A disclosed process includes steps of heating a foamed material by irradiation with near infrared radiation having a wavelength between 0.78 and 1.40 m to form a heated material, forming the heated material with a forming tool to obtain a formed material, and cooling the formed material and demolding to obtain a final workpiece. The foamed material may be constructed as a composite ply construction including an outer material and a foamed core between the outer material. The foamed material may contain a poly(meth)acrylimde, a polypropylene or a highly-crosslinked polyurethane.

A universal barrier system includes universal barrier components that may be assembled together to shield floors and walls from moisture and provide a thermal break in an operational area of the universal barrier component. A lap zone of the universal barrier component may allow universal barrier components to be assembled and installed to protect floors, walls, ceilings, footings and the like from moisture and heat gain or loss by minimizing the need for tapes and other joining methods. The universal barrier system may also act as a sound deadening material. The operational area and lap zone of the universal barrier component may be disposed on a vapor block layer to provide some rigidity. The operational area of the universal barrier component may include a thermal break disposed upon the vapor block layer. The thermal break may include an outer protective layer.

Equipment of making a substrate of plastic flooring contains: an extrusion unit, a thickness regulating unit, and a rolling apparatus. The extrusion unit includes an outlet, and the thickness regulating unit including an inlet, a channel, and a cooler. The rolling apparatus includes a first roller, a second roller, and a press roller. The press roller at least includes a contacting roller and a pressing roller, wherein the contacting roller is configured to roll a foaming sheet, a printing layer, and an abrasion resistant layer. Furthermore, a heating unit heats the foaming sheet, the printing layer, and the abrasion resistant layer so that the foaming sheet, the printing layer, and the abrasion resistant layer are connected by using the pressing roller.

A helmet and method for forming a helmet having a multi-density impact liner may include forming a puck comprising an interface surface and at least one side is formed. The interface surface of the puck is placed in direct contact with a receiving surface of a cap located in an impact liner mold. Next, the interface surface of the puck is thermally fused directly to the receiving surface of the cap while contemporaneously an impact liner body is formed inside the mold. The impact liner body is fused to the at least one side of the puck, and to a majority of the receiving surface of the cap. The density of the puck may be greater than the density of the impact liner body. The puck and the impact liner body may be EPS, and the cap may be PC.

A water resistant expansion joint system includes foam, which has been formed into a desired shape by at least one of stamping, cutting, molding and die-cutting; and a layer of an elastomer disposed on the foam. The layer of the elastomer facilitates compression of the water resistant expansion joint system when installed between substrates. The desired shape of the foam includes an angle, and the water resistant expansion joint system is angled around a corner and accommodates thermal and seismic movement in the system by expanding and contracting, and creates a waterproof seal around the corner upon expansion of the foam between the substrates.

Skinned cell structures and methods of producing the same are disclosed. A disclosed example apparatus includes a placer to place foamable structures together to define a bundle, a restrainer to restrain the bundle, an activator to activate the foamable structures to expand and form a cell structure within the restrainer, a trimmer to trim the cell structure to define a core, and an assembler to couple a skin to the core to define the skinned cell structure.

There is provided a polyolefin resin foam sheet formed by foaming a polyolefin resin, wherein the expansion ratio of the foam sheet is 1.5 to 20 cm.sup.3/g, the average cell sizes in the MD direction and the TD direction of the foam sheet are 130 m or less, and the following formulas (1) and (2) are satisfied:

T.sub.M/D6(1); and

T.sub.T/D5(2), where T.sub.M denotes the tensile strength at 90 C. in the MD direction, T.sub.T denotes the tensile strength at 90 C. in the TD direction, and D denotes the density (g/cm.sup.3) of the foam sheet.

A method of at least partially sealing surfaces of a body of a cellular foam, preferably comprising polyethylene terephthalate, the cellular foam having an initial compression strength, the method comprising the steps of: providing a body of an cellular foam comprising polyethylene terephthalate, the body having opposite surfaces; disposing the body between first pressure elements; in a first pressure applying step at a first temperature above 100 C., applying a first compression pressure to the opposite surfaces by the first pressure elements, the first compression pressure being less than 10% of the initial compression strength; disposing the pressed body between second pressure elements; and in a second pressure applying step at a second temperature at least 25 C. lower than the first temperature, applying a second compression pressure to the opposite surfaces, the second compression pressure being less than 15% of the initial compression strength.

A solar collector is provided. The collector comprises a monolithic flow control component to direct a flow of the heat transfer fluid between an inlet and outlet; and a solar absorber supported by the monolithic flow control component. The monolithic flow control component is able to support the solar absorber without any additional structural components to lend mechanical strength to the monolithic flow control component.

A method for selectively producing a first or a second variant of a multi-layer plastic component, where both variants have a substrate part, a decorative layer, and a foam layer between the substrate part and the decorative layer, includes producing the foam layer in a foaming mold which has a first mold half, into which the substrate part is inserted before the foaming process. To produce the first variant, the decorative layer is inserted into a second mold half of the foaming mold before the foaming process. To produce the second variant, a spacer layer is inserted into the second mold half before the foaming process where, after the foaming process, the spacer layer is removed from the foam layer and the decorative layer is applied to the foam layer. The foam layer includes at least one first portion having a higher contour stability than a second portion.