An embossed thermoplastic label includes (a) a facestock having an upper surface and a lower surface with at least one layer and the layer has at least one thermoplastic resin, and (b) the facestock includes at least one embossed pattern on the upper surface of the facestock. The embossed pattern includes at least one embossed section and at least one unembossed section on the facestock. An intermediate configuration is also disclosed. A method is provided for embossing a thermoplastic label. The embossed thermoplastic label is useful in various labeling and brand awareness applications and provides visual and textural effects.

A system for processing a supply of post-consumer scrap linear low density or low density polyethylene film into near-virgin quality blown film product. The system includes tearing the supply of film in a shredder, wherein the surface area of the film is exposed, including delaminating the film. The torn supply of film is washed in a hot water bath including a surfactant. The film is agitated in the bath containing the surfactant wherein contaminants on the film are removed from the film. The washed film is ground into smaller pieces and additional washing of the ground film in a rotating friction washer occurs wherein additional contaminants are removed from the film. The ground film is then dried in a dryer and compacted in a compactor without addition of water into granulated objects of near-virgin quality blown film product.

A method for feeding a production line of absorbent sanitary articles with a layer of a virgin multilayer tape including providing a head free end of the virgin multilayer tape partially unwound from a respective virgin spool; providing a tail free end of a multilayer tape in use; applying a first connecting element on a first layer of the virgin multilayer tape and on a first layer of the multilayer tape in use at the head free end and tail free end; applying a second connecting element on a second layer of the virgin multilayer tape and on a second layer of the multilayer tape in use at the head free end and tail free end; pulling the first layer of the virgin multilayer tape in a first direction; pulling the second layer of the virgin multilayer tape in a second direction.

Described methods and apparatus provide a controlled perturbation to an adhesive bond between a device wafer and a carrier wafer. The controlled perturbation, which can be mechanical, chemical, thermal, or radiative, facilitates the separation of the two wafers without damaging the device wafer. The controlled perturbation initiates a crack either within the adhesive joining the two wafers, at an interface within the adhesive layer (such as between a release layer and the adhesive), or at a wafer/adhesive interface. The crack can then be propagated using any of the foregoing methods, or combinations thereof, used to initiate the crack.

Certain example embodiments relate to methods for low temperature direct graphene growth on glass, and/or associated articles/devices. In certain example embodiments, a glass substrate has a layer including Ni formed thereon. The layer including Ni has a stress pre-engineered through the implantation of He therein. It also may be preconditioned via annealing and/or the like. A remote plasma-assisted chemical vapor deposition technique is used to form graphene both above and below the Ni-inclusive film. The Ni-inclusive film and the top graphene may be removed via tape and/or the like, leaving graphene on the substrate. Optionally, a silicon-inclusive layer may be formed between the Ni-inclusive layer and the substrate. Products including such articles, and/or methods of making the same, also are contemplated.

Exfoliation of graphene from graphite using multilayer coextrusion is generally disclosed. In some example embodiments, graphite may be dispersed within a first processing material, and the first processing material and a second processing material may be co-extruded through a plurality of series coupled layer multiplication dies to exfoliate graphene from the graphite. The graphene may be separated from the resulting multi-layered material. In some example embodiments, graphite flake and/or expanded graphite may be dispersed within the first processing material.

A component supplying apparatus comprises an inclined straight path P2 which is for the carrier tape and which extends obliquely upward, a horizontal straight path P3 which is for the carrier tape and which extends in the horizontal direction from a front end of the inclined path P2 and runs through the component supply position Q, a first sprocket wheel engaging with the feed holes of the carrier tape within the inclined path P2, a guide member locating the carrier tape in the width direction within the horizontal path, a top tape removing device disposed above the inclined path P2 between the first sprocket wheel and the horizontal path P3 and partially removing the top tape from the base tape so as to expose the components, and a sprocket wheel drive device rotating the first sprocket wheel.

Some embodiments of the present invention are directed to techniques for building up single layer or multi-layer structures on dielectric or partially dielectric substrates. Certain embodiments deposit seed layer material directly onto substrate materials while other embodiments use an intervening adhesion layer material. Some embodiments use different seed layer materials and/or adhesion layer materials for sacrificial and structural conductive building materials. Some embodiments apply seed layer and/or adhesion layer materials in what are effectively selective manners while other embodiments apply the materials in blanket fashion. Some embodiments remove extraneous depositions (e.g. depositions to regions unintended to form part of a layer) via planarization operations while other embodiments remove the extraneous material via etching operations. Other embodiments are directed to the electrochemical fabrication of multilayer mesoscale or microscale structures which are formed using at least one conductive structural material, at least one conductive sacrificial material, and at least one dielectric material. In some embodiments the dielectric material is a UV-curable photopolymer.

A pick-and-place machine and method includes use of a passive component feeder cartridge including a feeder gear. Rotation of the feeder gear causes a component-bearing tape to be fed through the feeder cartridge. A pickup head includes a vacuum nozzle to pick up the components from the tape and a rack gear to engage and drive the feeder gear of the feeder cartridge via translational motion of the pickup head when operatively disposed with respect to a selected feeder cartridge.

A pick-and-place machine and method includes use of a passive component feeder cartridge including a feeder gear. Rotation of the feeder gear causes a component-bearing tape to be fed through the feeder cartridge. A pickup head includes a vacuum nozzle to pick up the components from the tape and a rack gear to engage and drive the feeder gear of the feeder cartridge via translational motion of the pickup head when operatively disposed with respect to a selected feeder cartridge.