Abstract: The disclosed microfluidic valves may include a valve body having at least one cavity therein, a gate transmission element separating the cavity into an input gate terminal and an output gate terminal, a gate port configured to convey drive fluid into the input gate terminal, and a fluid channel. The gate transmission element may include a flexible membrane and a plunger coupled to the flexible membrane. The gate transmission element may be configured to move within the cavity to inhibit a subject fluid flow from an inlet port to an outlet port of the fluid channel upon pressurization of the input gate terminal, and to allow subject fluid flow from the inlet port to the outlet port upon depressurization of the input gate terminal. Various other related systems and methods are also disclosed.

Abstract: A photocuring printing system. A developing drum is rotatable and is light-transmissive; the developing drum and a carrier are oppositely arranged and movable with respect to each other; the developing drum has a developing surface on which an electrostatic latent image is formed by the developing engine; a feeder and the developing surface are oppositely arranged; during a rotation of the developing drum, a photocurable material provided by the feeder is selectively attracted by the electrostatic latent image to form a material layer on the developing surface; the material layer is applied, by the developing drum, on a forming surface of the carrier or a cured model on the carrier; and a curing light beam emitted by a curing light source passes through a material-laying side of the developing drum to irradiate the material layer between the developing drum and the carrier to form a cured layer.

Abstract: A dunnage conversion system includes a machine for converting a stock material into a strip of relatively lower-density dunnage, a coiling mechanism for winding the strip into a coil, a taping mechanism for automatically securing a trailing end of the strip to the coil, and a coil ejecting mechanism for automatically removing the coil from the coiling mechanism. The taping mechanism includes a guide surface between an outlet of the machine and the coiling mechanism to guide the strip to the coiling mechanism and to guide tape for engagement with a trailing end of the strip and to secure the trailing end of the strip to the coil. The coil ejecting mechanism includes a lever arm that pivots to push the completed coil off the coiling mechanism.

Abstract: A structural member including a lightweight core, one or more skins, and a crosslinking nanolayer interposed therebetween that results in significant mechanical strength in the structure. The core is a polymer of reduced density by way of included voids, such as an open or closed cell foam, honeycomb, or corrugated structure. The core polymer has a lower density and may have a higher softening or melting temperature than the polymer skin materials. The core may be discontinuous at the interface with the skin such that only a small percentage of the core surface is actually in contact with the skin compared to the overall area of the interface. The skin may be a thermoplastic layer that attaches to the core material. The skin may be a composite material including non-thermoplastic reinforcements. The crosslinking nanolayer is covalently bonded to the surface of the core material and provides molecular compatibility with the skin material.

Abstract: A crane mat is disclosed having a plurality of panels of lumber positioned in alternating transverse directions with respect to one another, where the top and bottom panels are oriented parallel to the direction of vehicular traffic. The top and bottom panels may include a plurality of spaced apart grooves extending longitudinally from a first longitudinal end of the crane mat to a second longitudinal end of the crane mat for enhancing traction of a vehicle when traversing across the crane mat by transporting rain or moisture off the mat, or for receiving mud or other debris. The crane mat may include a plurality of edge protectors positioned on respective sides of the crane mat to protect the crane mat from handling damage. In various embodiments, the crane mat may be manufactured using either softwood, hardwood, or any combination of softwood and hardwood.

Abstract: Method of manufacturing a substrate with a cut thermal film comprises obtaining an input digital image of a design to be transferred to the substrate; storing the input image in memory; rendering design elements of the design as a single output image; based upon a bleed size value, a maximum number of negative areas, a maximum number of positive areas, and attribute values: resizing the image to include a border for bleed; filling transparent areas of the image with the substrate attribute values; creating a cutting path; creating a mask image; inverting the mask image; modifying the mask image to adjust fill areas around details, to limit negative areas to be less than the maximum number of negative areas, and to limit positive areas to be less than the maximum number of positive areas; creating cutting path data in memory as a vector path outlining the mask image.

Abstract: The present invention provides an apparatus for recycling composite material and a method for recycling composite material by using same, the apparatus including: a mixing tank in which pulverized products of fiber-reinforced waste plastic are dispersed and mixed in water together with a filler, thereby forming a composite material mixture; a fixing agent addition part for forming a recyclable material by supplying, to the composite material mixture, a fixing agent that aggregates the pulverized products of the fiber-reinforced waste plastic and the filler; and a filtering tank in which the recyclable material is supplied such that a recyclable composite sheet is formed.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus and system for decorating plastic articles having an uneven surface or hollow structure are disclosed. An assembly comprising a transfer pad and a flexible heat transfer die comprising a thermal interface material (TIM) replace the hard rubber die in a hot-stamping process to fuse indicia into the surface. The assembly modifies ordinary pad printing into a hot-stamping process that transfers indicia onto uneven surfaces. A pad printing machine or other robotics is used to move the assembly from a position of heating to a position of compressing the ink transfer to the surface of the article.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to an acoustical baffle that has use in vehicle interiors, such as an interior headliner. In particular, the baffle can provide improved acoustics while maintaining a desired airflow resistance and can be configured to provide for different sound attenuation characteristics at selected locations of the baffle construction.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for forming a composite structure. A plurality of consolidated overbraided thermoplastic preforms are co-consolidated in a circumferential stackup that is circumferentially constrained. Fibers of the plurality of consolidated overbraided thermoplastic preforms are tensioned during co-consolidation.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods for isolating a composite material from the environment, as well as the isolated composite material. Also disclosed herein are methods for shaping a composite material that include the use of isolated composite materials. For example, disclosed is a method for mechanical thermoforming of a composite material to form a shaped composite material.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a polyimide-based composite carbon film with high thermal conductivity and a preparation method therefor. The preparation method includes: uniformly coating the surface of a polyimide-based carbon film with an aqueous graphene oxide solution, and then covering the same with another polyimide-based carbon film uniformly coated with an aqueous graphene oxide solution; repeating such operation; after the polyimide-based carbon films are dried, bonding the polyimide-based carbon films by means of graphene oxide so as to form a thick film; bonding the polyimide-based carbon films more tightly by means of further low-temperature hot pressing; and finally, obtaining a thick polyimide-based carbon film with high thermal conductivity by repairing defects by means of low-temperature heating pre-reduction and high-temperature and high-pressure thermal treatment.

Abstract: Provided are a method and an apparatus for manufacturing a fiber-reinforced resin molding material by which, when the fiber-reinforced resin molding material is manufactured, separated fiber bundles can be supplied to a cutting machine in stable condition while avoiding the influence of meandering of the fiber bundles or slanting or meandering of filaments occurring in the fiber bundles. A method for manufacturing a sheet-shaped fiber-reinforced resin molding material in which spaces between filaments of cut-out fiber bundles (CF) are impregnated with resin includes, so that a condition of the following expression (1) is satisfied, intermittently separating fibers of the continuous fiber bundles (CF) in a longitudinal direction by a rotational blade (18) serving as a fiber separating part and cutting out the fiber bundles with an interval therebetween in a longitudinal direction of a cutting machine (13A) to obtain the cut-out fiber bundles (CF).

Abstract: A method for forming fiber composite preforms, the preform (1) include a web (2), a flange (3) and a bent part (2.1), and the method includes: laying-up a laminate (4) onto a tooling (5), the laminate (4) comprising lateral and transverse edges (4.1, 4.2) and the tooling (5) comprising a male part (7) comprising a surface (7.1) and a lateral wall (7.2), the web (2) being configured to be located over the surface (7.1) of the male part (7) and the flange (3) being configured to be located over the lateral wall (7.2) of the male part (7); forming the preform (1) over the male part (7); clamping the lateral edges (4.2) of the laminate (4) to the tooling (5) such that the web (2) and the flange (3) of the laid-up laminate (4) are kept under tensional loads, and bending a longitudinal portion of the male part (7).

Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods for isolating a composite material from the environment, as well as the isolated composite material. Also disclosed herein are methods for shaping a composite material that include the use of isolated composite materials. For example, disclosed is a method for mechanical thermoforming of a composite material to form a shaped composite material.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods for isolating a composite material from the environment, as well as the isolated composite material. Also disclosed herein are methods for shaping a composite material that include the use of isolated composite materials. For example, disclosed is a method for mechanical thermoforming of a composite material to form a shaped composite material.

Abstract: The present disclosure describes techniques for fabricating a textile article from a laminate formed by curing a reinforced fiber matrix and a resin substrate. The resin substrate may include iron oxide particles, such as iron oxide, Fe3O4, that are capable of absorbing and attenuating RF signals within a desired RF signal range, namely 0 GHz-3 GHz, 3 GHz, ?8 GHz, and greater than or equal to 10 GHz. The iron oxide particles may include Fe3O4Fe, Fe3O4Ni, or Fe3O4, and/or so forth. Each iron oxide particle is selected based on the RF signal range that the textile article is intended to absorb. In other words, a change in iron oxide particle composition and proportion by volume may impact the RF signals absorbed and attenuated by the textile article.

Abstract: A method including receiving a model of a composite structure having an inconsistency. The model includes a pre-calculated heating model that specifies areas of the inconsistency for which corresponding different amounts of heating are applied to an uncured composite material that is applied to the inconsistency. A design for heating elements of varying density across the areas is generated from the model. The design is configured to cause the heating elements in a first sub-area of a heat blanket system to generate a first amount of heat in a third area in the areas, and to cause the heating elements in a second sub-area of the heat blanket system to generate a second, different amount of heat in a fourth area of the areas. The heating elements are printed according to the design on a blanket to manufacture the heat blanket system.

Abstract: A method of fabricating a composite material, the method comprises the steps of a) providing a first layer of a fibre reinforced polymer, preferably a thermoset FRP, b) providing an array of thermoplastic islands across at least a proportion of a major surface of the first layer, c) providing a second layer of a fibre reinforced polymer, preferably a thermoset FRP, d) laying the second layer over at least some of the islands, and e) securing the first and second layers together. There is also disclosed a composite which comprises a first layer of a fibre reinforced polymer and a second layer of a fibre reinforced polymer, between which is an intervening layer comprising an array of thermoplastic islands.

Abstract: A method for bonding two elements, the method including receiving first and second elements, the first element being a composite material; applying a laser-based treatment to a surface of the first element to obtain a treated surface; patterning the treated surface to have plural trenches; applying an adhesive to one of the first and second elements; and joining the first element to the second element so that the adhesive is between the first and second elements.