Methods for manufacturing articles of footwear are provided. In various aspects, the methods comprise utilizing additive manufacturing methods with foam particles. In some aspects, the disclosed methods comprise selectively depositing a binding material on foam particles in a target area such that the binding material coats at least a portion of defining surfaces of the foam particles with the binding material. The binding material is then cured to affix foam particles in the target area to one another. In various aspects, the disclosed methods can be used to manufacturer articles with sub-regions that differential levels of affixing between the foam particles, and thereby resulting in sub-regions with different properties such as density, resilience, and/or flexural modulus. This abstract is intended as a scanning tool for purposes of searching in the particular art and is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure.

The present invention economically provides a method and device for producing a high-viscosity polylactic acid foam molding material which is suitable for foam molding at a high expansion ratio, and a foam molded article having a high expansion ratio which is formed of said polylactic acid composition. A polylactic acid foam molding material having an MI value of 0.05-5, measured in accordance with JIS K7210 at 190 C. under a 21.6-kg load, is produced by physically or mechanically lowering the molecular weight and rebonding, in the presence of a supercritical inert gas, polylactic acid having a molecular weight in terms of polystyrene of 2,000,000 or higher by GPC measurement generated when three types of crosslinked polylactic acid (A), (B), and (C) having different component ratios of D and L isomers, obtained by reacting polylactic acid composed of D and L isomers with a crosslinking agent, are mixed in a weight ratio of 25-50:25-50:25-50 (where (A)+(B)+(C)=100) and the mixture is melted; and a foam molded article is produced by providing a grinding orifice on an injection molding machine or an extrusion molding machine, discharging from a die at a temperature from the softening point to 110 C., and foam molding.

An anisotropic multilayer film comprising one or more foam layers is described herein.

Components for articles of footwear and athletic equipment are provided including a foam. A variety of foams and foam components are provided. The articles include a composition having a foam structure, wherein the composition includes an ionomeric polymer and a plurality of cations, wherein the ionomeric copolymer is crosslinked by the cations. The crosslinks are ionic, so in some aspects the composition is free or essentially free of any covalent crosslinks between the ionomers. In particular, midsoles including the foams are provided for use in an article of footwear. Methods of making the compositions and foams are provided, as well as methods of making an article of footwear including one of the foam components. In some aspects, the foams and foam components can be made by injection molding or injection molding followed by compression molding.

Textured and porous organic polymeric films can be obtained by subjecting organic polymeric films that are swellable in carbon dioxide, to supercritical carbon dioxide while such films are under an atmospheric pressure of at least 73 bar and an applied physical force of at least 0.05 Newtons. The textured and porous organic polymeric films have surface wrinkles having an average peak to valley height of at least 1 m and up to and including 3,000 m, and a porosity of at least 10%.

The present invention describes compostable or biobased foams that are useful for fabricating foamed articles and methods for producing the same. The foams are produced using a compound comprising a compostable or biobased polyester and a blowing agent. Additives including plasticizers and chain extenders are optionally included in the compostable or biobased composition. These foams can be produced using conventional melt processing techniques, such as single and twin-screw extrusion processes. In one embodiment, foamed strand profiles are cooled and cut using conventional strand pelletizing equipment. In another embodiment, foamed beads are produced by cutting the foamed strand at the face of the extrusion die and the foamed bead or strand is subsequently cooled. The resulting compostable or biobased foamed bead has a density less than 0.15 g/cm.sup.3 and the foam is compostable, as determined by ASTM D6400.

A foaming thermoplastic polyurethane resin is a reaction product of a polyisocyanate component containing a bis(isocyanatomethyl)cyclohexane and a polyol component. In a peak of chromatogram obtained by measurement of the foaming thermoplastic polyurethane resin with gel permeation chromatography, the area of a high molecular weight component having a weight average molecular weight of 400,000 or more with respect to the total area of the peak is 25% or more and 60% or less.

According to the present invention, there is provided a foam molded product of thermoplastic polyester elastomer resin which exhibits light weight and excellent rebound resilience. The foam molded product is characterized in that, the foam molded product has a foamed layer consisting of a resin phase and an isolated foamed cell.

A polyolefin composition is foamed by a process in which a nucleator is used, and the nucleator comprises 80% or more of unagglomerated fluororesin particles and/or agglomerates of fluororesin particles in which both the unagglomerated particles and the agglomerates are less than 1 m in size.

Methods for manufacturing articles of footwear are provided. In various aspects, the methods comprise utilizing additive manufacturing methods with foam particles. In some aspects, the additive manufacturing methods comprise increasing the temperature of a plurality of foam particles with actinic radiation under conditions effective to fuse a portion of the plurality of foam particles comprising one or more thermoplastic elastomers. Increasing the temperature of the foam particles can be carried out for one or multiple iterations. The disclosed methods can be used to manufacturer articles with sub-regions that exhibit differing degrees of fusion between the foam particles, thereby resulting in sub-regions with different properties such as density, resilience, and/or flexural modulus. This abstract is intended as a scanning tool for purposes of searching in the particular art and is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure.