A method of producing a brush for the cleaning of electronic components. In this method, a plastic core is prepared and submerged into a solvent to melt the outer surface of the core. While the outer surface of the plastic core is still partially melted, it is rolled through a trough of powdered polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) such that granules of PVA melt into and subsequently become embedded at the outer surface. As the solvent evaporates, the outer surface of the core re-hardens and the granules of PVA become firmly entrapped at the outer surface. The PVA covered shaft is placed in a mold, which is then filled with a PVA solution. As the solution cures, it forms a strong bond with the PVA granules that are embedded at the surface of the plastic core. Thereafter, the mold components are disassembled, leaving behind the finished cored brush.

Provided is a molded article that has such a shape as to offer a light condensing or light diffusing effect, has excellent mechanical strengths and heat resistance, and has a high thickness deviation ratio. This molded article includes a cured product of a curable composition containing an epoxy compound (A). The cured product has a flexural modulus of 2.5 GPa or more as measured in conformity with JIS K 7171:2008, except for performing measurement on a test specimen having a length of 20 mm, a width of 2.5 mm, and a thickness of 0.5 mm and at a span between specimen supports of 16 mm. The molded article has a thickness deviation ratio (thickest portion thickness to thinnest portion thickness ratio) of 5 or more and offers a light condensing or light diffusing effect. The molded article preferably has a thinnest portion thickness of 0.2 mm or less. The curable composition is preferably a photocurable composition.

A core-shell microneedle system and a method of manufacturing the microneedle system provides a pulsatile drug delivery system which is programmed to release drugs/vaccines at predictable times using biodegradable polymers and with controllable dosages. This microneedle system can be fully embedded into the skin and then release drugs/vaccines as sharp bursts in a timely manner, similar to multiple bolus injections.

A method for manufacturing a structured insert (10) for a mold for manufacturing a timepiece or jewelry component, for example a bracelet strand, including: —providing (E1) a template element (50) comprising a structured surface (51) with a pattern to be reproduced on a surface of a timepiece component; —covering (E2) the structured surface (51) of the template element (50) with a molding resin capable of reproducing a negative pattern of the pattern of the structured surface, and leaving the molding resin to solidify in order to obtain a structured insert (10); —separating (E3) the structured insert (10) from the template element (50), the structured insert (10) comprising a surface comprising the negative pattern; —optionally, cutting the structured insert (10) to the format corresponding to at least part of the timepiece component to be manufactured.

The present invention are methods for fabrication of micro- and/or nano-scale adhesive fibers and their use for movement and manipulation of objects. Further disclosed is a method of manipulating a part by providing a manipulation device with a plurality of fibers, where each fiber has a tip with a flat surface that is parallel to a backing layer, contacting the flat surfaces on an object, moving the object to a new location, then disengaging the tips from the object.

A polymeric film including a major surface having a plurality of intersecting extended structures is described. For at least a majority of the structures in the plurality of extended structures: each structure extends along a length of the structure, has an average width along a direction transverse to the length and generally along the first major surface, and has an average height along a direction generally perpendicular to the first major surface; and the average width of the structure may be in a range of 1 to 200 micrometers, the average height of the structure may be in a range of 1 to 200 micrometers, and the length may be at least 3 times the average width. The extended structures may be randomly or pseudorandomly oriented and may be formed by microreplicating a surface of a paper.

A method for efficiently manufacturing and fabricating microfluidic chips, where a base mold is formed to have positive-relief features used to cast an intermediary template chip with negative-relief features having dimensions of a scale in the micron range. The intermediary template chip is used to case a production mold, which is formed of a reinforced epoxy resin that, once hardened into a solid epoxy member, can withstand the structural pressures of a CNC machining system. The production mold can be refined by a CNC machining, where the refined production mold is then used to cast production chips to be used as microfluidic chips.

Provided is a Fresnel lens which has excellent heat resistance and which can covert light even from a poor-quality semiconductor light sources into uniform, high-quality light and can disperse the resulting light without lowering the central illuminance. The Fresnel lens according to the present invention includes two or more sawtooth prisms in a surface thereof and is made of a cured product of a curable composition containing an epoxy compound (A). Of the sawtooth prisms, a sawtooth prism having a longest inclined side in a cross section has a roughened surface, where the cross section is given by cutting the Fresnel lens in a plane which passes through the center of the Fresnel lens and which is perpendicular to a reference plane of the Fresnel lens.

A dual-interface coupler includes a utilities unit, a number of utility cables configured to provide a number of utilities to the utilities unit, a first coupling unit associated with the utilities unit, and a second coupling unit associated with the utilities unit. The first coupling unit is configured to mechanically couple the utilities unit to a first corresponding coupling unit and comprises a utility interface. The number of utilities are configured to flow from the utilities unit through the utilities interface. The second coupling unit is configured to mechanically couple the second coupling unit to a second corresponding coupling unit.

The present document provides details of a nanostructured material defined by an anodized alumina having a nanostructure with transverse pores that pass through and connect longitudinal pores grown on an aluminum substrate. This document also describes the process for producing said nanostructured material and the possible use thereof as a template or mould for obtaining nanostructures formed by nanowires, which are generated in the cavities or pores of the aforementioned nanostructure of the nanomaterial of the invention. Likewise, this document details the use of the nanostructured anodized alumina material as a mould for producing nanostructures.