Described herein are expandable foaming molds. The foaming molds described herein permit mold boundaries to expand along with the expanding polymer and thereby conform to the foaming dynamics of the polymer material. By modifying the temperature and pressure applied to the mold devices described herein, the properties of the resulting foamed polymer can be fine-tuned for specific applications.

A shoe component includes a foam member including a thermoplastic material and a mixed material mixed to each other, wherein the weight percentage of the thermoplastic material is 90 wt % to 99 wt %, and the weight percentage of the mixed material is 10 wt % to 1 wt %. A manufacturing method of the shoe component is also disclosed herein.

An injection molding apparatus including a mold and an injection device is provided. The mold includes a fixed portion and a movable portion. A molding concavity is formed between the fixed portion and the movable portion, and the movable portion is adapted to move relative to the fixed portion to change a volume of the molding cavity, so that a pressure inside the molding concavity is adjusted between a pressurized state and a non-pressurized state. The injection device is adapted to inject a material into the molding concavity. The material includes a supercritical fluid, the supercritical fluid is prevented from being gasified in the pressurized state, and the supercritical fluid is gasified in the non-pressurized state. In addition, an injection molding method is also provided.

Aspects hereof provide methods for molding a single-phase solution comprised of a polymer composition and a gas. The polymer composition and the gas are maintained under pressure during the molding operation to prevent a cellular structure from being formed by the dissolved gas in the polymer composition coming out of solution. The mold cavity in which the single-phase solution is introduced for molding purposes is pressurized to a mold pressure that is sufficient to maintain the single-phase solution as a single-phase solution as the mold cavity is filled. Subsequent to filling the mold cavity with the single-phase solution under pressure, the resulting article may be exposed to a reduction in pressure causing the entrapped gas to form a cellular structure.

A method for manufacturing sustainable products with a blown, foam structure, wherein a mass comprising at least natural polymers such as starch is passed under pressure into a mold cavity (4) or through a mold die, and the mass is heated in the mold in a manner such as to stabilize the foamed structure to form the product, wherein the method comprises prefoaming of the mass prior to injection in the mold. Preferably, the prefoamed mass is kept under pressure until insertion in the mold. The invention further relates to an apparatus to be used in said method.

A panel of a structure is provided that includes a first layer of material, a second layer of material, a filler material between the first layer of material and the second layer of material, and a bracket connected to the first layer of material. The bracket has a bottom flange spaced from the first layer of material. The filler material is between the first layer of material and the bottom flange securing the first layer of material to the filler material to function as an anchor and to provide embedment strength.

A foaming process for converting fibrous material into a cellular foam structure includes mixing fibrous material and a solvent-based binding agent to form a mixture; saturating the mixture with a pressurized gas to form a gas-saturated mixture; expanding the gas-saturated mixture by reducing the pressure of the pressurized gas to form an expanded mixture with voids in the fibrous material; and curing the expanded mixture to set the fibrous material and drive off the solvent to provide a stable network of fibrous material having cushioning properties.

A panel of a structure is provided that includes a first layer of material, a second layer of material, a filler material between the first layer of material and the second layer of material, and a bracket connected to the first layer of material. The bracket has a bottom flange spaced from the first layer of material. The filler material is between the first layer of material and the bottom flange securing the first layer of material to the filler material to function as an anchor and to provide embedment strength.

Aspects hereof provide methods for molding a single-phase solution comprised of a polymer composition and a gas. The polymer composition and the gas are maintained under pressure during the molding operation to prevent a cellular structure from being formed by the dissolved gas in the polymer composition coming out of solution. The mold cavity in which the single-phase solution is introduced for molding purposes is pressurized to a mold pressure that is sufficient to maintain the single-phase solution as a single-phase solution as the mold cavity is filled. Subsequent to filling the mold cavity with the single-phase solution under pressure, the resulting article may solidify entrapping the compressed gas, or the article may be exposed to a reduction in pressure causing the entrapped gas to form a cellular structure.