According to some aspects, a method is provided of casting an object from a mold, the method comprising obtaining a mold comprising a hollow shell of rigid material, the material comprising a thermoset polymer having a plurality of pores formed therein, providing a metal and/or ceramic slurry into an interior of the mold, exposing at least part of the mold to a low pressure environment so that a net flow of gas is produced from the interior of the mold into the low pressure environment. According to some aspects, a method of forming a porous mold is provided. According to some aspects, a photocurable liquid composition is provided, comprising a liquid photopolymer resin, particles of a solid material, in an amount between 30% and 60% by volume of the composition, and a water-soluble liquid.

Molded-in-color thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) compositions useful for making automotive components, such as injection molded parts, as well as other articles of manufacture are described. The molded-in-color composition has a ΔE* value≤2.0 (compared to a painted color master), a gloss measured at 60° from about 76 to about 90 GU, a density ranging from about 0.9 to about 0.97 g/cm.sup.3, a melt mass flow rate from about 15 to about 40 g/10 min (ASTM D 1238, 230° C./2.16 kg), a flexural modulus between about 600 to about 2000 MPa, and an as-molded shrinkage between about 0.6% and about 1.4%. The compositions can be used to prepare molded-in-color components that can undergo additional clear coating steps as required by the automotive application. The clear coated molded-in-color components have a gloss measured at 20° from about 85 to about 95 GU and a gloss retention after mar between about 85% and about 93%.

A method for forming a vacuum insulated structure using a prepared core material includes preparing a powder insulation material defining a bulk density, pre-densifying the powder insulation material to form a pre-densified insulation base, crushing the pre-densified insulation base into granular core insulation to define a core density of the granular core insulation, disposing the granular core insulation having the core density into an insulating cavity defined within an insulating structure and expressing gas from the interior cavity of the insulating structure to further densify the granular core insulation to define a target density. The granular core insulation defines the target density disposed within the insulating structure defines the vacuum insulation structure, wherein the target density defines a density in the range of from approximately 80 grams per liter to approximately 350 grams per liter.

A method of providing a fibre-reinforced composite material, the method comprising: dispersing particles of a first polymeric composition comprising a first thermoplastic in a liquid comprising water, thereby forming a dispersion; coating, at least in part, a first set of reinforcement fibres with the dispersion; redistributing the particles of the first polymeric composition comprised in the coating; and melting at least some of the redistributed particles of the first polymeric composition comprised in the coating, thereby providing the composite material.

According to some aspects, a method is provided of casting an object from a mold, the method comprising obtaining a mold comprising a hollow shell of rigid material, the material comprising a thermoset polymer having a plurality of pores formed therein, providing a metal and/or ceramic slurry into an interior of the mold, exposing at least part of the mold to a low pressure environment so that a net flow of gas is produced from the interior of the mold into the low pressure environment. According to some aspects, a method of forming a porous mold is provided. According to some aspects, a photocurable liquid composition is provided, comprising a liquid photopolymer resin, particles of a solid material, in an amount between 30% and 60% by volume of the composition, and a water-soluble liquid.

In one aspect, a foamable composition is disclosed, which comprises a base polymer, talc and a citrate compound blended with the base polymer. In some embodiments, the concentration of the talc in the composition is in a range of about 0.05% to about 25% by weight, e.g., in a range of about 2% to about 20%, or in a range of about 3% to about 15%, or in a range of about 5% to about 10%. Further, the concentration of the citrate compound in the composition can be, for example, in a range of about 0.05% to about 3% by weight, or in a range of about 0.02% to about 0.9% by weight, or in a range of about 0.03% to about 0.8% by weight, or in a range of about 0.04% to about 0.7% by weight, or in a range of about 0.05% to about 0.6% by weight.

According to some aspects, a method is provided of casting an object from a mold, the method comprising obtaining a mold comprising a hollow shell of rigid material, the material comprising a thermoset polymer having a plurality of pores formed therein, providing a metal and/or ceramic slurry into an interior of the mold, exposing at least part of the mold to a low pressure environment so that a net flow of gas is produced from the interior of the mold into the low pressure environment. According to some aspects, a method of forming a porous mold is provided. According to some aspects, a photocurable liquid composition is provided, comprising a liquid photopolymer resin, particles of a solid material, in an amount between 30% and 60% by volume of the composition, and a water-soluble liquid.

The equipment for the production of slabs in mineral grits bound with resins, comprises: a support frame, at least one lower plate, locked together with the frame, comprising at least one positioning zone for at least one mold having at least one forming cavity, open at the top, to contain a mix comprising the materials necessary to obtain the slabs, at least one pressing assembly comprising an upper plate movable, with respect to the frame, from an upper position of loading/unloading the mold in/from the positioning zone, to a lower position of pressing the mix inside said forming cavity, vibrating means associated at least with the lower plate, and an airtight chamber, communicating with suction means, adapted to reduce the pressure to a value lower than the atmospheric pressure, containing the mold, where the chamber is interposed between the lower plate and an upper closing element opposite the lower plate.

Molded-in-color thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) compositions useful for making automotive components, such as injection molded parts, as well as other articles of manufacture are described. The molded-in-color composition has a E* value2.0 (compared to a painted color master), a gloss measured at 60 from about 76 to about 90 GU, a density ranging from about 0.9 to about 0.97 g/cm.sup.3, a melt mass flow rate from about 15 to about 40 g/10 min (ASTM D 1238, 230 C./2.16 kg), a flexural modulus between about 600 to about 2000 MPa, and an as-molded shrinkage between about 0.6% and about 1.4%. The compositions can be used to prepare molded-in-color components that can undergo additional clear coating steps as required by the automotive application. The clear coated molded-in-color components have a gloss measured at 20 from about 85 to about 95 GU and a gloss retention after mar between about 85% and about 93%.

The invention relates to a main module (10) for a command and reporting system (50), which main module comprises a control unit (16) and a device interface (18) for coupling to at least two command and reporting devices (12, 12.1, 12.2, 12.3, 12.n) in a line topology. The main module (10) also has a bus interface (13) for connecting to a superordinate control unit (11), wherein the control unit (16), by means of the device interface (18), is designed to control at least two command and reporting devices (12, 12.1, 12.2, 12.3, 12.n) separately by means of a command signal (20). According to the invention, the command signal (20) is designed for device-address-free delivery at the respective command and reporting device (12, 12.1, 12.2, 12.3, 12.n) and has a target cell (22) and an incrementable counting cell (24) for this purpose. The invention further relates to a method (100) by means of which the device-address-free delivery is implemented. The invention further relates to a computer program product (80) suitable therefor, to a command and reporting system (50) in which the invention is implemented, and to an automation system (60) equipped with a corresponding command and reporting system (50).