A compressible biomass carrier for use in fluid treatment systems is disclosed. The biomass carrier includes an extruded circumferential mesh-like structure and elongated elements positioned in a space confined by the circumferential mesh-like structure and at least some of the elongated elements are joined to an inner portion of the mesh-like structure.

A polymeric netting including polymeric ribbons and polymeric strands. Each of the polymeric ribbons and strands has a length and width, with the length being the longest dimension and the width being the shortest dimension. The polymeric ribbons have a height-to-width aspect ratio of at least five to one, a major surface that is intermittently bonded to only one polymeric strand, and a height greater than the height of the one polymeric strand. An extrusion die and method useful for making the polymeric netting are also disclosed.

Provided is a method for manufacturing a fishing net formed from a plastic net that can be handled by winding or folding although the net has plastic rigidity. The fishing net is manufactured by (1) a step of preparing a multifilament yarn formed by bundling a plurality of core-sheath type composite filaments, in each of which a core component is made of polyethylene terephthalate and a sheath component is made of polyolefin, (2) a step of preparing a yarn thread obtained by paralleling a plurality of the multifilament yarns, (3) a step of twisting or braiding four yarn threads 11, 12, 13, 14 to obtain a net constructed with strands 1 and intersections 2, (4) a step of heat-treating the net under without pressure to melt the sheath component of the yarn threads 11, 12, 13, 14 constituting the strands 1 and the intersections 2, followed by solidifying, thus obtaining a plastic net, and (5) a step of forming the fishing net using the plastic net.

A lacrosse head pocket and a related method of manufacture are provided to facilitate consistent, repeatable and/or custom manufacture of lacrosse equipment. The pocket can be knitted, weaved or otherwise assembled on an automated assembly machine from strands, and/or can be formed as a unitary textile material having regions/sections with different physical and/or mechanical properties. The pocket can be integrally molded within portions of a lacrosse head to eliminate manually constructed connections between the pocket and lacrosse head. The pocket can include a perimeter flange constructed from special materials and/or a perimeter flange including intermittent voids along an outer edge so that the perimeter flange stretches when the pocket is in a loaded state with the lacrosse ball therein, thereby providing dampening to the pocket when a lacrosse ball exerts force upon the pocket in the loaded state.

A structure for use in a compressible resilient pad. The structure contains both axially elastomeric strands and relatively inelastic strands co-extruded in various patterns. The structure has a high degree of both compressibility under an applied normal load and excellent recovery (resiliency or spring back) upon removal of that load.

A method and an apparatus for producing a reinforcement mesh. Here, a reinforcement fiber strand is firstly saturated with a resin (H) and cured to form a cured, fiber-reinforced strand material. The strand material present as an endless material is then cut lengthwise into bars, which are then used as longitudinal bars or transverse bars for forming the reinforcement mesh. A connecting material is used at each intersection point between a longitudinal bar and a transverse bar and is dispensed in liquid form at the intersection point or is liquefied and then cured at the intersection point. A fixed connection is thus created between the longitudinal bars and the transverse bars at the intersection points. Between the intersection points, the longitudinal bars and the transverse bars have portions that are free of connecting material.

A lacrosse head pocket and a related method of manufacture are provided to facilitate consistent, repeatable and/or custom manufacture of lacrosse equipment. The pocket can be constructed from multiple different sections joined with one another, or can be knitted, weaved or otherwise assembled on an automated assembly machine from strands, and/or can be formed as a unitary textile material having regions/sections with different physical and/or mechanical properties. The pocket can be integrally molded within portions of a lacrosse head to eliminate manually constructed connections between the pocket and lacrosse head. The lacrosse head can be integrally molded with a lacrosse handle to provide a one-piece unitary lacrosse stick. Related methods of manufacturing also are provided.

A medical device-includes a scaffold crimped to a catheter having an expansion balloon. The scaffold is crimped to the balloon by a process that includes inflating the delivery balloon during a diameter reduction to improve scaffold retention and maintaining an inflated balloon during the diameter reduction and prior and subsequent dwell periods.

Described is an insect net strip produced from a wide insect net which has been cut in a warp direction (xnet) by means of a one-step ultrasonic cutting and welding process. The insect net strip includes warp yarns and weft yarns extending substantially perpendicular to each other and at least 90% of the warp and weft yarns are monofilament yarns made of a thermoplastic material. After cutting and welding process the insect net strip has a first and a second edge extending parallel to said warp yarns each including a deformation zone being constituted by consolidated thermoplastic material deriving at least from said weft yarns. The deformation zone has a width (wdz) in the transverse direction (ystrip) of between 0.5-35 times the weft yarn diameter (?we). At least 90% of gaps between adjacent weft yarns in the deformation zone are closed by consolidated thermoplastic material at least from the weft yarns which has been melted together to form a continuous or substantially continuous reinforced band-shaped edge portion of said insect net strip. The insect net strip is suitable for use in accordion-style constructions in greenhouse ventilation openings. A method for producing the insect strips is also described.

An apparatus for making a continuous molded web includes a filling zone, a cooling zone, a plurality of rollers, a conveyer belt, a first feeding member, a pair of rails, a mounting frame, and a second feeding member. The conveyer belt includes a plurality of longitudinal and transverse grooves. The first feeding member delivers a pressurized molten resin into the longitudinal grooves, and the second feeding member delivers the pressurized molten resin into the transverse grooves, thereby forming a web of the pressurized molten resin which is moved forward into the cooling zone for making the continuous molded web.