Physical foaming a footwear component with a single-phase solution of a polymeric composition and a supercritical fluid is provided. The method include temperature conditioning a mold and then engaging the mold with a robot that conveys the mold to a press. At the press a gas counter pressure is applied to a cavity of the mold before injecting a single-phase solution of a polymeric composition and a supercritical fluid into the cavity of the mold. The process continues with releasing the gas counter pressure from the cavity of the mold and then removing the footwear component from the cavity of the mold. The parameters of the method are configured for the formation of the footwear component in an automated manner.

A foam article, such as a cushioning element for an article of footwear, apparel or sporting equipment is provided that comprises a foam component, such as a midsole, having a number of beneficial physical characteristics. The cushioning element is a low-density foamed component with a surface skin that encases the remaining foam volume. The cushioning element has a number of foam volumes, arranged to achieve a more consistent foam component. Additionally, the cushioning element includes a series of concentric ridges extending radially outwardly from injection gate vestige locations, and a number of striation bands near the perimeter of the cushioning element. The location of the gate vestiges can be beneficially arranged to produce intersecting flow boundaries that are located away from key strain areas of the cushioning element. The cushioning element is more environmentally-friendly, requiring less energy to produce while still providing acceptable energy return and low density.

A physical foaming agent introduction filter includes a filter body and a plurality of fine holes provided in the filter body. Each of the fine holes includes a resin-contact-side hole that opens toward one surface side of the filter body and that is adapted to be in contact with molten resin, and a physical foaming agent introduction hole that opens toward the other surface side of the filter body and that communicates with the resin-contact-side hole to allow a physical foaming agent to be introduced into the physical foaming agent introduction hole. The resin-contact-side hole has a diameter that is equal to or smaller than a diameter of the physical foaming agent introduction hole, and that is 10 to 80 m.

An injection molding method is provided. A molding device and a runner plate over the molding device are provided. The molding device includes a first mold, a second mold over the first mold, and a mold cavity defined by the first mold and the second mold. The runner plate includes first and second runners communicable with the mold cavity and extending within the runner plate. A divider is placed within the runner plate, and the divider has a passage connectable to the first runner or the second runner. A mixture is injected into the mold cavity through the passage and the first runner, and the first mixture fails to flow into the mold cavity through the passage and the second runner. A foamed article is formed from the mixture inside the mold cavity.

A molding system and a method for forming a sole structure are provided. The method includes flowing a molten polymeric material into a mold from an upstream device, receiving the molten polymeric material in a cavity of the mold, and maintaining a repeatable, uniform pressure profile as the molten polymeric material is delivered into the mold.

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).