Process for producing an expansion-molded article

A method for continuously producing an expansion-molded article, which comprises feeding foamed particles between a belt continuously traveling along an upper surface within a passageway defined by structural members and having a rectangular form in section and a belt continuously traveling along a lower surface within the passageway, and then causing the foamed particles to successively pass through a super heated steam-feeding region wherein the foamed particles are heated with steam to mutually fusion-bond the foamed particles to form a molded article and a cooling region wherein the so-formed molded article is cooled within the passageway, said foamed particles being transferred to the super heated steam-feeding region after the foamed particles are compressed on the upstream side of the super heated steam-feeding region, and then released from a part or the whole of the compression,

• wherein the foamed particles used are foamed particles of a polyolefin resin and said foamed particles of a polyolefin resin having a recovery factor from compression of at least 80%
• said recovery factor from compression being defined by the following equation (1):
• Recovery factor from compression (%)=V.sub.2 /V.sub.1 .times.100(1)
• wherein
• V.sub.1 is the original bulk volume of the foamed particles, and
• V.sub.2 is a bulk volume of the foamed particles measured upon elapsed time of 10 seconds after the foamed particles are compressed to a bulk volume of 60% based on the original bulk volume, and the compressive force is then removed.