Blow-molded foam

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11045982-B2
Application number	US-201916457846-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 28, 2019
Priority date	Mar 31, 2008
Publication date	Jun 29, 2021
Grant date	Jun 29, 2021

Abstract

An object of the invention is to provide a blow-molded foam which has homogeneous foamed cells in size, is light in weight, and is excellent in surface smoothness, and a process for producing the same. The invention is directed to a blow-molded foam 1 having a wall portion formed in such a manner that a thermoplastic resin containing a foaming agent mixed therewith is subjected to blow molding. Herein, the wall portion has a closed cell structure in which a plurality of foamed cells are contained. The wall portion has an expansion ratio of not less than 2.0 times. The wall portion has an outer face having a center-line average surface roughness Ra of less than 9.0 μm. The foamed cell has a cell diameter having a standard deviation of less than 40 μm in a thickness direction of the wall portion.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A blow-molded foam formed in such a manner that a thermoplastic resin containing a foaming agent mixed therewith is subjected to blow molding, wherein
a wall defining the blow-molded foam is in a foamed state having a closed cell structure including a plurality of foamed cells,
the foamed cells have flat shapes in a direction orthogonal to a thickness direction of the wall,
the foamed cells have an average cell diameter of less than 300 μm in the thickness direction of the wall,
the foamed cells have cell diameters having a standard deviation of less than 40 μm in the thickness direction of the wall.

2. The blow-molded foam according to claim 1 , wherein the wall has an average thickness of not more than 3.5 mm and an expansion ratio of not less than 2.0 times.

3. The blow-molded foam according to claim 1 , wherein the foamed cells have the average cell diameter of greater than 100 μm in the thickness direction of the wall.

4. The blow-molded foam according to claim 3 , wherein cell diameters of the foamed cells in the thickness direction of the wall are at least three times smaller than corresponding dimensions of the foamed cells in the direction orthogonal to the thickness direction of the wall.

5. The blow-molded foam according to claim 1 , wherein cell diameters of the foamed cells in the thickness direction of the wall are at least three times smaller than corresponding dimensions of the foamed cells in the direction orthogonal to the thickness direction of the wall.

6. The blow-molded foam according to claim 1 , wherein the thermoplastic resin is a polyolefin-based resin.

7. The blow-molded foam according to claim 6 , wherein the polyolefin-based resin includes a propylene homopolymer having a long-chain branched structure.

8. The blow-molded foam according to claim 1 , which is a climate control duct for a vehicle.

9. A blow-molded foam comprising a wall portion formed in such a manner that a thermoplastic resin containing a foaming agent mixed therewith is subjected to blow molding, wherein
the wall portion has a closed cell structure in which a plurality of foamed cells are contained,
the wall portion has an expansion ratio of not less than 2.0 times,
the foamed cell has a cell diameter having a standard deviation of less than 40 μm in a thickness direction of the wall portion.

10. The blow-molded foam according to claim 9 wherein the thermoplastic resin is a polyolefin-based resin.

11. The blow-molded foam according to claim 10 , wherein an average cell diameter of the foamed cell in the thickness direction of the wall portion is less than 300 μm.

12. The blow-molded foam according to claim 10 , wherein an average cell diameter of the foamed cell in the thickness direction of the wall portion is less than 100 μm, and the standard deviation of the cell diameter of the foamed cell in the thickness direction of the wall portion is less than 30 μm.

13. The blow-molded foam according to claim 10 , wherein the polyolefin-based resin is a propylene homopolymer having a long-chain branched structure.

14. The blow-molded foam according to claim 13 , wherein an average cell diameter of the foamed cell in the thickness direction of the wall portion is less than 300 μm.

15. The blow-molded foam according to claim 13 , wherein an average cell diameter of the foamed cell in the thickness direction of the wall portion is less than 100 μm, and the standard deviation of the cell diameter of the foamed cell in the thickness direction of the wall portion is less than 30 μm.

16. The blow-molded foam according to claim 9 , wherein an average cell diameter of the foamed cell in the thickness direction of the wall portion is less than 300 μm.

17. The blow-molded foam according to claim 9 , wherein an average cell diameter of the foamed cell in the thickness direction of the wall portion is less than 100 μm, and the standard deviation of the cell diameter of the foamed cell in the thickness direction of the wall portion is less than 30 μm.

18. The blow-molded foam according to claim 9 , wherein the closed cell structure has a closed cell ratio of not less than 70%.

19. The blow-molded foam according to claim 9 , wherein the wall portion has an average thickness of not more than 3.5 mm.

Assignees

• Kyoraku Co Ltd

Inventors

• Onodera Masaaki
• Sumi Takehiko
• Tamada Teruo
• Igarashi Yu
• Ohno Yoshinori

Classifications

• B29C44/352 Primary

  Means for giving the foam different characteristics in different directions · CPC title

• B29C49/04114

  for keeping constant thickness · CPC title

• B29C49/0005

  characterised by the material · CPC title

• B29C49/0691

  using sheet like material, e.g. sheet blow-moulding from joined sheets · CPC title

• B60H1/00564

  of air ducts · CPC title