Patent ID: 8663513

Claim:
A method for forming earplugs that are each of a predetermined length, by extruding a foamable material from a nozzle to produce a forwardly-moving extrusion that expands in diameter along an expansion zone, and by shaping the extrusion with earplug-molding cavities that define the shapes of said earplugs by moving dies that define said cavities against opposite sides of said extrusion and moving the dies parallel to the movement of the extrusion, wherein: said step of moving dies includes moving dies into positions closely behind one another at each of said opposite sides of said extrusion to form said earplug-molding cavities between said dies wherein said earplug molding cavities are filled with material of said extrusion, said step of moving said dies closely behind one another includes leaving a space of no more than 10% of the length of each earplug between subsequent dies, wherein: said earplugs each has a predetermined final maximum diameter of about 0.4 inch; said step of extruding includes extruding said foamable material through a nozzle having a throat diameter of no more than 0.05 inch, whereby to provide a long extrusion expansion so the dies form said cavities while said foamable material is still expanding.