A method for making a foam component is provided and includes inserting a foam material into a cavity of a mold having a top plate and a bottom plate, heating the foam material to cause the foam material to expand, and moving one of the top plate and the bottom plate relative to the other of the top plate and the bottom plate as the foam material expands and contacts the one of the top plate and the bottom plate to cause the foam material to fold over on itself within the cavity.

A molding system and a method for forming a sole structure are provided. The method includes flowing a molten polymeric material into a mold from an upstream device, receiving the molten polymeric material in a cavity of the mold, and maintaining a repeatable, uniform pressure profile as the molten polymeric material is delivered into the mold.

The invention relates to a process for producing a foam film laminate having at least one compact outer layer and at least one layer composed of extruded foamed polymer bound to the outer layer, wherein the production of the layer of foamed polymer is effected in such a way that a polymer material is admixed with a chemical blowing agent which is solid at room temperature and, during or after the extrusion, is heated up to or above the activation temperature of the blowing agent, in order to obtain the layer of foamed polymer, wherein the processes is characterized in that the polymer material contains 5% to 60% by weight of at least one HMS polyolefin having a in accordance with ISO 20965 (as at 15 Feb. 2005, measurement apparatus type A) of 10.sup.4 to 10.sup.7 Pa s measured at 190° C. within a range of Hencky strain rate of 0.01 s.sup.−1 to 1 s.sup.−1 at a Hencky strain of 3.0. The invention further relates to a polymer composition for the foam layer for performance of the process and to a multilayer polymer film produced by the process and to the use thereof.

A soundproof material includes rubber sponge having a specific gravity of 0.2 or less, which is formed by extrusion molding and a subsequent crosslinking and foaming of a rubber composition using a microwave heating device. The rubber composition includes at least raw material rubber, a crosslinking agent, a foaming agent, and carbon black. The soundproof material has a rectangular cross-sectional outer shape, has at least two hollow parts inside formed by a lateral partition wall extending in a left-right lateral direction and at least two hollow parts formed by a vertical partition wall extending in a vertical direction. The method includes adding carbon nanotubes to the rubber composition.

A method of making molded foam articles and the articles produced. A molded foam article is produced by heating or preheating the mold to a temperature at or above the glass transition or melt temperature of the particles to be molded. Foamed particles are then introduced into the mold. The particle filled mold is then subjected to a vacuum to stabilize the molded article, without application of any additional heating or cooling. The molded article is then removed from the mold at a temperature at or below the glass transition temperature of the particles, and the cycle repeated to form multiple molded articles.

A material that includes at least one layer made of an auxetic structure and articles of footwear having soles comprising the materials. When the material is under tension, it expands in both the direction under tension and in the directional orthogonal to the direction under tension. The articles of footwear have soles that have at least one layer made of a material that has a pattern of apertures to provide the auxetic structure. The apertures are surrounded by sole portions that can rotate or pivot to change the size of the apertures.

A method for producing a foam-molded product by using a plasticizing cylinder, includes: plasticizing and melting the thermoplastic resin to provide the molten resin in a plasticization zone of the plasticizing cylinder; introducing a pressurized fluid containing the physical foaming agent at a fixed pressure into a starvation zone of the plasticizing cylinder to retain the starvation zone at the fixed pressure; allowing the molten resin to be in the starved state in the starvation zone; bringing the molten resin in contact with the pressurized fluid containing the physical foaming agent at the fixed pressure, in the starvation zone in a state in which the starvation zone is retained at the fixed pressure; and molding the molten resin having been brought in contact with the pressurized fluid containing the physical foaming agent into the foam-molded product.

The present invention relates to a method of controlling a step of a process carried out by a machine. The invention is characterized in that a sensor is used to measure a variable characteristic with an exponential course for a step, and with the aid of several consecutive measurements of the characteristic variable a time constant of the exponential change is determined, and the step is ended after it has been carried out for a period of time corresponding to a predetermined multiple of the time constant.

In a polypropylene-based foamed molded body of the present invention, a density which is measured on the basis of ISO1183 is greater than or equal to 0.15 g/cm.sup.3 and less than or equal to 0.54 g/cm.sup.3, thermal resistance (R) at 30° C. in a thickness direction which is measured on the basis of ASTM E1530 is greater than or equal to 0.020 m.sup.2.Math.K/W and less than or equal to 0.125 m.sup.2.Math.K/W, thermal capacity per unit area (Q) at 30° C. is greater than or equal to 1.0 kJ/m.sup.2.Math.K and less than or equal to 2.5 kJ/m.sup.2.Math.K, and Expression 1 described below is satisfied.

Q>1/(4×R.sup.1/2)  (Expression 1)

A bead foam is made of thermoplastic polyurethane, a styrene polymer, and an impact modifier. Moldings can be produced from the bead foam and processes for the production of the bead foams and moldings can be utilized. The moldings can be used for shoe intermediate soles, shoe insoles, shoe combisoles, cushioning elements for shoes, bicycle saddles, bicycle tires, damping elements, cushioning, mattresses, underlays, grips, protective films, in components in the automobile-interior sector or automobile-exterior sector, balls and sports equipment, or as floorcovering.