An apparatus for the production and filling of food containers includes at least one device for forming a sheet made of polymeric material to provide accommodation receptacles which have at least one access opening, at least one filling unit adapted to fill, through the access opening, the accommodation receptacles with at least one type of food, and at least one sealing unit to seal the access opening with a closure film. The apparatus includes at least one device for removing portions, and at least one laser emitter for providing a weakening portion at a respective connecting edge between adjacent accommodation receptacles. The polymeric material is chosen from: polyethylene terephthalate and polypropylene and copolymers thereof.

The apparatus includes a first section which accommodates the filling unit, the sealing unit, and the device for removing portions, and a second section, separate from the first section, which accommodates the laser emitter.

A machine and method for making bags is described and includes a web traveling from an input section to a rotary drum, to an output section. The rotary drum includes at least one seal bar, having a first sealing zone, and an adjacent weakening zone. The weakening zone may be a heated perforator, includes a heating wire, or be disposed to create an auxiliary sealed area. The heating wire can have connected thereto, a source of power that is an adjustable voltage or magnitude, and/or pulsed, and/or a feedback loop. The heating wire ay be an NiCr wire and make intermittent contact with the web and be disposed in an insert. The weakening zone may create a line of weakness that is uniform or varies in intensity, is a separating zone, or includes a heat film, a toothed blade, a row of pins, a source of air, or a source of vacuum. The sealing zones ma include temperature zones, cartridge heaters, cooling air, or hated air, or a source of ultrasonic, microwave or radiative energy.

A method for making nonwoven fabric. The nonwoven fabric can include three-dimensional features that define a microzone comprising a first region and a second region. The first and second regions can have a difference in values for an intensive property. The nonwoven further has a plurality of apertures, wherein at least a portion of the aperture abuts at least one of the first region and the second region of the microzone.

An elastic film has a perforation formed by perforation holes that are elongated along a preferred expanding direction in the unexpanded state, wherein the ratio of the length of the perforation holes determined along the preferred expanding direction to a width of the perforation holes determined perpendicular thereto amounts to at least 3:2. The elongation at break along the preferred expanding direction is at least twice as high as the elongation at break determined perpendicular thereto along the width of the perforation holes.

The invention relates to a method for producing a mold element for producing micro-arrays. First, a planar base element, in particular in the form of a film, is provided. Recesses are made in, in particular embossed into, an upper face of the element. The recesses are opened on a lower face of the base element in particular by using laser radiation. The invention also relates in particular to a mold element produced by means of this method, which mold element has recesses like the base element. Each of the recesses has openings in the lower face of the base element.

A nonwoven fabric comprises a first surface, a second surface, and a visually discernible pattern on at least one of the first and second surfaces. The visually discernible pattern has a regular, repeating pattern of three-dimensional features. Each of the three-dimensional features define a microzone comprising a first region and a second region. The first and second regions having a difference in values for an intensive property. The first surface has a TS7 value in the range of about 1 dB V.sup.2 rms to about 15 dB V.sup.2 rms. The second surface has a TS7 value in the range of about 1 dB V.sup.2 rms to about 15 dB V.sup.2 rms. A ratio of the TS7 value of the first surface to the TS7 value of the second surface is in the range of about 1 to about 3.

An anti-graffiti window film covering system that includes multiple polymeric film layers. Each layer includes a unique visual indicia to identify the number of sheets remaining in the system.

A method of forming a composite panel in-line is disclosed. The method includes the steps of forming a hot thermal plastic sheet of material and providing the hot thermal plastic sheet of material to a punch having punch members extending outwardly therefrom. The hot thermal plastic sheet of material is advanced through the punch in order to form apertures through the hot thermal plastic sheet of material such that each aperture extends from an outer surface of the hot thermal plastic sheet of material to an inner surface of the hot thermal plastic sheet of material. An outer metal sheet and an inner metal sheet, respectively, are coupled to opposing sides of the hot thermal plastic sheet of material.

Polymeric based closed cell foams, such as shape memory polymer foams, contain bubbles. Making these bubbles continuous is called reticulation. Disclosed are embodiments of a device and method to controllably reticulate polymer-based closed cell foams by puncturing the membranes of these polymer-based closed cell foams.

A method of electrospinning (40) is provided, and an electrospinning device (1; 30). The method comprises (i) holding (41) a liquid comprising a polymer melt or a polymer solution in a container (2), (ii) letting out (42) a stream of the liquid from the container through at least one nozzle (3), (iii) creating (43) a voltage difference between the nozzle (3) and a collecting surface (4), (iv) collecting (44) electro spun material coming from the nozzle (3) so as to form a fibrous structure (8) on the collecting surface (4), and (v) directing (45) a laser beam (13) towards the collecting surface (4) so as to locally remove a part of the fibrous structure (8).