Apparatus and methods for forming melt-formed fibres and melt-formed biosoluble fibers are disclosed. The apparatus comprises a spinning head comprising one or more rotors; a plurality of nozzles or slots disposed around at least part of the one or more rotors; a conveyor; and a barrier between the spinning head and the conveyor.

A method of manufacturing an article may include loading a soluble bobbin thread into an embroidery machine and then driving a needle thread through a base sheet with a needle of the embroidery machine according to a programmed first pattern that provides a series of loops of the needle thread extending outward from a bobbin side of the base sheet. The method may further include bonding the needle thread to a needle side of the base sheet opposite from the bobbin side. A spacer layer may be disposed at the bobbin side of the base sheet, and may be removed after the needle thread is bonded to the base sheet. The loops may be loops of a hook-and-loop fastener or ball control features in various articles manufactured according to the method.

Staple cartridge assemblies for use with surgical stapling instruments and methods for manufacturing the same are provided. Scaffolds for use with a surgical staple cartridge and methods for manufacturing the same are also provided.

Provided is a pile fabric that can provide both a soft touch feel and durability (pile retention and/or suppression of pile loss). The pile fabric is provided with a base structure formed from a warp and weft and a loop pile formed from pile yarn. The pile yarn is twisted yarn with a twist factor of 2.0 or greater. When the pile yarn is untwisted yarn or weakly twisted yarn, insoluble yarn prior to water soluble yarn elimination is twisted yarn with a twist factor of 2.0 or greater. The proportion of pile height to pile yarn diameter is 40 or greater. The gap between adjacent pile yarn strands is 0.5 mm or less. The pile yarn is 50-120 English yarn count. The loop pile has snarling, and the snarling for adjacent piles is entangled.

A spacer fabric having removable yarns is provided. The spacer fabric includes a first fabric layer, a second fabric layer, and a middle fabric layer. The first fabric layer is formed of general-purpose yarns and the removable yarns wherein the general-purpose yarns and the removable yarns are arranged to a weft-knitted loop construction according to a predetermined pattern The middle fabric layer is formed of wave-like fibers interlocked with the first fabric layer and the second fabric layer. The predetermined pattern appears on the first fabric layer after the removable yarns are removed.

A tubular woven fabric is useful as a transport hose for a fluid or a powder, as a protective hose for linear bodies such as wires, cables and conduits, as a tubular filter, or as a base material of a vascular prosthesis. The tubular woven fabric includes warp yarns and weft yarns interwoven with each other, the tubular woven fabric having an outer diameter with a variation of within 10% along the warp direction and satisfying the formula:

(L2L1)/L10.1.

Provided are a cellulose acetate fiber and a cellulose acetate fiber molded article which are excellent in water solubility and biodegradability and are small in load onto the natural environment even when allowed to stand still in the environment. The invention provides a cellulose acetate fiber containing cellulose acetate having a total degree of acetyl substitution of 0.4 to 1.3 and a compositional distribution index (CDI) of 2.0 or less as well as a cellulose acetate fiber molded article.

A method of generating a coiled actuator fiber that includes twisting a fiber to generate a twisted fiber; wrapping the twisted fiber around a core yarn or fiber to generate a coil in the twisted fiber, which generates a coiled twisted fiber; setting the coiled twisted fiber by heat or chemical treatment; and removing at least a portion of the core yarn or fiber to generate a coiled actuator fiber.

Techniques for producing an article having hollow structures are described herein. The disclosed techniques include weaving a plurality of yarns to form a woven fabric, wherein the plurality of yams each comprise a dissolvable core, and the dissolvable core comprises polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) having a water solubility; neutralizing an alkaline before drying the woven fabric to maintain the water solubility of the PVA; and washing the woven fabric or a garment made by the woven fabric to at least partially remove the dissolvable core.

The invention relates to a compressive knitted fabric consisting of at least one stitch-forming basic knitting thread, at least one inserted and/or knitted elastic weft thread and at least one plush thread plaited, at least partially, onto the basic knitting thread and forming plush loops, wherein the at least one plush thread is an adhesive thread in order to give the compressive knitted fabric an anti-slip effect.