A method of sub-ambient pressure processing of blow-molded polymer foams and skin-over-foam sandwich panel configurations for lightweight components having improved structural properties. The method can create either skinned or un-skinned foams that offer smooth interior and exterior surfaces, zero or controlled surface porosity, skins of pre-defined thickness, and foam cells that are expanded and oriented normal to the material plane, effectively spherical or polyhedral in nature, and offering improved bending and compressive strength.

A cable core includes: an internal conductor; a foamed dielectric that includes a fluororesin and is formed on the internal conductor by extrusion molding; and a skin layer that covers the foamed dielectric, and is configured such that a foaming rate of the foamed dielectric is 80% or more, an average foamed cell diameter of the foamed dielectric is 10 m or less, and a standard deviation of a foamed cell diameter of the foamed dielectric is 2.5 or less.

A solid state foaming process for generating a microcellular foam sheet for use in forming a container is provided includes a pre-foaming treatment phase prior to a solid state impregnation and foaming phase. The solid state microcellular foam sheet includes a central foamed section defining a foam layer within the microcellular foam sheet having a first population of cells within which are interspersed a second population of cells.

A method of forming a three-dimensional object is carried out by: (a) providing a carrier and an optically transparent member having a build surface, the carrier and the build surface defining a build region therebetween; (b) filling the build region with a polymerizable liquid, the polymerizable liquid including a mixture of (i) a light polymerizable liquid first component, and (ii) a second solidifiable component that is different from the first component; (c) irradiating the build region with light through the optically transparent member to form a solid polymer scaffold from the first component and also advancing the carrier away from the build surface to form a three-dimensional intermediate having the same shape as, or a shape to be imparted to, the three-dimensional object, and containing the second solidifiable component carried in the scaffold in unsolidified and/or uncured form; and (d) concurrently with or subsequent to the irradiating step, solidifying and/or curing the second solidifiable component in the three-dimensional intermediate to form the three-dimensional object.

Methods, systems, and apparatuses of manufacturing an automotive interior trim panel are provided. The method includes providing a mold having a negative side and a positive side, heating the mold using a first heater and a second heater, coupling the mold to a first powder box containing a first polymeric powder, molding a first polymer layer on the first side of the mold by rotating the mold, coupling the mold to a second powder box containing a second polymeric powder, and molding a second polymer layer on the first polymer layer by rotating the mold. The method further includes heating the second polymer layer during which the second polymer layer expands, compressing the thickness of the second polymer layer, cooling the positive side of the mold to reduce the temperature of the first polymer layer and the second polymer layer, and removing the part from the mold.

A method of sub-ambient pressure processing of blow-molded polymer foams and skin-over-foam sandwich panel configurations for lightweight components having improved structural properties. The method can create either skinned or un-skinned foams that offer smooth interior and exterior surfaces, zero or controlled surface porosity, skins of pre-defined thickness, and foam cells that are expanded and oriented normal to the material plane, effectively spherical or polyhedral in nature, and offering improved bending and compressive strength.

Methods of forming an article from a molten plastic composition comprising a polymer and a blowing agent. The methods include injecting the molten plastic composition into a mould, allowing the plastic composition to form a first solid skin adjacent to an in contact with a first cavity-forming surface of the mould and a second solid skin adjacent to and in contact with a second cavity-forming surface of the mould, and then opening the mould before the molten plastic composition between the first and second solid skins in at least one portion of the circumference of a region of the mould cavity defining an annular cross-section of the cavity has solidified.

A method of forming a three-dimensional object is carried out by: (a) providing a carrier and an optically transparent member having a build surface, the carrier and the build surface defining a build region therebetween; (b) filling the build region with a polymerizable liquid, the polymerizable liquid including a mixture of (i) a light polymerizable liquid first component, and (ii) a second solidifiable component that is different from the first component; (c) irradiating the build region with light through the optically transparent member to form a solid polymer scaffold from the first component and also advancing the carrier away from the build surface to form a three-dimensional intermediate having the same shape as, or a shape to be imparted to, the three-dimensional object, and containing the second solidifiable component carried in the scaffold in unsolidified and/or uncured form; and (d) concurrently with or subsequent to the irradiating step, solidifying and/or curing the second solidifiable component in the three-dimensional intermediate to form the three-dimensional object.

A method of forming a component of a vehicle heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning system from polymeric material includes providing a molding system including at least one mold cavity defining the component. A base resin is introduced to the mold system via an inlet. A chemical foaming agent is blended with the base resin to form a composition. The composition is then further heated and blended under pressure, wherein the chemical foaming agent decomposes within the composition. The composition is introduced to the mold cavity, wherein a reduced minimized pressure of the mold cavity facilitates initiation of a nucleation of the composition, wherein the composition expands to fill the mold cavity.

Provided is a foamed resin molded article integrally having a mounting section formed as a dense resin section having suppressed resin foaming, the mounting section having sufficiently improved mounting strength. A foamed resin molded article 1 including: a base body 2; and a mounting section 3 formed integrally with the base body 2 and protruding from the base body 2, wherein the mounting section 3 includes: a body section 31 having a mounting hole 31a allowing a counterpart member 9 to be inserted therein; and a leg section 32 having one end thereof continuous with the body section 31 and the other end thereof continuous with the base body 2, and a thickness of a portion 33 at the base body side of the leg section 32 is smaller than a thickness of the body section 31.