Methods of making a foamed article include: (a) milling a block or sheet of thermoplastic polymer to form a precursor; (b) crosslinking the thermoplastic polymer; (c) heating the precursor to a first temperature to soften the thermoplastic polymer; (d) infusing the thermoplastic polymer with at least one inert gas at a first pressure that is sufficient to cause the at least one inert gas to permeate into the softened thermoplastic polymer; and (e) while the thermoplastic polymer is softened, reducing the pressure to a second pressure below the first pressure to at least partially foam the precursor into a foamed article, wherein the foamed article is substantially the same shape as the precursor.

A method for producing a molded part, in particular a component of a sporting good, includes providing a mixture of a polymer melt and a foaming agent and injecting the mixture into a mold. The method includes solidifying at least a first portion of the molded part without foaming and at least a second portion of the molded part after foaming inside the mold, wherein the mixture includes a polymer having an average molecular mass corresponding to a viscosity number ≥130 ml/g, preferably ≥170 ml/g, more preferably ≥190 ml/g and most preferably ≥225 ml/g, wherein the viscosity number is determined via solution viscometry according to the ISO 307 standard.

An article of footwear includes an upper and a midsole coupled with the upper. The midsole includes at least a portion of a solid resilin material comprising a cross-linked recombinant resilin and a polar nonaqueous solvent.

Various articles, such as footwear, apparel, athletic equipment, watchbands, and the like, and methods of forming those articles are presented. The articles are generally formed, in whole or in part, using rapid manufacturing techniques, such as laser sintering, stereolithography, solid deposition modeling, and the like. The use of rapid manufacturing allows for relatively economical and time efficient manufacture of customized articles. Portions of the articles may be manufactured using rapid manufacturing and those portions may be joined with portions formed using conventional, non-rapid manufacturing techniques. The methods may also include performing a scan of an appropriate body part of a user, such as a foot, in order to create a customized article of footwear for the user.

A system including an injector, a press, and a robotic conveyance is used to form a physically foamed article of footwear component from a single-phase solution of a polymeric composition and a supercritical fluid. The parameters and features of the system are configured for the formation of the footwear component in an automated manner with enhanced throughput by the system.

A 3D printed structure of an elastic material may be provided. In one implementation, the 3D printed structure may include at least a first wall having a plurality of layers extending along a first axis. The first wall may include at least a primary structural layer, a first flexible layer, and a second flexible layer. The primary structural layer may have a first rigidity and at least one of the first flexible layer or the second flexible layer may have a second rigidity, the first rigidity being greater than the second rigidity.

Described herein is a manual process for injection molding of coated components, more particularly coated soles of plastic, where first of all the molding tool is lined with a release agent composition and, after flashing of this release agent composition, a composition for forming the component is injected. After crosslinking of these two compositions, the produced coated component is removed from the molding tool and subjected optionally to an aftertreatment.

Described herein is a composition which is suitable for coating components in an in-mold coating process, a process for coating components, and a method of using the composition for improving the flow behavior of compositions used for producing components. The composition includes at least one solvent L, at least one alkoxylated fatty acid and/or fatty alcohol, and at least one alkoxylated polysiloxane.

Described herein is an automatic or automated process for injection molding of coated components, more particularly coated soles of plastic, where first of all the molding tool is lined with a release agent composition and, after flashing of this release agent composition, a composition for forming the component is injected. After crosslinking of these two compositions, the coated component produced is removed from the molding tool and subjected optionally to an aftertreatment.