A polar end ring mechanism for use with composite pressure vessels. The end ring is designed to support a pressure vessel during its formation via filament winding. The end ring helps define an opening at one of the polar ends of a tank. Spikes positioned along a portion of the end ring help prevent rotation or translation of the tank during formation and provide an improved mechanical lock with the tank body. A cap may then be secured to the polar end ring after formation in order to close the pressure vessel.

A folding device and a folding method are provided. The folding device includes a bearing and fixing mechanism configured to bear and fix a main body portion of a to-be-folded device; a folding mechanism disposed on at least one lateral side of the bearing and fixing mechanism, the folding mechanism being configured to bear a to-be-folded portion of the to-be-folded device and fold the to-be-folded portion to one side in a thickness direction of the main body portion; a first driving mechanism configured to drive the folding mechanism to move along a direction perpendicular to a bearing surface, which bears the main body portion, of the bearing and fixing mechanism; and a second driving mechanism configured to drive the folding mechanism to move close to or away from the bearing and fixing mechanism along a direction parallel to the bearing surface.

A folding device and a folding method are provided. The folding device includes a bearing and fixing mechanism configured to bear and fix a main body portion of a to-be-folded device; a folding mechanism disposed on at least one lateral side of the bearing and fixing mechanism, the folding mechanism being configured to bear a to-be-folded portion of the to-be-folded device and fold the to-be-folded portion to one side in a thickness direction of the main body portion; a first driving mechanism configured to drive the folding mechanism to move along a direction perpendicular to a bearing surface, which bears the main body portion, of the bearing and fixing mechanism; and a second driving mechanism configured to drive the folding mechanism to move close to or away from the bearing and fixing mechanism along a direction parallel to the bearing surface.

A catheter device and manufacturing process for manufacturing the catheter device, wherein the catheter device has a halo-shaped coiled portion extending away from a perpendicular stem portion through a swan neck portion. Eyelets on the halo coil portion and swan neck portion facilitate flow out of the bladder through the catheter device vertical to the catheter, rather than perpendicularly as is the case with existing catheters. The catheter device is formed by using a straight catheter tube, heating and cooling it within a formed mold to have the halo coil and swan neck, such that it can be straightened using a pusher and stylet, inserted into the body while straightened, and thereafter return to its coiled shape when the stylet is removed.

Disclosed herein is an automated fiber placement system that comprises a robot, an end effector, and a creel assembly that is coupled to the robot and movable with the robot. The creel assembly comprises a spool of a tow and a tow tensioner. The tow tensioner comprises an arm assembly that is pivotable toward and away from a tow direction between a forward position and a rearward position, inclusive, and configured to secure the tow from the spool as the tow unwinds from the spool and moves in the tow direction. The tow tensioner also comprises a biasing member that is coupled to the arm assembly and configured to bias the arm assembly into a neutral position between the forward position and the rearward position. The tow tensioner additionally comprises a potentiometer that is coupled to the arm assembly and configured to detect a position of the arm assembly.

Methods of making a composite article are provided herein. The method can include an unwinding step including unwinding a fiber substrate material from a creel at an unwinding velocity and an impregnation step including applying an uncured resin composition to the fiber substrate material to form a resin-fiber material. The method further includes a winding step comprising applying the resin-fiber material onto a shaped surface at a winding velocity and a solidifying step comprising applying heat to the resin-fiber material to initiate an exothermic reaction comprising polymerization, cross-linking, or both of the uncured resin composition. Temperature of the resin-fiber material can be monitored during operation of the method and a polymerization front velocity set point (v.sub.pfs) and an operating polymerization front velocity (v.sub.pfo) can be determined. Parameters can be adjusted to maintain a v.sub.pfo that is substantially the same as the v.sub.pfs. Systems for performing said methods are also provided.

The invention relates to a can containing a liquid and/or a gaseous medium which has positive pressure or develops such during transport or storage, wherein the cylindrical can shell of the can consists mainly of paper or cardboard material and is closed at the bottom with a bottom element and at the top with a cover element, wherein the can withstands an internal pressure of at least 5 bar, wherein the innermost layer of the can shell consists of a straight-wound barrier layer having a longitudinally extending folded seam, wherein the barrier layer is a prefabricated laminate made of an inner diffusion-tight barrier film or an inner diffusion-tight barrier laminate and an outer kraft paper layer.

A molding jig for molding a laminate, which includes reinforced fiber sheets laminated on each other, extends in the length direction, and has a cross-sectional shape having a curved portion in a cross section obtained by cutting the laminate on a plane orthogonal to the length direction, into a three-dimensional shape having a bent portion in the length direction. The molding jig includes a female die for forming the bent portion, a male die for engaging with the female die with the laminate therebetween for forming the bent portion, and a stretchable supporting member between the female die and the laminate. The laminate comes in contact with the male die on both length-direction sides of the molded bent portion, and the supporting member is over a region including the female-side molding surface.

A molding jig for molding a laminate, which includes reinforced fiber sheets laminated on each other, extends in the length direction, and has a cross-sectional shape having a curved portion in a cross section obtained by cutting the laminate on a plane orthogonal to the length direction, into a three-dimensional shape having a bent portion in the length direction. The molding jig includes a female die for forming the bent portion, a male die for engaging with the female die with the laminate therebetween for forming the bent portion, and a stretchable supporting member between the female die and the laminate. The laminate comes in contact with the male die on both length-direction sides of the molded bent portion, and the supporting member is over a region including the female-side molding surface.

A helical winding unit of a filament winding apparatus includes guide members guiding fiber bundles F to a liner, a movement mechanism moving the guide members, and a rotation mechanism rotating the guide members. Each of the guide members includes two side walls and guide portions fixed between the two side walls. As the guide portions, a first guide portion having a first guide surface and a second guide portion having a second guide surface and provided downstream of the first guide portion are provided. In the height direction, the first guide surface is oriented to one side. The second guide surface is oriented to the other side in the height direction and provided on the other side of the first guide surface.