A forming tool is used, which has a tool trough arranged in a stationary manner and a pressure bell, which can be lowered onto and lifted away from the tool trough. An arrangement is created in which a single- or multi-layer, initially flat, flexible laminate separates the trough interior from the pressure-bell interior in a pressure tight manner. A table, on which the 3-D substrate to be coated is located, assumes a lowered position within the trough interior; there is a considerable, free intermediate space (between the laminate and the 3-D substrate. A radiant-heater assembly is inserted into said intermediate space. The radiant-heater assembly has a carrier, on the top side of which radiant heaters that can be activated are attached and on the bottom side of which radiant heaters that can be activated are attached.

A surface treatment method of an object, including the following steps immersion of the object in a solution containing an acid or a mixture of acids, and having a pH between 0 and 6, so as to impregnate the surface of the object, removal of the object from the acid solution, and heating of the object to a temperature between 50 C. and the melting temperature of the object, until the required gloss and roughness surface properties are obtained, the method is particularly but not exclusively applicable to objects derived from additive manufacturing techniques.

A method and a connecting element for joining two components, at least one of which is made of a fiber-reinforced composite, are proposed.

A method for joining two objects by anchoring an insert portion provided on a first object in an opening provided on a second object. The anchorage is achieved by liquefaction of a thermoplastic material and interpenetration of the liquefied material and a penetrable material, the two materials being arranged on opposite surfaces of the insert portion and the wall of the opening. During the step of inserting the insert portion in the opening and/or during anchorage a clamping force is applied to opposing surfaces of the second object to prevent the second object from cracking or bulging.

A trim panel for an external pillar of a motor vehicle, including: a first trim element which is formed by a first translucent or transparent material or a material which permits the diffusion of light which has a given wavelength, the first element having an external surface which is orientated towards the outer side of the vehicle and an internal surface which is orientated towards the inner side of the vehicle; a second trim element which is formed by a second non-translucent and non-transparent material which does not allow the diffusion of light which has a given wavelength, the second element having an external surface in contact with the internal surface of the first element, the second element further having at least one recess which does not have the second material; an insert which is formed by a third translucent or transparent material or by a material which permits the diffusion of light which has a given wavelength, the insert comprising a nesting portion which is arranged so as to completely fill the recess of the second element,

A process for manufacturing a composite automobile part by overmoulding, over at least one surface of an insert (1) comprising a first plastic material, a layer of a second thermoplastic material, comprises the following successive steps: a) a step of positioning said insert (1) in a mould, and b) a step of moulding said second thermoplastic material over said insert. At least one of said first and second materials comprises an additive, said additive comprising a polymer to which carboxylic anhydride monomers are grafted. Said first and second materials are respectively based on polyamide and based on polypropylene, or vice versa and said second material comprises talc as mineral filler.

An insulating material for insulating a structural element in a vehicle including a support element with a first surface and a second surface, and an expandable material which is arranged on the support element. The expandable material is arranged here on a first sub-region of the first surface of the support element, and a second sub-region of the first surface is free from expandable material. The first sub-region is configured here in such a manner that the first surface of the support element is completely covered with expanded material after expansion of the expandable material.

A component of a vehicle structure is obtained by a hot forming operation on a hybrid panel having a sheet element of light alloy and a sheet of plastic material. The hybrid panel is hot formed by pressing it against a forming surface of a mould element by a pressurized gas or by a second mould element. Following this operation, the hybrid panel assumes a configuration corresponding to the forming surface, whereas the light alloy sheet element and the plastic material sheet constituting the hybrid panel adhere to each other following softening by heat of the plastic material. Before the hot forming step, a surface of said light alloy sheet element which must contact the plastic material sheet is subjected to a roughening treatment, thereby defining surface asperities between which the plastic material of the plastic material sheet is inserted when it is softened by heat.

In a film packaged body (11) formed by superimposing a pair of film molded articles (1) of the present invention, wherein the film molded article (1) in which a plurality of concave or convex embossed portions (3) disposed apart from each other are formed on a surface (2a) of a film (2), wherein the film (2) is made of a plastic material capable of adding a shape according to plastic deformation, wherein the plurality of embossed portions (3) are disposed on the surface of the film (2) to form an enclosed region (4) surrounded by the plurality of embossed portions (3) and imaginary lines (4a) that connect the plurality of embossed portions (3) is formed, and the plurality of embossed portions (3) are disposed at four areas on the surface (2a) of the film (2) to form the enclosed region (4) with rectangular shape, when an object is packaged by the film molded article (1), the plurality of embossed portions (3) and imaginary lines (4a) forming the enclosed region (4) are freely folded according to a shape or a size of the object to be packaged (5), and become a concave accommodating portion (4A) for accommodating the object to be packaged (5), wherein an object to be packaged (5) is disposed in the enclosed region (4) formed on the film molded article (1), the pair of film molded articles (1) are superimposed to cover the object to be packaged (5), and the object to be packaged (5) is a lithium ion secondary battery cell.

Low-density thermoplastic expandable microspheres are disclosed. Various low-density structures, in particular, sandwich panels, based on foam prepared from the low-density microspheres, are also disclosed. Process of preparing low-density polymeric microspheres, per se, and the corresponding low-density structures, based on the microsphere foam, are also disclosed.