An injection molding apparatus including an injection device, a mold, a gas supply device, and a temperature control device is provided. The mold has a mold cavity, wherein the injection device is adapted to inject a material into the mold cavity. The gas supply device is adapted to supply a gas to the mold cavity such that the pressure in the mold cavity is increased. The temperature control device is adapted to control the temperature in the mold cavity. In addition, an injection molding method is also provided.

Polymeric foam processing systems and methods.

An apparatus for producing a foam-molded product, including a plasticizing cylinder which has a plasticization zone for plasticizing and melting a thermoplastic resin into a molten resin and a starvation zone for allowing the molten resin to be in a starved state and which is formed with an introducing port for introducing a physical foaming agent into the starvation zone; and a physical foaming agent supply mechanism which supplies the physical foaming agent to the plasticizing cylinder via the introducing port, wherein the introducing port is open at all times, and the physical foaming agent having a fixed pressure is continuously introduced into the starvation zone from the physical foaming agent supply mechanism via the introducing port during the producing of the foam-molded product.

An injection device (2) of an injection molding machine (1) includes a heating cylinder (18) having a gas introduction port (30) and a screw (19), and a gas supply device (5) is connected to the gas introduction port (30). The gas supply device (5) includes a gas supply source (33) and a gas pressure regulating unit (34). The gas pressure regulating unit (34) regulates a gas pressure and supplies the gas when a gas from the gas supply source (33) is introduced into the gas introduction port (30). Specifically, the gas pressure is caused to change in a molding cycle and is increased to a high pressure in a metering process (61). That is, a pressure increasing period (71) in which the gas pressure increases at least partially overlaps with the metering process (61).

There is provided a method which includes: plasticizing and melting a thermoplastic resin to provide a molten resin in a plasticization zone of a plasticizing cylinder; allowing the molten resin to be in a starved state in a starvation zone of the plasticizing cylinder; introducing a pressurized fluid containing a physical foaming agent having a fixed pressure into the starvation zone to retain the starvation zone at the fixed pressure; bringing the molten resin in the starved state in contact with the pressurized fluid containing the physical foaming agent having the fixed pressure in the starvation zone in a state in which the starvation zone is retained at the fixed pressure; and molding the molten resin having been brought in contact with the pressurized fluid containing the physical foaming agent into the foam-molded product.

A method is provided in one example embodiment and may include positioning at least one nozzle within a hollow portion of a rotor blade at a distance associated with a span of the rotor blade and providing, via the at least one nozzle, a liquid foam mixture in the hollow portion, wherein the liquid foam expands and becomes a solid foam material that fills the hollow portion of the rotor blade. Another method is provided in another example embodiment and may include providing a plurality of openings for a rotor blade that are positioned proximate to a hollow portion of the rotor blade and providing a liquid foam mixture in the hollow portion of the rotor blade through at least one opening of the rotor blade, wherein the liquid foam mixture expands and becomes a solid foam material that fills the hollow portion of the rotor blade.

A method for producing a foam-molded product uses a producing apparatus including a plasticizing cylinder. The plasticizing cylinder has a plasticization zone, a starvation zone, and an introducing port which is formed in the plasticizing cylinder and via which a physical foaming agent is introduced into the starvation zone. The method includes: plasticizing and melting a thermoplastic resin into a molten resin in the plasticization zone; introducing a pressurized fluid containing the physical foaming agent having a fixed pressure into the starvation zone; allowing the molten resin to be in the starved state in the starvation zone; bringing the molten resin in the starved state into contact with the pressurized fluid having the fixed pressure in the starvation zone; and molding the molten resin into the foam-molded product. At least one pressure boosting part is provided in the starvation zone.

A process for injection molded microcellular foaming various flexible foam compositions from biodegradable and industrially compostable bio-derived thermoplastic resins for use in, for example, footwear components, seating components, protective gear components, and watersport accessories wherein a process of manufacturing includes the steps of: producing a suitable thermoplastic biopolymer or biopolymer blend; injection molding the thermoplastic biopolymer or biopolymer blend into a suitable mold shape with inert nitrogen gas; controlling the polymer melt, pressure, temperature, and time such that a desirable flexible foam is formed; and utilizing gas counterpressure in the injection molding process to ensure the optimal foam structure with the least amount of cosmetic defects and little to no plastic skin on the outside of the foamed structure.

This document discloses a process for injection moulded microcellular foaming various flexible foam compositions from biodegradable and industrially compostable bio-derived thermoplastic resins for use in, for example, footwear components, seating components, protective gear components, and watersport accessories wherein a process of manufacturing includes the steps of: producing a suitable thermoplastic biopolymer or biopolymer blend; injection moulding the thermoplastic biopolymer or biopolymer blend into a suitable mould shape with inert nitrogen gas; controlling the polymer melt, pressure, temperature, and time such that a desirable flexible foam is formed; and utilizing gas counterpressure in the injection moulding process to ensure the optimal foam structure with the least amount of cosmetic defects and little to no plastic skin on the outside of the foamed structure.

The present invention provides a method for manufacturing a molded foam product which can reduce or prevent blisters and crinkles on the surface even in the case of manufacturing a molded product designed to have a small thickness, thereby giving a molded foam product having excellent heat insulation while avoiding an increase in the amounts of materials used. The method for manufacturing a molded foam product according to the present invention includes the steps of: injecting, during injection molding, a molten resin containing a supercritical fluid or a chemical foaming agent into a cavity formed in a mold that includes a movable portion; and moving the movable portion to increase the volume of the cavity before the molten resin injected into the cavity completely solidifies, the mold alternately including, in a direction from a resin injection port to the periphery of the cavity, first linear portions each giving a large gap size in the cavity and second linear portions each giving a small gap size in the cavity.