Apparatus and methods for converting granular plastic resin into colored finished or semi-finished plastic parts include a process machine having a barrel with a vertically opening feed throat, a rotatable screw inside the barrel, and a color feed conduit assembly positioned at least partially within the process machine and extending into the barrel for passage of liquid color downwardly through the color feed conduit assembly into proximity with the screw.

To provide a microneedle array which includes a sheet and needles, improves transfer of a medicament into the blood, and is capable of achieving high drug efficacy.

Provided is a microneedle array including: a sheet; and a plurality of needles present on the upper surface of the sheet, in which the needles contain a water-soluble polymer and a medicament, the sheet contains a water-soluble polymer, and the administration is performed such that 20 μm≦L2≦L−L1 is satisfied, here, L represents the length of a needle, L1 represents the length of a needle tip region, which contains 90% of the total medicament in the microneedle array, from the needle tip, L2 represents the average remaining length of the needle after administration using the microneedle array, and the unit of L, L1, and L2 is μm.

Provided is a method of producing an integral 3D humic acid-carbon hybrid foam, comprising: (A) forming a solid shape of humic acid-polymer particle mixture; and (B) pyrolyzing the solid shape of humic acid-polymer particle mixture to thermally reduce humic acid into reduced humic acid sheets and thermally convert polymer into pores and carbon or graphite that bonds the reduced humic acid sheets to form the integral 3D humic acid-carbon hybrid foam.

A repel assembly and method includes an engagement surface having an adhesive plane for securing to an object, a plurality of attachment spikes extending from the engagement surface at an angle transverse to the adhesive plane and a transport surface for supporting a fixture coupled to the plurality of attachment spikes, the fixture being positioned between the engagement surface and the transport surface. The repel assembly further includes an annular ring having an upper and lower ring coupled to the repel assembly, the lower ring having first and second ends spaced by a wiper body such that the annular ring repels debris from contacting and/or collecting on the transport surface.

A molding material for injection molding, extrusion molding or pultrusion molding, which contains carbon fibers having a fiber length of 2 mm or more and a thermoplastic resin, wherein (1) the molding material is a solid having a plane A.sub.1 and one or more other face B.sub.i, one or more cross sections of the carbon fibers are observed in at least one face B.sub.i, and the number of the cross sections of the carbon fibers per unit area observed in the face B.sub.i is twice or more the number of the cross sections of the carbon fibers per unit area observed in the plane A.sub.1, and (2) a ratio of fibers in which 50% or more of an outer peripheral surface of each carbon fiber is coated with the thermoplastic resin is from 80 to 100% to total carbon fibers.

A powder material for three-dimensional modeling includes a base particle and a coverage film including an organic material. The coverage film covers the base particle. The powder material is used for three dimensional modeling and when the coverage film is dissolved in a solvent to prepare a solution and the solution is formed into a coated film on a smooth surface, the coated film has a wetting tension of from 22 mN/m to 28 mN/m.

An imprint lithography system that pressurizes and depressurizes an air cavity behind a retained imprint template or substrate so as to deflect the template or substrate to aid in filling the template pattern with fluid resist and/or separating the template from the cured resist on the substrate. The system includes a controller, pressure sensors, and an impedance valve for modulating the air cavity pressure so as to reduce pressure wave oscillations within the cavity that otherwise negatively impact overlay accuracy control, fluid spread control and separation control.

A method of producing animal litter including bentonite which includes a step of forming, from a starting material for animal litter containing bentonite, a starting mixture that contains 10 to 60 mass % of granules that remain on an 8.0 mm-aperture sieve and 40 to 90 mass % of granules that pass through an 8.0 mm-aperture sieve, a step of conveying the starting mixture on a path of conveyance, a step of loading the starting mixture that has been conveyed on the path of conveyance into a granulator capable of pulverizing and granulation, pulverizing at least the granules remaining on the 8.0 mm-aperture sieve while forming a granulated product, and a step of drying the granulated product.

A hybrid dental tool is disclosed herein. The hybrid dental tool includes a flosser having a flossing head. The flossing head can include a filament stretching between the first arm and a second arm. The flossing head can include a pick receptacle. The hybrid dental tool can further include a pick that has a first end and a second end. The pick can be sized and shaped to fit within the pick receptacle such that the first and second ends are protected. The pick can releasably connect with the flossing head to allow the separation of the pick from the flossing head.

The present disclosure generally relates to methods for additive manufacturing (AM) that utilize support surrounding structures in the process of building objects, as well as novel surrounding support structures to be used within these AM processes. The support structure surrounds at least a portion of the object with a continuous thickness of powder disposed between the support structure and the object, the continuous thickness of powder having a maximum thickness that does not exceed 10 mm.