Abstract: A method and apparatus for extruding thermoplastic tubing of reduced eccentricity, in which tubing is extruded into a vacuum calibration box containing a cooling fluid and a sizing collar. An ultrasonic device for measuring wall thicknesses around the periphery of the tubing is located downstream of the sizing collar. The wall measurements are used to determine a critical parameter, and if this critical parameter is outside of a predetermined range, the vacuum calibration box is moved in the direction of greater wall thickness. After a delay which allows the product of the correction to reach the ultrasonic device, the box is again moved if necessary, until the critical parameter is within the predetermined range.

Abstract: A process for the simultaneous drying and crystallization of crystallizable thermoplastic synthetic material (plastic), e.g. polyethylene terephthalate, in which plastic from the melt is extruded in cord form, solidified at the surface by quenching in water and crystallized by gas treatment and dried, using a device for cooling and drying the cord emerging from dies having a casting gutter with its acceptance end arranged beneath the dies and a device producing a flow of coolant on the casting gutter within a quenching section, a subsequent dewatering section in which the casting gutter has apertures for the free flow of the coolant, a subsequent drying section in which the casting gutter has closely spaced nozzles for the passage of gas and a granulator downstream of the drying section. The lengths of the quenching, dewatering and drying sections must be such, taking account of the rate of creep of the cord along the casting gutter, that the passage time in the quenching section is a maximum of some 1.

Abstract: An automobile windshield molding is installed together with a metallic core material against a windshield installed in a window opening section of an automobile body panel. The windshield molding having a decorative section for covering an outside portion of the vehicle body panel and an installation section projecting from a rear side of the decorative section. The molding also includes a metallic core material which acts as a supporting frame for the molding. The metallic core material is disposed from the decorative section to the installation section.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for making U-shaped retaining wall members includes a combination of an extrusion die station, a calibration station, a heavy duty puller such as a tire puller and a travelling saw. The calibration station includes a series of calibration blocks which are spaced apart in an increasing fashion and controllably cooled to subject the extruded product exiting the extruding station to a controlled temperature gradient to prevent thermal shock.

Abstract: A process for the production of a transparent, printable, biaxially oriented polyolefin multilayer film which can be sealed on both sides including (i) coextruding through a flat die melts corresponding to the individual layers of the film, (ii) taking off and cooling to consolidate the resulting film, via a take-off roll, (iii) biaxially stretching the consolidated film, (iv) thermofixing the biaxially stretched film, and (v) covering top layer C with a non-cohesive layer of polydialkylsiloxane.

Abstract: Process for the preparation of ceramic materials for parts having friction surfaces subject to friction and free from auto/self-adhesion under stress or during aging. A precursor of the ceramic undergoes successive operations of pressing, sintering, polishing the surface obtained, cleaning the solid gangue resulting from the polishing, roasting in the presence of oxygen, and a doping treatment for increasing the dielectric susceptibility and homogeneity of the ceramic material adjacent the friction surfaces and to increase the mobility of the charges.

Abstract: A slurry is molded from ceramic fibers and/or microparticles to form a soft felt mat which is impregnated with a sol prior to drying the mat. A catalyst for the sol is caused to diffuse into the mat by exposing the mat to the catalyst and subjecting the mat to a soak time during which the catalyst diffuses into the mat and causes the sol to gel. The sol-gel binder forms bonds so that the mat is dimensionally stabilized. The mat is dried to produce ceramic insulation, ceramic insulation having a consistent microstructure and a fully gelled sol-gel binder through its entire thickness.

Abstract: A method of manufacture is disclosed for a PTCA guiding catheter. The catheter includes a lamination of an inner structural polymer tube, a lubricating means disposed on the inside of the inner structural polymer tube, a reinforcement means embedded at least partially within the inner structural polymer tube, and an outer structural polymer tube embedded at least partially within the reinforcement means and fused at least partially to the inner structural polymer tube.

Abstract: The biaxially oriented films of high molecular weight polyethylene is formed and its surface modified to provide a hydrophilic property to the resulting film. The film is prepared by melt-kneading the high molecular weight polyethylene with an ordinarily solid hydrocarbon plasticizer and a raw fabric sheet is formed from the resulting molten mixture. After the hydrocarbon plasticizer is extracted the resulting unstretched sheet is stretched under conditions providing a stretched film having a specific surface area of 70 m.sup.2 /g or more and a fibril structure. This stretched film is then heated under standard length constraint conditions to reduce the specific surface area of the stretched film by at least 20 m.sup.2 /g to obtain a biaxially oriented film of high molecular weight polyethylene.

Abstract: A method for making differential stiffness tubing for medical products, such as catheters. The method produces a tubing that has a stiff section and a flexible section joined by a relatively short transition section in which the materials of the stiff and flexible sections are wedged into each other in a smooth gradual manner to produce an inseparable bond between the materials without abrupt joints. The method also employs a resin modulating system that minimizes the length of the transition section by minimizing the volumes in all flow channels of the co-extrusion head used to produce the tubing.

Abstract: In a molded surface fastener manufacturing method, molten resin is injected or extruded from an injection die or an extrusion nozzle, and at the same time, a coarse mesh core sheet is introduced between the extruded molten resin and the circumferential surface of a die wheel, which has a multiplicity of hook-element-forming circumferential cavities. The core sheet is forced against the circumferential surface of the die wheel by a pressing force of a press roller or under a molten resin pressure at the time of injection to pass part of the molten resin through pores of the core sheet and to fill in the hook-element-forming cavities. As a result, a multiplicity of hook elements are molded, and at the same time, the core sheet is embedded integrally in a plate-shaped substrate sheet closer to the hook-element-surface side.

Abstract: Laminated ceramic devices useful as an actuator or other device responsive to electrostrictive effects or photoelectric effects are manufactured by a method which includes the steps of forming an internal electrode on each of a plurality of unbaked ceramic sheets. Each of the internal electrodes is provided with a notched area for defining a so-called future space. A plurality of the unbaked ceramic sheets is assembled to form a laminate whereby the notched areas defining the future spaces are alternately located on two different sides of the laminate with the alternate notched areas being vertically aligned. The assembled plurality of ceramic sheets is then fired and the internal electrodes baked to thereby definitively form spaces defined by the notched areas which define the so-called future or void spaces. The resulting formed spaces are thereby alternatively located on different sides of the laminate.

Abstract: Process for forming a dimensionally variable tubular member for use in catheterization procedures. The process includes a mechanism for extruding a tubular member. A variable speed puller pulls the tubular member through or from the extrusion means at a selectively variable speed. A variable air or gas pressure supply supplies pressurized air or gas to the extrusion mechanism at a selectively variable rate. The dimensionally varying tubular member may be cut to desired lengths for use as catheter shafts or catheter soft tips. The process may include forming a tubular member having a dimensionally varying first layer and a dimensionally varying second layer, wherein a portion of the first layer at a distal end of the tubular member is removed.

Abstract: A biaxially oriented polyamide film which has not only excellent bending pinhole resistance and excellent dimensional stability but also excellent tear linearity in the longitudinal direction of the film. More specifically, the invention provides a biaxially oriented polyamide film having a tear linearity in the longitudinal direction of the film, which includes as a main material nylon 6 and an aliphatic polyamide resin mixed in a weight ratio of from 75:25 to 99:1, wherein the difference in surface tension (dyne/cm) between the nylon 6 and the polyamide other than nylon 6 satisfies the following relationship (1)3.0.ltoreq..gamma..sub.A -.gamma..sub.B .ltoreq.15.0 (1)wherein .gamma..sub.A is a surface tension of N6 and .gamma..sub.B is a surface tension of PA.

Abstract: Moisture-shrinkable films can be extrusion blown from flour-poly(methyl acrylate) graft copolymers. The films shrink when exposed at room temperature to relative humidities approaching 100%. The films have potential application in shrink-wrapping irregularly shaped articles without application of heat. Easy removal of the films by water washing is another feature suitable for this use. This invention allows the use of unmodified cereal flour in lieu of gelatinized starch as the substrate for graft polymerization. This substitution greatly simplifies the preparation and isolation of the graft copolymers and reduces the expense of the process by lowering raw material costs.

Abstract: A process for manufacturing carbonaceous parts including the steps of shaping a mixture of carbonaceous powder and bonding agent to form raw parts, cooling the raw parts to ambient temperature at a known rate and firing the cooled parts in a furnace from ambient temperature to a final firing temperature to release volatile particles to produce fired parts devoid of volatile products. This process is improved by placing the raw parts in an electric furnace in the absence of heating filler, heating the raw parts in the furnace to an intermediate temperature of about 200.degree. C. at a fixed initial heating rate such that the loss of volatile products is less than 10% by weight of the total amount of volatile products contained in the raw parts and being a function of the cooling rate such that the internal strain from the shaping and cooling step is freed.

Abstract: Disclosed are a method of manufacturing a synthetic resin part integrally formed with metal members, including the steps of: integrally forming a plurality of metal member sets through coupling portions, each of the metal member sets including a plurality of coupled together metal members; inserting the metal member sets into the molding dies of a forming machine; injecting synthetic resin for molding into the molding die, and forming a synthetic resin part integrally formed with metal members in sequence to form a synthetic resin part continuum where a plurality of synthetic resin parts are connected; and cutting off the coupling portions to manufacture the plurality of synthetic resin parts, and a synthetic resin part manufactured according to the above-mentioned manufacturing method.

Abstract: A vacuum sizing apparatus and method of cooling and sizing plastic extrusions. In one embodiment the molten plastic extrudate enters a first vacuum chamber, passes into an ambient air environment, and then passes into a second water chamber. The first vacuum chamber includes entry and exit sizing plate manifolds to impart and maintain the size and shape of the plastic extrudate.

Abstract: In the embodiments described in the specification, a ceramic piezoelectric plate is polarized by compressing the plate between electrode plates with intervening slightly conductive rubber sheets or by applying electric charge from a corona discharge device to one surface of the plate while the opposite surface is grounded until the applied charge is sufficient to create a breakdown.

Abstract: Process for the preparation of transparent re-usable bottles, which consists in moulding by injection-blow moulding cycle copolymers containing units deriving from terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol characterized in that said copolymers contain from 0.1 to 10% in moles of units deriving from aromatic diacids different from terephthalic acid and from 0.1-15% in moles of units deriving from aromatic hydroxyacids, making reference to the units deriving from terephthalic acid.