Abstract: When a raw material graphite film bad in flatness is laminated onto another material, creases and other defects may be caused. In particular, when a graphite film having a large area is laminated, defects such as creases may be often caused. In order to solve such defects, a flatness correction treatment step is performed wherein a raw material graphite film is subjected to heat treatment up to 2000° C. or higher while a pressure is applied thereto. This flatness correction treatment gives a graphite film good in flatness. Furthermore, when the flatness of the raw material graphite film is corrected by use of a thermal expansion of a core, a graphite film small in sagging can be obtained.

Abstract: The present invention is generally directed to methods and systems for making thermoformed structural elements and composites, including the use of composites, dissimilar or variable processing materials. End products can have the same outward appearance as those products made by more demanding, more expensive extrusion process or injection process, but the end products can be pre-engineered to have significantly, unexpectedly, improved physical and chemical properties.

Abstract: A foil composite material usable as a layer in a card body of a portable data carrier, that includes one outer plastic layer, one inner plastic layer and one second outer plastic layer. All the layers jointly form a coextruded composite, and the plastic of one outer layer is a thermoplastic polymer or a mixture thereof. The plastic of the one inner layer is a mixture of at least one thermoplastic elastomer and at least one thermoplastic polymer. The plastic of the second outer layer is a thermoplastic polymer or a mixture thereof.

Abstract: Provided is a duct that does not cause defective molding and has a highly sound absorption inner surface which can effectively suppress noise. A duct includes a tubular duct main body and a sound absorption member disposed on the inner surface of the duct main body. The duct has at least one of configurations (1) to (3): (1) the duct main body has a sandwiching part having a pair of opposite wall surfaces, and a side edge of the sound absorption member is sandwiched between the wall surfaces of the sandwiching part; (2) the sound absorption member is pasted to the inner surface of the duct main body with a resin film therebetween; and (3) the sound absorption member and duct main body have parts which are not fused to each other.

Abstract: Styrenic polymer foams having one or two densified major surfaces are produced by applying heat and pressure (4) to such surfaces to soften the polymer and collapse cells adjacent to said surface to form a densified skin on such surface. The heated surface or surfaces are then cooled under pressure to form a foam having an undensified core (7) and densified skins (5) on one or both sides. The partially densified foams are especially useful for forming laminates in which the foam forms a core. Adhesion to external layers (30,32) is improved due to the presence of the densified layer.

Abstract: An insulating structure for an appliance includes an outer layer and an inner layer, wherein an insulating cavity is defined therebetween. A plurality of hollow nano-spheres are disposed within the insulating cavity, wherein each of the hollow nano-spheres includes a diameter in the range of from approximately 50 nanometers to approximately 1000 nanometers and has a wall that defines the internal space, and wherein the wall of each hollow nano-sphere has a thickness that is in a range of from approximately 0.5 nanometers to approximately 100 nanometers. A fill material is disposed in the insulating cavity and wherein the fill material is disposed in the space defined between the plurality of hollow nano-spheres, and wherein the fill material includes at least one of powdered silica, granulated silica, other silica material, aerogel and insulating gas.

Abstract: Provided is a manufacturing method for a fiber-reinforced resin sheet, the method being able to favorably impregnate a reinforcing-fiber base material with a thermoplastic resin. A fiber-reinforced resin sheet S is manufactured by introducing a reinforcing-fiber base material F in sheet form and a thermoplastic resin P into the gap between a pair of impregnating rolls 10A, 10B and impregnating the reinforcing-fiber base material F with the thermoplastic resin P while rotating the pair of impregnating rolls 10A, 10B. The surface of each of the pair of impregnating rolls 10A, 10B has formed thereon a resin holding layer 12 that elastically deforms along the thickness direction thereof when the impregnating rolls are pressed against each other and holds the molten thermoplastic resin P therein so as to be able to discharge the thermoplastic resin P upon pressing of the impregnating rolls against each other.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a composite material having a three-dimensional texture and a method for making the same. The composite material includes a base material and a surface layer. The surface layer is disposed on a surface of the base material, and has a substantially uniform thickness. The surface layer includes at least one first portion and at least one second portion. The first portion is attached to the surface of the base material. The second portion is spaced apart from the surface of the base material to form at least one hole.

Abstract: A method of building a Pre-stressed composite part is described herein. The method includes: fabricating a Pre-stressed composite part with a Prepreg (Pre-impregnated—already Resin coated fabric or tape) ply layup on tool or mandrel; laying conduits at desired locations and to be embedded with chopped fiber (metal or composite); inserting a steel cable into the conduit center and a calculated tension applied to the cable and held by jacks; filling the conduit with a special resin with hardener and allowing the resin to set until the cable is locked in the resin with the applied tension in the cable; removing jacks and leaving permanent anchors at both ends of conduit; applied cable tension creates compression in the part to take more tension for the loads and hence cable tension gives extra strength to the part.

Abstract: A method which allows creation of an ornamental urn from an object such as horns, antlers, rocks, or the like. The method generally includes steps which form an ornamental urn adapted to resemble an object. The ornamental urn may include an access port having a funnel portion leading to an inner cavity adapted to store particulate materials, such as cremated remains. A plug, which may include a burr edge, is also provided to close the access port. The urn is fabricated by coating the object in a first coating to create an object mold, forming a second coating around the object mold to create an outer casing, and uniformly distributing a casting material along the inner walls of the object mold. After the casting material has cured, the ornamental urn may be removed from the object mold and finished to closely resemble the original object.

Abstract: Touch fastener products, as well as apparatus and methods for manufacturing such products, are described. The methods and apparatus feature certain mold cavity shapes that are designed to facilitate demolding of hammer hook touch fastener elements exhibiting desirable fastening properties. Such mold cavity shapes can be combined with particularly soft molding resins to produce useful fastening products.

Abstract: There is provided a method for manufacturing a three-dimensional shaped object, comprising the steps of: (i) forming a solidified layer by irradiating a predetermined portion of a powder layer with a light beam, thereby allowing sintering of the powder of the predetermined portion or melting and subsequent solidification thereof; and (ii) forming another solidified layer by newly forming a powder layer on the resulting solidified layer, and then irradiating another predetermined portion of the new powder layer with the light beam, the steps (i) and (ii) being repeatedly performed, wherein the three-dimensional shaped object is manufactured such that it has three different solidified portions of high-density, intermediate-density and low-density solidified portions in at least a part of the object, and wherein the intermediate-density solidified portion is formed to be located in a part of a surface of the three-dimensional shaped object.

Abstract: Disclosed is a powdery material filling device with a redundant (i.e., excess or waste) powdery material recovering mechanism. The powdery material filling device may be used in a rotary compression molding machine. In certain aspects, the redundant powdery material recovering mechanism is capable of actively recovering and reusing a redundant (i.e., excess or waste) powdery material even upon production of multi-layer tablets.

Abstract: A device for producing a 3 dimensional shaped consolidated product. The device includes a rotary drum, defined as a rotary conveyor with a peripheral surface extending in circumferential direction with at least one product shaping area in the form of a cavity on said peripheral surface, the peripheral surface is pervious to air at least in the product shaping area, at least one material feed device to feed a base material into the at least one cavity, a vacuum device designed to generate a negative pressure at least in the at least one cavity, whereby the generated suction is directed towards the interior of the rotary conveyor, and whereby downstream of the material feed device at least one consolidating device is located such that at least a part of the filled cavity is subjected to a consolidating treatment whereby the base material at least partly will adhere to neighboring material.

Abstract: Methods of forming and/or manufacturing polymeric stents are disclosed. Polymeric stents are also disclosed.

Abstract: There is provided a polarized plastic lens for spectacles configured to be thin having almost the same thickness as the thickness of a normal plastic lens for spectacles, and a method for manufacturing the polarized plastic lens for spectacles, the plastic lens including a first lens base material having an object-side surface; a second lens base material having an eyeball-side surface; and a polarized film provided between the first lens base material and the second lens base material so that a minimum value of a distance between the polarized film and the object-side surface is 0.3 mm or more and 0.7 mm or less.

Abstract: A molding device which can heat molding portions of dies by a simple structure while guaranteeing the durability of the molding portions of the dies, and a method of molding a product using the molding device are provided. A molding device 100 includes a first die 110 and a second die 120 for molding a product PR to be molded. The first die 110 and the second die 120 have a first molding portion 111 and a second molding portion 121 formed at central portions of the surfaces which face each other. Each of the first molding portion 111 and the second molding portion 121 has a three-dimensional shape corresponding to the surface shape of the product PR. Thermal/electrical insulators 113 and 124 are provided around the first molding portion 111 and the second molding portion 121 of the first die 110 and the second die 120.

Abstract: A device for producing an absorbent body includes crushers that are each configured to crush a supplied pulp sheet into fluff pulp and that each include a plurality of rotating blades, a duct in which the fluff pulp is carried by air, and a rotating fiber stacking drum that includes an adsorbent molding section that molds the fluff pulp carried by air from the duct into an absorbent body with a desired shape. Further, the crushers are staggered in an axis direction of the rotating blades.

Abstract: Resin infused composite parts are fabricated using a caul sheet having perforations therein for optimizing the flow of resin through the parts. The method allows for a simplified tooling and consumable arrangement for complex parts while achieving a smooth, aerodynamic caul-side or bag-side finish. The component may be placed in direct contact with a tool, and the caul sheet may be placed in direct contact with the component thereby eliminating the necessity for consumables between these items.

Abstract: Resin infused composite parts are fabricated using a caul sheet having perforations therein for optimizing the flow of resin through the parts and allowing a simplified tooling and consumable arrangement for complex parts while achieving a smooth, aerodynamic caul-side or bag-side finish.