A method for forming a thermoplastic body having regions with varied material composition and/or porosity. Powder blends comprising a thermoplastic polymer, a sacrificial porogen and an inorganic reinforcement or filler are molded to form complementary parts with closely toleranced mating surfaces. The parts are formed discretely, assembled and compression molded to provide a unitary article that is free from discernible boundaries between the assembled parts. Each part in the assembly has differences in composition and/or porosity, and the assembly has accurate physical features throughout the sections of the formed article, without distortion and nonuniformities caused by variable compaction and densification rates in methods that involve compression molding powder blends in a single step.

A method of making an indexed prepreg composite sheet is disclosed. The method comprises forming discrete regions in a resin film layer. The discrete regions are arranged in an indexing pattern. The method also includes forming a precursor prepreg composite sheet by impregnating a fiber reinforcement with the resin film layer having a viscosity. The discrete regions of the resin film layer form non-impregnated regions of the precursor prepreg composite sheet. The method additionally includes replacing the non-impregnated regions of the precursor prepreg composite sheet with indexing openings.

A dual-interface coupler includes a utilities unit, a number of utility cables configured to provide a number of utilities to the utilities unit, a first coupling unit associated with the utilities unit, and a second coupling unit associated with the utilities unit. The first coupling unit is configured to mechanically couple the utilities unit to a first corresponding coupling unit and comprises a utility interface. The number of utilities are configured to flow from the utilities unit through the utilities interface. The second coupling unit is configured to mechanically couple the second coupling unit to a second corresponding coupling unit.

A method for inflating a chamber in an article composed at least partially of polymer layers, such as thermoplastic layers. The method can allow for forming an aperture in a polymer layer, inflating a chamber or volume in fluid communication with the aperture, and then welding or sealing the chamber so that the inflation fluid is substantially retained in the chamber and/or does not escape via the aperture. In various aspects, the formation of the aperture, inflation of the chamber, and sealing of the chamber or aperture can be performed by a single tool and/or based on a single registration of the thermoplastic article with a tool. In some aspects, formation of the aperture is enabled in part by using a punch with a cupped surface that allows the top layer of a thermoplastic article to be breached without forming a hole in at least one lower layer.

Disclosed herein is easy and efficient production of a light and strong resin tube. A resin sheet is molded into a tubular form having a gap, and at least the gap portion is sealed with resin to produce a resin tube. This enables easy and efficient production of a light and strong resin tube.

A method of manufacturing a custom sized plastic tote lighter in weight than heretofore known custom sized plastic totes is provided. The method comprises separating an injection molded tote into upper and lower portions by cutting the injection molded tote. A sleeve or middle portion of plastic material is secured to the upper and lower portions of the injection molded tote to create a custom sized plastic tote of a desired height. Alternatively, portions of different injection molded totes may be used to create a custom sized plastic tote. The sleeve may be made from different materials and may be made of multiple pieces.

A system (100) for making a prepreg composite sheet (300) comprising contoured charges (308) comprises first means (102) for forming precursor outline regions (206) in a resin film layer (200). The system (100) also comprises second means (106) for impregnating a fiber reinforcement (220), comprising fibers (222), with the resin film layer (200), comprising the precursor outline regions (206), to form the prepreg composite sheet (300). The prepreg composite sheet (300), as so formed, comprises non-impregnated outline regions (310) that define the contoured charges (308). The non-impregnated outline regions (310) in the prepreg composite sheet (300) correspond to the precursor outline regions (206) in the resin film layer (200). The system (100) further comprises third means (104) for guiding the fiber reinforcement (220) and the resin film layer (200) to the second means (106). The resin film layer (200) comprises the precursor outline regions (206) formed by first means (102).

An apparatus for thermoforming plastic containers comprising a pickup station (24), a feeder (25) for feeding flat sheets (8) of thermoformable plastic material to the pickup station (24) and a plurality of thermoforming devices (3) each of which in turn comprises a shaped mould (4) and a closing element (5), the shaped moulds (4) and the closing elements (5) of said plurality of thermoforming devices (3) being simultaneously movable at least between corresponding home and forming positions; the pickup station (24) comprising a positioning device (27) for, in use, positioning a plurality of flat sheets (8) arriving from the feeder (25), in a plurality of pickup locations (28), the number of pickup locations (28) being equal to the number of thermoforming devices (3); a transferring device (26) also being provided, designed to simultaneously transfer a plurality of flat sheets (8) that are positioned in the pickup locations (28) to the closing elements (5).

An apparatus for thermoforming plastic containers comprising a pickup station (24), a feeder (25) for feeding flat sheets (8) of thermoformable plastic material to the pickup station (24), at least one thermoforming device (3), and a transferring device (26) for transferring the flat sheets (8) from the pickup station (24) to the thermoforming device (3), the feeder (25) comprising at least one support (50) for a reel (51) of a web (52) of thermoformable plastic material, unwinding means (53) for unwinding the reel (51) of web (52) which are designed, in use, to feed the web (52) along a sliding path extending from the at least one support (50) to the pickup station (24), and a cutting device (54) for cutting the web (52), positioned along the sliding path, for dividing the web (52) into a plurality of pieces each of which corresponds to a flat sheet (8) to be fed to the pickup station (24).

An apparatus for thermoforming plastic containers comprising a thermoforming device (3) in turn comprising a shaped mould (4) and a closing element (5) movable relative to one another at least between a home position and a forming position, and an extracting device (9) for extracting the thermoformed container (2) from the shaped mould (4), the extracting device comprising at least one gripper element (68) shiftable between a pickup position and a releasing position; in which when the shaped mould (4) and the closing element (5) are in an extracting position, the gripper element (68) in the pickup position can grip a projecting edge (66) of a projecting flange (71) of the container (2) for retaining it, whilst when the gripper element (68) is in the releasing position it can release a thermoformed container (2), retained by it, onto a conveying device (69); and in which the gripper element (68) and the shaped mould (4) are also movable relative to each other, starting from the position in which the gripper element (68) has gripped the edge (66) of the container (2), along an extracting line, for causing the container (2) to come out of the shaped mould (4).