Camouflage foamed polymer with colored pattern mass

Claim 1

A foamed elastomeric material having a nonrepetitive, visual camouflage appearance on its surface and throughout its internal mass, made from cross-linked elastomeric polymers by a curing and foaming process, which comprises: a) compounding in a mixing means various batches of materials comprising (1) uncured cross-linkable elastomeric polymer pieces, (2) a coloring agent, each said batch having a single, uniform color, (3) a blowing agent, which during a curing step forms dispersed bubbles within the elastomeric polymer pieces, and (4) a cross-linking agent; b) cutting the compounded batches of uncured polymer into small pieces, c) feeding into a curing means said small pieces of uncured, compounded elastomeric polymer, each of said small pieces having a single, uniform color with different pieces having different colors, d) curing said small pieces of uncured, compounded elastomeric polymer by simultaneously foaming and cross-linking the uncured cross-linkable elastomeric polymer pieces by compressing the materials in the curing means at a pressure of up to about 2500 psi while heating the materials to a temperature of between about 100° C. and about 500° C. to create a cured elastomeric polymer; e) depressurizing the cured elastomeric polymer to remove excess blowing agent bubbles and to foam the material; f) recovering a cured foamed material; and g) removing the outer skin of the cured foamed material to obtain a nonrepetitive, visual camouflage appearance.