A thermoplastic prepreg includes a mat, web, or fabric of fibers and hollow glass microspheres that are positioned atop the mat, web, or fabric of fibers or dispersed therein. The thermoplastic prepreg also includes a thermoplastic polymer that is fully impregnated through the mat, web, or fabric of fibers and the hollow glass microspheres so that the thermoplastic prepreg has a void content of less than 3% by volume of the thermoplastic prepreg. The thermoplastic material is polymerized monomers and oligomers in which greater than 90% by weight of the monomers or oligomers react to form the thermoplastic material.

A thermoplastic prepreg includes a mat, web, or fabric of fibers and hollow glass microspheres that are positioned atop the mat, web, or fabric of fibers or dispersed therein. The thermoplastic prepreg also includes a thermoplastic polymer that is fully impregnated through the mat, web, or fabric of fibers and the hollow glass microspheres so that the thermoplastic prepreg has a void content of less than 3% by volume of the thermoplastic prepreg. The thermoplastic material is polymerized monomers and oligomers in which greater than 90% by weight of the monomers or oligomers react to form the thermoplastic material.

A method applying a bead of a coating product to a surface by a print head equipped with nozzles, each centered on a central axis, the coating product application moves the print head and the surface relative to each other, by moving the print head along a fixed trajectory relative to the surface without rotating the print head about an axis parallel to the central axes of the nozzles. The method includes selecting certain nozzles for a point of the trajectory based on the trajectory direction at this point, and activating the selected nozzles at this point. The selected nozzles are arranged in a line, or form part of a nozzle group delimited by a line, whose regression line coincides with a line as close as possible to a line perpendicular to the trajectory direction from among lines that can be defined with nozzles of the print head.

A method applying a bead of a coating product to a surface by a print head equipped with nozzles, each centered on a central axis, the coating product application moves the print head and the surface relative to each other, by moving the print head along a fixed trajectory relative to the surface without rotating the print head about an axis parallel to the central axes of the nozzles. The method includes selecting certain nozzles for a point of the trajectory based on the trajectory direction at this point, and activating the selected nozzles at this point. The selected nozzles are arranged in a line, or form part of a nozzle group delimited by a line, whose regression line coincides with a line as close as possible to a line perpendicular to the trajectory direction from among lines that can be defined with nozzles of the print head.

A method for manufacturing a wafer having a functional film, with an outer peripheral part of a top face of the wafer annularly exposed, the method including: spin-coating a high-viscosity coating material that contains a functional film constituent over the top face of the wafer to form a coating film; subsequently, supplying a cleaning liquid to the outer peripheral part of the top face of the wafer and kept rotated to remove the coating film on the outer peripheral part of the top face of the wafer; subsequently, heating the coating film on the wafer to form a fluidity suppressed film; subsequently, supplying a cleaning liquid to the outer peripheral part of the top face of the wafer having the fluidity suppressed film and kept rotated to remove the fluidity suppressed film on the top face of the wafer; and subsequently, heating the fluidity suppressed film on the wafer.

A method for manufacturing a wafer having a functional film, with an outer peripheral part of a top face of the wafer annularly exposed, the method including: spin-coating a high-viscosity coating material that contains a functional film constituent over the top face of the wafer to form a coating film; subsequently, supplying a cleaning liquid to the outer peripheral part of the top face of the wafer and kept rotated to remove the coating film on the outer peripheral part of the top face of the wafer; subsequently, heating the coating film on the wafer to form a fluidity suppressed film; subsequently, supplying a cleaning liquid to the outer peripheral part of the top face of the wafer having the fluidity suppressed film and kept rotated to remove the fluidity suppressed film on the top face of the wafer; and subsequently, heating the fluidity suppressed film on the wafer.

A method for repairing a surface imperfection in a clear topcoat overlying a pigmented color coat of a panel includes the application of an amount of a repair composition to the surface imperfection in an amount to fill the surface imperfection. The repair composition is exposed to actinic radiation inducing cure of the repair composition to form a cured fill. A ceramic coating is readily applied after cure to overlie the fill with bonded ceramic particulate. A composition is also provided. An exterior body panel is also provided that includes a substrate having a shape of the panel. A pigmented color coat is present on a surface of the substrate. A clear topcoat overlies the pigmented color coat. A cured composition as detailed above fills surface imperfections in the topcoat.

In a laser-assisted deposition system, a uniform layer of material is coated onto a donor substrate at a coating system, and portions of the material are jetted from the donor substrate to a receiving substrate at a printing unit, leaving residual portions of the material on the donor substrate. In order to not waste the residual portions of the material, the donor substrate with the residual portions of the material is returned to the coating system where the residual portions of the material are aggregated into a blob and subsequently recoated onto the donor substrate. The blob may be formed by translating the residual portions of the material towards an interface formed by two coating rollers, a squeegee and the donor substrate, or a film and the donor substrate.

In a laser-assisted deposition system, a uniform layer of material is coated onto a donor substrate at a coating system, and portions of the material are jetted from the donor substrate to a receiving substrate at a printing unit, leaving residual portions of the material on the donor substrate. In order to not waste the residual portions of the material, the donor substrate with the residual portions of the material is returned to the coating system where the residual portions of the material are aggregated into a blob and subsequently recoated onto the donor substrate. The blob may be formed by translating the residual portions of the material towards an interface formed by two coating rollers, a squeegee and the donor substrate, or a film and the donor substrate.

According to one embodiment, a system for manufacturing a fully impregnated thermoplastic prepreg includes a mechanism for moving a fabric or mat and a drying mechanism that removes residual moisture from at least one surface of the fabric or mat. The system also includes a resin application mechanism that applies a reactive resin to the fabric or mat and a press mechanism that presses the coated fabric or mat to ensure that the resin fully saturates the fabric or mat. The system further includes a curing oven through which the coated fabric or mat is moved to polymerize the resin and thereby form a thermoplastic polymer so that upon exiting the oven, the fabric or mat is fully impregnated with the thermoplastic polymer. During at least a portion of the process, humidity in the vicinity of the coated fabric or mat is maintained at substantially zero.