Foam material

• US 6,258,868 B1
• Filed: 03/15/1999
• Issued: 07/10/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Gerro Plast GmbH
• Original Assignee: Gerro Plast GmbH
• Inventors: Heymann, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Nutter, Nathan M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Asinovsky, Olga
• Application Number:
  US09/268,863
• Time in Patent Office: 848 Days
• Field of Search: 521/81, 521/139, 521/146, 521/148, 428/36.5, 428/71, 428/314.8
• US Class Current: 521/148
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 2201/03 Extrusion of the foamable blend
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 2353/02 of vinyl aromatic monomers and conjugated dienes
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 9/04 using blowing gases generated by a previously added blowing agent
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 23/0815 Copolymers of ethene with aliphatic 1-olefins
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 2314/06 Metallocene or single site catalysts
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 2666/04 Macromolecular compounds according to groups C08L7/00 - C08L49/00, or C08L55/00 - C08L57/00; Derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 2666/24 Graft or block copolymers according to groups C08L51/00, C08L53/00 or C08L55/02; Derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 53/00 Compositions of block copolymers containing at least one sequence of a polymer obtained by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds; Compositions of derivatives of such polymers
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 53/02 of vinyl-aromatic monomers and conjugated dienes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/233 Foamed or expanded material encased
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/249977 Specified thickness of void-containing component [absolute or relative], numerical cell dimension or density
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2915 including textile, cloth or fabric

Abstract

Polystyrene-based foam material for the production of for example label material, wherein the foaming has been made with a blowing agent and preferably a nucleating agent, wherein the blowing agent is for example a decomposable blowing agent (chemical blowing agent) or consists of for example carbon dioxide, nitrogen gas or even water, and with a thermoplastic elastomeric blend composition consisting of at least one styrenic block copolymer and one homogeneously branched ethylene-interpolymer.

Claims

1. Polystyrene-based foam material, wherein foaming is effected with a blowing agent, wherein the blowing agent is a decomposable blowing agent, carbon dioxide, nitrogen gas or water, with a thermoplastic elastomeric blend composition consisting of at least one styrenic block copolymer and one homogeneously branched ethylene-interpolymer.

2. Foam according to claim 1, having a density of lower than 0.8 g/cm³.

3. Foam according to claim 2, having a density of 0.06-0.75 g/cm³.

4. Foam according to claim 1 having a thickness of lower than 0.7 mm.

5. Foam according to claim 1 having a thickness of lower than 0.2 mm.

6. Foam according to claim 5, having a thickness of 0.06-0.195 mm.

21. Foam according to claim 1 having a thickness of lower than 0.5 mm.

22. Foam according to claim 1 having a thickness of lower than 0.4 mm.

7. A foam material comprising a thermoplastic elastomeric blend composition consisting of at least one styrenic block copolymer and one homogeneously branched ethylene-interpolymer, said elastomeric blend composition foamed with a blowing agent.

8. The foam material of claim 7, further comprising a nucleating agent.

9. The foam material of claim 8, wherein said nucleating agent is selected from talc, sodium carbonate, ammonium carbonate, calcium carbonate, clay or citric acid.

10. The foam material of claim 8, wherein said blowing agent is a decomposable blowing agent.

11. The foam material of claim 8, wherein said blowing agent is selected from carbon dioxide, nitrogen gas or water.

12. The foam material of claim 8, wherein said nucleating agent is present at a concentration of from about 0.01 weight percent to about 2.0 weight percent.

13. The foam material of claim 12, wherein said styrenic block copolymer and said homogeneously branched ethylene-interpolymer are present in said elastomeric blend composition in a ratio of from about 40:

60 to about 99;

1, respectively.

14. The foam material of claim 13, wherein said styrenic block copolymer and said homogeneously branched ethylene-interpolymer are present in said elastomeric blend composition in a ratio of from about 60:

40 to about 85;

15, respectively.

15. The foam material of claim 14, wherein said styrenic block copolymer and said homogeneously branched ethylene-interpolymer are present in said elastomeric blend composition in a ratio of from about 70:

30 to about 85;

15, respectively.

16. The foam material of claim 13, having a density less than 0.8 g/cm³.

17. The foam material of claim 16, having a density from about 0.6 to about 0.75 g/cm³.

18. The foam material of claim 16, having a thickness less than 0.4 mm.

19. The foam material of claim 18, having a thickness less than 0.2 mm.

20. The foam material of claim 19, having a thickness of from about 0.06 to about 0.195 mm.