THERMOPLASTIC RESIN FOAM AND PROCESS FOR PRODUCING THE SAME

摘要

A thermoplastic resin foam which is excellent in strength, flexibility, cushioning properties, strain recovery, etc. and is especially reduced in cell structure shrinkage caused by recovery force of the resin. The thermoplastic resin foam is characterized by being obtained by foam-molding a thermoplastic resin composition comprising a thermoplastic elastomer and an actinic-energy-ray-curable resin to form a foamed structure and then irradiating the foamed structure with actinic energy rays to form a crosslinked structure of the actinic-energy-ray-curable resin in the foamed structure. The thermoplastic resin foam may be characterized by being obtained by foam-molding a thermoplastic resin composition comprising a thermoplastic elastomer, an actinic-energy-ray-curable resin, and a heat-crosslinking agent to form a foamed structure, subsequently irradiating the foamed structure with actinic energy rays to form a crosslinked structure of the actinic-energy-ray-curable resin in the foamed structure, and then heating the resultant foamed structure to form a crosslinked structure by the action of the heat-crosslinking agent in the foamed structure.