The invention relates to a floor or wall panel and to a method of producing such panel. The panel comprise at least one core layer comprising at least one composite material, said composite material comprising at least one mineral filler, and at least one thermoplastic binder, which are present in a preferred ratio and composition such that a relatively light weight and rigid panel is obtained.

A forming apparatus is equipped with (i) a conveyance unit configured to convey a formation sheet, that expands due to irradiation with electromagnetic waves, along a conveyance path in a state in which tension for causing bending in accordance with a conveyance path that is convexly bent is applied, and (ii) an irradiation unit configured to irradiate with the electromagnetic waves the formation sheet during conveyance by the conveyance unit in the state in which the tension is applied.

A system for treatment of a multi-layered cushioning product includes at least one web layer and at least one expandable layer including a water-based heat-expandable adhesive (WBHEA), comprising: (a) at least one radiator module for irradiating the multi-layered cushioning product including at least one emitter, such as a filament, panel or the like, emitting infrared radiation at an operative temperature of at least 600° C. and at most 3000° C. wherein the at least one radiator module having a power output density of at least 10 kW/m2 and/or at most 300 kW/m2 and (b) a conveyor for moving the, cushioning product relative to the at least one radiator module.

A dispenser for discharging a mixture of gas and paste material includes: a nozzle part (2) provided in a tip end part of a body (11) and having a tip end opening; a flow path (4) for the mixture extending from an introduction part (5) for the mixture to the tip end opening through a hollow space of the nozzle part; a needle part (3) movable in the flow path of the nozzle part to open and close the flow path; a driving part (7, 8, and 9) that drives the needle part; and a stopper part (10, 14, and 16) that limits an operation range of the needle part. The nozzle part has a tapered section in which an inside diameter of the flow path of the nozzle part relative to an operation range of a tip end of the needle part decreases toward the tip end opening.

A method of producing a shaped object includes preparing a formation sheet that includes a base and a thermally expansive layer that is laminated on a first main surface of the base, the thermally expansive layer containing a binder and a thermal expansion material; laminating, onto a second main surface on a side opposite to the first main surface of the base or onto the thermally expansive layer, a thermal conversion layer in predetermined pattern, the thermal conversion layer converting first electromagnetic waves into heat; and causing the thermally expansive layer to expand in a pattern that corresponds to the predetermined pattern by irradiating the formation sheet on which the thermal conversion layer is laminated with the first electromagnetic waves and second electromagnetic waves that cause the binder to become cross-linked.

A method of additive manufacturing including generating a stress model driven slice file for a structure and additively manufacturing a variable density foam core with respect to the stress model driven slice file such that a density of the variable density foam core is varied relative to a modeled stress in the structure manufactured with the variable density foam core. An additively manufactured structure includes a composite skin bonded to the variable density foam core.

A shaping system includes: a printing device that prints an image using predetermined ink on a thermal expansion sheet having a thermal expansion layer on one side; and an expansion device that performs: a drying process of heating the thermal expansion sheet to an extent that allows the thermal expansion layer to maintain a non-expansion state, to dry the image printed by the printing device using the predetermined ink; and an expansion process of, after the drying process, heating the thermal expansion sheet to an extent that allows the thermal expansion layer to expand, to expand the thermal expansion layer.

Methods of creating additive manufactured parts from expanding foam material include printing a part made of an expandable foam, using an additive manufacturing system. The foam is printed in an unexpanded state and has a closed layer at an external surface of the part. Expansion of the part is controlled, using the additive manufacturing system, wherein the expansion is performed after the printing. Methods also include modeling an expansion of a part made of an expandable foam, and printing the part made of the expandable foam, using an automated additive manufacturing system and according to the modeling. The foam is printed in an unexpanded state and has a closed layer at an external surface of the part.

Described herein are physically crosslinked, closed cell continuous multilayer foam structures that includes a foam layer comprising polypropylene, polyethylene, or a combination of polypropylene and polyethylene and a polyamide cap layer. The multilayer foam structure can be obtained by coextruding a multilayer structure comprising at least one foam composition layer and at least one cap composition layer, irradiating the coextruded structure with ionizing radiation, and continuously foaming the irradiated structure.

An expansion apparatus includes: a first expander for irradiating with electromagnetic waves emitted from a lamp a thermal conversion layer for conversion of the electromagnetic waves to heat, to cause at least a portion of a thermal expansion layer to expand, the thermal conversion layer being laminated to a molding sheet including a base and the thermal expansion layer laminated to a first main surface of the base; and a second expander for causing expansion of a region (C) of the thermal expansion layer that is smaller in size than a region (B) of the thermal expansion layer expanded by the first expander.