Improved method for extracting shaped foam articles from a forming mold cavity

A method to manufacture one or more shaped foam article using a press with a movable platen and a stationary platen, said press comprises a mold with a cavity half affixed to either the movable platen or the stationary platen wherein the platen that does not have the cavity half of the mold affixed to it has means to apply a negative pressure through it comprising the steps of:

• (i) extruding a thermoplastic polymer with a blowing agent to form a thermoplastic polymer foam plank, the plank having a thickness, a top surface, and a bottom surface in which said surfaces lie in the plane defined by the direction of extrusion and the width of the plank, wherein the foam plank has
• (i)(a) a vertical compressive balance equal to or greater than 0.4
• and
• (i)(b) one or more pressing surface;
• (ii) applying a negative pressure though the platen without the cavity half of the mold to the surface opposite the surface of the foam plank to be pressed,
• (iii) shaping the one or more pressing surface of the foam plank into one or more shaped foam article and surrounding unshaped foam plank by
• (iii)(a) moving the movable platen in contact with the foam plank,
• (iii)(b) pressing the foam plank into the cavity half of the mold, said cavity half of the mold comprises one or a plurality of cavities each cavity having a perimeter defining the shape of the shaped foam article,
• (iii)(c) forming one or more shaped foam article, and
• (iii)(d) retracting the movable platen from the stationary platen,
• whereby the one or more shaped foam article is retained by negative pressure on the platen without the cavity half of the mold.