A molded hook surface fastener having a base plate and a large number of hook engaging elements projecting from a surface of the base plate, wherein both the base plate and the hook engaging elements is made of a resin mixture comprising polybutylene succinate (A) as a continuous phase and starch (B) as a dispersed phase, and satisfying the following requirements (1) to (3) simultaneously: (1) the dispersed phase comprises polyvinyl alcohol (C); (2) the starch (B) comprises a modified starch, and an amylose content of the starch (B) is 45% by weight or more; and (3) the hook engaging element tapers from a surface of the base plate toward a distal end portion and gradually bends from its middle such that the distal end portion faces a direction slightly approaching the surface of the base plate,
is produced without breaking the hook engaging element during the pultrusion molding and is decomposed in the natural environment and does not bring about environmental destruction when discarded.

A container blank having an article handling feature for handling the container blank as well as the flexible packages made therefrom during manufacture, and method of making flexible packages using such a feature are described herein. Also described herein is an array of flexible packages containing a common article handling feature provided by such a method.

A container blank having an article handling feature for handling the container blank as well as the flexible packages made therefrom during manufacture, and method of making flexible packages using such a feature are described herein. Also described herein is an array of flexible packages containing a common article handling feature provided by such a method.

An additive manufacturing print head includes a spinneret defining a first channel configured to receive a first feedstock and a second channel configured to receive a second feedstock. The spinneret is configured to provide a bilayer extrudate including a layer of the first feedstock in direct contact with a layer of the second feedstock. The print head further includes a minimizer configured to receive the bilayer extrudate from the spinneret and to reduce a flow area of bilayer extrudate transverse to a flow direction of the bilayer extrudate, and a multiplier configured to transform the bilayer extrudate from the minimizer to a multilayer extrudate. The multilayer extrudate includes alternating layers of the first feedstock and the second feedstock.

A method of producing modified vinyl alcohol-based polymer particles, includes mixing vinyl alcohol-based polymer particles with a mixed medium containing unsaturated carboxylic acid, an acid catalyst, and water, wherein, by mixing the vinyl alcohol-based polymer particles with the mixed medium, the vinyl alcohol-based polymer particles are reacted with the unsaturated carboxylic acid to obtain modified vinyl alcohol-based polymer particles containing a vinyl ester unit represented by a formula (2) below, having a vinyl alcohol unit content based on the total constitutional units from 95 to 99.99 mol %, and having an average particle diameter from 50 to 2000 μm. The production method does not cause the problem of the residual sulfur content derived from a liquid medium used for reaction and is also capable of modifying the vinyl alcohol-based polymer particles while maintaining the particle shape.

The invention relates to a method for forming an article comprising a pathway of particles wherein a termination of the pathway of particles is exposed. The method comprises arranging the particles by applying an electric field and/or a magnetic field at an interface between a water soluble or a non-water soluble matrix and a matrix comprising a viscous material and particles. After fixating the viscous material, the termination is exposed by dissolving the water soluble or non-water soluble matrix. The invention also relates to articles obtainable by said method, and to the use of said method in various applications.

An apparatus for vacuumizing and sealing a package includes a plurality of platens and vacuum chambers, each chamber adapted to mate with a dedicated one of the platens; a conveying system for conveying the platens and chambers along a generally angular path having a single axis of rotation; an automated loading assembly having a linear component and configured to load a package onto each of the platens; an automated unloading assembly having a linear portion and configured to unload a vacuumized, sealed package from each loaded platen onto an outfeed conveyor; and a vacuumizing/sealing system configured to cause relative movement of each chamber/platen pair, along a portion of the angular path, to form therebetween an air-tight enclosure accommodating the package and effect vacuumization and sealing of the package.

An apparatus for vacuumizing and sealing a package includes a plurality of platens and vacuum chambers, each chamber adapted to mate with a dedicated one of the platens; a conveying system for conveying the platens and chambers along a generally angular path having a single axis of rotation; an automated loading assembly having a linear component and configured to load a package onto each of the platens; an automated unloading assembly having a linear portion and configured to unload a vacuumized, sealed package from each loaded platen onto an outfeed conveyor; and a vacuumizing/sealing system configured to cause relative movement of each chamber/platen pair, along a portion of the angular path, to form therebetween an air-tight enclosure accommodating the package and effect vacuumization and sealing of the package.

A process for making a layered multi-material structural element having controlled mechanical failure characteristics. The process includes the steps of: supplying a cementitious layer and forming a polymer layer on the cementitious layer by additive manufacture such that the polymer layer has a first thickness and the cementitious layer has a second thickness, wherein the polymer layer comprises a polymer and the cementitious layer comprises a cementitious material; and allowing the polymer from the polymer layer to suffuse into the cementitious layer for a period of time to obtain a suffused zone in the cementitious layer such that the suffused zone has a third thickness that is less than half the second thickness.

In various embodiments, a water-based binder solution for use in additive manufacturing, includes a thermoplastic binder. The thermoplastic binder includes a first polymer strand having a weight average molecular weight (Mw) of from greater than or equal to 5,000 g/mol to less than or equal to 15,000 g/mol, a second polymer strand having a weight average molecular weight of from greater than or equal to 10,000 g/mol to less than or equal to 50,000 g/mol, and a third polymer strand having a weight average molecular weight of from greater than or equal to 1,000 g/mol to less than or equal to 5,000 g/mol. The binder solution further comprises from greater than or equal to 0.1 wt% to less than or equal to 5 wt% of a non-aqueous solvent having a boiling point of greater than 100° C.