Production of formed polystyrene bead foam covered on its surface with cloth skin

Abstract

Abstract PURPOSE:To produce a formed polystyrene bead foam covered on its surface with a cloth skin, by a method wherein a thermoplastic synthetic resin sheet is pasted onto the back face of a cloth skin, the laminate is vacuum-formed, and foamable polystyrene beads are filled into a metal mold cavity and heated. CONSTITUTION:A laminate of a cloth 4 and a thermoplastic resin 5 is softened by heating, the cloth side of the laminate is fitted over the molding surface of a mold 1, and air between the laminate and the molding surface is evacuated through an evacuation hole 11. With molds 1 and 2 fastened together, foamable polystyrene beads 6 are filled into the cavity through a pipe 21. By introducing steam into a vacant chamber 22 of the mold 2, the beads 6 in the cavity is heated to foam, yielding an integrally connected formed polystyrene bead foam 6'. With the introduction of steam stopped, cooling water is introduced into the chamber 22 and into cooling pipes 15 in the mold 1 to cool the molds and the beads. Then the molds are separated to obtain the object.

Inventors

• 👤 Kiyoto Dezuki
• 👤 Satoru Yamada

Bibliographic Details