A skin material-coated foamed particle molded body includes a skin material made of a polypropylene-based resin molded body and a polypropylene-based resin foamed particle molded body coated with the skin material. The skin material has a multilayer structure including an inner layer adhered to the foamed particle molded body and an outer layer outside the inner layer. The outer layer contains a polypropylene-based resin and a reinforcement fiber. The inner layer contains the polypropylene-based resin and a reinforcement fiber in a lower content ratio than a content ratio of the reinforcement fiber contained in the outer layer or contains the polypropylene-based resin and substantially no reinforcement fiber. An average value of the outer layer thickness ratio to a sum of of the outer and inner layer thicknesses is 0.20 or more and 0.65 or less, and a coefficient of variation Cv of the ratio is 30% or less.

A skin material-coated foamed particle molded body includes a skin material made of a polypropylene-based resin molded body and a polypropylene-based resin foamed particle molded body coated with the skin material. The skin material has a multilayer structure including an inner layer adhered to the foamed particle molded body and an outer layer outside the inner layer. The outer layer contains a polypropylene-based resin and a reinforcement fiber. The inner layer contains the polypropylene-based resin and a reinforcement fiber in a lower content ratio than a content ratio of the reinforcement fiber contained in the outer layer or contains the polypropylene-based resin and substantially no reinforcement fiber. An average value of the outer layer thickness ratio to a sum of of the outer and inner layer thicknesses is 0.20 or more and 0.65 or less, and a coefficient of variation Cv of the ratio is 30% or less.

In one embodiment, a method may comprise coupling a plurality of reinforcement fibers to a plurality of spherical components; inserting the plurality of spherical components into an enclosure; and heating the enclosure to cause the plurality of spherical components to expand, wherein the plurality of spherical components expands to form a geodesic structure, wherein the geodesic structure comprises a plurality of polyhedron components configured in a geodesic arrangement.

The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for the production of a particle foam part. The apparatus has a mold 2 with a mold cavity 3, a steam generator 12 to generate steam for feeding into the mold cavity for the thermoplastic welding into a particle foam part of foam particles present in the mold cavity 3, a feed pipe 10, 11 for the feeding of steam to the mold, wherein a controllable steam valve 13, 14 is provided in the feed pipe, and a pressure sensor 15, 16 is located in the area between the steam valve and the mold, in order to measure the pressure of the supplied steam. A control device 23 controls pressure over time according to to a predetermined profile, wherein the profile has a ramp, in order to increase pressure gradually within a predetermined period of time from an initial value to an end value.

A therapeutic, fitness, and sports enhancement device which includes a cylindrically shaped body having a predetermined density and predetermined diameter, the body including a plurality of projections of a predetermined shape. One or more of the predetermined density and the predetermined diameter in combination with the predetermined shape of the projections optimize mobilization of soft tissue structures of the human body.

Among other things, the invention relates to a method of making a thin construction element (10) in sandwich lightweight construction having a high-quality surface (26).

There is disclosed a mould for forming a collapsible container from an expandable material, the container comprising, when assembled, at least a base and a two pairs of a side walls extending at right angles from opposing sides of the base, the mould comprising: a first mould member and a second mould member movable with respect to each other between an open and a closed moulding position to define a mould cavity; a control means for delivering expandable material into said mould cavity and for delivering steam to facilitate expansion of the expandable material within said mould cavity to form said container; and a plurality of anvils mounted on a rear surface of at least one of the first mould member and/or second mould member, each anvil being movable so as to be extended into the mould cavity so as to form one or more hinges in the expandable material at predetermined locations within the mould cavity; wherein the mould cavity defined by the first mould member and the second mould member is a three-dimensional representation of an inside-out configuration of the assembled container.

An expanded bead of polypropylene-based resin formed with a through hole that is defined by an inner peripheral surface and that has an average hole diameter of 1 mm or less. The expanded bead has a closed cell content of 85% or more, an average cell diameter of 50 to 300 m and an inner surface portion that extends along the inner peripheral surface that has an average cell diameter of 5 to 150 m which is smaller than the average cell diameter of the expanded bead.

System for producing at least one particle foam molding from an expandable or expanded particle foam material, comprising: a detection device which is configured to detect at least one item of resource information describing the current and/or future consumption of at least one resource, in particular a process fluid or an energy carrier, in a current and/or future operation of a molding machine and/or of a functional module, a control device which is configured to control the operation of the molding machine and/or of the functional module on the basis of an item of resource information.

A method for fabricating emulated wood with pores and fibers, comprising: immersing a plurality of synthetic fibers configured parallel in a plane into a resin so that the resin is coated on the surfaces of the plurality of synthetic fibers and in the gaps between the plurality of synthetic fibers; placing the plurality of synthetic fibers between two sheets, wherein the two sheets are planar sheets made from a uniform composition comprising a thermoplastic elastomer, a foaming agent, and a crosslinking agent; carrying out a heat-press process on the two sheets so that the foaming agent undergoes microcellular foaming and forms dense closed pores in the two sheets, and so that the composition on inner surfaces of the two sheets expands towards the plurality of synthetic fibers and penetrates through the gaps between the plurality of synthetic fibers; and cooling the two sheets to yield an emulated wood board.