Abstract: An apparatus for slitting foil (14) of thermoplastics material comprises a mover to move the foil (14) through a slitting station (1), the slitting station (1) having a first slitting blade (2) having a sharp front edge (4) located extend transversely through the path of the moving foil (14), and that part (5) of the blade (2) behind the front edge (4) having each side (6), sharped to be non-intrusive into the slit and melted thermoplastics material foil (14), a heater (8,9) to raise and maintain a temperature of the slitting blade (2) to a temperature equal to or above a melting temperature of the thermoplastics material foil (14) selected to be slit by the slitting blade (2), and a cooling blade (3) located behind and aligned with the slitting blade (2) and having two sides each adapted to be aligned with the corresponding side of the slit of thermoplastics material foil (14) and provide by both contact and radiant heating effects, a substantial cooling effect.

Abstract: A back flushable filter which has a number of separable sections (2) which can be separately accessed and there can be provided a flow pattern so that one of the sections is being back flushed while the other sections are providing normal filtering. A valve configuration (11) providing for such access can be inched around to select each section in term. The filter preferably comprises a stack of separable segments which provide for inclined gaps between adjacent parts of each adjoining stack element with the convergents and gap size selected to encourage compaction of particles within the converging part of each gap but further selected such that on back flushing such compacted particles can be readily disgorged for total cleansing.

Abstract: A hose coupling which has an integrally moulded lip which has an innermost surface defining a frusto-conical shape and a portion of reduced thickness to provide for pivoting freedom of the lip to effect both a grip and seal of a hose that can be inserted therethrough. The lip has axially extending tails which are segmented allowing for expansion or contraction as necessary of the lip but providing a limit to the pivotal freedom of such lip.