Calendering installation for the production of a reinforcing ply (600) for a tire, which has a frame (100), two extruders (200, 300) for feeding elastomer material, a reinforcing-thread feeding device (400), a calender (500) having a first pair of counter-rotating rollers, with a first working roller (52) and a first shaping roller (51), and a second pair of counter-rotating rollers, with a second working roller (53) and a second shaping roller (54), wherein a calendaring nip (59) is formed between the working rolls (32, 53) in order to receive a first calendered rubber ply (57) delivered by the first pair of rollers (51, 52), a second calendered rubber ply (58) delivered by the second pair of rollers (53, 54), and the reinforcing threads (45) in order to supply the calendered reinforcing ply (600), which is conveyed to the outlet of the installation via GUIDE ROLLERS (62, 63). According to the invention, the two extruders (200, 300) are superposed and arranged on either side of a horizontal plane P extending at the level of the guide rollers (62, 63).

The invention relates to a method for creating a surface structure on a mold, wherein first structural elements are created using a laser structuring process in a first step, and second structural elements, which are smaller than the first structural elements, are created using an anodic oxidation process in another step following the laser structuring process. The invention further relates to a mold of said type and finally to a plastic film or a plastic component having a surface structure as well as to a method for the production thereof.

A method of injection molding a building product includes providing an injection mold with a plurality of gates located adjacent a perimeter of the injection mold. The method further includes commingling a first material and a second material into a flow, the second material comprising a color that contrasts with a color of the first material and injecting the commingled flow into the plurality of gates to form a building product. Thereafter, the method includes removing the building product from the injection mold. The second material extends through an interior of the building product and appears as contrasting streaks on an exterior of the building product to form a variegated grain appearance. The method also includes notching a portion of the building product, such that the building product has a substantially linear grain in an exposed portion thereof.

A device and method for designing lightweight, strong, material efficient, extruded and pultruded profiles, profile segments and surfaces produced in profile production with rotating dies creating superior resistance to compression, bending and buckling, higher energy absorption and right strength in the right place, by: varying the thickness along and across the direction of extrusion, making reinforcing patterns varying the profile thickness, and in some cases varying angles and patterns which increases the profile segments/surface resistance against compression, bending and buckling relative to the amount of material used and resulting in the manufacturing of optimized beams and surfaces that have superior properties in terms of strength/weight, stiffness/weight ratio, mechanical energy absorption/weight unit, deformation and natural frequency, thermal transfer capacity, the breaking of the laminar flow, increased/optimized surface for chemical and/or electrochemical reaction etc.

The present invention relates to roll-to-roll surface patterning by imprint method. A film of liquid phase resist is coated on a running web and subsequently brought into contact with a rolling replication tool with patterned features on its outer surface. In a simultaneous step, resist is 5 cured typically by heat or UV-light and patterned features on the rolling replication tool are replicated into the resist film during the contact with the replication tool. A major deficiency of conventional roll-to-roll imprinting is the generation of defects in the patterns due to trapped air. To overcome this limitation, the present invention describes a method and 10 apparatus to perform roll-to-roll imprinting under reduced-pressure or vacuum conditions.

Films and articles are described comprising a microstructured surface having an array of peak structures and adjacent valleys. For improved cleanability, the valleys preferably have a maximum width ranging from 10 microns to 250 microns and the peak structures have a side wall angle greater than 10 degrees. The peak structures may comprise two or more facets such as in the case of a linear array of prisms or an array of cube-corners elements. The facets form continuous or semi-continuous surfaces in the same direction. The valleys typically lack intersecting walls. Also described are methods of making and methods of use. The microstructured surface of the article can be prepared by various microreplication techniques such as coating, injection molding, embossing, laser etching, extrusion, casting and curing a polymerizable resin; and bonding microstructured film to a surface or article with an adhesive.

Control of lateral strain and lateral strain ratio (d.sub.t/d.sub.b) between template and substrate through the selection of template and/or substrate thicknesses (T.sub.t and/or T.sub.b), control of template and/or substrate back pressure (P.sub.t and/or P.sub.b), and/or selection of material stiffness are described.

Gelatinous materials combined with the Colloidal Silver additive to formulate an antimicrobial product having cushioning properties. Embodiments of the present invention can include gelatinous materials selected from a group consisting of thermosetting polymer, Styrene-Ethylene-Butadiene-Styrene polymer (SEBS), Thermoplastic Elastomer (TPE), and Polyurethane (PU) gelatin with and without a raised geometry on an outer surface.

A stamp for micro-transfer printing includes a support having a support stiffness and a support coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE). A pedestal layer is formed on the support, the pedestal layer having a pedestal layer stiffness that is less than the support stiffness and a pedestal layer coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) that is different from the support coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE). A stamp layer is formed on the pedestal layer, the stamp layer having a body and one or more protrusions extending from the body in a direction away from the pedestal layer. The stamp layer has a stamp layer stiffness that is less than the support stiffness and a stamp layer coefficient of thermal expansion that is different from the support coefficient of thermal expansion.

A method of injection molding a building product includes providing an injection mold with a plurality of gates located adjacent a perimeter of the injection mold. The method further includes commingling a first material and a second material into a flow, the second material comprising a color that contrasts with a color of the first material and injecting the commingled flow into the plurality of gates to form a building product. Thereafter, the method includes removing the building product from the injection mold. The second material extends through an interior of the building product and appears as contrasting streaks on an exterior of the building product to form a variegated grain appearance. The method also includes notching a portion of the building product, such that the building product has a substantially linear grain in an exposed portion thereof.