A crystallized bioabsorbable polymer scaffold comprises a polymer composition of poly (L-lactide-co-tri-methylene-carbonate) or poly (D-lactide-co-tri-methylene-carbonate) or poly (L-lactide-co--caprolactone) or poly (D-lactide-co--caprolactone) in the form of block copolymers of blocky copolymers, wherein the scaffold is cold-bendable.

A medical tube includes a distal portion provided on one end side having a first outer diameter, a first inner diameter, and a first thickness; a proximal portion provided on the other end side having a second outer diameter greater than the first outer diameter, a second inner diameter greater than the first inner diameter, and a second thickness greater than the first thickness; and an intermediate portion provided between the distal portion and the proximal portion and having an outer diameter, an inner diameter, and a thickness which gradually vary. Thus, a medical tube is provided having improved operability and which reduces the likelihood of bending during an operation.

Methods of marking plastic-based products and marked plastic-based products are provided. Some methods include irradiating the product to alter the functionalization of the plastic. In general, the present disclosure features methods of marking substrates, e.g., substrates including plastics, such as plastic-based products, such as polymer banknotes. Such plastics can be rigid or flexible, e.g., elastomeric. Such plastics can be thermoplastic or thermosets. In some cases, the products are marked by irradiating plastic-based materials, e.g., sheet materials, under conditions that alter characteristics of the irradiated plastic.

Methods and systems of fabricating a polymeric stent are disclosed herein.

A resin film including a crystallizable polymer, wherein an in-plane retardation Re of the resin film is less than 5 nm, a thickness-direction retardation Rth of the resin film is less than 25 nm, and a haze HZ of the resin film is less than 3.0%.

An electroconductive film including a substrate film, and an organic electroconductive layer disposed on the substrate film, wherein the substrate film is formed of a resin containing an alicyclic structure-containing polymer having crystallizability, a thickness of the substrate film is 5 m or more and 50 m or less, and a crystallization degree of the alicyclic structure-containing polymer having crystallizability is 30% or more. The alicyclic structure-containing polymer having crystallizability is preferably a hydrogenated product of a ring-opening polymer of dicyclopentadiene.

This invention involves a new and better solution to the problems associated with the premature softening of PLA filaments in the additive manufacturing of three dimensional articles. It is based upon the finding that poly(lactic acid) filaments with high crystallinity offer much better resistance to heat-induced softening. The crystalline poly(lactic acid) filament of this invention can accordingly be used in the additive manufacturing of three dimensional articles without encountering the problems associated with premature softening, such as poor quality and printer jamming. The crystalline poly(lactic acid) filaments of this invention can also be used in additive manufacturing of three dimensional articles without compromising the quality of the ultimate product, reducing printing speed, increasing cost, or leading to increased printer complexity. This invention more specifically discloses a filament for use in three-dimensional printing which is comprised of crystallized poly(lactic acid), wherein said filament has a diameter which is within the range of 1.65 mm to 1.85 mm.

An apparatus and method improves the production efficiency of crystallizer bottleneck cooling. The apparatus includes a cooling turntable, a plurality of cooling head assemblies, a cam plate of preform insertion, a cam plate of preform lifting and a cam plate of preform release, a protective sleeve on a crystallization chain. The preform is set in a protective sleeve with the preform neck exposed at the protective sleeve, and the cooling head assemblies are mounted on the cooling turntable and set at the top of the protective sleeve. The cooling head assembly includes a upper mounting plate and a lower mounting plate, a cooling shaft body, a guide shaft. The upper mounting plate is provided with an upper roller, the lower mounting plate is provided with a lower roller. The cam plate of preform insertion, cam plate of preform lifting and cam plate of preform release are mounted on the rotating path of the cooling head assembly.

Container assembly comprising a container and a closure, wherein the container is made of a crystallisable polymer material and comprises a neck portion with an outer cap surface and defines an outlet opening, the neck portion being configured for receiving the closure, wherein the closure includes a closure cap made of a crystallisable polymer material and has an inner cap surface, the closure cap being matched to the neck portion of the container to cover the outlet opening in a closed state, wherein the inner cap surface of the closure cap contacts the outer cap surface of the neck portion when the container assembly is closed, and wherein the material of the inner cap surface of the closure cap and/or of the outer cap surface of the neck portion is crystallised, to allow the container assembly to be opened after being closed for an elongated period of time.

A polyetheretherketone pipe of length greater than 250 meters and a residual stress of less than 5 MPa may be made using a calibrator device 2 which includes a cone shaped opening 6 arranged to receive a molten extruded pipe shaped polymer. Attached to the front member 4 is a vacuum plate 14a and successive vacuum plates 14b-14h are attached to one another to define an array of vacuum plates, the vacuum plates being arranged to allow a vacuum to be applied to a pipe precursor passing through opening 16. The vacuum plates 14 also include temperature control means for heating or cooling the plates and therefore heating or cooling a pipe precursor passing through the openings. With a vacuum applied to opening 6, 16 and heating/cooling the plates, an extruded hot plastics pipe is inserted into calibrator 2 via opening 6 and conveyed through opening 16 in plates 14, whereupon it is urged by the vacuum against the cylindrical surface defined by plates 14 to maintain its shape and the temperature of each plate is controlled to control the rate of cooling of the pipe precursor passing through. The pipe may be cooled at a relatively slow rate so that a pipe made from a relatively fast crystallising polymer crystalises and the crystallinity of the pipe along its extent and throughout its thickness is substantially constant.