Abstract: Energy absorbing bolsters for vehicle doors are usually formed of non-recyclable foam plastic and/or metal. A relatively simple bolster, which can be formed of recyclable plastic, includes a hollow body with a hole therein for equalizing interior and exterior pressure, and permitting limited flexing of the body, and reinforcing ribs on the outer and side walls of the body, so that the latter can be relatively thin walled.

Abstract: In general, the molding of tubular plastic articles such as automotive inlet manifolds with flanges thereon is a difficult and expensive procedure. A simple solution to the problem is the blow molding of the tubular article in a conventional blow molding apparatus followed by the injection molding of the flange around the tubular article in a conventional injection molding apparatus. In the case of an intake manifold, the outlet ends of the manifold pipes are placed in the injection mold, which is closed to define a cavity around the ends of the pipes, and the flange is then molded onto the pipes. Preferably, the ends of the pipes are heated for the injection molding step to ensure good adhesion between the pipes and the flange.

Abstract: In general, it is difficult to mold properly sized automotive boots without flash to be removed from the top end thereof. In accordance with the present invention, such molding is achieved placing a tubular parison between a pair of mold halves, moving a blow pin assembly downwardly partly into the top end of the parison, closing the mold by moving the mold halves together, using fingers to stretch the open bottom end of the parison, moving a sizing mandrel into the bottom end of the parison, closing inserts on the bottom of the mold around the bottom end of the parison to size the latter, blowing the parison using air under pressure discharged from the blow pin, moving the blow pin assembly farther down into the parison to size and cut the top end of the parison, opening the inserts and removing the lower sizing mandrel, opening the mold, closing the stretching fingers, and removing the blow pin assembly from the boot, which is stripped from the mold.

Abstract: In general, sound resonators or mufflers are bulky self-contained metal bodies, which are expensive to produce and to install in an engine intake or exhaust system. A relatively simple substitute, which can be tailor made to attenuate sound at various frequencies include two arcuate casing sections which are interconnected along one side edge by a hinge, so that the sections can be wrapped around an engine air intake tube, a latch on the other side edges of the sections for securing the sections together to form a sleeve around and coaxial with the tube, an inlet nozzle on the interior of each section for extending into the tube, and partitions extending between the inner and outer surfaces of each section for defining elongated, tortuous, sound attenuating passages.

Abstract: In the production of foamed plastic articles using a screw extruder, it is known to introduce a gaseous foaming agent into the plastic while the latter is passing through the extruder. It has been found that a foamed thermoplastic with pores or cells of uniform size and distribution can be produced by passing a gaseous foaming agent, e.g. nitrogen gas through a central passage extending substantially the entire length of the extruder screw, discharging the agent into the thermoplastic proximate the discharge end of the extruder, and mixing the foaming agent with the plastic immediately prior to discharge of the mixture into a mold.

Abstract: In general, used thermoplastic liquid containers such as oil and solvent bottles are discarded. When recycling oil bottles, the usual practice is to wash the bottles with a solvent to remove oil therefrom. Washing of the bottles results in large quantities of used, oil-containing solvent, which present a disposal problem. A simple solution to the problem of recycling liquid containers with no preliminary washing or cleaning operation includes the steps of tumbling the bottles to promote liquid separation, shredding the bottles into small pieces and draining the liquid therefrom, grinding the pieces of plastic to yield a particulate thermoplastic, and mixing the particulate thermoplastic and any liquid remaining therein with an additive, e.g. an oil absorbent and a filler such as calcium carbonate, glass, mica or talc, and when the liquid is an oil, an absorbent to produce an extrudable mixture which can be used to form new containers.

Abstract: When blow molding elongated serpentine tubes or similar articles, loading of the mold cavity with the parison can present a problem. The parison can stick against the wall of the mold cavity. Moreover, a large diameter parison must be used, i.e. the parison must have a diameter equal to the total width dimension of the article, and consequently a large volume of flash is produced. The flash must be trimmed and recycled. In order to avoid these problems, inserts are placed in the mold to define portions of the mold cavity, particulary at corners. Air under pressure is fed into passages in the outer surfaces of the inserts and discharged through small orifices in such inserts against the parison to guide and drive the latter fully into the mold cavity. A vacuum can also be applied to the end of the cavity remote from the parison entry point for drawing the parison into the mold.