Types of materials manufactured with the RIM process
The two major material categories are foams and elastomers. Foams can be rigid or flexible,
and contain a cell structure of some kind. Microcellular foams are the result of direct
dissolution of inert gases (like nitrogen, argon or carbon dioxide) into a melted polymer
stream. Microcellular foams are typically thermoplastic related, not thermoset related.
Elastomers are all solid but have differing durometers; in other words, they can be very
soft or gel-like (shoe inserts) or very rigid (automotive aftermarket styling kits).