Methods of recovering and/or recycling expanded polymer tooling, the methods including collecting expanded polymer tooling, reducing the collected expanded polymer tooling into smaller particles, treating the reduced expanded polymer tooling in order to yield an at least partially purified recovered polymer composition, and then collecting the at least partially purified recovered polymer composition. The at least partially purified recovered polymer composition can then be used to form new expandable polymer tooling.

The present invention is related to a foam fabric and method of making it.

A process is disclosed to recycle and/or formulate expandable plastic materials using a system (1) comprising: an extruder unit (10), a mixer-heat exchanger unit (20), said process comprising the steps of: melting in the extruder unit (10), cooling in the mixer-heat exchanger unit (20), and controlling the melt pressure by means of a melt pump unit (50), followed by granulation, extrusion, or injection molding, wherein a first expansion agent (81) is not degassed during a melt processing in the system (1) such that it is substantially contained in the granulated expandable plastic material (130) or used to form either the extruded, formed and expanded plastic material (140) or the molded expanded plastic article (150). The present invention also relates to a granulated expandable plastic material (130), an extruded, formed and expanded plastic material (140), and a molded expanded plastic article (150) obtainable by said process.

A system and method to dispense, mix, and inject liquids and force them into a vented investment pattern mold cavity comprises a source of raw materials in fluid communication with an injection unit for metering and delivering the raw materials. A mixing and injection head receives and mixes the metered raw materials. A movable molding cart upon which an investment pattern mold is mounted is disposed adjacent the injection unit and proximate the mixing and injection head. The movable molding cart includes a fill cup that may be engaged by the mixing and injection head. A displaceable gating tray provides fluid communication with the fill cup and a sprue aligned with an investment port on a lower portion of the investment pattern mold. The system also includes a digital computer control by which the injection process may be controlled.

The present invention provides a foam diffuser plate, including a foam core layer, the upper surface and the lower surface of the foam core layer are covered with a protective layer, and the thickness ratio of the foam core layer to the upper and lower surfaces of the protective layer is 1:7-9:1. The mass percentage of each raw material of the protective layer is PS raw material 90-99%, stabilizer 0.01-1%, organosilicon 0.1-3%, inorganic diffusing agent 0.1-3%, diffusing oil 0.1-3%, styrene-butadiene copolymer 0.1-2%, and magnesium silicate mineral 0.1-6%. The mass percentage of each raw material of the foam core layer is GPPS raw material 95-99%, antioxidant 0.3-0.6%, silicone diffusing agent 0.6-1%, foaming agent 0.5-2%, anti-UV agent 0.3-0.6%, toughening agent 0.5-2%, stabilizer 0.3-0.6%, and nucleating agent 1-5%. A manufacturing method of the foam diffuser plate is provided in the present invention as well.

It is provided a WPC extrusion profile comprising a WPC material, in which plant fibers are embedded in a plastic matrix, wherein the WPC material has a content of naturally growing plant fibers of between 30 and 75 wt-%, and the WPC extrusion profile includes at least one foam-filled hollow chamber. The at least one hollow chamber of the WPC extrusion profile is completely filled up with a foam, in particular a closed-pore foam. The foam includes or consists of a plastic material of the same type of plastic as the matrix of the WPC material. The foaming is effected by using a physically acting blowing agent, in particular CO.sub.2, wherein the density of the foam is less than 0.4 g/cm.sup.3 and the average cell size of the foam has a mean diameter of less than 0.4 mm.

A mechanism for mixing a supercritical fluid and a polymer raw material melt provided by the present invention includes a hot-melting unit, a mixing unit, and a supercritical fluid supplying unit. The mixing unit, independently of the hot-melting unit, receives a polymer melt from the hot-melting unit and a supercritical fluid from the supercritical fluid supplying unit, respectively, and mixes the polymer melt and the supercritical fluid into a homogenous single-phase solution. The hot-melting unit is provided with a pushing member for pushing a polymer raw material. The mixing unit is provided with a mixing rotor for mixing the polymer melt and the supercritical fluid.

A system includes a source, a detector, and a controller. The source is configured to emit electromagnetic energy toward two plies of film. A portion of the emitted electromagnetic energy is within a range of wavelengths. The detector is arranged to detect electromagnetic energy propagating away from the two plies of film. The detector detects electromagnetic energy within the range of wavelengths and generates signals indicative of intensity of detected electromagnetic energy. The controller controls operation of the foam-in-bag system based the signals from the detector. The film is transmissive of electromagnetic energy in the range of wavelengths. When dispensed between the two plies of film, one or both of foaming chemical precursors or foam formed from a reaction thereof is opaque to electromagnetic energy in the range of wavelengths.

A system includes a dispenser, first and second feed lines, and heating zones. The dispenser dispenses a first chemical precursor and a second chemical precursor. The first feed line permits flow of the first chemical precursor from a first source to the dispenser. The second feed line permits flow of the second chemical precursor from a second source to the dispenser. The heating zones are located along the first and second feed lines. The heating zones include a first heating zone located around a first portion of the first feed line and a second heating zone located around a first portion of the second feed line. The first heating zone and the second heating zone are independently controllable to independently control temperature around the first portion of the first feed line and temperature around the first portion of the second feed line.

A system for opening and closing a mixing manifold includes a drive motor, a cam plate, and a valving rod connector. The drive motor imparts movement in first and second directions. Movement imparted in the first direction causes the cam plate to move linearly in a third direction and movement imparted in the second direction causes the cam plate to move linearly in a fourth direction. Movement of the cam plate in the third direction causes the valving rod connector to move linearly in a fifth direction and movement of the cam plate in the fourth direction causes the valving rod connector to move linearly in a sixth direction. Movement of the valving rod connector in the fifth direction causes retraction of a valving rod of the mixing manifold and movement of the valving rod connector in the sixth direction causes extension of the valving rod.