A method for manufacturing composite tubing, conduit, pipes, and piping. The method includes providing an inner sleeve, an outer sleeve, and a reinforcement sleeve; inserting the inner sleeve into the reinforcement sleeve; placing the outer sleeve around the reinforcement sleeve; inserting a first piston into an inlet end of the inner sleeve; introducing resin between the inner and outer sleeves; inserting a second piston into the inlet end of the inner sleeve; applying motive fluid pressure, such as air pressure, at the inlet end of the inner sleeve, causing the second piston to translate along the inner sleeve, further causing the first piston to translate along the inner sleeve; whereby translation of the first and second pistons along the inner sleeve causes the resin to be impregnated into and around the reinforcement sleeve, resulting a composite final product. The impregnated reinforcement sleeve is then cured.

An expansion tool includes a housing and an expansion head having a casing and jaws. The jaws are movable between a closed position and an expanded position relative to a longitudinal axis. Each jaw includes a first tapered portion defining a first length along the longitudinal axis, a first sizing portion extending parallel to the longitudinal axis from the first tapered portion and defining a second length along the longitudinal axis, a second tapered portion defining a third length along the longitudinal axis, and a second sizing portion extending parallel to the longitudinal axis from the second tapered portion and defining a fourth length along the longitudinal axis. The first sizing portions define a first diameter and the second sizing portions define a second diameter greater than the first diameter when the jaws are in the closed position. The third length is greater than the fourth length.

An apparatus and method for joining pipes includes a plate for melting mating surfaces of the pipes to be joined. Additionally, the apparatus utilizes a vacuum in order to push the first and second pipes together in lieu of hand or mechanical pressure which may be inconsistent. Additionally, the vacuum allows the pipes to be joined to settle on each other in order to create a pressure about a periphery of the end of the pipe being joined to the other pipe. The consistent pressure creates a very strong joint between the first and second pipes.

The invention relates to a hose having at least one barrier layer inner layer and an outer layer, wherein the barrier layer is obtainable by extrusion of a mixture comprising a) at least one thermoplastic fluoropolymer, b) at least one fluororubber and a crosslinking agent and/or at least one fluororubber elastomer and c) at least one carbon filler selected from carbon black, in particular conductivity carbon black, graphene, carbon nanofillers, in particular carbon nanotubes, carbon nanohorns, or a combination thereof in an amount of 0.05% by weight to 20% by weight of the carbon filler(s), or irradiated PTFE, and vulcanization. The hose exhibits a high fuel, diesel and oil stability and dynamic capability.

Disclosed herein are three-dimensional porous tubular scaffolds for cardiovascular, periphery vascular, nerve conduit, intestines, bile conduct, urinary tract, and bone repair/reconstruction applications, and methods and apparatus for making the same.

When manufacturing a pipeline that carries an array of electrical cables, insulation resistance monitoring is performed by a monitoring unit that is connected to the cables of the array and is mounted to a leading end of the pipeline. The monitoring unit tests the cables cyclically in succession. Monitoring is performed on the cables after their application to the pipeline and while the pipeline and the cables advance together through further manufacturing processes, such as insertion of the pipeline into the outer pipe of a pipe-in-pipe structure. If a fault is detected in any of the cables, an alert can be raised quickly enough to stop the process and to rectify the fault before the fault is covered and rendered inaccessible. The pipeline and the cables can advance continuously unless a fault is detected.

A method of making a medical implant is provided by electrospinning a polymer solution to form a preform around a mandrel. The formed preform distinguishes an inner surface and an outer surface. The formed preform is removed from the mandrel and flipped inside-out resulting in the inner surface of the formed preform becoming the outer surface of the inside-out flipped preform, and the outer surface of the formed preform becoming the inner surface of the inside-out flipped preform. At least part of the inside-out flipped preform forms the medical implant such as e.g. an artificial heart valve, an artificial leaflet, an artificial graft, or an artificial vessel. The products made according to the method of this invention greatly improve the performance and durability of the medical implant.

A method of making a medical implant is provided by electrospinning a polymer solution to form a preform around a mandrel. The formed preform distinguishes an inner surface and an outer surface. The formed preform is removed from the mandrel and flipped inside-out resulting in the inner surface of the formed preform becoming the outer surface of the inside-out flipped preform, and the outer surface of the formed preform becoming the inner surface of the inside-out flipped preform. At least part of the inside-out flipped preform forms the medical implant such as e.g. an artificial heart valve, an artificial leaflet, an artificial graft, or an artificial vessel. The products made according to the method of this invention greatly improve the performance and durability of the medical implant.

A catheter is provided comprising localized regions of modified flexibility. The regions of modified flexibility may comprise a softened inner liner, for example softened via stretching the inner liner or disposing a plurality of holes in the inner liner, to modify the bending stiffness and/or tensile stiffness of the catheter. The catheter may further include an axially extending filament that at least partially overlaps the softened portion of the inner liner. The axially extending filament may include an anchoring section to anchor the at least one axially extending filament in a section of the catheter that includes the helical coil.

The present invention relates to a drives haft comprising an elongated monolithic composite tube (20) with a front joint (10) having a tube yoke (12) and a rear joint (40) at a distance from the front joint (10) both are provided at corresponding opposite ends thereof characterized in that an inner layer (24) is comprising carbon or glass fibers which are coaxially wound on top of each other and an outer layer (22) wound directly on the inner layer (24) and the ratio (h1/h2) between the thickness of carbon fiber winding (hi) and glass fiber winding (h2) is bigger than 0.1.