A heat shrink component includes a heat shrink layer and a heating unit in thermal contact with at least a part of the heat shrink layer and heating the heat shrink layer to a heat shrink temperature. The heat shrink component has a first dimension in an expanded state and a second dimension in a shrunk state after heating, the first dimension is larger than the second dimension. The heating unit includes an electrically conductive lead heated by an electrical current flowing through the electrically conductive lead and a heat spreading layer arranged in thermal contact with the electrically conductive lead and distributing a heat generated by the electrically conductive lead.

A method of manufacturing a catheter shaft includes the steps of forming an inner layer of a first polymeric material, forming a plait matrix layer including a second polymeric material about the inner layer, and forming an outer layer of a third polymeric material about the plait matrix layer. The plait matrix layer includes a braided wire mesh partially or fully embedded within the second polymeric material, which is different from at least one of the first polymeric material forming the inner layer and the third polymeric material forming the outer layer. The second polymeric material has a higher yield strain and/or a lower hardness than at least the first polymeric material, and preferably both the first and the third polymeric materials. The first polymeric material and the third polymeric material may be different or the same. The catheter shaft may be formed by stepwise extrusion, co-extrusion, and/or reflow processes.

The invention relates to a method for manufacturing a breast prosthesis, in which a first dispersion of a first granular material is introduced into a cross-linkable silicone compound. The silicone compound subsequently is cured in order to form a prosthesis body, wherein the prosthesis body is heated to a shrinking temperature which lies above the melting point of the thermoplastic material.

Laminate structures and methods of making laminate structures having overwrapped laminate edges which resist delamination and fraying or including one or more stabilizer laminates which afford greater radial and torsional rigidity in longitudinally slit tube structures.

Laminate structures and methods of making laminate structures having overwrapped laminate edges which resist delamination and fraying or including one or more stabilizer laminates which afford greater radial and torsional rigidity in longitudinally slit tube structures.

A method for producing shape memory anti-counterfeiting identifier includes the following steps: a high polymer material with a shape memory function without the need of sunshine cross-linking or chemical cross-linking is directly extruded to become sheet in an extruder or is injected to be molded in an injection molding machine, and the extruded sheet can be a planar sheet or a sheet having a surface on which concave-convex patterns or characters are formed; the above sheet is then heated to the temperature higher than the vitrification temperature and lower than the melting point temperature, and the patterns or characters are pressed on the planar sheet, or the sheet on which the concave-convex patterns or characters are already formed is pressed to become planes or other patterns and characters; the sheet is then cut into small sheets, wherein one pattern or one group of characters is implied on every small sheet, and when the small sheets are again heated to the temperature higher than the vitrification temperature and lower than the melting point temperature, they will return to the extruded state.

The invention provides composite materials comprising a shape change element and an optical change element, which elements undergo a change in response to an applied stimulus. Also provided are objects that include the subject shape changing materials, as well as methods of making and using the same.

This invention relates to shape memory block copolymers comprising: at least one switching segment having a T.sub.trans from 10 to 70° C.; and at least one soft segment, wherein at least one of the switching segments in linked to at least one of the soft segments by at least one linkage, and wherein the copolymer transforms from a first shape to a second shape by application of a first stimulus and the copolymer transforms back to the first shape from the second shape by application of a second stimulus. The shape memory block copolymers may be biocompatible and biodegradable.

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

One embodiment is a shrink labeler for use to shrink a shrink label onto a bottle including: a containment wall having a gas/steam inlet; and a showerhead container capable of holding the bottle in close proximity to orifices disposed therein and having an aperture through which the bottle may be introduced thereinto; wherein the gas/steam inlet is coupled to a plenum disposed between the containment wall and the showerhead container.