The present invention relates to an injection moulding process for the preparation of a foamed article with improved surface quality. The present invention further relates to a foamed article obtained or obtainable by the injection moulding process.

The present invention provides a processing method for molding a foamed polymer, which comprises accommodating a mixture of a polymer material and a foaming agent in a space of a mould chamber provided by a mould and molding into a molded article having a predetermined shape. The technical features thereof lie in that the space of the mould chamber has an injection molding shape that is different from the shape of the molded article before the space is fully filled with the mixture, and a shape of a local part of the space of the mould chamber is changed after the space of the mould chamber is fully filled with the mixture, such that the shape of the space of the mould chamber is changed from the injection molding shape to a molding shape that is the same as the molded article. Thereby, a surface force exerted on the accommodated mixture is changed by means of a volume alteration of the local part caused by the change in the shape of the local part of the space of the mould chamber.

The present invention provides a method for efficiently manufacturing a molded foam product having excellent heat insulation, and a molded foam product obtained by such a method. The method of the present invention is a method for manufacturing a molded foam product, including the steps of: melting a resin composition containing a polyolefin and a polylactic acid and impregnating the resin composition with a fluid in a supercritical state to prepare a molten resin, and injecting the molten resin into a cavity formed in a mold and moving a portion of the mold to increase the volume of the cavity before the molten resin injected into the cavity completely solidifies, the fluid impregnated into the resin composition being a fluid of 0.05 to 4.0 wt % inert gas, the molded foam product at least partially having a five-layer cross-sectional structure of a first unfoamed layer, a first foamed layer, a hollow space, a second foamed layer, and a second unfoamed layer included in the given order.

A continuous forming apparatus for molding foam material into foam products that includes a first endless belt and a second endless belt that cooperates with the first endless belt to mold the foam material. The continuous forming apparatus may also include a first plurality of cleats and a second plurality of cleats opposed to the first plurality of cleats that support the first endless belt and the second endless belt respectively. The first plurality of cleats may include a three-dimensional abutment surface that provides transverse and lateral support to the first endless belt. Additionally, the continuous forming apparatus may include a first frame disposed to support the first plurality of cleats, a second frame disposed to support the second plurality of cleats, and a drive mechanism for imparting motion to the first endless belt, the second endless belt, the first plurality of cleats, and the second plurality of cleats.

The invention relates to a foaming and punching tool for producing foamed products from structural foam, and to a method for producing such foamed products.

The present invention relates to an enhanced method for the manufacture of a plastic component (135), in particular a cushioning element for sports apparel, the method comprising: opening a mold (100) by a predetermined amount into a loading position, wherein the mold comprises at least two mold parts (110, 112) and wherein the amount by which the mold is opened influences an available loading volume of the mold, loading a material comprising expanded particles (130) into the loading volume, closing the mold into a closed position, wherein during closing of the mold the mold parts are moved together over different distances (140) in different areas of the mold, compressing the expanded particles by closing the mold and fusing at least the surfaces of the expanded particles to mold the plastic component.

Described are methods for the manufacture of a plastic component, in particular a cushioning element for sports apparel, a plastic component manufactured with such a method, for example a sole or a part of a sole for a shoe, and a shoe with such a sole. According to an aspect of the invention, a method for the manufacture of a plastic component, in particular a cushioning element for sports apparel, is provided which includes loading a mold with a first material which includes particles of an expanded material, and, during loading the mold, pre-heating the particles by supplying energy, wherein the energy is supplied in the form of at least one electromagnetic field.

The present invention regards a moulding unit for producing a support element for the human body, such as a vehicle seat.

Described are methods for the manufacture of a plastic component, in particular a cushioning element for sports apparel, a plastic component manufactured with such a method, for example a sole or a part of a sole for a shoe, and a shoe with such a sole. According to an aspect of the invention, a method for the manufacture of a plastic component, in particular a cushioning element for sports apparel, is provided which includes loading a mold with a first material which includes particles of an expanded material, and, during loading the mold, pre-heating the particles by supplying energy, wherein the energy is supplied in the form of at least one electromagnetic field.

A molded foam manufacturing apparatus 1 includes a cylinder 2 in which a plasticization zone 21 where a thermoplastic resin is plasticized and melted, a starvation zone 22 where the molten resin is put into a starvation state and an injected physical foaming agent is dissolved in the molten resin, and a feeding zone 23 where the molten resin in which the physical foaming agent is dissolved is compressed and metered are provided in this order from an upstream side, and a screw 3 that is installed inside the cylinder 2 so as to be freely rotatable around an axis of the cylinder and has flights formed in a spiral shape on an outer circumference of a shaft 31, wherein a lead angle R of the flights of the screw 3 corresponding to the feeding zone 23 is set smaller than a lead angle of the flight corresponding to the starvation zone 22, and the number of pieces of the flight of the screw 3 corresponding to the feeding zone 23 is set smaller than the number of pieces of the flight corresponding to the starvation zone 22. In this way, it is possible to prevent a decrease in the flow rate of the molten resin transported in the starvation zone and the feeding sone and manufacture high-quality molded foams with high production efficiency.