A method for manufacturing bulked continuous carpet filament, the method comprising: (1) reducing a chamber pressure within a chamber to below about 5 millibars; (2) after reducing the chamber pressure to below about 5 millibars, providing a polymer melt to the chamber; (3) separating the polymer melt into at least eight streams; (4) while the at least eight streams of the polymer melt are within the chamber, exposing the at least eight streams of the polymer melt to the chamber pressure of below about 5 millibars; (5) after exposing the at least eight streams of the polymer melt to the chamber pressure of below about 5 millibars, recombining the at least eight streams into a single polymer stream; and (6) forming polymer from the single polymer stream into bulked continuous carpet filament.

A method of creating a soft and lofty continuous fiber nonwoven web is provided. The method includes providing molten polymer to a spinneret defining a plurality of orifices, and flowing a fluid intermediate the spinneret and a moving porous member. The moving porous member is positioned below the spinneret. The method includes using the fluid to draw or push the molten polymer, in a direction that is toward the moving porous member, through at least some of the plurality of orifices to form a plurality of individual continuous fiber strands. The method includes depositing the continuous fiber strands on the moving porous member at a first location to create an intermediate continuous fiber nonwoven web, and removing and/or diverting some of the fluid proximate to the first location to maintain loft and softness in the deposited intermediate continuous fiber nonwoven web.

A method of creating a soft and lofty continuous fiber nonwoven web is provided. The method includes providing molten polymer to a spinneret defining a plurality of orifices, and flowing a fluid intermediate the spinneret and a moving porous member. The moving porous member is positioned below the spinneret. The method includes using the fluid to draw or push the molten polymer, in a direction that is toward the moving porous member, through at least some of the plurality of orifices to form a plurality of individual continuous fiber strands. The method includes depositing the continuous fiber strands on the moving porous member at a first location to create an intermediate continuous fiber nonwoven web, and removing and/or diverting some of the fluid proximate to the first location to maintain loft and softness in the deposited intermediate continuous fiber nonwoven web.

A method of manufacturing bulked continuous carpet filament which, in various embodiments, comprises: (A) grinding recycled PET bottles into a group of flakes; (B) washing the flakes; (C) identifying and removing impurities, including impure flakes, from the group of flakes; (D) passing the group of flakes through an MRS extruder while maintaining the pressure within the MRS portion of the MRS extruder below about 1.5 millibars; (E) passing the resulting polymer melt through at least one filter having a micron rating of less than about 50 microns; and (F) forming the recycled polymer into bulked continuous carpet filament that consists essentially of recycled PET.

A method of manufacturing bulked continuous carpet filament which, in various embodiments, comprises: (A) grinding recycled PET bottles into a group of flakes; (B) washing the flakes; (C) identifying and removing impurities, including impure flakes, from the group of flakes; (D) passing the group of flakes through an MRS extruder while maintaining the pressure within the MRS portion of the MRS extruder below about 1.5 millibars; (E) passing the resulting polymer melt through at least one filter having a micron rating of less than about 50 microns; and (F) forming the recycled polymer into bulked continuous carpet filament that consists essentially of recycled PET.

A system for making a surgical suture having a reformed tip includes a receiver die having a top surface, a bottom surface, and an elongated channel formed in the top surface that extends between first and second ends of said receiver die. The elongated channel includes a suture channel having a first end and a second end, a first sloping surface that extends downwardly between the first end of the suture channel and the first end of the receiver die, and a second sloping surface that extends downwardly between the second end of the suture channel and the second end of the receiver die. The system includes an upper die having a top surface and a bottom surface that opposes the top surface of the receiver die. The system has an open die position in which the bottom surface of the upper die is spaced away from the top surface of the receiver die and a closed die position in which the bottom surface of the upper die is in contact with the top surface of the receiver die. A cutting element is coupled with the receiver die and the upper die.

Methods for producing a stretch film are provided, including disposing one or more extruders in fluid communication with a stock of virgin resin; heating the virgin resin to a molten state; delivering the molten virgin resin to a die; and extruding the molten virgin resin through the die onto a casting roll, thereby creating a cast stretch film. Methods for delivering the molten virgin resin onto a casting roll of varying sizes and set temperatures; and of moving a resulting film onto a secondary chill roll of varying sizes and set temperatures, are also provided. Finally, methods for moving the film from either the casting roll or the secondary chill roll onto a slitting assembly, dividing the film using one more interior or exterior slits, and then capturing and gathering the trim waste but not reintroducing the trim waste back into the production process are also disclosed.

Curved heat shrink tubing and methods of making the same are described herein. An example method includes inserting heat shrink tubing into a tube, curving the tube, and deforming the heat shrink tubing, inside of the tube, to have a curved shape along a length of the heat shrink tubing where a first length of the heat shrink tubing along an outer radius of the curved shape is longer than a second length of the heat shrink tubing along an inner radius of the curved shape.

An expansion ratio detection system for rubber, including a controller, a rubber sampling module, a rubber calender, a temperature control module, and an expansion ratio detection module. The rubber sampling module obtains a rubber to be tested consistent with a weight value. After the temperature control module determines that the rubber to be tested has reached a first temperature value, the rubber calender outputs the rubber to be tested having a thickness value. The expansion ratio detection module obtains an expansion ratio according to twice the thickness value and a roller pitch.

Disclosed is a method for the manufacture of fibrous yarn including the steps, where an aqueous suspension including fibers and at least one rheology modifier is provided, followed by directing the suspension through at least one nozzle, to form at least one yarn, and then dewatering the yarn.