A joining material for laser welding, a laser welding method using the same, and a laser joined body using the laser welding method. The joining material includes a polymer matrix and a needle-shaped inorganic filler. The polymer matrix includes a polypropylene resin having a melt index of 80 g/10 min or more to 95 g/10 min or less as measured at a temperature of 230° C. and a load of 2.16 kg, and the needle-shaped organic filler has an aspect ratio of 10:1 to 20:1.

A seal for a vacuum lifter and method of manufacture wherein the seal has a continuous unbroken outer fluid resistant skin of elastomer which forms a boundary around a homogeneous cellular structure with no interior seams or joints.

A roller electrode assembly (1) for applying a high-frequency alternating electric field to a workpiece (5a, 5b) has a core (2) which is at least partially made of electrically conductive material and surrounded by a tire (3) which can be filled with a protective gas and is made of a dielectric material.

A roller electrode assembly (1) for applying a high-frequency alternating electric field to a workpiece (5a, 5b) has a core (2) which is at least partially made of electrically conductive material and surrounded by a tire (3) which can be filled with a protective gas and is made of a dielectric material.

The invention relates to an elastic layer (202) for use as a support layer of sports floor (302), the elastic layer being made of a mixture of fibers (206), elastic granules (208), and a binder (204).

Three-dimensional (3D) hierarchical morphologies widely exist in natural and biomimetic materials, which impart preferential functions including liquid and mass transport, energy conversion, and signal transmission for various applications. While notable progress has been made in the design and manufacturing of various hierarchical materials, the state-of-the-art approaches suffer from limited materials selection, high costs, as well as low processing throughput. Herein, by harnessing the configurable elastic crack engineering-controlled formation and configuration of cracks in elastic materials, an effect normally avoided in various industrial processes, the present invention provides a facile and powerful technique to enable the faithful transfer of arbitrary hierarchical structures with broad material compatibility and structural and functional integrity. The present invention provides a cost-effective, large-scale production method of a variety of flexible, inexpensive, and transparent 3D hierarchical and biomimetic materials.

Systems and methods are disclosed that include an operation chamber, a plasma generator having at least one plasma head disposed within the operation chamber and in proximity to a profile formed by cutting a piece of tubing, and a mechanical motion module. The plasma generator generates a plasma treatment and applies the plasma treatment via the at least one plasma head to the profile to activate material on an end surface of the profile, within a lumen of the profile, or a combination thereof. Once the material of the profile is activated by the plasma treatment, the mechanical motion module manipulates the profile to close the lumen of the profile to aseptically seal the profile.

Systems and methods are disclosed that include an operation chamber, a plasma generator having at least one plasma head disposed within the operation chamber and in proximity to a profile formed by cutting a piece of tubing, and a mechanical motion module. The plasma generator generates a plasma treatment and applies the plasma treatment via the at least one plasma head to the profile to activate material on an end surface of the profile, within a lumen of the profile, or a combination thereof. Once the material of the profile is activated by the plasma treatment, the mechanical motion module manipulates the profile to close the lumen of the profile to aseptically seal the profile.

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.

Molded-in-color thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) compositions useful for making automotive components, such as injection molded parts, as well as other articles of manufacture are described. The molded-in-color composition has a ΔE* value≤2.0 (compared to a painted color master), a gloss measured at 60° from about 76 to about 90 GU, a density ranging from about 0.9 to about 0.97 g/cm.sup.3, a melt mass flow rate from about 15 to about 40 g/10 min (ASTM D 1238, 230° C./2.16 kg), a flexural modulus between about 600 to about 2000 MPa, and an as-molded shrinkage between about 0.6% and about 1.4%. The compositions can be used to prepare molded-in-color components that can undergo additional clear coating steps as required by the automotive application. The clear coated molded-in-color components have a gloss measured at 20° from about 85 to about 95 GU and a gloss retention after mar between about 85% and about 93%.