Laterally-coalesced foam slabs and methods and apparatus, including foaming dies, for making and using such foam slabs.

A shim stack foaming die for making foam slabs comprises a plurality of shims that are layered together under pressure to form a shim stack, wherein the shims combine to collectively define a plurality of die orifices in a working face, to define a main body of the shim stack foaming die, and also to define a plurality of die cavity that is fluidly connected to the plurality of die orifices. And articles foamed from the shim stack foaming die have found wide use in various applications, thermal or acoustic insulation, reinforcing layers and/or space-filling layers, and so on.

Method of designing and manufacturing a distributor bar for use in a production line comprising a mixing head for providing a viscous foamable liquid mixture, a laminator with a predefined speed of at least 20 m/min, the distributor bar having a central inlet fluidly connected to a number of outlets via a main channel. The method comprises: choosing (3001) a geometry for the distributor bar and defining a set of geometrical parameters; assigning (3002) values to said parameters; creating (3003) a virtual model; simulating (3005) flow in said model by performing a Computational Fluid Dynamics simulation (CFD), taking into account (3004) a non-Newtonian shear thinning model; e) evaluating the simulated flow; building (2007) a physical distributor bar. A distributor bar, a production line, and a computer program product.

A method and device for manufacturing a sandwich structure comprising at least one foam layer of a first thermoplastic comprising a chemical blowing agent and two fibre-reinforced cover layers of a second thermoplastic. The decomposition temperature of the chemical blowing agent is higher than the melting point or range of the first thermoplastic. The method comprises a series of steps performed on a starting structure including heating under pressure in order to cause decomposition of the blowing agent, cooling, foaming and further cooling in contact with the press tools.

A method and device for manufacturing a sandwich structure comprising at least one foam layer of a first thermoplastic comprising a chemical blowing agent and two fibre-reinforced cover layers of a second thermoplastic. The decomposition temperature of the chemical blowing agent is higher than the melting point or range of the first thermoplastic. The method comprises a series of steps performed on a starting structure including heating under pressure in order to cause decomposition of the blowing agent, cooling, foaming and further cooling in contact with the press tools.

Method of designing and manufacturing a distributor bar for use in a production line comprising a mixing head for providing a viscous foamable liquid mixture, a laminator with a predefined speed of at least 20 m/min, the distributor bar having a central inlet fluidly connected to a number of outlets via a main channel. The method comprises: choosing (3001) a geometry for the distributor bar and defining a set of geometrical parameters; assigning (3002) values to said parameters; creating (3003) a virtual model; simulating (3005) flow in said model by performing a Computational Fluid Dynamics simulation (CFD), taking into account (3004) a non-Newtonian shear thinning model; e) evaluating the simulated flow; building (2007) a physical distributor bar. A distributor bar, a production line, and a computer program product.

The present invention provides a method for the continuous production of a PIR/PUIR/PUR foam cored sandwich panel (12) with metal sheets (16, 18) as facings at top and bottom, wherein the upper metal sheet (16) and the lower metal sheet (18) are continuously fed into a double belt (28), wherein a PIR/PUIR/PUR core material is applied between the upper metal sheet (16) and the lower metal sheet (18), wherein an adhesive is applied to the lower metal sheet (18), wherein a portion of the adhesive applied to the lower metal sheet (18) is applied to the upper metal sheet (16) by means of a rotating brush. The present invention further provides an apparatus for the continuous production of a PIR/PUIR/PUR foam cored sandwich panel (12) with metal sheets (16, 18) as facings at top and bottom.

A multilayer foam panel member including: (a) at least one top sheet substrate; (b) at least one bottom sheet substrate; and (c) a middle substrate of foam material disposed inbetween, and integral with, the top and bottom sheet substrates; wherein the foam material is produced by dispensing a reactive foam-forming fluid mixture onto a moving or stationary bottom sheet substrate of a foam manufacturing line; and wherein the foam manufacturing line includes a flexible film fluid dispensing device for dispensing the reactive foam-forming fluid mixture onto the moving or stationary bottom sheet substrate to form a multilayer foam panel member; wherein the middle substrate of foam material of the panel member has improved thermal and mechanical properties; and a process for manufacturing the above multilayer foam panel member.

Composites having a polymer or natural leather skin layer and a polyurethane foam layer are made in a molding process. The polyurethane foam layer is made from a foam formulation that includes certain polyester polyols. The presence of the polyester polyol improves flow characteristics of the foam formulation. The foam so produced has unexpectedly low quantities of VOCs.

Laminated panels are made in a process whereby a starting foam formulation is processed through a mixhead, passed through a branched distribution system and dispensed through multiple outlets of the distribution system to produce a foam layer on a bottom facing layer. The foam layer is monitored for the presence of surface bubbles. When surface bubbles are observed, the backpressure in the mixhead is increased to reduce or eliminate the surface bubbles. An apparatus for performing the process includes an adjustment means at or upstream of a first branch point in the distribution system to increase or decrease the backpressure in the mixhead.