A disposable mold core for producing a fiber-reinforced component includes a support core having a granulate and a binder. The support core has a hard shell formed of the binder and the granulate, and an inner core which is binder-free and formed of the granulate. A related method of producing a fiber-reinforced component is disclosed.

Methods and systems for heating and compressing a material using microwaves. The system includes a flexible waveguide configured to receive a first portion of microwaves and a rigid waveguide configured to receive a second portion of microwaves. The system includes a top microwave antenna connected to the flexible waveguide, having a first plurality of slots for emitting the first portion of microwaves to be received by a top side of the material and heat the material. The system includes a bottom microwave antenna connected to the rigid waveguide, having a second plurality of slots for emitting the second portion of microwaves to be received by a bottom side of the material and heat the material. The system includes a presser configured to provide a downward force onto the top microwave antenna toward the material to compress the material as the material is being heated by the microwaves.

Plastic containers exhibiting reduced plastic resin usage, while maintaining a specific gravity of below 1.0, so as to allow their quick and easy separation using floatation techniques during recycling. Within a layer or portion some of the plastic resin of the container body may be replaced with an inorganic mineral filler material, while within another layer or portion of the plastic container, the plastic material (e.g., polyethylene, polypropylene) may be foamed. The fraction of mineral filler material that may be included within the polyethylene may thus be increased beyond that previously possible while maintaining the specific gravity below 1.0, by also foaming a layer or portion of the polymeric material, so as to create voids therein. This allows significantly less resin material to be employed, while maintaining strength characteristics of the plastic container so as to be at least comparable to existing plastic containers not including such mineral filler materials.

A method of producing an operating fluid tank includes providing a mold core produced from a mold core material. The mold core has a holding region, by which the mold core is held in a tool mold or in a plastic molding machine. The mold core is surrounded with a plastic melt, and an opening remains in the operating fluid tank. The mold core material is removed from the operating fluid tank by the remaining opening, and a structural element is arranged at the mold core separate from the holding region, and is held by the mold core while being surrounded with the plastic melt. An inner surface of the operating fluid tank is then formed, to which a structural feature arranged on the structural element is transferred. The structural element is removed from the operating fluid tank through the remaining opening after at least partial hardening of the melt.

A nanoimprint lithography template, method of fabrication, and method of manufacturing an article using the same. The template includes a body having first and second opposed sides, the second side having a mesa extending therefrom, with the mesa having sidewalls and a surface. A recessed shelf extends around a perimeter of the mesa surface, with a light-blocking material positioned on at least the recessed shelf and at a thickness such that the light-blocking material does not extend beyond a plane defined by the mesa surface.

Solution casting a nanostructure. Preparing a template by ablating nanoholes in a substrate using single-femtosecond laser machining. Replicating the nanoholes by applying a solution of a polymer and a solvent into the template. After the solvent has substantially dissipated, removing the replica from the substrate.

Plastic containers exhibiting reduced plastic resin usage, while maintaining a specific gravity of below 1.0, so as to allow their quick and easy separation using floatation techniques during recycling. Within a layer or portion some of the plastic resin of the container body may be replaced with an inorganic mineral filler material, while within another layer or portion of the plastic container, the plastic material (e.g., polyethylene, polypropylene) may be foamed. The fraction of mineral filler material that may be included within the polyethylene may thus be increased beyond that previously possible while maintaining the specific gravity below 1.0, by also foaming a layer or portion of the polymeric material, so as to create voids therein. This allows significantly less resin material to be employed, while maintaining strength characteristics of the plastic container so as to be at least comparable to existing plastic containers not including such mineral filler materials.

A method of forming an implant includes providing a preformed shell formed from at least one cured elastomeric layer. The preformed shell includes an outer surface, an inner surface, and an opening for accessing an interior volume of the preformed shell. The method further includes expanding the preformed shell to an expanded state, in which the interior volume is greater than the interior volume of the preformed shell at a time of forming the preformed shell and forming an inner zone having at least one inner elastomeric layer on at least a portion of the inner surface of the preformed shell, while the shell is in the expanded state, thereby forming a multi-zone shell. The method further includes reducing the interior volume of the multi-zone shell, thereby contracting the at least one inner elastomeric layer of the inner zone and causing texturing of the at least one inner elastomeric layer.

Methods and systems for heating and compressing a material using microwaves. The system includes a flexible waveguide configured to receive a first portion of microwaves and a rigid waveguide configured to receive a second portion of microwaves. The system includes a top microwave antenna connected to the flexible waveguide, having a first plurality of slots for emitting the first portion of microwaves to be received by a top side of the material and heat the material. The system includes a bottom microwave antenna connected to the rigid waveguide, having a second plurality of slots for emitting the second portion of microwaves to be received by a bottom side of the material and heat the material. The system includes a presser configured to provide a downward force onto the top microwave antenna toward the material to compress the material as the material is being heated by the microwaves.

A pattern is formed on a substrate with a layer of a curable composition (A1) containing a component (a1) serving as a polymerizable compound on a surface of the substrate, then dispensing droplets of a curable composition (A2) containing at least a component (a2) serving as a polymerizable compound and a component (b2) serving as a photopolymerization initiator dropwise discretely onto the curable composition (A1) layer to lay the droplets, subsequently sandwiching a mixture layer of the curable composition (A1) and the curable composition (A2) between a mold having a pattern and the substrate, then irradiating the mixture layer with light to cure the layer, and releasing the mold from the mixture layer after the curing, a Distance in Hansen space Ra((a1)(A2)) between the component (a1) serving as a polymerizable compound in the curable composition (A1) and the curable composition (A2) being 6 or less.