An apparatus and method for manufacturing a crash pad with a foaming layer formed by injecting a foaming solution between a core and a skin are disclosed. The apparatus includes a first mold and a second mold used to form the skin by injecting molten resin of a skin material into a skin forming cavity when the first and second molds are combined. In addition, a third mold and the fourth mold form the core by injecting molten resin of a core material into a core forming cavity when the third and fourth molds are combined. The first mold has a vacuum aperture in an inner surface of the first mold to adsorb and fix a thread to implement a stitch before the forming of the skin, and the vacuum aperture exerts a vacuum suctioning force to absorb and fix via a vacuum pressure applied from a vacuum pressure providing unit.

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 process for making a molded flexible foam. The processes includes: (a) depositing a foam-forming reaction mixture onto a surface of a mold cavity, and (b) allowing the foam-forming reaction mixture to react in the mold cavity. The foam-forming reaction mixture includes: (1) a polyisocyanate present in an amount of less than 45% by weight, based on the total weight of the reaction mixture; (2) an isocyanate-reactive composition; (3) a blowing agent; and (4) a catalyst. The isocyanate-reactive composition includes: (i) at least 50% by weight, based on the total weight of polyol in the isocyanate-reactive composition, of a polyether polyol having a functionality of greater than 2, an oxyethylene content of 0 to 50% by weight, based on the total weight of the polyether polyol, more than 50 mol % of primary OH groups and an OH number of 8 to 112 mg KOH/g; and (ii) a component comprising: (A) an amine-initiated polyether polyol (II), wherein amine-initiated polyether polyol (II) has an OH number of at least 500 mg KOH/g and a functionality of 2.5 to 4, and wherein amine-initiated polyether polyol (II) is present in an amount of greater than 0 and no more than 10% by weight, based on the total weight of polyol in the isocyanate-reactive composition; (B) a CO.sub.2-producing carbamic acid which is present in an amount of greater than 0 and no more than 10% by weight, based on the total weight of polyol in the isocyanate-reactive composition; or (C) both (A) and (B).

Processes for making a molded flexible foam. The processes include: (a) depositing a foam-forming reaction mixture onto a surface of a mold cavity, and (b) allowing the foam-forming reaction mixture to react in the mold cavity. The foam-forming reaction mixture comprises: (1) a polyisocyanate present in an amount of less than 45% by weight, based on the total weight of the foam-forming reaction mixture; (2) an isocyanate-reactive composition comprising at least 50% by weight, based on the total weight of polyol in the isocyanate-reactive composition, of a polyether polyol having a functionality of greater than 2, an oxyethylene content of 0 to 50% by weight, based on the total weight of the polyether polyol, more than 50 mol % of primary OH groups, and an OH number of 8 to 112 mg KOH/g; (3) a blowing agent comprising water present in an amount of at least 0.5% by weight, based on the total weight of the foam-forming reaction mixture; and (4) a tin-free metallic catalyst composition comprising a bismuth-based catalyst and a zinc-based catalyst.

A method of manufacturing a footwear sole component is provided including projecting elongated pins into a mold cavity in the shape of the footwear sole component and partially filled with an expandable material including multiple unexpanded beads, and introducing steam into the cavity through ports defined by one or more cavity walls and through the pins in an internal region of the expandable material, to expand both exterior beads and interior beads in the internal region a predetermined amount. With the elongated pins, the interior beads can be expanded more, less and/or the same amount as exterior beads to provide particular physical characteristics to the component. For example, the interior beads can be fully expanded to a similar density as exterior beads, or expanded less to provide more density and rigidity in the internal region, or expanded more to provide less density and rigidity in the internal region.

A system for producing foams for prosthetics and orthotics include a heated housing that stores monomer containers, temperature-controlled hoses separately coupled with the containers and configured to receive monomers from the containers, a dispensing gun assembly fluidly coupled with the containers by the hoses, and a computer controller configured to control a dispensing time period during which the monomers are dispensed from the containers and through the hoses to the dispensing gun assembly and dispensed out of the dispensing gun assembly as a polymer foam. The controller is configured to stop dispensing of the polymer foam out of the dispensing gun assembly upon expiration of the dispensing time period.

A producing method for producing a foam-molded product by using a plasticizing cylinder having, from an upstream side in the following order: a plasticization zone, a flow rate adjusting zone and a starvation zone, the producing method includes: plasticizing and melting a thermoplastic resin into a molten resin in the plasticization zone; adjusting a flow rate of the molten resin in the flow rate adjusting zone; allowing the molten resin to be in a starved state in the starvation zone; introducing a pressurized fluid containing the physical foaming agent having a fixed pressure into the starvation zone so as to retain the starvation zone at the fixed pressure; bringing the molten resin in the starved state in contact with the pressurized fluid in the starvation zone in a state in which the starvation zone is retained at the fixed pressure; and molding the molten resin into the foam-molded product.

Provided are a space filling material and a space filling structure capable of filling a predetermined space for various purposes, and method for using those. A space filling material (11) includes reinforcing fibers as an expansion material and a resin. The reinforcing fibers form a plurality of intersections and are bonded with the resin at at least one of the intersections. Heating of the space filling material causes an expansion stress in at least a thickness direction (X) such that the space filling material fills a predetermined space (13). For example, the space filling material may contain the resin at a volume ratio of 15 to 95 vol % based on a total volume of the reinforcing fibers and the resin.

Films may be used as interleaves between hard and non-compressible surfaces such as surfaces of sheets or plates made of glass, metal, such as steel, polycarbonate, and/or poly(methyl methacrylate). The films may be embossed and/or may include a foamed core layer having a plurality of micro-voids. In particular, the films may include a polyolefin, a basis weight of between about 30 gsm and about 70 gsm, an embossed thickness of between about 150 microns and 800 microns, and a stiffness of between about 150 grams and about 750 grams according to the Circular Bend Stiffness Test.

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.