Foamed acrylic materials using both traditional chemical blowing agents as well as foamable microspheres. The acrylic foams have improved density reduction, optical properties, and insulation properties. The acrylic foams can be formed by traditional melt processing methods (extrusion, blow molding, etc.) as well as innovative foaming methods, such as foaming during or after polymerization. One method involves the use of expandable microspheres blended with monomers, the monomers then polymerized through bulk polymerization in cell cast, infusion, or compression molding processes. This method can be effectively used to produce composite foam structures.

External thermal insulation composite systems described herein include a concrete or masonry wall and a multilayer thermal insulation board disposed on the concrete or masonry wall. The multilayer thermal insulation board includes at least one closed cell foam layer comprising polyurethane and polyisocyanurate having an open cell volume of less than 20% by volume according to ASTM D 6226 and at least one open cell foam layer comprising polyurethane and polyisocyanurate having an open cell volume of greater than 80% by volume according to ASTM D 6226.

Method for heating a preform (1) comprising: introducing the preform (1) into a heating apparatus (5) comprising an array of infrared emitters (50) arranged in multiple columns (Cj) and multiple rows (Ri), orienting angularly the preform at an input angular position by rotating the preform around the longitudinal axis; setting power levels of the infrared emitters (50) so as to divide the array of infrared emitters (50) into subsets of columns (SCn), each subset of columns (SCn) generating heat at a different power level from an adjacent subset of columns (SCn); and heating the preform (1) with the array of infrared emitters (50) while translating the preform (1) in a direction parallel to the rows (Ri) of the array at a translation speed, and simultaneously rotating said preform (1) around its longitudinal axis (A1) in front of said infrared emitters (50) at a rotation speed.

An engineered structural member for use as, for example a stud, and a method for producing an engineered structural member. The method includes placing two spaced-apart flange members, preferably from nominal dimension solid lumber, in a mold cavity, inserting a two-part mixture of polyurethane material between the flange members, closing the mold and applying pressure to density the two-part polyurethane material during curing, and removing the completed engineered structural member from the mold. Preferably, the multiple engineered structural members are produced in multiple mold cavities, either sequentially, for example, on a rotary molding machine, or simultaneously, for example, in a series of molds which are filled and closed together. The engineered structural member provides increased insulation capacity to a structure while reducing structure weight, improving strength and improving dimensional instability.

A method for manufacturing a composite pressurized-fluid vessel including winding a first polyolefin resin-based tape thereby forming a first layer of the vessel, depositing an intermediate second layer on the first layer, consisting of a material having variable permeability properties depending on the temperature and permeability below a pre-determined temperature threshold and non-permeability above the temperature threshold, winding a second resin-based tape on the intermediate second layer thereby forming a third layer, and cooling the intermediate second layer to a temperature below the temperature threshold while the first and third layers are each kept at a temperature above the melting temperature of their resin. Wherein the tape forming the third layer is based on a different resin from the first layer and during the step of depositing the intermediate second layer.

Methods for manufacturing articles of footwear are provided. In various aspects, the methods comprise utilizing additive manufacturing methods with foam particles. In some aspects, the additive manufacturing methods comprise increasing the temperature of a plurality of foam particles with actinic radiation under conditions effective to fuse a portion of the plurality of foam particles comprising one or more thermoplastic elastomers. Increasing the temperature of the foam particles can be carried out for one or multiple iterations. The disclosed methods can be used to manufacturer articles with sub-regions that exhibit differing degrees of fusion between the foam particles, thereby resulting in sub-regions with different properties such as density, resilience, and/or flexural modulus. This abstract is intended as a scanning tool for purposes of searching in the particular art and is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure.

Bone Composite and Compositions, particularly multicomponent or multipart compositions, are for the preparation of bone constructs for use in trauma, or cancer patients for example. The multipart compositions are based around combinations of fibrinogen, thrombin, hydrogels and calcium/phosphorous salts. The multipart compositions are capable of being printed to yield bone constructs using a 3D printing process to produce accurate and precise bone constructs of a desired geometry.

The present invention relates to a copolymer having polyamide blocks and having polyether blocks (PEBA) which can be used for the manufacture of an article, preferably a foamed article. The invention also relates to expanded particles prepared from said copolymer and to the manufacture of a foamed article from said expanded particles.

A method for producing a foam-molded shoe component includes the steps of: providing a polymer granulate; pre-treating the polymer granulate including binding to or in the polymer granulate a physical propellant in an autoclave at a first pressure and a first temperature; and foaming the pre-treated polymer granulate including melting the polymer granulate to produce a molten polymer composition, and foaming the molten polymer composition as a result of the expansion of the physical propellant.

A composite material includes a matrix and a heat-conductive fiber. The matrix includes an organic polymer and forms a porous structure. The heat-conductive fiber is fixed in the porous structure by the matrix. A heat conductivity determined at ordinary temperature by a steady state heat flow method in a fiber axis direction of the heat-conductive fiber is 10 W/(m.Math.K) or more. A density d [g/cm.sup.3] of the composite material and a heat conductivity λ [W/(m.Math.K)] in a given direction of the composite material satisfy requirements d≤1.1, λ>1, and 4≤λ/d≤100.