The embodiment according to the present disclosure provides a method of manufacturing a composite film. This method includes: subjecting a porous substrate containing a thermoplastic resin to a heat treatment at a temperature T which satisfies the Formula: Tg+60 C.temperature TTm (wherein Tg represents a glass transition temperature ( C.) of the thermoplastic resin; and Tm represents a melting point ( C.) of the thermoplastic resin); coating a coating liquid containing at least a resin and a solvent on one surface or both surfaces of the porous substrate, which has been subjected to the heat treatment, to form a coating layer, with a tensile stress in a machine direction in the porous substrate adjusted to be within a range in which an elongation of the porous substrate is 2% or less; and solidifying the coating layer to obtain a composite film including the porous substrate and a porous layer containing at least the resin formed on one surface or both surfaces of the porous substrate.

A method of processing a continuous sheet of polymer material. The method includes routing the continuous sheet of polymer material from a first spool and along at least a first heated roller and a second heated roller, heating the continuous sheet of polymer material to a first temperature on the first heated roller and the second heated roller, and controlling a rotational speed of the first heated roller and the second heated roller such that the continuous sheet of polymer material is stretched when routed from the second heated roller to the first heated roller.

A forming apparatus for forming objects by forming a sheet of thermoformable material includes a thermal conditioning station including a kiln for heating the material to an operating temperature, and a heating station positioned downstream of the thermal conditioning station and including a heating device to heat set portions of the material to a temperature near a softening temperature of the material. In order to reduce reject material at the restart of the apparatus following machine downtime, the kiln and the heating device are positioned near one another in such a manner that a part of the material interposed between the thermal conditioning station and the heating station is heated by the heat generated by a kiln and/or by the heating device.

A method for processing planar material webs made of a fiber-containing material is disclosed. The planar material webs are fed as material web portions or endless material web, for the production of three-dimensional products. Before a material web is pressed for shaping, the material web is preformed three-dimensionally by deforming the material web in at least one direction substantially without stretching or compressing.

The present invention relates to a method for assembling particles having a long axis, a short axis and an average aspect ratio of 10-10,000. The method includes agitating a combination of a first solution, a second solution and the particles in any order to form a mixture wherein one of the first solution and the second solution is in the form of droplets dispersed in the other of the first solution and the second solution and the long axis of the particles is longer than a diameter of the droplets in the mixture, and continuing the agitation until the particles assemble into aggregates of particles with at least 30% of the particles aligned in parallel along the long axis. Aggregate or aggregate composites form by the method are also described.

Methods for manufacturing thermoformed objects are provided. In some embodiments, a method includes controlling a material transport system to move a material to a first location proximate to one or more heat sources. The method can include controlling the one or more heat sources to heat a first region of the material to a first temperature and heat a second region of the material to a second temperature. The method can also include controlling the material transport system to move the material to a second location proximate to an object forming element, and controlling the object forming element to form a dental appliance from the material.

An improved process for forming a PTFE mat is described. The process includes providing a dispersion with PTFE, a fiberizing polymer and a solvent wherein said dispersion has a viscosity of at least 50,000 cP. An apparatus is provided which comprises a charge source and a target a distance from the charge source. A voltage source is provided which creates a first charge at the charge source and an opposing charge at the target. The dispersion is electrostatically charged by contact with the charge source. The electrostatically charged dispersion is collected on the target to form a mat precursor which is heated to remove the solvent and the fiberizing polymer thereby forming the PTFE mat.

A method of making a wind turbine component comprises providing a mould (7), placing a fibrous pre-form (60) in the mould (70), admitting resin into the mould and curing the resin. The method further comprises heating (58) the fibrous pre-form before placing the pre-form in the mould.

An improved process for forming a PTFE mat is described. The process includes providing a dispersion with PTFE, a fiberizing polymer and a solvent wherein said dispersion has a viscosity of at least 50,000 cP. An apparatus is provided which comprises a charge source and a target a distance from the charge source. A voltage source is provided which creates a first charge at the charge source and an opposing charge at the target. The dispersion is electrostatically charged by contact with the charge source. The electrostatically charged dispersion is collected on the target to form a mat precursor which is heated to remove the solvent and the fiberizing polymer thereby forming the PTFE mat.

Provided is a method capable of producing a retardation film having an elongated shape and having a slow axis in an oblique direction with high production efficiency while precisely controlling the direction of the slow axis and the variation of the direction. The method of producing a retardation film of the present invention includes: holding the left and right end portions of a film with left and right variable pitch-type clips configured to have clip pitches changing in a longitudinal direction, respectively; preheating the film; obliquely stretching the film; and releasing the clips holding the film. The oblique stretching includes making the change ratio of the clip pitch of the clips on one side in the traveling direction thereof and the change ratio of the clip pitch of the clips on the other side in the traveling direction thereof different from each other, and/or making the position at which the clip pitch of the clips on the one side in the traveling direction starts to change and the position at which the clip pitch of the clips on the other side in the traveling direction starts to change different from each other, while extending a distance between the left and right clips. In the present invention, the moving speeds of the clips are braked immediately before the holding step and/or during a time period from the holding step to the oblique stretching step.