Insulating molded part having an upper part and a bottom part. The upper part and bottom part are formed as an integral injection molded or die-cast part. Further, cavities, between the upper part and the bottom part, are arranged as chambers separated from one another in an air-tight manner and the upper part and the bottom part are formed in respective cuboid manners, and the upper part is offset in a diagonal direction in relation to the bottom part.

An insulating structure for an appliance includes an outer layer and an inner layer, wherein an insulating cavity is defined therebetween. A plurality of hollow nano-spheres are disposed within the insulating cavity, wherein each of the hollow nano-spheres includes a diameter in the range of from approximately 50 nanometers to approximately 1000 nanometers and has a wall that defines the internal space, and wherein the wall of each hollow nano-sphere has a thickness that is in a range of from approximately 0.5 nanometers to approximately 100 nanometers. A fill material is disposed in the insulating cavity and wherein the fill material is disposed in the space defined between the plurality of hollow nano-spheres, and wherein the fill material includes at least one of powdered silica, granulated silica, other silica material, aerogel and insulating gas.

A method of fabricating a formed structure with expandable polymeric shell microspheres. A first plurality of polymeric shell microspheres are heated from an unexpanded state to an expanded state to form a plurality of expanded microspheres. The plurality of expanded microspheres are mixed with an epoxy resin and a second plurality of unexpanded polymeric shell microspheres. The mixture is formed in a shape to create a preform. The preform is wrapped with fiber tape to create a wrapped preform. The wrapped preform is placed in a mold. The mold is heated and the second plurality of unexpanded microspheres expand from an unexpanded state to an expanded state. The mold is cooled and the formed structure is removed from the mold.

A method of fabricating a formed structure with expandable polymeric shell microspheres. A first plurality of polymeric shell microspheres are heated from an unexpanded state to an expanded state to form a plurality of expanded microspheres. The plurality of expanded microspheres are mixed with an epoxy resin and a second plurality of unexpanded polymeric shell microspheres. The mixture is formed in a shape to create a preform. The preform is wrapped with fiber tape to create a wrapped preform. The wrapped preform is placed in a mold. The mold is heated and the second plurality of unexpanded microspheres expand from an unexpanded state to an expanded state. The mold is cooled and the formed structure is removed from the mold.

A method of press molding a molding material to form a vehicle body panel of fiber-reinforced resin matrix composite material, the vehicle body panel having a front A-surface and a rear B-surface, the method comprising the steps of: i. providing a heated mold tool having a lower mold part and an upper mold part, the upper mold part having a first molding surface for molding a front A-surface of the vehicle body panel and the lower mold part having a second molding surface for molding a rear B-surface of the vehicle body panel; ii. providing a multilaminar panel of molding material comprising at least one layer of fibers and at least one layer of resin, the multilaminar panel having first and second opposite major surfaces, a surface resin layer of the multilaminar panel being at or adjacent to the first major surface; iii. locating the molding material in the mold tool; iv. closing the mold tool to define a substantially closed mold cavity containing the molding material; v. applying pressure to the molding material in the mold cavity to configure the molding material in a fully molded shape; and vi. substantially fully curing the resin to form a vehicle body panel from the molding material, the vehicle body panel having a front A-surface formed from the first major surface and a rear B-surface formed from the second major surface.

A method of press molding a molding material to form a vehicle body panel of fiber-reinforced resin matrix composite material, the vehicle body panel having a front A-surface and a rear B-surface, the method comprising the steps of: i. providing a heated mold tool having a lower mold part and an upper mold part, the upper mold part having a first molding surface for molding a front A-surface of the vehicle body panel and the lower mold part having a second molding surface for molding a rear B-surface of the vehicle body panel; ii. providing a multilaminar panel of molding material comprising at least one layer of fibers and at least one layer of resin, the multilaminar panel having first and second opposite major surfaces, a surface resin layer of the multilaminar panel being at or adjacent to the first major surface; iii. locating the molding material in the mold tool; iv. closing the mold tool to define a substantially closed mold cavity containing the molding material; v. applying pressure to the molding material in the mold cavity to configure the molding material in a fully molded shape; and vi. substantially fully curing the resin to form a vehicle body panel from the molding material, the vehicle body panel having a front A-surface formed from the first major surface and a rear B-surface formed from the second major surface.

A method of press molding a molding material to form a molded part of fiber-reinforced resin matrix composite material, the method comprising the steps of: i. locating a molding material in a mold tool, the molding material containing fibers, resin and a syntactic layer comprising a polymer matrix and a plurality of hollow bodies distributed within the polymer matrix; ii. permitting the molding material to drape at least partly under the action of gravity within the mold so as to configure at least part of the draped molding material in a partly molded shape; iii. fully closing the mold tool to define a closed mold cavity containing the molding material; iv. applying pressure to the mold cavity to cause resin to flow and impregnate the fibers and to configure the molding material in a fully molded shape; and v. substantially fully curing the resin to form a molded part from the molding material.

A method of press molding a molding material to form a molded part of fiber-reinforced resin matrix composite material, the method comprising the steps of: i. locating a molding material in a mold tool, the molding material containing fibers, resin and a syntactic layer comprising a polymer matrix and a plurality of hollow bodies distributed within the polymer matrix; ii. permitting the molding material to drape at least partly under the action of gravity within the mold so as to configure at least part of the draped molding material in a partly molded shape; iii. fully closing the mold tool to define a closed mold cavity containing the molding material; iv. applying pressure to the mold cavity to cause resin to flow and impregnate the fibers and to configure the molding material in a fully molded shape; and v. substantially fully curing the resin to form a molded part from the molding material.

A method of forming a buoyancy providing component, the method comprising locating a plurality of macrospheres in a mould, providing a composition including DCPD (dicyclo pentadiene) resin, a ruthenium or osmium catalyst, and a plurality of microspheres, dispensing the composition in liquid form into the mould to encapsulate the macrospheres, and allowing the mixture to set in the mould.

A method of forming a buoyancy providing component, the method comprising locating a plurality of macrospheres in a mould, providing a composition including DCPD (dicyclo pentadiene) resin, a ruthenium or osmium catalyst, and a plurality of microspheres, dispensing the composition in liquid form into the mould to encapsulate the macrospheres, and allowing the mixture to set in the mould.