Patent ID: 7837910

Claim:
A method of making a molded article with a hardened skin during a single heating cycle, comprising: providing a flow molding apparatus comprising a first mold and a second mold; adjusting a power factor of at least one of the first and second molds so as to control a thickness of a hardened skin to be formed on the molded article; mixing a formable material with a blowing agent to form a foam material; placing the foam material in the flow molding apparatus such that a first surface of the foam material is in contact with the first mold of the apparatus and a second surface of the foam material is in contact with the second mold of the apparatus; heating the foam material in the flow molding apparatus such that, at the end of the heating cycle, (i) a portion of the foam material exceeds a decomposition temperature of the blowing agent and is blown and (ii) a remaining portion of the foam material remains under the decomposition temperature of the blowing agent and is not blown to thereby form the thickness of the hardened skin on the molded article.