A toner supply roller (1) is produced by preparing a rubber composition which contains a rubber component including an epichlorohydrin rubber and a butadiene rubber, a crosslinking component and a foaming component and, while extruding the rubber composition into a tubular body, continuously foaming and crosslinking the rubber composition of the tubular body by a continuous crosslinking apparatus including a microwave crosslinking device and a hot air crosslinking device. An image forming apparatus incorporates the toner supply roller (1).

Parts made by additive manufacturing are often structural in nature, rather than having functional properties conveyed by a polymer or other component. Printed parts having piezoelectric properties may be formed using a composite filament comprising a plurality of piezoelectric particles dispersed in a thermoplastic polymer. The composite filaments may be formed through melt blending and extrusion. The composite filament is compatible with fused filament fabrication and has a length and diameter compatible with fused filament fabrication, and the piezoelectric particles are substantially non-agglomerated and dispersed along the length of the composite filament. The piezoelectric particles may remain substantially non-agglomerated when dispersed in the thermoplastic polymer through melt blending. Additive manufacturing processes may comprise heating such a composite filament at or above a melting point or softening temperature thereof to form a softened composite material, and depositing the softened composite material layer by layer to form a printed part.

The resin composite of the present invention has a polyamide-based resin expanded sheet, and a fiber-reinforced resin layer integrally laminated on a surface of the polyamide-based resin expanded sheet.

The present invention relates to a composition for preparation of latex pads, comprising natural latex, artificial latex, sliver nanoparticles, zinc oxide nanoparticles, and active carbon mixed in a specified proportion. The present invention also provides a method for manufacturing latex pads from the composition.

A structural reinforcement for an article including a carrier (10) that includes: (i) a mass of polymeric material (12) having an outer surface; and (ii) at least one fibrous composite Insert (14) or overlay (980) having an outer surface and including at least one elongated fiber arrangement (e.g., having a plurality of ordered fibers). The fibrous Insert (14) or overlay (980) is envisioned to adjoin the mass of the polymeric material in a predetermined location for carrying a predetermined load that Is subjected upon the predetermined location (thereby effectively providing localized reinforcement to that predetermined location). The fibrous insert (14) or overlay (980) and the mass of polymeric material (12) are of compatible materials, structures or both, for allowing the fibrous insert or overlay to be at least partially joined to the mass of the polymeric material. Disposed upon at least a portion of the carrier (10) may be a mass of activatable material (126). The fibrous insert (14) or overlay (980) may include a polymeric matrix that includes a thermoplastic epoxy.

Multilayer polyethylene (PE) geomembrane liners for unconventional thermal conditions and methods of making them are disclosed. The liners have N co-extruded stacked layers, each layer being made from a PE masterbatch composition comprising a given amount of PE resin and additives, and of a PE metallocene based resin free of acid neutralizer compounds. Also disclosed are customized multilayer PE geomembrane liners of N co-extruded stacked layers, each layer being made from a PE masterbatch comprising a specific additive providing specific behaviour property to the layer; wherein at least two of the N layers comprise a different specific additive in order to provide a geomembrane liner having at least two layers with different behaviour property. The liners have a water-bath aging performance for about 6 months immersion at about 80° C. per ASTM D5322—modified for water, such that about 80% of high pressure OIT value retained per ASTM D5885.

A process for manufacturing a urethane foam pad comprising the steps of: providing a urethane resin and a filler agent; mixing a predetermined amount of the filler agent with the urethane resin to create a urethane mixture within a mold container; drawing a vacuum on the urethane mixture; allowing the urethane mixture to expand and gel for a predetermined amount of time to form an expanded urethane foam pad; releasing the vacuum on the urethane mixture; and removing the expanded urethane foam pad from the mold container.

A process for continuously preparing a polyolefin composition made from or containing a bimodal or multimodal polyolefin and one or more additives in an extruder device equipped with at least one hopper. The process includes the steps of supplying a bimodal or multimodal polyolefin in form of a polyolefin powder to the hopper; (a) measuring the flow rate of the polyolefin powder or (b) measuring the flow rate of the prepared polyolefin pellets; supplying one or more additives to the hopper; adjusting the flow rates of the additives supplied to the hopper in response to the measured flow rate of the polyolefin powder or adjusting the flow rate of the polyolefin powder in response to the measured flow rate of the polyolefin pellets; melting and homogenizing the polyolefin powder and additives within the extruder device; and pelletizing the molten polyolefin composition into the polyolefin pellets.

A method includes adding about 5 weight percent to about 25 weight percent of carbon nanotubes to a crystalline or semi-crystalline polymer to form a composite and forming a filament or particles from the composite, the filament or particles having a size suitable for use in additive manufacturing, in the absence of the carbon nanotubes a melt viscosity of the crystalline or semi-crystalline polymer is below 100 Pa.Math.s, preventing its use in additive manufacturing. The filament or particles comprising carbon nanotubes can be used in methods of additive manufacturing.

The invention relates to a method for producing a composition comprising the steps of: melt-blending a fluorinated polymer, preferably a polyvinylidene fluoride polymer, with a first conductive filler so as to obtain a conductive fluorinated polymer; grinding to powder said conductive fluorinated polymer; mixing the powder of conductive fluorinated polymer with a second conductive filler. The invention also relates to a composition comprising a second conductive filler and particles of conductive fluorinated polymer, wherein the particles of conductive fluorinated polymer comprise a fluorinated polymer matrix in which a first conductive filler is dispersed The invention also relates to a method for producing a bipolar plate and to a bipolar plate.