The present invention relates to, in a first aspect, a surfing device including a surfing device body comprised of polymer bead foam being substantially formed from at least one polymer selected from a single polymer class, and at least one at least one performance enhancing component at least partially embedded within, or integral with, the surfing device body, the at least one performance enhancing component being substantially formed from polymers selected from the single polymer class. Further aspects of the invention, directed to a performance enhancing component and to a method of forming a surfing device body, are also disclosed.

A product to be shipped is placed on a platform. A conveyor belt moves the product and platform toward a packaging station where mold forms at least define a space which encloses the product. Expanding foam is then injected via injector lines into the space. Once the expanding foam has at least partially hardened, the mold forms may be retracted and the package is moved to a next station for at least one of finishing, loading, or storing. The foam thus becomes the shipping package for the product. This eliminates the need to store shipping containers of multiple standardized sizes and shapes, and to fill the standardized shipping containers with dunnage. The mold forms also provide for customized exterior shapes for the shipping package.

A formation assembly for use in manufacturing a reinforced insulation panel including a foam material and a reinforcing structure includes a back plate including a first surface configured to receive the foam material, and a first support sheet spaced from the first surface to form a gap therebetween, wherein the first support sheet supports the reinforcing structure. The formation assembly also includes a second support sheet spaced from the first support sheet, wherein the second support sheet defines an upper boundary of the reinforced insulation panel. A rigid structure is coupled to the second support sheet, wherein the rigid structure restricts movement of the reinforced insulation panel.

A method of making personal protective equipment, such as a push-in earplug, is disclosed. The method includes the steps of covering a substrate with an outer layer that includes an unactivated foaming agent, positioning at least a portion of the outer layer in a mold, and activating the foaming agent such that a portion of the outer layer expands.

Disclosed are a hollow component, a method for manufacturing a hollow component, and a device for manufacturing a hollow component. The method for manufacturing a hollow component according to an embodiment of the disclosure includes a first operation of molding a first injection-molded component, a second operation of molding a second injection-molded component, a third operation of causing the first injection-molded component and the second injection-molded component to face each other, a fourth operation of approaching the first injection-molded component and the second injection-molded component, and a fifth operation of coupling the first injection-molded component and the second injection-molded component. A fastening boss of the first injection-molded component is press-fitted into a fastening hole of the second injection-molded component in the fifth operation. Therefore, the fixation between the first injection-molded component and the second injection-molded component may be achieved without additional injection, and breakage and damage of the fastening boss and the fastening hole may be prevented.

The invention relates to a process for producing complex, mould-foamed rigid foam materials, more particularly of poly(meth)acrylimide (P(M)I) cores, preferably of polymethacrylimide (PMI) cores, which may be employed, for example, in carmaking or aircraft construction. A feature of the process is that through use of a particulate core during foam, it is possible to achieve an additional weight saving relative to foam materials or sandwich materials of the prior art.

A method for producing a drive cable holder for a vehicle roof, which may have the steps of providing a component for the vehicle roof; positioning the component in a moulding tool; providing a guide tube for a drive cable; positioning the guide tube in the moulding tool; introducing a plastic into the moulding tool such that the plastic completely radially surrounds the drive cable at least in sections and such that the plastic comes into contact with a surface of the component; and thereby forming the drive cable holder which is secured to the component.

The invention is inspired by the animal bone structure which is normally hollow in the middle. The invention introduces a novel foam article and a method of manufacturing it to include cavities similar to the bone structure. The novel foam article comprises a cavity-defining structure that is placed inside a mould prior to introducing expanded polymer beads into the mould. The cavity-defining structure comprises hollow compartments or layers that create macro-cavities and hollow compartments in specific sizes and locations of the foam article during the moulding process. As a result, the foam article equipped with the cavity-defining structure uses fewer polymer beads and is lighter than foam articles made conventionally. The invention also improves the foam article in terms of its shock absorption, durability, thermal insulation, acoustic insulation, and floatation.

A golf ball sub-assembly is provided that is formed from a core body and a foamed casing layer. The core body has a non-spherical profile due to the presence of centering elements, which can be provided in the form of protrusions or other types of structures on the outer surface of the core body. A foamed material is used for the casing layer. The core body can be plunged into a casting mold including the foamed material prior to the foamed material reaching a viscosity level that is typically required for the core body to be properly situated within the casting mold. A method of forming a golf ball using a core body having protrusions is also disclosed herein. The protrusions promote concentricity and therefore the method does not require targeting a specific viscosity of a foamed casing material when plunging the core body within the casting mold.

The invention relates to a method of making a thin construction element (10) in sandwich lightweight construction having a high-quality surface (26). Including the steps of deep drawing a substrate film, placing the deep-drawn film into a cavity of a die, introducing partially expanded particles onto the substrate, heating to completely expanded the particle foam, curing the expanded particle foam, and opening the die to remove the molded article.