The invention relates to polymer foam particles, both in expanded and partly expanded form, from a polymer matrix based on a blend comprising polybutylene terephthalate and polyethylene terephthalate, to a process for production thereof, and to the use of polyethylene terephthalate for broadening the processing window of polybutylene terephthalate-based polymer foam particles in processing to give mouldings.

A method is provided for making a microcellular shoe stiffener has first and second adhesive layers coextruded on opposite first and second surfaces of a stiffener core. The stiffener core may include a recycled polymeric material. Nitrogen in a supercritical fluid state is introduced into the extruder for the stiffener core to produce a closed cell foam with a gaseous component. The gas reduces the weight and cost of the stiffener without significantly reducing stiffness and resiliency.

A method for producing a foam-molded product uses a producing apparatus including a plasticizing cylinder. The plasticizing cylinder has a plasticization zone, a starvation zone, and an introducing port which is formed in the plasticizing cylinder and via which a physical foaming agent is introduced into the starvation zone. The method includes: plasticizing and melting a thermoplastic resin into a molten resin in the plasticization zone; introducing a pressurized fluid containing the physical foaming agent having a fixed pressure into the starvation zone; allowing the molten resin to be in the starved state in the starvation zone; bringing the molten resin in the starved state into contact with the pressurized fluid having the fixed pressure in the starvation zone; and molding the molten resin into the foam-molded product. At least one pressure boosting part is provided in the starvation zone.

A house wrap for a building comprises a reinforcing drainage plane layer configured to face the outside of the building; a breathable, non-perforated barrier film bonded to the drainage plane layer; and at least one insulating layer including a perforated expanded low density polyethylene foam layer, wherein in the expanded low density polyethylene layer at least 80% of the blowing agents are dissipated from closed cells within the expanded low density polyethylene layer, forming evacuated closed cells whereby a partial vacuum is formed within the closed cells of the low density polyethylene layer.

A process for injection molded microcellular foaming various flexible foam compositions from biodegradable and industrially compostable bio-derived thermoplastic resins for use in, for example, footwear components, seating components, protective gear components, and watersport accessories wherein a process of manufacturing includes the steps of: producing a suitable thermoplastic biopolymer or biopolymer blend; injection molding the thermoplastic biopolymer or biopolymer blend into a suitable mold shape with inert nitrogen gas; controlling the polymer melt, pressure, temperature, and time such that a desirable flexible foam is formed; and utilizing gas counterpressure in the injection molding process to ensure the optimal foam structure with the least amount of cosmetic defects and little to no plastic skin on the outside of the foamed structure.

Molded polymer foam articles are described as having a novel a foam structure. The polymer foam articles include a continuous polymer matrix defining a plurality of pneumatoceles therein which is present throughout the entirety of the article, including in the surface region extending 500 microns beneath the surface of the article. The surface region is further characterized as having compressed pneumatoceles. The novel foam structure is achieved even when molding polymer foam articles comprising a thickness of more than 2 cm, a volume of more than 1000 cm.sup.3; or both a volume of more than 1000 cm.sup.3 and a thickness of more than 2 cm. Methods of making the molded polymer foam articles are also described.

This document discloses a process for manufacturing recyclable injection molded microcellular foams for use in, footwear components, seating components, protective gear components, and watersport accessories. The process includes the steps of providing a thermoplastic polymer which comprises at least one monomer derived from depolymerized post-consumer plastic, inserting a fluid into a barrel of a molding apparatus. The fluid is introduced under temperature and pressure conditions to produce a super critical fluid. The process further includes mixing the thermoplastic polymer and super critical fluid so as to create a single phase solution, and injecting the single phase solution into a mold of an injection molding machine under gas counter pressure. The process further includes foaming the single phase solution by controlling the head and temperature conditions within the mold.

A mold for extrusion molding includes an extrusion port and a plastic channel. The extrusion port is configured to extrude a plastic composition containing at least one kind of plastic. The plastic channel is configured to cause the supplied plastic composition to flow to the extrusion port. The plastic channel includes a first channel, a second channel, and a third channel. The second channel is connected to the first channel and has a channel cross-sectional area gradually decreasing downstream in a flowing direction of the plastic composition. The third channel is connected to the second channel and configured to cause the plastic composition to flow to the extrusion port. The third channel has a channel cross-sectional area gradually decreasing downstream in the flowing direction of the plastic composition.

A foam molding apparatus and a foam molding method thereby are proposed. The foam molding apparatus includes a foaming agent supply unit configured to supply a foaming agent, a molten resin supply unit configured to supply molten resin, a fixed mixing unit configured to produce a foaming resin-critical solution by mixing a foaming agent supplied from the foaming agent supply unit and molten resin supplied from the molten resin supply unit through a rod-shaped body, and a molding unit configured to mold a foam molding product using the foaming resin-critical solution supplied from the fixed mixing unit. Accordingly, it is possible to produce a foaming resin-critical solution by uniformly mixing a large amount of high-viscosity gel-state molten resin and a high-pressure compressed and low-viscosity foaming agent, using high-strength multiple channels.

The invention relates to a molding composed of extruded foam, wherein at least one fiber (F) is present with a fiber region (FB2) within the molding and is surrounded by the extruded foam, while a fiber region (FB1) of the fiber (F) projects from a first side of the molding and a fiber region (FB3) of the fiber (F) projects from a second side of the molding, and the extruded foam is produced by an extrusion process comprising the following steps: I) providing a polymer melt in an extruder, II) introducing at least one blowing agent into the polymer melt provided in step I) to obtain a foamable polymer melt, III) extruding the foamable polymer melt obtained in step II) from the extruder through at least one die aperture into an area at lower pressure, with expansion of the foamable polymer melt to obtain an expanded foam, and IV) calibrating the expanded foam from step III) by conducting the expanded foam through a shaping tool to obtain the extruded foam.