A method for producing a water-tight, water-vapour-permeable segment, having a three-dimensional contour, for a shoe shaft, an item of clothing or a rucksack or for producing a shoe shaft, an item of clothing or a rucksack, the segment being free of connection points in its surface, and the method for producing the segment being a thermoforming process in which the two-dimensional flat structure obtained is completely laminated in its entirety, the segment being free of connection points in its surface. Also, a water-tight, water-vapour-permeable segment of a three-dimensional functional laminate for introduction into a shoe or shoe shaft, an item of clothing or a rucksack, the segment being dimensionally stable under its own weight, of a single piece and free of connection points in its surface.

A portable welding device comprising: a base facing a work surface, designed to receive tapes in electrically conductive composite materials to be joined or defined by at least one already positioned tape; an operating head receiving one tape at a time and movable with respect to the base along at least a first movement line parallel to the work surface; a motorized arm connecting the operating head to the base and selectively activatable to impart movements to the operating head; and feeding means selectively activatable to feed one tape at a time to the operating head and connected to the operating head; the operating head comprises a positioning roller receiving a tape at a time; a pressure roller spaced from and aligned with the positioning roller along the first movement line; and an inductor interposed between the positioning roller and the pressure roller with reference to the first movement line.

A portable welding device comprising: a base facing a work surface, designed to receive tapes in electrically conductive composite materials to be joined or defined by at least one already positioned tape; an operating head receiving one tape at a time and movable with respect to the base along at least a first movement line parallel to the work surface; a motorized arm connecting the operating head to the base and selectively activatable to impart movements to the operating head; and feeding means selectively activatable to feed one tape at a time to the operating head and connected to the operating head; the operating head comprises a positioning roller receiving a tape at a time; a pressure roller spaced from and aligned with the positioning roller along the first movement line; and an inductor interposed between the positioning roller and the pressure roller with reference to the first movement line.

A method of dissipating heat from a surface of a first thermoplastic composite (TPC) being inductively welded with a second thermoplastic composite (TPC) includes flexing a heat sink during placement to conform to the surface of the first TPC, cooling the heat sink, applying inductive heat to a weld interface area between the first TPC and the second TPC, and drawing off heat via the heat sink from the surface of the first TPC.

A method of dissipating heat from a surface of a first thermoplastic composite (TPC) being inductively welded with a second thermoplastic composite (TPC) includes flexing a heat sink during placement to conform to the surface of the first TPC, cooling the heat sink, applying inductive heat to a weld interface area between the first TPC and the second TPC, and drawing off heat via the heat sink from the surface of the first TPC.

A method of manufacturing an armour layer of a flexible pipe for transporting fluid from a subsea location and apparatus are provided. The method comprises winding a first length of composite tape to form a first section of the armour layer and positioning an end region of the first length of composite tape over an end region of a second length of composite tape to form an overlapping tape section. Heat and pressure is applied to the overlapping tape section to form a joined overlapping tape section in which the first length of tape is joined to the second length of tape such that the joined overlapping tape section has a lap shear strength of at least 11 MPa. The joined overlapping tape section and the second length of composite tape are wound to form a second section of the armour layer.

A method of manufacturing an armour layer of a flexible pipe for transporting fluid from a subsea location and apparatus are provided. The method comprises winding a first length of composite tape to form a first section of the armour layer and positioning an end region of the first length of composite tape over an end region of a second length of composite tape to form an overlapping tape section. Heat and pressure is applied to the overlapping tape section to form a joined overlapping tape section in which the first length of tape is joined to the second length of tape such that the joined overlapping tape section has a lap shear strength of at least 11 MPa. The joined overlapping tape section and the second length of composite tape are wound to form a second section of the armour layer.

A three-dimensional cell growth containment article is described, which includes a molded body channelized by removal of sacrificial channelizing element(s) therefrom, so that the molded body contains one or more channel(s) therein, with a matrix material in at least one of such channel(s) that is supportive of three-dimensional cell growth in the matrix material. A method for making such articles is also described, in which a molded body is formed with one or more sacrificial channelizing element(s) therein, following which the sacrificial channelizing element(s) are removed. The three-dimensional cell growth containment articles of the present disclosure may be utilized in any applications in which there exists a need to reproducibly generate three-dimensional cellular structures, e.g., islet transplantation for diabetes treatment, transplantation of hormone secreting cells, cellular scaffolds for wound healing, and generation of tissue engineering structures to regain structural usefulness for orthopedic applications.

The present invention generally relates to a powder comprising a PEEK-PEoEK copolymer, wherein the PEEK-PEoEK copolymer having R.sub.PEEK and R.sub.PEoEK repeat units in a molar ratio R.sub.PEEK/R.sub.PEoEK ranging from 95/5 to 5/95. The present invention also relates to a method of preparing the powder, as well as to the uses of the powder for coating, compression molding and to prepare a three-dimensional (3D) object.

Method of preparing a proton exchange membrane (PEM) include mixing a precursor of a perfluorosulfonic acid polymer with a second material to form a precursor material in a reduced humidity zone; extruding the precursor material under reduced humidity to form a filament; 3D printing the PEM with the filament; converting the precursor of the perfluorosulfonic acid polymer to the perfluorosulfonic acid polymer within the PEM; and coating the PEM.