porous copper foam for filtration, catalytic carriers and electrodes, complemented by aluminum foam and stainless steel foam. Material specifications are tailored to customer requirements across pore density, thickness, dimensions and purity. As a multi-material advanced materials supplier, Xinglu also offers a very wide range of rare-earth oxides, rare-earth metals, rare-earth fluorides and chlorides, lanthanide borides (LaB₆, CeB₆), aluminum-based / magnesium-based / copper-based master alloys, and a full nanomaterial catalog including ceria nanoparticles, strontium titanate and oxide / carbide / nitride nanopowders.
Key Products: High-purity porous copper foam, aluminum foam, stainless steel foam, porous metal foam for filtration and catalysis; rare-earth oxides / metals / fluorides / chlorides; lanthanide borides; aluminum / magnesium / copper master alloys; nanomaterials (ceria, SrTiO₃, oxide / carbide / nitride nanopowders).
Application Coverage: Filtration and separation (water treatment, gas filtration), catalytic carriers in chemical and petrochemical processing, battery electrodes and fuel-cell current collectors, electromagnetic shielding, R&D in chemistry, medicine, OLED display and lighting, environmental protection, new energy, semiconductors and electronics.
Main Markets: Chinese domestic customers plus international markets via direct supply and trade channels; clients include R&D institutions, battery and fuel-cell developers, chemical and petrochemical processors, catalyst manufacturers, filtration and separation industries and general industrial users.
Why Consider Shanghai Xinglu
Xinglu is best suited to buyers that need to consolidate porous metal foam sourcing with rare-earth, master-alloy and nanomaterial procurement under one Shanghai-based contact. Its combination of Shandong manufacturing capacity, an in-house laboratory and inspection center, ISO and SGS certifications, and a multi-material product matrix makes it a convenient partner for advanced-material projects where copper, aluminum or stainless steel foam is needed alongside specialty alloys or nanomaterials from the same supplier.
8. Liaoning Rontec Advanced Material (China) — Open-Cell and Closed-Cell Aluminum Foam
Company Overview
Liaoning Rontec Advanced Material Technology Co., Ltd. was founded in 2010 and is headquartered in the Liaoning (Yingkou) Coastal Industrial Base within the China (Liaoning) Pilot Free Trade Zone, with a Beijing office in Chaoyang District. The company occupies a 140,000 m² site (about 70,000 m² of buildings), has a registered capital of approximately 105 million RMB, fixed assets exceeding 500 million RMB, and 101–200 employees. Rontec is a private high-tech enterprise focused on aluminum foam and its composite products, and is recognized as a provincial industrial design center and a provincial specialized "little giant" enterprise.
Rontec holds military-industry qualifications including a weapons and equipment scientific research production license and a weapons equipment quality management system certification. Its aluminum foam products are listed as a global major participant in multiple international market research reports (MarketsandMarkets, Grand View Research, Insight Ace Analytic, Data Bridge Market Research), and the company has supplied flagship rail-transit noise-control projects in China including Jinan Metro Line R1, Beijing Metro Line 13 and Zhengzhou rail transit.
Metal Foam Products
Rontec is the only company in this list that produces both open-cell and closed-cell aluminum foam as its core business, alongside a deep downstream portfolio of engineered foam products. The range includes open-cell and closed-cell aluminum foam panels, colored foam panels, composite panels, "dragon-scale" acoustic panels, fire-resistant and decorative foam panels, foam aluminum sound barriers, acoustic panels, automotive energy absorption boxes, crash beams, new-energy vehicle battery boxes, modular integrated houses, military shelter cabins and Class A fire-rated folding containers. Export-oriented catalog items include closed-cell panels from approximately 53–89 USD/m² and noise barriers from 32.5–68 USD/m².
Key Products: Open-cell and closed-cell aluminum foam panels, colored / composite / fire-resistant / decorative foam panels, "dragon-scale" acoustic panels, foam aluminum sound barriers and acoustic panels, automotive energy absorption boxes, crash beams, NEV battery boxes, modular integrated houses, military shelter cabins, Class A fire-rated folding containers.
Application Coverage: Military equipment noise reduction, automotive crash energy absorption and battery protection, rail transit sound barriers (Jinan Metro R1, Beijing Metro Line 13, Zhengzhou rail transit), municipal road noise barriers, architectural decoration and home applications, electromagnetic shielding, modular construction and aerospace.
Main Markets: Chinese domestic rail-transit operators, municipal engineering authorities, automotive OEMs and new-energy vehicle manufacturers, military customers, architectural decoration firms; exports account for 31–40% of revenue; recognized in global aluminum foam market reports alongside Mayser, ERG Aerospace and Cymat.
Why Consider Liaoning Rontec
Rontec is the strongest choice for buyers that need military-grade aluminum foam, integrated foam-based engineered products (sound barriers, crash beams, battery boxes, modular buildings) rather than raw panels, or a Chinese partner with proven rail-transit and defense project references. Its combination of military qualifications, the only dual open-cell / closed-cell aluminum foam focus in this list, provincial specialized "little giant" status and a 140,000 m² manufacturing base makes it the deepest aluminum foam specialist in Asia for project-driven and defense-grade procurement.
9. Intelligent Materials Pvt. Ltd. (India) — Copper Foam and Porous Metal Products
Company Overview
Intelligent Materials Private Limited, operating under the Nanoshel brand, was founded in 2008 and is headquartered in Dera Bassi (Haryana / Punjab border region), India, with an additional office in Ireland supporting the European market. The company is a combined manufacturer, exporter, trader, importer and distributor of advanced materials, serving R&D laboratories, universities and industrial customers with a catalog of more than 1,000 research-grade products. Its portfolio spans oxides, metals, compounds, specialty chemicals, micron powders, carbon nanotubes, graphene, MAX phases, quantum dots, sputtering targets and porous metal foams.
Nanoshel positions itself as a flexible supplier capable of delivering from research-grade small packs through semi-bulk and bulk quantities, supported by a quality and compliance documentation system and approximately 18 years of advanced-materials supply experience. Its business model is well suited to R&D-driven buyers that need metal foam alongside other advanced materials for prototype development and small-to-medium scale production.
Metal Foam Products
Nanoshel's porous metal portfolio includes nickel foam (75–95% porosity, ultra-light, high compressive strength and excellent conductivity), copper foam (99.9% purity, 8.96 g/cm³ bulk density, ≥70% porosity, 50 PPI, 2–3 mm thickness, up to 500 × 500 mm panel size, with documented mechanical, thermal and electrical properties) and general metal foam variants on request. Copper foam specifications include compressive strength of 131 psi, tensile strength of 1,000 psi, shear strength of 190 psi, Vickers hardness of 35, bulk thermal conductivity of 10.1 W/m·°C and bulk electrical resistivity of 2.56 × 10⁻⁵ Ω·in, supporting engineering-grade selection.
Key Products: Nickel foam (75–95% porosity), copper foam (99.9% purity, 50 PPI, 500 × 500 mm), porous metal foam variants, plus a complementary catalog of more than 1,000 advanced materials including metal / oxide / compound nanopowders, carbon nanotubes, graphene, MAX phases, quantum dots, sputtering targets and substrates.
Application Coverage: Thermal management and heat sinks, lithium-ion battery and supercapacitor electrodes, fuel-cell electrode frameworks, electrochemical catalysis and electrolysis, gas and liquid filtration, energy absorption and vibration damping, catalyst supports, antistatic and energy-saving coatings, electronic components, university and R&D laboratory research.
Main Markets: Indian subcontinent, East Asia, the Middle East and Southeast Asia, with European market support from its Ireland office; clients include R&D laboratories, universities, battery and energy storage developers, fuel-cell manufacturers, electrochemical research institutions and industrial customers.
Why Consider Intelligent Materials (Nanoshel)
Intelligent Materials is the strongest Indian option for buyers that need research-grade copper or nickel foam with fully documented mechanical, thermal and electrical specifications, particularly when those foams must be sourced alongside other advanced materials (nanopowders, graphene, CNTs, MAX phases, sputtering targets). Its 18-year track record, multi-format packaging flexibility from small research packs to semi-bulk, documented quality compliance and Ireland-based European office make it an ideal partner for R&D-led procurement teams in India and abroad.
10. HY Metal Foam (China) — Customized Porous Metal Foam Materials
Company Overview
HY Metal Foam is a China-based manufacturer specializing in the development and production of advanced porous metal materials for industrial and engineering applications. Based in Yongkang, Zhejiang Province, the company focuses on metal foam manufacturing, alloy foam development and customized porous material solutions for international customers. Its product portfolio serves industries requiring lightweight porous structures, controlled pore characteristics, thermal and electrical conductivity, and application-specific material performance.
Unlike suppliers focused exclusively on standard foam sheets, HY Metal Foam offers a broad range of porous materials and highlights its experience in developing different product forms, including sheets, blocks, long cylindrical structures and customized components. Its manufacturing and product-development focus makes the company a potential sourcing partner for industrial buyers, OEMs, material distributors and R&D teams seeking non-standard porous metal specifications.
Metal Foam Products
HY Metal Foam offers multiple porous materials, including nickel foam, copper foam, silver foam, copper-nickel foam, nickel-chromium foam, nickel-chromium-aluminum foam, carbon foam and silicon carbide foam. Depending on the material and application, buyers can discuss specifications such as pore size, pores per inch (PPI), porosity, thickness, dimensions, density and product shape. The company also highlights specialized product forms, including thick-gauge foam metal boards, integrated three-dimensional copper foam blocks and ultra-long foam metal tubes.
Key Products: Nickel foam, copper foam, silver foam, copper-nickel foam, nickel-chromium foam, nickel-chromium-aluminum foam, carbon foam, silicon carbide foam, customized porous metal sheets, blocks, tubes and other application-specific structures.
Application Coverage: Battery and electrochemical components, thermal management, heat dissipation, filtration, gas diffusion, catalyst-support structures, electrolysis research, high-temperature industrial applications, electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding, vibration damping and noise reduction. Suitability depends on material composition, pore structure and operating conditions.
Main Markets: International industrial customers, engineering teams, OEMs, material distributors, research institutions and manufacturers developing products for energy storage, thermal management, filtration and other specialized applications. Specific customer references and export-market figures should be verified independently before publication.
Why Consider HY Metal Foam
HY Metal Foam is worth considering for buyers looking for a manufacturer with a multi-material porous foam portfolio rather than a single standard nickel foam product. Its range of metal and non-metal foam materials, together with its stated experience in thick sections, three-dimensional structures and customized product forms, provides options for projects with non-standard dimensional or structural requirements.
For battery developers, thermal-management engineers, filtration-system manufacturers and industrial material buyers, the key purchasing considerations include material composition, thickness, pore size, porosity, dimensions, mechanical requirements and operating environment. Buyers can submit these specifications to HY Metal Foam to discuss technical feasibility and obtain a project-specific quotation. Final product availability, tolerances, performance data and lead times should be confirmed directly with the company.
Asia Metal Foam FAQ
Answers to the questions buyers most frequently ask when sourcing metal foam from Asian manufacturers and suppliers.
1. Who are the top metal foam manufacturers and suppliers in Asia in 2026?
Asia's leading metal foam manufacturers and suppliers include Sumitomo Electric Industries (Celmet™ porous nickel, Japan), Shinko Wire (ALPORAS® closed-cell aluminum foam, Japan), Shanghai Winfay New Material (multi-material foam, China), Changde Lyrun Material (battery-grade nickel foam, China), Yiyang Foammetal (nickel / copper / iron foam, China), BEIHAI Composite Materials Group (aluminum foam panels and sandwich, China), Shanghai Xinglu Chemical Technology (copper / aluminum / stainless steel foam, China), Liaoning Rontec Advanced Material (open-cell and closed-cell aluminum foam, China), Intelligent Materials / Nanoshel (copper and nickel foam, India) and AMI Scientific (high-purity nickel foam, Indonesia).
2. Where can I buy battery-grade nickel foam from Asian manufacturers?
Battery-grade nickel foam is primarily produced in Asia. Sumitomo Electric (Japan) supplies Celmet™ porous nickel for HEV Ni-MH batteries at the highest quality and capacity levels, while Changde Lyrun Material (China) is the world's largest civilian nickel foam manufacturer with a 40%+ global market share and customers including Toyota, Panasonic, SAFT and VARTA. For research-grade nickel foam in smaller quantities, Intelligent Materials (India) and AMI Scientific (Indonesia) are practical alternatives.
3. What types of metal foam are available in Asia?
Asian suppliers offer the widest material and structure variety in the world: closed-cell aluminum foam (Shinko Wire ALPORAS®, BEIHAI, Liaoning Rontec), open-cell aluminum foam (BEIHAI, Rontec), open-cell porous nickel (Sumitomo Celmet™, Changde Lyrun, Yiyang Foammetal, Winfay, Intelligent Materials, AMI Scientific), copper foam (Winfay, Lyrun, Yiyang, BEIHAI, Xinglu, Intelligent Materials), iron and Ni-Fe foam (Yiyang, Winfay, Lyrun), silver foam (BEIHAI) and stainless steel foam (Xinglu), as well as ceramic foam filters and metallic fiber felts.
4. How do I choose a reliable metal foam supplier in Asia?
Start by defining your required foam structure (closed-cell vs. open-cell), base material (aluminum / nickel / copper / iron / alloy), pore density (PPI) or pore size, porosity, panel dimensions, thickness, purity grade and annual volume. Then evaluate suppliers against manufacturing capability, quality certifications (ISO 9001 / ISO 14001 / IATF 16949 for automotive), customer references, export experience, lead time and minimum order quantity. Always request a technical datasheet and a sample for evaluation before placing a bulk order.
5. Are Asian metal foam manufacturers suitable for automotive and battery applications?
Yes. Sumitomo Electric and Changde Lyrun supply nickel foam to Toyota HEV battery supply chains, BEIHAI and Liaoning Rontec supply aluminum foam for automotive crash energy absorption and battery protection, and Yiyang Foammetal supplies nickel and copper foam for battery electrodes. Many Asian suppliers hold ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and IATF 16949 certifications, and several — including Lyrun and Rontec — are qualified suppliers for automotive OEM programs and military projects.
6. Can Asian metal foam suppliers provide customized products?
Most Asian metal foam manufacturers offer customized dimensions, pore sizes, porosity levels, foam structures, alloy compositions and panel or component geometries. Winfay, Yiyang Foammetal, BEIHAI and Rontec openly advertise custom-engineered foam products, and Lyrun offers continuous coil (strip) nickel foam tailored to high-volume battery production lines. Buyers should confirm customization capabilities, MOQ, tooling cost and lead time directly with each supplier, and request samples for validation.
7. Can I source nickel foam and copper foam from suppliers outside Asia?
Yes. Asian buyers can also work with specialized international suppliers offering nickel foam, copper foam, silver foam and other porous metal materials. The selection should consider material specifications, quality consistency, lead time and import requirements. Many Asian procurement teams combine regional Asian suppliers for cost-efficient high-volume sourcing with international specialists for specific alloy, pore-size or quality requirements.
Conclusion: Choosing the Right Metal Foam Supplier in Asia for 2026
Asia's metal foam industry is the largest and most diverse in the world, but it is highly specialized by country and technology. Japan leads in premium functional foam — Sumitomo Electric with Celmet™ open-cell porous nickel for battery and fuel-cell electrodes, and Shinko Wire with ALPORAS® closed-cell aluminum foam produced by the original melt-foaming process. China dominates volume production: Changde Lyrun is the world's largest nickel foam supplier, BEIHAI offers the widest aluminum / copper / nickel / silver / ceramic foam portfolio, Liaoning Rontec is the deepest aluminum foam specialist with military qualifications, and Shanghai Winfay, Yiyang Foammetal and Shanghai Xinglu cover multi-material flexibility, sample-first validation and rare-earth-integrated sourcing respectively. India's Intelligent Materials (Nanoshel) is the strongest advanced-materials research supplier, and Indonesia's AMI Scientific is the leading high-purity nickel foam distributor for the fast-growing Southeast Asian research ecosystem.
Before shortlisting, define five things clearly: (1) closed-cell vs. open-cell structure, (2) base material (aluminum, nickel, copper, iron, alloy or silver), (3) required density / pore size (PPI) / porosity, (4) degree of customization (raw panel, custom geometry or finished component), and (5) annual volume (research-grade, mid-volume or full-scale industrial). Request technical datasheets and samples from at least two or three suppliers, and compare not only price but also process capability, quality certifications (ISO 9001 / ISO 14001 / IATF 16949), customer references and long-term supply reliability.
One practical tip for 2026: most Asian manufacturers concentrate on either aluminum-based foam for structural applications or nickel / copper foam for battery and electrochemical uses. If your project requires a broader portfolio — nickel foam, copper foam, silver foam and other open-cell porous metals for batteries, catalyst supports, filtration, heat transfer or EMI shielding — it can be efficient to work with a global specialist that manufactures these materials at scale. HY Metal Foam is a specialized metal foam manufacturer supplying nickel foam, copper foam and silver foam to industrial customers across Asia and worldwide, with consistent batch-to-batch quality, a broad specification range and factory-direct pricing. Many Asian buyers combine regional Asian partners for high-volume structural and battery-grade foam with HY Metal Foam for functional open-cell metal foams — balancing regional engineering support with supply security.
