A thermal insulation injection gun includes a pointed nozzle that prevents blocking of the nozzle by a distal panel of a building cavity and/or by pre-existing insulation within the cavity. In embodiments, the pointed nozzle can be pressed through a panel, thereby forming the injection hole. An enhancement port can be provided through which an enhancing material such as a carrier fluid, particulate or fibrous insulating material, a binder, or a fire retardant can be added and mixed with the insulating material. Embodiments include expanding nozzle wings that can compress pre-existing insulation to create a space on a proximal or distal side thereof for injecting the insulation. A compressible sheath installed over the nozzle can prevent dripping of excess insulation from the panel hole. Exchangeable collars can be used to fix an insertion depth of the nozzle and/or to block selected lateral dispensing ports of the nozzle.

The invention relates, inter alia, to a method of making a thin component (10) in a lightweight sandwich construction having a high-quality surface (26).

The invention relates to a crack-split moulding tool for producing a foam particle part, having two mould halves (2, 3). The mould halves (2, 3) are pivotably mounted relative to one another such that they can be arranged at a varying distance from each other in certain sections when being filled with foam particles and when pressing together, are moved together at a varying distance until in a closed position, due to a pivoting movement. As a result, it is possible to homogeneously compress areas of the moulding cavity (6) having a different thickness and to compress in a different manner, area having the same thickness.

A method of making molded foam articles and the articles produced. A molded foam article is produced by heating or preheating the mold to a temperature at or above the glass transition or melt temperature of the particles to be molded. Foamed particles are then introduced into the mold. The particle filled mold is then subjected to a vacuum to stabilize the molded article, without application of any additional heating or cooling. The molded article is then removed from the mold at a temperature at or below the glass transition temperature of the particles, and the cycle repeated to form multiple molded articles.

Provided are expanded beads capable of providing an expanded thermoplastic polyurethane beads molded article which is excellent in physical properties, such as compression characteristics, repulsion elasticity, etc., and an expanded thermoplastic polyurethane beads molded article. Expanded beads of thermoplastic polyurethane, wherein a Shore A hardness of the thermoplastic polyurethane is 85 or more; an average cell diameter of the expanded beads is 50 to 300 m; and a closed cell ratio when bisecting the expanded thermoplastic polyurethane bead is 60% or more; and an expanded thermoplastic polyurethane beads molded article obtained through in-mold molding of the same are disclosed.

The invention relates to an apparatus for the manufacture of a particle foam component, said apparatus comprising a molding tool limiting a molding space, wherein, adjacent to the molding space, at least two capacitor plates are arranged which are connected to a radiation source for electromagnetic radiation, wherein the radiation source for electromagnetic radiation is designed for emitting electromagnetic radiation, and wherein the molding tool is formed of at least two molding halves, wherein at least one of the molding halves is made from an electrically conducting material and forms one of the capacitor plates.

A skin-covered foamed molded article having excellent lightweight property, bending rigidity, and favorable dimensional stability, which includes: a skin material composed of a hollow molded body produced by blow-molding an extruded parison; and an expanded bead molded article located inside the skin material, wherein the skin material has an average wall thickness of from 1.0 mm to 5.0 mm, the skin material includes a glass fiber-reinforced polypropylene-based resin containing glass fiber in a range of from 5 mass % to 30 mass %, the glass fiber has a weight-average fiber length of from 0.4 mm to 1.5 mm, the expanded bead molded article includes a polypropylene-based resin, the peeling strength between the skin material and the expanded bead molded article is 0.1 MPa or higher, and the longitudinal linear expansion coefficient of the skin-covered foamed molded article (100) at from 23 C. to 80 C. is 7105/ C. or lower.

A method for producing a skin-covered molded article including filling polypropylene-based resin expanded beads in a hollow space of a thermoplastic resin skin and feeding steam into the hollow space to fusion-bond the expanded beads together, the expanded beads showing specific DSC characteristics involving a specific high temperature peak(s) with specific heat of fusion.

A method of making a foamed article, for example a foamed component for an article or footwear, comprises depositing an unfoamed, thermoplastic polymer onto a support surface in a three-dimensional printing process to form 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 while the article is softened to at least partially foam the article, wherein 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 made by printing a thermoplastic polymeric material with a three-dimensional printer in a structure of interconnected, unfoamed, thermoplastic polymeric members spaced to define openings between the thermoplastic polymeric members.

The present invention is directed to methods for a post process treatment of a plurality of individual expanded particles for manufacturing at least a part of a molded sporting good, in particular a midsole of a shoe. Furthermore, it is directed to a sporting good and a sports shoe. The method for a post process treatment of a plurality of individual expanded particles for manufacturing at least a part of a molded sporting good, in particular a midsole of a shoe, may include the steps of providing a plurality of expanded particles of a particle foam and controlling a heat treatment to increase the density of the individual expanded particles.