The invention refers to a method for producing expanded polymer pellets, which comprises the following steps: melting a polymer comprising a polyamide; adding at least one blowing agent; expanding the melt through at least one die for producing an expanded polymer; and pelletizing the expanded polymer. The invention further concerns polymer pellets produced with the method as well as their use, e.g. for the production of cushioning elements for sports apparel, such as for producing soles or parts of soles of sports shoes. A further aspect of the invention concerns a method for the manufacture of molded components, comprising loading pellets of an expanded polymer material into a mold, and connecting the pellets by providing heat energy, wherein the expanded polymer material of the pellets or beads comprises a chain extender. The molded components may be used in broad ranges of application.

The invention refers to a method for producing expanded polymer pellets, which comprises the following steps: melting a polymer comprising a polyamide; adding at least one blowing agent; expanding the melt through at least one die for producing an expanded polymer; and pelletizing the expanded polymer. The invention further concerns polymer pellets produced with the method as well as their use, e.g. for the production of cushioning elements for sports apparel, such as for producing soles or parts of soles of sports shoes. A further aspect of the invention concerns a method for the manufacture of molded components, comprising loading pellets of an expanded polymer material into a mold, and connecting the pellets by providing heat energy, wherein the expanded polymer material of the pellets or beads comprises a chain extender. The molded components may be used in broad ranges of application.

A resin powder contains a resin containing particles, wherein the proportion of the particles in an aspect ratio range X represented by the following inequality 1 is 50 percent by number or more in a number distribution of an aspect ratio of the resin powder: A501XA50+1 Inequality 1, where A50 represents a median of the aspect ratio.

A polyacetal resin composition. An aliphatic polycarboxylic acid having four or more carbons and two or more carboxyl groups and a hindered-phenol antioxidant are incorporated into a polyacetal copolymer obtained by copolymerizing trioxane as a major monomer with a cyclic ether and/or cyclic formal each having at least one carbon-carbon bond as a comonomer using a specific heteropoly acid as a polymerization catalyst, adding, to the resultant reaction product, a compound which is any of the carbonates, hydrogen carbonates, and carboxylates of alkali metal elements or alkaline-earth metal elements, the hydrates of these, and the hydroxides of alkali metal elements or alkaline-earth metal elements, and melt-kneading the mixture to deactivate the polymerization catalyst.

Provided is a resin powder for producing a three-dimensional object, wherein the resin powder has a number-average equivalent circle diameter of 10 micrometers or greater but 150 micrometers or less, and wherein a median in an equivalent circle diameter-based particle size distribution of the resin powder is higher than the average equivalent circle diameter.

Poly(cyclic acetal)s, methods of making same, and uses of same. The poly(cyclic acetal)s may have a number average molecular weight (Mn) of 10 to 3000 kiloDaltons (kDa) and over 50% of the chain ends may exclude hydroxyl groups. The poly(cyclic acetal) may be a homopolymer or copolymer(s) of poly(1,3-dioxolane) (PDXL). The poly(cyclic acetal)s may have one or more or all of: a thermal stability (Td,5%) of 337? C. to 392? C.; a thermal stability of (Td.50%) of 377? C. to 462? C.; or an Arrhenius activation energy (Ea) of 85.0 kJ/mol with 2 mol % of strong acid (e.g., pKa less than or equal to 4). Methods of polymerizing poly(cyclic acetal)s may comprise reacting cyclic acetal monomers with either Lewis acid catalysts and haloalkyl ether initiators or organic cation salt catalyst(s) and proton traps. Methods of chemically recycling poly(cyclic acetal)s into cyclic acetals may react poly(cyclic acetal)s with strong acids.

Provided is a method for producing a resin composition from which can be formed a molded body having excellent tensile elongation and/or rigidity, and more preferably a molded body which stably achieves both high tensile elongation and high rigidity. An aspect of the present invention provides a method for producing a resin composition which contains a first component and a second component, said method comprising a kneading step for kneading the first component and the second component via an extruder provided with a kneading zone that includes a plurality of narrow gap zones in which the gap between a cylinder inner wall and a screw is not more than 2 mm.

Provided are resin particles including columnar resin particles each including filaments of a fibrous material, wherein the filaments of the fibrous material are aligned in an axial direction of each of the columnar resin particles.

The invention refers to a method for producing expanded polymer pellets, which comprises the following steps: melting a polymer comprising a polyamide; adding at least one blowing agent; expanding the melt through at least one die for producing an expanded polymer; and pelletizing the expanded polymer. The invention further concerns polymer pellets produced with the method as well as their use, e.g. for the production of cushioning elements for sports apparel, such as for producing soles or parts of soles of sports shoes. A further aspect of the invention concerns a method for the manufacture of molded components, comprising loading pellets of an expanded to polymer material into a mold, and connecting the pellets by providing heat energy, wherein the expanded polymer material of the pellets or beads comprises a chain extender. The molded components may be used in broad ranges of application.

A polyacetal resin composition. An aliphatic polycarboxylic acid having four or more carbons and two or more carboxyl groups and a hindered-phenol antioxidant are incorporated into a polyacetal copolymer obtained by copolymerizing trioxane as a major monomer with a cyclic ether and/or cyclic formal each having at least one carbon-carbon bond as a comonomer using a specific heteropoly acid as a polymerization catalyst, adding, to the resultant reaction product, a compound which is any of the carbonates, hydrogen carbonates, and carboxylates of alkali metal elements or alkaline-earth metal elements, the hydrates of these, and the hydroxides of alkali metal elements or alkaline-earth metal elements, and melt-kneading the mixture to deactivate the polymerization catalyst.