Method for making molded polymer foam
AssigneeDow Global Technologies LLC
InventorsMirella Coroneo, Luca Guj
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Abstract
The invention is a process for making molded polymer foams, especially laminated panels that include a central foam layer and a facing layer on one or both sides. A flexible film dispenser (10) is folded or rolled and introduced into a mold cavity (7) through an opening (6) in the mold. The dispenser is unfolded or unrolled inside the film cavity and a foam precursor is pumped through the dispenser and into the mold cavity. The dispenser has multiple outlets (16) through which the foam precursor enters the mold cavity. This permits a more uniform distribution of the foam precursor throughout the mold cavity and reduces defects while improving product quality.
Claims10
A process for making a molded polymeric foam, comprising
- a) introducing a folded or rolled multilayer film fluid dispenser through a mold opening into a mold cavity, wherein the multilayer film fluid dispenser comprises
- (i) at least one first flexible film substrate layer and
- (ii) at least one second flexible film substrate layer,
- wherein the first flexible film substrate layer is bonded to the second flexible film substrate layer forming a multilayer film member;
- and
- (iii) at least one duct in fluid communication with at least one inlet and a plurality of outlets, the at least one duct being disposed between the first and second flexible film substrate layers and forming one or more paths for a fluid to pass through the multilayer film member from the at least one inlet of the duct to the plurality of outlets of the duct;
- b) unfolding or unrolling the multilayer film fluid dispenser inside the mold;
- and
- c) flowing a polymeric foam precursor fluid into the at least one inlet, through the at least one duct of the unfolded or unrolled multilayer film fluid dispenser and out of the plurality of outlets into the mold cavity;
- and then performing a curing step by curing the polymeric foam precursor fluid introduced into the mold cavity through the multilayer film fluid dispenser to produce the molded polymeric foam in the mold cavity.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.