Abstract: A controllable microscopic bubble nucleation in fluid polymer material production method and apparatus utilizing a gas pipe disposed in the conveyance screw shaft of an injection or extraction forming mechanism and a microbubble generating component, such as a microscopic perforation vented metal head or a microscopic perforation ceramic head, installed at the front extremity of the conveyance screw shaft. At the rear extremity of the gas pipe, a pressurization pump or a high pressure gas storage tank is admitted from an air intake opening, enabling the gas to be indirectly heated by an electric heater on the materials pipe. The high temperature gas is thereafter outputted from the microscopic perforations of the microbubble generating component such that high temperature microscopic bubbles are directly admitted into the section of liquid polymer material which is then uniformly amalgamated by the conveyance screw shaft and then deposited into a forming die.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a headliner assembly for use in the interior compartment of an automotive vehicle comprising the steps of: placing a mold release film onto a concave mold surface of a lower mold assembly for providing a barrier against the mold surface; placing a fiber mat on the mold release film; applying a foamable material directly onto the fiber mat; expanding the foamable material around the fiber mat to embed the fiber mat therein; placing an adhesive film onto a convex mold surface of an upper mold assembly; positioning the lower mold assembly directly beneath the upper mold assembly; moving the upper mold assembly in mating engagement with the lower mold assembly to define a mold cavity between the convex mold surface and concave mold surface; curing the foamable material within the mold cavity; and bonding the mold release film and adhesive film to the foamable material with the fiber mat embedded therebetween.

Abstract: A process for the production of expanded beads, including kneading a base resin containing a polypropylene resin and having a tensile modulus of at least 1,200 MPa together with a mixture of a coloring agent and a thermoplastic polymer having a tensile modulus lower than that of the base resin to form a kneaded mixture including a matrix of the base resin and a multiplicity of domains dispersed in the matrix and each containing the thermoplastic polymer and the coloring agent. The kneaded mixture is formed into resin particles, then treated with an organic peroxide to modify surfaces of the resin particles therewith. Foaming and expanding of the surface-modified resin particles gives expanded beads having an inside region surrounded by a surface region. The heat of fusion of a high temperature peak of the surface region is lower than that of the inside region.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for making a prototype plastic injection molded part from a mold tool (10) built by fused deposition modeling. The mold tool (10) is built by depositing roads of a molten thermoplastic resin in layers in a predetermined pattern defined by computer file data representing the inverse of the desired prototype molded part, and is used in an injection molding machine without the addition of any reinforcement fill material or layers to create the prototype part. The disclosed method provides prototype plastic injection molded parts within a twenty-four hour time period.

Abstract: Disclosed is a process for producing the baseball or softball for child, for exercise and for toy that has good security characteristics and similar playing characteristics to a conventional game ball. The invention provides the process of manufacturing a game ball wherein products with the same appearance as the conventional baseball can be obtained at a time by injecting, pressing and foaming the material of EVA alone or blend thereof. Thus, the process can decrease a danger of the ball currently used in the Little League greatly and provide a process of producing the game ball for child, exercise and toy that displays the uniform pattern and playing characteristics and has the high productivity.

Abstract: The invention is a process for the preparation of article comprising placing a film on each inner surface of each part of a two part mold; placing an article in the mold with film located between the surface of the mold and the article such that there is a small space between the article and the surface of the mold; closing the mold about the article; injecting between the film and the article an expandable plastic material under conditions that the article is coated with the expandable material and the expandable material does not expand; removing the plastic article with the expandable material coated thereon with the two films attached to the expandable plastic material. In another embodiment the invention is an article comprising a shaped plastic article; an expandable material coated in the shaped plastic article; and a film covering the material coated shaped plastic article.

Abstract: A method of making a foamed rubber member includes the steps of: a) Stirring and pressing the foaming raw material repeatedly, wherein the foaming raw material has rubber, an accelerator, and foaming agent mixed in a predetermined ratio. b) Molding the foaming raw material into a meshed rubber sheet. c) Softening a surface of the meshed rubber sheet. d) Resting an attachment on the surface of the meshed rubber sheet and pressing the attachment. e) Vulcanizing and foaming the meshed rubber sheet to have a foaming member.

Abstract: A process for an extruded resin foam, comprising extruding a foamable composition comprising a melted polystyrene resin and a physical blowing agent through a die to obtain a polystyrene resin foam having a thickness of at least 10 mm and a transverse cross-sectional area of at least 50 cm2, wherein said extrusion is performed so that the ratio Mz/Mn of a Z average molecular weight Mz of the polystyrene resin foam to a number average molecular weight Mn of the polystyrene resin foam, each measured by gel permeation chromatography, is 8.0 or more.

Abstract: A process for preparing a gas permeable flexible graphite sheet is presented. The process includes providing graphite flakes; admixing the graphite flakes with a sacrificial additive to form a graphite mixture; compressing the graphite mixture into a sheet having sacrificial additive dispersed therethrough; and treating the sheet to at least partially remove the sacrificial additive to form a permeable flexible graphite sheet.

Abstract: A method for making a plate-like fibre-reinforced product to be used as building or packing material, the method comprising: placing fibres on a lower laminate; applying a binding agent on the fibres so that the fibres are surrounded by the binding agent; transferring the fibres with binding agent between the lower laminate and an upper laminate between lower and upper rotating pressing plates (4, 3); allowing the binding agent to foam up, expand and harden between the upper and lower pressing plates. In order to economically manufacture such a product with desired physical and mechanical properties, the method comprises the steps according to which the fibres are made into a three-dimensional cohesive fibre mat of fibres bound together, the fibre mat having a moisture content of 5% at the most before the binding agent is applied onto the fibre mat, the binding agent is applied onto the fibre mat and the obtained mixture is subjected to a pressure of at least 0.

Abstract: The invention relates to the use of gelation moulds made from hydrophobicized glass tubes for the production of monolithic mouldings as sorbents for chromatography.

Abstract: Disclosed is a successively biaxially stretched film obtained by successive biaxial stretching method comprising extruding a melt of a ?-crystal nucleating agent-containing polypropylene-based resin composition from a T-die, cooling the extruded resin on a chill roll, and stretching the resulting web sheet longitudinally and then transversely, wherein the longitudinally stretched sheet is made to have a degree of ?-crystal orientation of less than 0.3 by the following method (I) and/or (II), optionally subjected to annealing treatment, and transversely stretched: method (I): melting the polypropylene-based resin composition containing needle crystals of a specific ?-crystal nucleating agent at a temperature not lower than m.p.

Abstract: A method for making a thermosetting polymer reproduction of an object preferably comprises the steps of modifying an original object such as an object found in nature (e.g., a stone or array of stones) or a manmade article (e.g., a carved decorative object) to a predetermined configuration, making a first mold of at least part of the surface of the original object, filling the first mold with a first thermosetting polymer material to produce a reproduction of at least part of the surface of the original object, modifying the reproduction to a predetermined configuration, making a second mold from the modified reproduction and filling this second mold with a thermosetting polymer material to produce a reproduction of at least part of the surface of the original object. The second mold can be used repeatedly to produce reproductions in commercial quantities.

Abstract: A plastic product for particular use as grab handles, door closure handles, and other trim and component products. A foam core, either structural or non-structural, is over-molded with a hard or soft plastic shell or skin. Structural members for heat staking, mechanical fastenings, and the like, are integrally formed on the ends of the handles in order to affix the handles to a door pillar, door panel, or the like.

Abstract: An inventive mold is adapted to adhere skin materials having a boundary portion and a resin to each other, and is provided with a resin blocking member which is so embedded as to extend substantially along the boundary portion of the skin materials placed in the mold, and a movable member for projecting the resin blocking member from a molding surface. If such a mold is used, a flow of the resin supplied into the mold can be controlled by projecting the resin blocking member to thereby control an arrival timing of the resin at the boundary portion. Thus, displacement of the boundary portion and wrinkling can be securely prevented from occurring.

Abstract: The present invention relates to light weight molded plastic articles and methods of making same. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a hollow-core, foamed-plastic, film-laminate article utilizing convention gas assisted molding apparatus with corresponding high production rate capabilities. The resulting film-laminate, hollow-core, foamed-plastic part comprises a class A show-face surface. The method comprises formation of a porous mass of molten plastic in the mold cavity containing the laminate. The molten plastic is cored out or hollowed by injection of gas into the mold cavity.

Abstract: A method of making a sponge device is provided. This method includes introducing a curable liquid sponge forming material into a form, placing a handle into the material before it is fully cured, heating the form to cure the material, removing the cured material from the form, and rinsing the cured material. Another aspect of the present invention is the assembly for making this sponge device. This assembly includes a runner for joining a plurality of handles, plates that are spring-biased together to support the handles, a chase formed of heat conductive metal having a shelf where the plates can be set, and a silicone form having a plurality of cavities therein for receiving the sponge forming material.

Abstract: A thermoforming apparatus having a mold with an internal vacuum chamber and a quench for cooling a thermoplastic sheet while it remains on the mold. Because the quench cools the sheet, conventional cooling lines are eliminated from the mold. A preferred process of using the thermoforming apparatus includes drawing a heated sheet over the mold, creating a partial vacuum in the vacuum chamber of the mold to maintain the sheet on the mold and quenching the sheet on the mold in a quenching tank. A preferred process of manufacturing a mold with an interior vacuum chamber includes forming an impression of the mold in a casting media, suspending a vacuum line or vacuum cabinet within the impression and pouring molten material around the vacuum line or vacuum cabinet to form the mold at least partially surrounding the vacuum line or vacuum cabinet. Vacuum holes are drilled through the mold from the mold face to the vacuum chamber.

Abstract: A process is provided for producing an insulating system, comprising at least a vacuum insulating panel (20; 30) in a matrix of homogeneous polymeric foam (602; 707), inside an interspace (101; 703) of a device which must subsequently be subjected, at least at the interspace, to a temperature higher than 100° C., without damaging this system and without causing it to lose its original insulating properties, by providing a flexible protection system of cardboard.

Abstract: A method of molding a decorative product packaging, comprising the steps of: molding a product container or cap; applying a UV curable liquid to surfaces and/or cavities in the container or cap; then exposing the UV curable liquid to UV radiation to form a solid coating adhered to surfaces and/or filling cavities on the container or cap. The present invention provides dramatic effects, particularly where the container or cap are clear or tinted, because the solid coating can be tinted a contrasting color, providing a striking contrast to the container or cap.