Process for forming a double-sided shaped foam article
OwnerMyron J. Maurer, Matthew D. Mittag +1inventors
InventorsMyron J. Maurer, Matthew D. Mittag, Alain Michel Andre Sagnard
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Abstract
The invention relates to an improved method of cold forming a double-sided shaped foam article wherein the improvement is using a double-sided foam blank cut from a foam plank having a vertical compressive balance equal to or greater than 0.4 to produce the double-sided shaped foam article. The double-sided foam blank has a first pressing surface and a second pressing surface wherein the difference in compressive strength between the first and second pressing surfaces is equal to or less than 200 percent, most preferably, the compressive strength of the first pressing surface is the same as the compressive strength of the second pressing surface.
Claims9
A method to manufacture one or more double-sided shaped foam article 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 a vertical compressive balance equal to or greater than 0.4,
- (ii) cutting the foam plank to form a double-sided foam blank having a first pressing surface with a compressive strength and a second pressing surface with a compressive strength,
- (iii) shaping the two pressing surface of the double-sided foam blank into one or more double-sided shaped foam article and surrounding continuous unshaped foam blank by
- (ii)(a) contacting each pressing surface of the double-sided foam blank with a mold, said mold comprises one or a plurality of cavities each cavity having a perimeter defining the shape of the shaped foam article and a cavity surface and
- (ii)(b) pressing the double-sided foam blank with the mold at an applied strain whereby forming one or more double-sided shaped foam article.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.