A mold for encapsulating an electrical component. The mold includes an encapsulation chamber and an air inlet. The encapsulation chamber is defined by a housing, an open top, and a solid bottom. The housing includes a solid outer wall, a permeable inner wall, and an air chamber between the solid outer wall and the inner wall. The air inlet is configured to introduce a gas into the air chamber. The encapsulation chamber is sized and shaped to receive the electrical component while leaving a gap for the introduction of encapsulant around the electrical component. The encapsulant may be silicone rubber. To remove an encapsulated electrical component, pressurized air may be introduced through the air inlet into the air chamber, passing through the permeable inner wall, separating the outer surface of the encapsulant from the housing, and allowing the combination casting to be removed from the mold.

Embodiments of multilayer film structures comprise at least one elastic layer comprising thermoplastic elastomer, at least one barrier layer comprising ethylene vinyl alcohol, polyamides, polyvinylidene chloride, or combinations thereof, and at least Cone tie layer disposed between and adhering the at least one elastic layer to the at least one barrier layer, wherein the at least one tie layer comprises thermoplastic elastomer and functionalized olefin-based polymer.

Printed, breathable thermoplastic films, laminates, and methods of making films having a basis weight less than or equal to 15 gsm and a water vapor transmission rate of at least about 500 grams H.sub.2O/24-hour/m.sup.2, wherein the film has a ratio of the MD load at break to the CD load at break of less than about 10, and at least one of a machine-direction notched Elmendorf tear strength of at least about 5 g or a machine-direction notched trapezoidal tear strength of at least about 15 g.

In certain aspects, the inventive subject matter is directed to production of constructs of footwear and components thereof by jet extrusion. The inventive subject matter contemplates novel processes for making such constructs using jets or streams of materials that solidify as fibers, and which form into two- or three-dimensional webs as they are collected. The webs may be in the nature of films, membranes, or mats. In some embodiments, the inventive subject matter generally relates to nonwoven textiles consisting of webs of superfine fibers, i.e., fibers with diameters in nanoscale or micronscale ranges.

Disclosed is an elastomeric bladder tool and related systems and methods. In one embodiment, the elastomeric bladder tool comprises an elastomeric inner layer substantially defining an inner cavity of the elastomeric bladder tool, an elastomeric outer layer substantially defining an outer surface of the elastomeric bladder tool, and a permeable middle layer positioned between the elastomeric inner layer and the elastomeric outer layer. The permeable middle layer has greater permeability than both the elastomeric outer layer and the elastomeric inner layer to allow for evacuating of gases that have entered the permeable middle layer.

A diffuser membrane and a method for manufacturing the same are provided. In the method for manufacturing, a first material is heated and extruded to form a base layer and a second material is heated and extruded to form a coating layer. The base layer and coating layer may be extruded substantially simultaneously in a coextrusion process. Accordingly, the coating may be applied to the base layer in a manner that optimizes the bonding between the two layers and provides the ability to control the thickness of the coating layer. Alternatively, the base layer is formed initially and the coating layer is subsequently formed thereover. The first and second materials have differing properties. The first material may comprise polyurethane and the second material may comprise polyurethane and PTFE.

Described are methods of two-dimensionally and three-dimensionally forming an article of wear using vacuum forming in an automated process. In the two-dimensional method, the article of wear comprises a generally flat shape with three-dimensional features molded into the first material layer.

[PROBLEM] An object is to provide a reinforcing nonwoven for a foam-molded article, which makes it possible to further improve a mold-setting-property of the reinforcing nonwoven, and makes it possible to foam-mold a seat efficiently. [SOLUTION] A nonwoven for reinforcing a foam-molded article, the nonwoven comprising: a reinforcing nonwoven layer, and a resin layer; wherein, the resin layer overlaps the reinforcing nonwoven layer, a resin for the resin layer has a softening point A of not lower than 20° C. and not higher than 60° C., and the nonwoven has an air permeability of not lower than 30 cc/cm.sup.2/sec and not higher than 300 cc/cm.sup.2/sec.

Described are coextruded multi-layer biaxially oriented polyolefin barrier films with improved processability, moisture vapor barrier, and stiffness. The disclosed films comprise a cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) core layer blended with hydrogenated hydrocarbon resin and at least one outer layer having functionality for solvent resistance, heat sealing, or winding, or printing/coatings or adhesion for lamination.

A resin member with a gas permeable member (8) includes a resin member having at least one gas hole (20h) extending therethrough between a front surface (8a) and a back surface (8b), and a sheet-like gas permeable member (50) covering the gas hole. An outer circumferential portion (50p) of the gas permeable member is embedded in the resin member. The resin member further includes first recesses (22) disposed around the gas hole, depressed from at least one of the front surface and back surfaces, and allowing at least a portion of the gas permeable member to be visible in a front-back direction, and second recesses (24) disposed externally of an outer peripheral edge (50e) of the gas permeable member and depressed from at least one of the front surface and the back surface and through which the gas permeable member is invisible in the front-back direction.