Steven R Powers

US Patent:

8080194, Dec 20, 2011

Filed:

Jun 15, 2009

Appl. No.:

12/484980

Inventors:

Krishna Nadella - Seattle WA, US
Steven Powers - Everett WA, US
Thomas Malone - Bellingham WA, US

Assignee:

MicroGREEN Polymers, Inc. - Arlington WA

International Classification:

B29C 44/34
B29C 47/76
B29C 71/00

US Classification:

264 51, 264 50, 264102, 264234, 425 4 R

Abstract:

Disclosed herein are methods and pressure vessels for solid-state microcellular processing of thermoplastic rolls and sheets. In one embodiment, the present invention is directed to a method for making a gas impregnated interleaved roll, which method comprises: providing a pressure vessel having an internal pressure chamber and a rotatable shaft horizontally positioned within the pressure chamber; placing an interleaved roll about the rotatable shaft and within the pressure chamber, wherein the interleaved roll is made from a thermoplastic material sheet interleaved together with a gas-channeling material sheet; pressurizing the pressure chamber to a selected pressure; rotating the rotatable shaft having the interleaved roll thereabouts (thereby rotating the interleaved roll) while under pressure for a selected period of time; and depressurizing the internal chamber to yield the gas impregnated interleaved roll. In other embodiments, the invention is directed to multi-chambered pressure vessels for gas impregnation of thermoplastic rolls, sheets, and films.

US Patent:

20100112301, May 6, 2010

Filed:

Nov 4, 2009

Appl. No.:

12/612652

Inventors:

Steven Ray Powers - Everett WA, US

Assignee:

MicroGREEN Polymers, Inc. - Arlington WA

International Classification:

B32B 3/00
B32B 37/02
B32B 37/00

US Classification:

428174, 156543, 156 60, 428175

Abstract:

The present invention relates to apparatuses and methods for making interleaved cylindrical rolls from a polymer roll and a porous roll. The interleaved rolls disclosed herein are useful for subsequent high pressure gas impregnation and solid-state foam processing. In one embodiment, an interleaving apparatus comprises: a first rotatable platform for unwinding a first cylindrical roll of a first sheet material, the first rotatable platform being rotatable about a first central axis; a second rotatable platform for unwinding a second cylindrical roll of a second sheet material, the second rotatable platform being rotatable about a second central axis; and a third rotatable platform for winding, while the first and second materials are unwinding, the first sheet material together with the second sheet material to yield the interleaved cylindrical roll, the third rotatable platform being rotatable about a third axis and proximate to the first and second rotatable platforms.