Reticulated polyvinyl chloride plastisol foams

A process for producing a reticulated polyvinyl chloride plastisol foam which comprises:

• (a) blending particles of at least one polyvinyl chloride dispersion grade plastisol resin with a stabilizer and a plasticizer to form a plastisol;
• (b) incorporating into the plastisol particles of at least one polyvinyl chloride dryblend resin, which particles will take in plasticizer by absorption and become solvated, each particle receiving a uniform concentration of plasticizer, the particles acting as filler at this point and being dispersed in the plastisol;
• (c) incorporating a frothing agent into the plastisol and mechanically frothing the resulting plastisol composition to form a plastisol froth, the plasticizer being the continuous phase of the froth;
• (d) depositing a layer of the plastisol froth on a backing sheet;
• and,
• (e) converting the plastisol froth to a reticulated foam by heating the plastisol froth to a temperature below the melt temperature of the plastisol froth but sufficient to sequentially (1) first cause the particles of dryblend resin to take in plasticizer by absorption and become solvated, the solvation occurring within a temperature range of from about 130.degree. to about 180.degree. F., (2) second cause the plastisol froth to gel, forming a foam matrix which contains the plasticizer solvated dryblend resin particles, (3) third cause the plasticizer solvated dryblend resin particles to melt onto and become part of the gelled plastisol foam matrix, forming voids where the dryblend resin particles had been, and (4) fourth fuse the gelled plastisol foam matrix, during which heating the melted dryblend resin fuses with and becomes homogeneous with the plastisol foam matrix.