An expanded particle producing apparatus includes a vessel and a blade stirrer that is located inside the vessel. The blade stirrer comprises a stirrer base and an impeller blade that is attached to the stirrer base. A distance from the bottom of the vessel to the center of the stirrer base (L1) and a depth of the vessel (L2) have a ratio (L1/L2) of 0.01 to 0.2. L1 is measured in a depth direction parallel to L2, and a central axis of the blade stirrer coincides with a central axis of the vessel. The apparatus is configured to produce expanded particles.

An expanded particle producing apparatus includes a vessel and a blade stirrer that is located inside the vessel. The blade stirrer comprises a stirrer base and an impeller blade that is attached to the stirrer base. A distance from the bottom of the vessel to the center of the stirrer base (L1) and a depth of the vessel (L2) have a ratio (L1/L2) of 0.01 to 0.2. L1 is measured in a depth direction parallel to L2, and a central axis of the blade stirrer coincides with a central axis of the vessel. The apparatus is configured to produce expanded particles.

A foam bead intended in particular for the production of molded parts is also intended to be particularly suitable for novel, hitherto unknown applications, especially after processing into a corresponding molded part. For this purpose, the foam bead comprises, according to the invention, a core formed by a first plastic and a shell formed by a second plastic and at least partially surrounding the core, the second plastic forming the shell having a lower melting point than the first plastic forming the core.

The invention relates to polymer foam particles, both in expanded and partly expanded form, from a polymer matrix based on a blend comprising polybutylene terephthalate and polyethylene terephthalate, to a process for production thereof, and to the use of polyethylene terephthalate for broadening the processing window of polybutylene terephthalate-based polymer foam particles in processing to give mouldings.

Described herein are polyamide foam particles including a polymer mixture including: (A) from 25 to 95 wt.-% of at least one polyamide, which is different from a copolyamide (B); and (B) from 5 to 75 wt.-% of at least one copolyamide prepared by polymerizing the following components: (B1) from 15 to 84 wt.-% of at least one lactam; and (B2) from 16 to 85 wt.-% of monomer mixture (M) including; (M1) at least one C.sub.32-C.sub.40 dimer acid; and (M2) at least one C.sub.4-C.sub.12 diamine; where the sum of the components (B1) and (B2) are 100 wt.-%. Also described herein is a process for preparing such polyamide foam particles and polyamide particle foam moldings obtainable by steam-chest molding.

A composite material according to the present invention includes a solid portion including inorganic particles and a resin. The composite material has a porous structure including a plurality of voids surrounded by the solid portion. The composite material has a heat conductivity of 0.5 W/(m.Math.K) or more and a spring constant of 100 N/m to 70,000 N/m. The heat conductivity is a value measured for one test specimen in a symmetric configuration according to an American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard D5470-01.

A composite material according to the present invention includes a solid portion including inorganic particles and a resin. The composite material has a porous structure including a plurality of voids surrounded by the solid portion. The composite material has a heat conductivity of 0.5 W/(m.Math.K) or more and a spring constant of 100 N/m to 70,000 N/m. The heat conductivity is a value measured for one test specimen in a symmetric configuration according to an American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard D5470-01.

A method for preparing a thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer material with micro air holes is provided. The method comprises the following steps: (1) is feeding liquid raw materials such as diisocyanate molecules and solid additives into a double-screw reactor to trigger a polymerization type chain extension reaction and then obtain a macromolecular weight hot melt. (2) is pushing the macromolecular weight hot melt into a mixing extruder and allowing the reaction to continue to obtain a macromolecular thermoplastic polyurethane melt. (3) is continuously adding the obtained macromolecular thermoplastic polyurethane melt together with polymer particles into a foaming extruder, and extruding the high-pressure hot melt from a mold head into an underwater granulation chamber. (4) is delivering the particles obtained after granulation into a separator by process water via a multi-stage pressure-release process water pipeline, separating, screening and drying the required particles to obtain the target product.

A foamable polymer composition is disclosed comprising a thermoplastic matrix polymer composition, and a tri-blend blowing agent composition. The tri-blend blowing agent comprises 5 wt. % to 55 wt. % of a fluorinated alkene having a GWP less than 5; 30 wt. % to 80 wt. % of a first co-blowing agent comprising a hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) blowing agent having a GWP less than 200; and 0.25 to 25 wt. % of a second co-blowing agent comprising an HFC blowing agent having a GWP above 500. The tri-blend blowing agent composition has a total GWP of less than 550.

A foamable polymer composition is disclosed comprising a thermoplastic matrix polymer composition, and a tri-blend blowing agent composition. The tri-blend blowing agent comprises 5 wt. % to 55 wt. % of a fluorinated alkene having a GWP less than 5; 30 wt. % to 80 wt. % of a first co-blowing agent comprising a hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) blowing agent having a GWP less than 200; and 0.25 to 25 wt. % of a second co-blowing agent comprising an HFC blowing agent having a GWP above 500. The tri-blend blowing agent composition has a total GWP of less than 550.