SHAPED FOAM

摘要

Articles comprising compressible foam in for example strip, block or pad form are disclosed in which the external shape is maintained by welded seams. Uniformly curved or shaped surfaces are preserved by the inherent resilience of the foam material which enables foam cords of substantially circular cross-section to be provided which are of use in painting as masking tape, particularly in the automobile industry. The articles may also be used as the basis for abrasive pads and wiping blocks, and may bear a surface coating of decorative or functional utility depending on the eventual purpose of the article. The articles are typically produced by shaping and/or cutting the article from foam webs using blunt edges which serve to compress the material and form the welded seams. Cold welds created by such compression are preferred.