A foamed article is made by infusing the article of thermoplastic elastomer with a supercritical fluid, then removing the article from the supercritical fluid and either (i) immersing the article in a heated fluid or (ii) irradiating the article with infrared or microwave radiation.

A process for producing expanded foam beads from pellets comprising at least one biodegradable polyester. The process comprises (i) producing a suspension comprising pellets in an aqueous suspension medium, (ii) impregnating the pellets present in the suspension from step (i) with at least one physical blowing agent by heating the pellet suspension to a depressurization temperature IMT, with stirring, to provide pellets laden with blowing agent in the suspension medium, and (iii) depressurizing the suspension obtained in step (ii) and cooling the depressurized suspension with a liquid aqueous coolant, in order to obtain the expanded foam beads. The blowing agent can be added in step I, or in step ii during the heating phase or following the heating phase. Following the heating phase, the suspension is maintained at a temperature in the range from IMT minus 5 C. to IMT plus 2 C. for 3 to 100 minutes, and the ratio of aqueous coolant to suspension medium is at least 0.3. The invention further relates to expanded foam beads obtained by the process and to moldings that are produced from the expanded foam beads.

The present disclosure describes devices capable of continually and controllably passing a polymer film or fiber through a pressurized vessel, while maintaining a desired pressure inside the vessel. In certain embodiments, the devices of the present disclosure include dynamic seals capable of limiting the gas flow from the pressurized vessel to lower pressure environments.

A method of making a foamed article, for example a foamed component for an article of footwear, includes forming an unfoamed, thermoplastic polymer into an unfoamed article; heating the article to soften the article and infusing the softened article with at least one inert gas at a first pressure greater than atmospheric pressure that is sufficient to cause the at least one inert gas to permeate into the softened article; and reducing the pressure to second pressure below the first pressure with the unfoamed article softened to at least partially foam the article. A surface of a partial mold limits foam expansion in at least one direction but less than all directions. The article or a part of the article may be formed from an unfoamed structure of interconnected, unfoamed, thermoplastic polymeric members spaced to define openings between the thermoplastic polymeric members.

A staple cartridge assembly for use with a surgical stapling instrument is disclosed. The staple cartridge assembly comprises a compressible adjunct and a staple cartridge. The compressible adjunct comprises attachment regions. The staple cartridge comprises a proximal end, a distal end, a deck, a longitudinal row of staple cavities, staples, bonding zones, and barbs. The attachment regions of the compressible adjunct are configured to be secured to bonding areas defined by the bonding zones. The barbs protrude from the deck, and the barbs are configured to maintain an initial alignment between the attachment regions and the bonding zones prior to attachment of the compressible adjunct to the deck.

A staple cartridge assembly for use with a surgical stapling instrument includes a staple cartridge including a plurality of staples and a cartridge deck. The staple cartridge assembly also includes a compressible adjunct positionable against the cartridge deck, wherein the staples are deployable into tissue captured against the compressible adjunct, and wherein the compressible adjunct comprises a first biocompatible layer comprising a first portion, a second biocompatible layer comprising a second portion, and crossed spacer fibers extending between the first portion and the second portion.

A method for infusing gas into a thermoplastic material includes positioning a sheet of a thermoplastic material into a vertical or substantially vertical position; positioning a sheet of a gas-permeable material into a vertical or substantially vertical position; and winding together the positioned sheet of thermoplastic material sheet and the positioned sheet of gas-permeable material to form a roll of the thermoplastic material interleaved with the gas-permeable material, the interleaved roll having a longitudinal axis oriented in a vertical or substantially vertical position. The method also includes exposing the interleaved roll to an atmosphere of a gas pressurized to infuse the thermoplastic material with the gas, while the longitudinal axis of the interleaved roll is oriented in a vertical or substantially vertical position; and then unwinding the gas-infused interleaved roll, while the longitudinal axis of the interleaved roll remains in a vertical or substantially vertical position.

Disclosed herein are roll fed air heated flotation ovens and related thermoforming systems, assemblies, and machines that enable the corrugation-free expansion of a gas impregnated thermoplastic web passing through an oven chamber (without use of a pin-chain assembly), as well as to related methods. In an embodiment, a gas impregnated thermoplastic web is conveyed and expanded through an elongated air heated oven chamber, wherein the elongated oven chamber includes a plurality of downwardly directed heated air nozzles positioned at regular intervals along and within the upper portion of the oven chamber, and a plurality of upwardly directed heated air nozzles positioned at regular intervals along and within the lower portion of the oven chamber, but staggered apart from the downwardly directed heated air nozzles such that the gas impregnated thermoplastic material web undulates in an up and down wavelike fashion, thereby minimizing sagging, bagging, puckering, and/or buckling of the web.

The process for forming closed cell expanded low density polyethylene foam includes the steps of: providing a mixture including low density polyethylene pellets and an effective amount of hydrocarbon scavenger additives or degassing agents, such as glycerides; adding a primary blowing agent comprising one of liquid propane, liquid butane, and combinations thereof, to the mixture and gasifying the blowing agent to expand the low density polyethylene; forming the expanded low density polyethylene into sheets, curing the expanded low density polyethylene until 80%, generally at least 99%, of the primary blowing agent is dissipated from cells within the expanded low density polyethylene forming evacuated closed cell low density polyethylene sheets.

A method of making a foamed article, for example a foamed component for an article of footwear, includes forming an unfoamed, thermoplastic polymer into an unfoamed article; heating the article to soften the article and infusing the softened article with at least one inert gas at a first pressure greater than atmospheric pressure that is sufficient to cause the at least one inert gas to permeate into the softened article; and reducing the pressure to second pressure below the first pressure with the unfoamed article softened to at least partially foam the article. A surface of a partial mold limits foam expansion in at least one direction but less than all directions. The article or a part of the article may be formed from an unfoamed structure of interconnected, unfoamed, thermoplastic polymeric members spaced to define openings between the thermoplastic polymeric members.