Process for preparing a synthetic wood

Claim 1

In a process for preparing a foamed thermoplastic article wherein a softened foamable thermoplastic resin is passed through an orifice of a die and is permitted to expand after passing through said orifice, the improvement comprising: a. passing the softened thermoplastic resin through an orifice having a cross-section corresponding substantially to the cross-section of the desired article and having a plurality of recesses on the outer periphery thereof, said recesses extending toward the inlet side of said orifice, (b) allowing the resin to expand to form a foamed shaped article having peaks and valleys on the surface thereof corresponding to the recesses of said orifice, and thereafter, c. pressing the surface of said article while it is in a softened state so as to level the peaks and to provide a smooth-surfaced shaped article having surface structure characterized by high density portions corresponding to said peaks and low density portions corresponding to said valleys.