According to the present disclosure there is provided a method of forming a first structure (150), comprising the steps of: providing one or more slots (124) in a material, thereby to define a plurality of strips (122) of the material, the slots (124) defining a series of connecting elements (128) connecting adjacent strips (122) of the material, the connecting elements (128) being spaced apart along a first direction (130), forming the material to provide: an array of oppositely oriented channels (152), each channel (152) extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and the array itself extending in the first direction, each channel comprising a base, and sides extending from the base; and a first, non-continuous, outer plane; and a second, non-continuous, outer plane, such that the first structure is foldable along each of the series of connecting elements about the first direction to bring the first outer plane of a first strip toward, and optionally into contact with, the first outer plane of a second, adjacent strip.

A honeycomb for curved surface lightweight components includes a plurality of elongate ribbons and connecting regions. The connecting regions are provided, respectively, between opposing ribbons to connect the ribbons together in a portion-wise manner in a firmly bonded relationship in a transverse direction. The connecting regions are arranged at regular spacings along the longitudinal direction of a ribbon. Honeycomb-like cells form cavities between the ribbons. With respect to three successive ribbons, a displacement of the connecting regions between first and second ribbons relative to the connecting regions between second and third ribbons toward a first side of the longitudinal direction is lesser than toward a second side of the longitudinal direction. Consequently, at least a part of the cells in cross-section in the longitudinal direction/transverse direction plane have at least one longer limb corresponding to the greater displacement and at least one shorter limb corresponding to the lesser displacement.

An apparatus for construction of a stringer of a pallet is disclosed herein. In various aspects, the apparatus includes a corrugate sheet (30) cut to form a stringer shape sheet (32) with the stringer shape sheet (32) having a plurality of parallel stringer sections (33) defined by cuts from an upper surface through a lower surface of the stringer shape sheet (32). Each stringer section (33) on the stringer shape sheet (32) may be linked to an adjacent stringer section (33) by a plurality of shear bridges (34).

The present invention discloses a method of producing at least a pair of interlocking adjacent layers of a paper packaging product, the pair of interlocking adjacent layers being formed of a sheet of slit paper having a slit pattern, the slit pattern upon expansion, forming cells that include land regions that are inclined with respect to a plane of an unexpanded sheet. The method comprises slitting the sheet of slit paper with beveled blades that have a first wedge angle on one side of the blades and a second wedge angle on the other side of the blades, wherein the first wedge angle is wider than the second wedge angle to produce slits that upon expansion, produce the lands regions that have angles of inclination in a range for 50 to 85 degrees.

A honeycomb for curved surface lightweight components includes a plurality of elongate ribbons and connecting regions. The connecting regions are provided, respectively, between opposing ribbons to connect the ribbons together in a portion-wise manner in a firmly bonded relationship in a transverse direction. The connecting regions are arranged at regular spacings along the longitudinal direction of a ribbon. Honeycomb-like cells form cavities between the ribbons. With respect to three successive ribbons, a displacement of the connecting regions between first and second ribbons relative to the connecting regions between second and third ribbons toward a first side of the longitudinal direction is lesser than toward a second side of the longitudinal direction. Consequently, at least a part of the cells in cross-section in the longitudinal direction/transverse direction plane have at least one longer limb corresponding to the greater displacement and at least one shorter limb corresponding to the lesser displacement.

Microdevices containing a chamber bound on one side by a nanoporous membrane are provided. The nanoporous membrane may contain hollow nanotubes that extend through the nanoporous membrane, from one surface to the other, and extend beyond the surface of the nanoporous membrane opposite the surface interfacing with the chamber. The nanotubes may provide a fluidic conduit between an environment external to the microdevice and the chamber, which is otherwise substantially fluid-tight. Also provided are methods of making a microdevice and methods of using the microdevices.

Microdevices containing a chamber bound on one side by a nanoporous membrane are provided. The nanoporous membrane may contain hollow nanotubes that extend through the nanoporous membrane, from one surface to the other, and extend beyond the surface of the nanoporous membrane opposite the surface interfacing with the chamber. The nanotubes may provide a fluidic conduit between an environment external to the microdevice and the chamber, which is otherwise substantially fluid-tight. Also provided are methods of making a microdevice and methods of using the microdevices.

An insulated panel includes a first layer defining an inner surface; a corrugated medium defining a plurality of peaks, the plurality of peaks attached to the inner surface, a plurality of flutes defined between the corrugated medium and the inner surface; and an insulation material at least partially filling a flute of the plurality of flutes.

Stringers 12 for a pallet 10 constructed from corrugate are disclosed. The stringers 12 are manufactured from corrugate sheets 30 that are die cut and laminated into corrugate stringer blocks 40, in various aspects. The corrugate stringer blocks 40 include a plurality of stringers 12 connected by a shear bridge 34 die cut into the corrugate sheets 30 when forming the stringers 12 from the corrugate sheet 30 to retain the stringer 12 on the corrugate stringer block 40 until a separating force is applied to the block to separate the individual stringers 12 from the corrugate stringer block 40, in various aspects.

In accordance with a broad embodiment of the invention, a novel paper product is comprised of two or more slit sheet packing material layers, each layer having its own slit pattern design to create interlocking layers of expansion sheet packaging materials. Each layer expands to create a three dimensional open netting of cells of hexagons, and the like, and is designed to have limited nesting with its opposing layer, thereby maximizing the thickness of the combined layers as compared to nested layers. Adjacent layers have differing slit patterns and can be expanded through expander type machinery such that the expansion rates of the differing slit pattern layers can be varied to deliver the same width of exiting expanded material from each layer. Preferably the differing slit pattern produce when expanded, inclined land areas that have the same number of rows per inch, but different angles of inclination of the land areas, such that adjacent layers can interlock, that is, have a restricted amount of nesting.