A contact nozzle for simultaneously coating a plurality of elastic strands moving in a machine direction with an adhesive is described. The contact nozzle includes a single fluid inlet for receiving the adhesive from a fluid module, a first inverted V-shaped notch, a second inverted V-shaped notch, a third inverted V-shaped notch, and a mounting surface configured to abut the fluid module when the contact nozzle is coupled to the fluid module. Each inverted V-shaped notch extends along the contact nozzle in the machine direction, has an open bottom end, a circular closed top end. Each inverted V-shaped notch includes an adhesive orifice in fluid communication with the single fluid inlet for receiving the adhesive for directing the adhesive into contact with an upper surface of an elastic strand.

Described is a mold for generating a pattern of indentations in a surface of a thermoplastic textile, including at least one subunit adapted to create at least one subpattern of the pattern, wherein the at least one subunit is at least one of exchangeable or reconfigurable. A spatial arrangement of the at least one subunit is reconfigurable within the mold.

A system for forming stacked material is provided. The system may include a housing defining an interior space and comprising a bottom wall and a side wall coupled to said bottom wall; at least one tool configured to shape the stacked material, said at least one tool disposed within said interior space; a membrane extending at least partially over said bottom wall and spaced a distance from said bottom wall, said membrane configured to move towards said bottom wall; and at least one intensifier mechanism disposed in said interior space and configured to induce a force against a portion of the stacked material and against said at least one tool as said membrane is moved towards said bottom wall. Methods are also providing for forming such a stacked material.

There is a method of making a tubular specimen with a predetermined wrinkle defect including providing a layup tool with a cavity forming member having a cavity which resembles a desired shape of the at least one wrinkle; orienting a composite material around the mandrel at a wrap angle to form a closed loop; positioning a wrinkle tool on the closed loop; and/or generating at least one wrinkle with a predetermined characteristic in a portion of the closed loop to form a tubular specimen. The predetermined characteristic is at least one of the following: wrinkle location, an outward wrinkle, an inward wrinkle, a wrinkle width, a wrinkle height, and a wrinkle length. In another aspect, there is a method of offset load testing a tubular composite specimen. In a third aspect, there is a method of determining allowable defects for a composite component.

A method can be used to attach a fabric member to a trim while forming a pattern in the fabric member. A trim has trim grooves formed in one side of the trim and a fabric member has a foam formed in one side of a skin material of the fabric member. A bonding member is coated to an outer surface of the foam and the fabric member is heated where the bonding member is coated. The heated fabric member is placed on the side of the trim where the trim grooves are formed. The fabric member is fixed to the trim by inserting edges of the fabric member into the trim grooves using insertion blades while pattern protrusions formed in a compression jig form a pattern by pressing the skin material of the fabric member.

A method can be used to attach a fabric member to a trim while forming a pattern in the fabric member. A trim has trim grooves formed in one side of the trim and a fabric member has a foam formed in one side of a skin material of the fabric member. A bonding member is coated to an outer surface of the foam and the fabric member is heated where the bonding member is coated. The heated fabric member is placed on the side of the trim where the trim grooves are formed. The fabric member is fixed to the trim by inserting edges of the fabric member into the trim grooves using insertion blades while pattern protrusions formed in a compression jig form a pattern by pressing the skin material of the fabric member.

Methods and systems suitable for fabricating multi-layer elastic electronic devices, and elastic electronic devices formed thereby. A method of fabricating an elastomer-based electronic device includes printing a first liquid material and then a second liquid material on a fabric substrate that comprises fibers. The first and second liquid materials are sequentially printed with a three-dimensional printer that directly prints the first liquid material onto the fabric substrate so that the first liquid material wicks through some of the fibers of the fabric substrate and forms a solid matrix of an elastomer-based composite that comprises the matrix and the fabric substrate, after which the three-dimensional printer directly prints the second liquid material on the elastomer-based composite to form a film thereon. The elastomer-based composite and film are electrical components of the elastomer-based electronic device.

A manufacturing method of protective pad for sportswear and the protective pad obtained by the manufacturing method are disclosed. The manufacturing method has the steps of: 1. making separate paddings using spongy materials; 2. choosing several paddings being made; adhering the several paddings with fabric pieces by heat press using a heat press mold and heat press formation devices, thereby forming the protective pad for sportswear. Specifically, the heat press mold contains cavities for accommodating the paddings; before heat press, laying a first fabric piece on the heat press mold, and then placing the paddings into the cavities; and after that laying a second fabric piece over the paddings; applying glues between the first fabric piece, the second fabric piece and the paddings; finally, adhering the first fabric piece, the second fabric piece and the paddings by heat press using the heat press formation devices.

Disclosed is an elastomeric bladder tool and related systems and methods. In one embodiment, the elastomeric bladder tool comprises an elastomeric inner layer substantially defining an inner cavity of the elastomeric bladder tool, an elastomeric outer layer substantially defining an outer surface of the elastomeric bladder tool, and a permeable middle layer positioned between the elastomeric inner layer and the elastomeric outer layer. The permeable middle layer has greater permeability than both the elastomeric outer layer and the elastomeric inner layer to allow for evacuating of gases that have entered the permeable middle layer.

A continuous fabric for use in forming a repair liner for reinforcing a pipe. The fabric includes a top layer and one or more bottom layers. The width of the top layer is less than the width of the continuous fabric and the density of the top layer is less than the density of at least one of the at least one or more bottom layers. The top layer may serve as a guide for winding the fabric in an overlapping pattern about a mandrel so that the essentially only the top layer is visible in the fabric winding.