A method of making a foamed article comprises (a) injection molding a molten thermoplastic elastomer to form an precursor; (b) crosslinking the thermoplastic elastomer; (c) heating the thermoplastic elastomer to a first temperature to soften the thermoplastic elastomer; (d) infusing the thermoplastic elastomer with at least one inert gas at a first pressure that is sufficient to cause the at least one inert gas to permeate into the softened thermoplastic elastomer; and (e) while the article is softened, reducing the pressure to a second pressure below the first pressure to at least partially foam the precursor into a foamed article, wherein the foamed article is substantially the same shape as the precursor.

A foaming process and a method for operation of the foaming process 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.

Disclosed herein is a manufacturing method of a spring pad interposed among a spring used in an automobile suspension system and an upper sheet and a lower sheet for supporting the spring, wherein the spring pad includes an insulator getting in contact with the spring to absorb shock and forming a body of the spring pad, and is manufactured through foam injection molding of the insulator to be lightweight.

The present invention relates to a method preparing a highly functional foam by a physical foaming process (physical blowing agent-based foaming) used to prepare a midsole of a shoe, and relates to a technology that is environmentally friendly because a chemical foaming agent is not used and is capable of preparing a foam with improved physical properties at a low cost by shortening a processing time. To this end, according to the present invention, a physical foaming process of preparing a foam by using a foaming press provided with a cavity includes: an injecting step of injecting a foaming compounding resin into the cavity; a closing step of closing the cavity by using the foaming press; a gas injecting step of injecting gas into the cavity; an atmospheric pressure maintaining step of dissolving the gas in the foaming compounding resin by maintaining the inside of the cavity at a constant pressure; and a foaming step of performing foaming by opening the cavity so that the inside of the cavity is depressurized.

High-temperature foams are produced and used in the construction of aeroplanes, ships and rail and other vehicles. In particular, the foams are further processed into sandwich materials by joining with two outer layers. To this end, a novel process is used for producing high-temperature foams (HT foams) which are particularly suitable for producing such sandwich components for lightweight construction. This process achieves an improvement in the processability of the HT foams produced and a weight reduction of the sandwich materials. The HT foams are furthermore rigid particle foams which are markedly more economic to produce than rigid block foams. In particular, a reduction is brought about in resin absorption in fibre composite processes through a process-related optimization of the surface constitution.

A design, material, and process of manufacturing an organizational apparatus, e.g., an organizational bin, made from expanding-foam. In some examples, the bin includes four walls and a base forming an interior cavity that is configured to receive items to be organized, stored, or transported, e.g., shoes, or dirty or wet items. In some examples, the material used is a plant-based or bio-based Ethylene-vinyl Acetate (EVA) expansion-foam.

A foam bead intended in particular for the production of molded parts is also intended to be particularly suitable for novel, hitherto unknown applications, especially after processing into a corresponding molded part. For this purpose, the foam bead comprises, according to the invention, a core formed by a first plastic and a shell formed by a second plastic and at least partially surrounding the core, the second plastic forming the shell having a lower melting point than the first plastic forming the core.

PMMA-based rigid foams can be used as the core material of sandwich components in rotor blades of wind power plants and in boatbuilding.

A method for manufacturing a foamed plastic molded body with a film layer coating by using a tool mold with at least one tool cavity to form a shaping mold cavity, including A) heating at least one tool cavity of the tool mold; B) applying a granulate to the at least one heated tool cavity; C) fusing the granulate in the heated tool cavity to form a liquid film layer; D) applying the liquid film layer to a foamed plastic molded body to form a film layer coating on the surface of the plastic molded body by fusing the liquid film layer with the surface of the plastic molded body; and E) cooling the at least one tool cavity and ejecting the plastic molded body coated with the film layer.

A method is provided for making a microcellular shoe stiffener has first and second adhesive layers coextruded on opposite first and second surfaces of a stiffener core. The stiffener core may include a recycled polymeric material. Nitrogen in a supercritical fluid state is introduced into the extruder for the stiffener core to produce a closed cell foam with a gaseous component. The gas reduces the weight and cost of the stiffener without significantly reducing stiffness and resiliency.