Abstract: A system for pressing one or more stacks of one or more laminae (22), the system comprising: a tool including top (14b) and bottom plates (14a) configured to be disposed on opposing sides of each of one or more stacks (22) of one or more laminae, each of the plates (14a, 14b) having: a center region that overlies or underlies the stack(s) (22) when the stack(s) are disposed between the plates (14a, 14b); and tabs (174) that extend outwardly from edges of the center region and are configured to be coupled to a conveyor or one or more grippers for moving the plate; and a resilient layer (90) configured to be disposed between the top plate and the stack(s) (22) or the bottom plate (14a) and the stack(s) (22); wherein the resilient layer (90) is sized to be disposable between the plates such that, for each of the plates (14a, 14b): the resilient layer (90) overlies or underlies at least 90% of the center region; one or more portions of the resilient layer (90) neither overlie nor underlie the plate; and at least

Abstract: Unidirectional fiber tapes include a matrix material including a thermoplastic material and a plurality of fibers dispersed within the matrix material, wherein the tape has a thickness that is between 0.07 mm and 0.30 mm. The tapes have a mean relative fiber area coverage of from 65 to 90 and a coefficient of variance of from 3 to 20. In the tapes, the fibers comprise carbon fibers, and the tape has a fiber volume fraction that is greater than 50%.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a method and apparatus (14a) for winding a section of each of one or more layers of material (18a) around a mandrel (30) and about a longitudinal axis of the mandrel (30), wherein each layer of material (18a) includes fibers and the winding is performed such that, for the wound section of each layer of material (18a), each of a majority of the fibers is angularly disposed relative to the longitudinal axis of the mandrel (30), and: (1) disposing a tape (82) over the layer(s) of material (18a) such that at least a portion of the tape (82) overlies at least a portion of the wound section of each layer of material (18a) and a long dimension of the portion of the tape (82) is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the mandrel (30); and/or (2) spot-joining adjacent sections of the wound section(s) together.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a freight container comprising a floor, a roof (D), and a plurality of walls comprising at least a front end wall and side walls (A). These walls (A) and roof (D) each comprise at least one panel having two surface dimensions in relation to the container. The panels comprise a fibre-reinforced wall material, comprising a first and a second outer fibre layer (1, 6, 7,12), and at least a first and a second intermediate fibre layer (2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11) arranged in between the first and second outer fibre layers. The fibres of the outer fibre layers are aligned along an outer fibre direction and the fibres of the intermediate fibre layers are aligned respectively along a first and second intermediate fibre direction which are mutually transverse and inclined with respect to the outer fibre direction. The outer fibre direction is aligned with a shortest of said surface dimensions of said panels.