Abstract: An apparatus is provided for forming many recesses on the surface of a nonmetallic or metallic material for a plated product. The apparatus comprises a needle or a drawn wire material of a diameter of 3˜95 &mgr;m, a retainer means for retaining the base portion of the needle or the drawn wire material so that the needle or drawn wire material is inclined at angles of more than 45 degrees, but less than 90 degrees, to said surface of said material, a material-fixing means to fix the material, and a means for raising or lowering the retainer means. In another embodiment a cutting blade is provided.

Abstract: A plated product is provided which comprises a material of which the surface has many recesses, each having an opening of 5˜100 &mgr;m and a depth of 0.2 d˜d (d: the size of the opening of a recess, &mgr;m) and having an anchor portion. Further, a plurality of grooves are provided on the surface of the material. The width of the opening of each groove and the depth of each groove have specified values. The groove can be provided at each of both edges of its opening with a ridge portion. The angle of said groove to the surface of the material is within a range of specified values. A part of the thin film of metal enters the anchor portions of the recesses or grooves, so that the plated metal produced by this invention has a superior technical effect in that the thin film of metal hardly peels off the surface of the material.

Abstract: A plated product and apparatus for forming recesses or grooves on material to be plated to produce such a product. The product includes material having a surface having many recesses, each having an opening of size d, where d is in the range 5-100 microns, a depth in the range from 0.2 d to d, or many grooves. In preferred embodiments, each groove or recess has an anchor portion. In some embodiments, each groove has a ridge portion at each of both edges of its opening. The angle of each groove to the surface of the material and each groove's depth and opening width are preferably in specified ranges. When the material is plated, part of the thin metal film enters the anchor portions of its grooves or recesses, so that the plated metal has superior capacity to resist peeling off of the plated metal.

Abstract: A balloon storage system which is disclosed wherein comprises at least one cylinder-like or bag-like storage for storing balloons packed therein, which is formed by locking meshes at any places of a pet having meshes of a diameter smaller than the diameter of the balloon, so that the balloons packed in the storage can be released off to the outside by releasing the locking of the openable locations of the locked portions of the net to open the storage. In this balloon storage system, the openable locations of the net is releasably locked by chain-binding with a knot smaller in diameter than the diameter of the balloon by means of a locking element.