Abstract: A method of making a one-piece, unitary lid for a casket comprises providing tooling configured to produce a casket lid having a crown, a pie, a rim and a header, providing settable material, preferably a mixture of wood chips and binder, from which to mold the lid, molding the settable material with the tooling and permitting the settable material to set. The tooling transmits a wood grain pattern into the settable material. The wood grain pattern of the lid is continuous when viewed rotated 180° about an axis perpendicular to the plane defined by the lid, located medially of the transverse extent of the lid and coinciding with the header end edge of the lid. Thus two such caps placed end-to-end have a continuous wood grain pattern extending from the head end of the casket to the foot end of the casket. Resin impregnated tissue paper is applied to the settable material prior to molding. The resin impregnated tissue paper conforms to the wood grain and conceals the wood chips.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of producing rebonded foam blocks in a box mould having a base, a plurality of mutually adjacent mould side walls standing thereupon and a plunger movable in the direction of the base, in which at least one of the mould side walls may be swiveled about a substantially horizontal swivel axis mounted on the base between an outwardly directed position and a substantially vertical position, the method involving mixing the foam flakes with a binder, swiveling at least one of the mould side walls outwards such that the cross-sectional area of the box mould increases from the bottom upwards, introducing the foam flakes into the box mould, adjusting the at least one mould side wall so that the cross-sectional area of the box mould is substantially constant over its height, compressing the foam flakes by means of the plunger to the desired density or foam block height, thereby bonding together the foam flakes and removing the finished foam block from the mould.

Abstract: Polymer fiber interconnects are produced between microscale features on substrate using only electrostatic forces. In one embodiment, electric field driven directed growth of fibers is achieved between microscale droplets of a concentrated polymer solution deposited on a substrate associated with a capacitor, such as an interdigitated capacitor. After depositing the droplets, the droplets on or near the positive electrode become positively charged and the droplets on or near the negative electode become negatively charged. Fibers form between the positively and negatively charged droplets due to electrostatic forces. In a second embodiment, positively charged and negatively droplets are created by electrospraying or by other means, and the fibers spontaneously form between droplets of opposite polarity. The process is similar to conventional electrospinning, but is achieved on a micrscopic scale and utilizes significantly lower driving potentials.

Abstract: To manufacture a multi-core press-coated molded product efficiently and in a single step from molding materials, namely, powder or granular particles, a punch has been devised that is characterized in that the punch, consists of a center punch whose tip portion is split into two or more parts, and an outer punch enclosing the outer perimeter of the center punch, and whose tip portion fills the gap at the tip portion of the center punch, with both the center and outer punches being slidable and manipulatable for compression operation the method of manufacturing a multi-core press-coated molded product using the punch of the invention as compression molding means for at least the upper punch and preferably for both the upper and lower punches, and a rotary compression molding machine therefore is also discribed.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a prosthetic bone implant made of a hardened calcium phosphate cement having an apatitic phase as a major phase, which includes a dense cortical portion bearing the majority of load and a porous cancellous portion allowing a rapid blood/body fluid penetration and tissue ingrowth.

Abstract: A method for producing woody moldings and an apparatus for producing woody moldings that can reduce the number of processing steps and shorten the processing time. Cellulose based fine powdery particles and thermoplastic resin are kneaded and dissolved into a mixed material, and the mixed material is cooled and agitated into a powdery particulate solid. Then, the powdery particulate solid is molded into a predetermined shape.

Abstract: Provided is an aerosol method, and accompanying apparatus, for preparing powdered products of a variety of materials involving the use of an ultrasonic aerosol generator (106) including a plurality of ultrasonic transducers (120) underlying and ultrasonically energizing a reservoir of liquid feed (102) which forms droplets of the aerosol. Carrier gas (104) is delivered to different portions of the reservoir by a plurality of gas delivery ports (136) delivering gas from a gas delivery system. The aerosol is pyrolyzed to form particles, which are then cooled and collected. The invention also provides powders made by the method and devices made using the powders.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing powders of oxides in a nanometer level through a direct current plasma thermal reaction is disclosed. The energy required is provided by the plasma that is generated in the non-transferred DC plasma apparatus. Once the solid precursors are introduced into the plasma, the solid precursors are vaporized and oxidized in the plasma reaction region of the non-transferred DC plasma apparatus continuously. Then, the oxide powders in a nanometer scale can form homogeneously and continuously. By controlling the nozzle size, the speed of the plasma can be adjusted and the coarsening and agglomeration of the nanopowders can be effectively prevented. Finally, oxide nanopowders of high-purity and high-dispersity are obtained by cooling down the plasma gas containing the vaporized and oxidized precursor through a vortical cooling-gas.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a prosthetic bone implant made of a hardened calcium phosphate cement having an apatitic phase as a major phase, which includes a dense cortical portion bearing the majority of load and a porous cancellous portion allowing a rapid blood/body fluid penetration and tissue ingrowth.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a prosthetic bone implant made of a hardened calcium phosphate cement having an apatitic phase as a major phase, which includes a dense cortical portion bearing the majority of load and a porous cancellous portion allowing a rapid blood/body fluid penetration and tissue ingrowth.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a prosthetic bone implant made of a hardened calcium phosphate cement having an apatitic phase as a major phase, which includes a dense cortical portion bearing the majority of load and a porous cancellous portion allowing a rapid blood/body fluid penetration and tissue ingrowth.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a prosthetic bone implant made of a hardened calcium phosphate cement having an apatitic phase as a major phase, which includes a dense cortical portion bearing the majority of load and a porous cancellous portion allowing a rapid blood/body fluid penetration and tissue ingrowth.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a method for making a molded calcium phosphate article including impregnating a rigid shaped article of calcium phosphate in an impregnating liquid for a period of time so that a compressive strength of the resulting impregnated article removed from the impregnating liquid is increased compared to that of the rigid shaped article. The molded calcium phosphate article made according to the present invention may be used as a medical implant or a reinforcing constituent of a composite.

Abstract: A vascular prosthesis comprising a first layer having a predetermined first porosity and a second layer having a predetermined second porosity, wherein the first layer and the second layer are each made of first and second electrospun polymer fibers.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a prosthetic bone implant made of a hardened calcium phosphate cement having an apatitic phase as a major phase, which includes a dense cortical portion bearing the majority of load and a porous cancellous portion allowing a rapid blood/body fluid penetration and tissue ingrowth.

Abstract: The present invention is a method of forming and heating a compressed composite wood product. The method includes introducing a mat assembly of resinated discrete wood elements into an oscillating compression press. Once the material is within the oscillating compression press, the compression/release oscillation is controlled to form the material. Specifically, the compression/release oscillation is controlled to heat the mat assembly to a to at least a cure temperature of the resin.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method of manufacturing a spherical seamless capsule formed by encapsulating a filler material such as a medicine with a capsule shell material such as gelatin. A concentric multiple nozzle is positioned above the liquid surface of a curing liquid such that the tip of the nozzle faces down. A concentric columnar composite flow which is discharged from this concentric multiple nozzle and which is composed of a filler material and a capsule shell material outside the filler material is immersed in the curing liquid, and cut in the curing liquid to form a droplet. The capsule shell material of the droplet is cured by the curing liquid, and thereby a seamless capsule is formed. Since, the droplet is not dropped into the curing liquid, no deformation of the droplet caused by collision against the liquid surface occurs. The tip of the multiple nozzle is positioned above the liquid surface of the curing liquid.

Abstract: An apparatus for manufacturing a polymer fiber shell from liquefied polymer is provided. The apparatus includes: (a) a precipitation electrode being for generating the polymer fiber shell thereupon; (b) a dispenser, being at a first potential relative to the precipitation electrode so as to generate an electric field between the precipitation electrode and the dispenser, the dispenser being for: (i) charging the liquefied polymer thereby providing a charged liquefied polymer; and (ii) dispensing the charged liquefied polymer in a direction of the precipitation electrode; and (c) a subsidiary electrode being at a second potential relative to the precipitation electrode, the subsidiary electrode being for modifying the electric field between the precipitation electrode and the dispenser.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method of manufacturing expanded graphite products. The method comprises the steps of a) compressing expanded graphite to form a graphite thin film, b) milling the graphite thin film to form graphite flakes, and c) placing the graphite flakes in a mold and compressing the graphite flakes to form a predetermined shape, wherein during at least any one of the steps a), b) and c), a binder is mixed with the expanded graphite. There are provided advantageous effects that as the density of the expanded graphite product increases through respective manufacturing steps, not only are initial equipment costs reduced due to minimized equipment, but also an expanded graphite product having a uniform density and a closely packed structure is provided. Additionally, since the expanded graphite product is finally compressed in the mold, the expanded graphite product does not have directional preference and can be formed into various shapes.

Abstract: A method is shown for briquetting quicklime fines. A source of quicklime or dolomitic quicklime fines is combined with a binder in the form of a pseudo-plastic carbon containing material which will deform under briquetting conditions of elevated temperature and pressure and flow and which will also return to a solid phase and bind the quicklime fines upon cooling. An external force is applied to the mixture of fines and binder, as with a briquetting machine, sufficient to form the mixture into a briquette having requisite strength and durability characteristics. Suitable classes of carbon containing materials include Gilsonite®, a solid coal tar pitch and recycled plastics such as polyethylene and polypropylene.