A compressible adjunct is used with a surgical instrument. The compressible adjunct includes a hollow fibrous construct and a core fibrous construct housed within the hollow fibrous construct, wherein the hollow fibrous construct comprises at least one biocompatible material that has experienced at least one transition from a more ordered phase to a less ordered phase in response to heating the hollow fibrous construct to a predetermined temperature.

A composition which can provide foamed moldings and foamed electric wires having a small average cell size and a high foam content and causing fewer sparks. The composition includes a fluororesin (A) and a compound (B) which is a sulfonic acid or a salt thereof. The sulfonic acid is represented by the following formula (1): F(CF.sub.2).sub.nSO.sub.3H (1) wherein n is 4 or 5, or the following formula (2): F(CF.sub.2).sub.nCH.sub.2CH.sub.2SO.sub.3H (2) wherein n is 4 or 5. Also disclosed is a foamed molding formed from the composition and a method for producing a foamed molding.

A compressible adjunct is used with a surgical instrument including a staple cartridge deck. The compressible adjunct includes a first biocompatible material, a second biocompatible material with a lower melting temperature than the first biocompatible material, and a body including a face positionable against a length of the staple cartridge deck. The face includes a plurality of attachment regions spaced apart from one another, wherein the plurality of attachment regions include the second biocompatible material, wherein the face is selectively attachable to the staple cartridge deck at said plurality of attachment regions, and a plurality of non-attachment regions extending between the plurality of attachment regions, wherein the second biocompatible material is selectively disposed outside said non-attachment regions.

A method for producing a foam-molded product uses a producing apparatus including a plasticizing cylinder. The plasticizing cylinder has a plasticization zone, a starvation zone, and an introducing port which is formed in the plasticizing cylinder and via which a physical foaming agent is introduced into the starvation zone. The method includes: plasticizing and melting a thermoplastic resin into a molten resin in the plasticization zone; introducing a pressurized fluid containing the physical foaming agent having a fixed pressure into the starvation zone; allowing the molten resin to be in the starved state in the starvation zone; bringing the molten resin in the starved state into contact with the pressurized fluid having the fixed pressure in the starvation zone; and molding the molten resin into the foam-molded product. At least one pressure boosting part is provided in the starvation zone.

[Problem] The present invention relates to a manufacturing method for obtaining a molded article having an expanded layer in the molded article, wherein an expanding agent and device used to manufacture a resin having expansion properties, and a means for increasing expansion ratio are provided. [Solution] In the present invention, an expanding agent placed in a heating cylinder of a molding machine is configured as a liquid, the volume of the expanding agent is controlled, and the expanding agent is injected into a molten resin in the heating cylinder of the molding machine. The volume of the injected expanding agent can thereby be accurately measured each time. When a low-boiling liquid such as water, an alcohol, or an ether is used as the injected expanding agent, all of the liquid is vaporized by the temperature of the heating cylinder of the molding machine, and no residue thereof is therefore left in the molded article. When sodium bicarbonate water is used as the injected expanding agent, solvent water vaporizes and water vapor also becomes expandable gas, which is less expensive than using sodium bicarbonate as the expanding agent for a master batch using the resin that is to be molded.

Disclosed herein is a foamable resin composition for a foam sheet including polylactic acid resin particles, each of the particles having a particle size of about 1 m to about 100 m. A process for preparing a particulate polylactic acid resin includes: introducing a polylactic acid resin and then forming a molten polylactic acid spray solution; and injecting the molten polylactic acid spray solution by a melt spray method and simultaneously cooling the molten polylactic acid spray solution to obtain a particulate polylactic acid. In addition, disclosed herein is a process for preparing a foam sheet using the foamable resin composition for a foam sheet including a polylactic acid resin.

An apparatus having an extrusion machine and a feeding unit. for producing foamed polymeric material, in particular polyethylene and polypropylene, is disclosed. The extrusion machine includes a cylindrical barrel which is connected with a first end thereof to the feeding unit to receive a blend of plastic material to be extruded, a parallel pair of screws in the cylindrical barrel, a driving unit for driving the screws into rotation in opposite directions, a gas tank containing CO.sub.2 as a foaming gas, injection means for injecting the foaming gas into the cylindrical barrel; a head mounted at a second end of the cylindrical barrel opposite to the first end and heating means arranged around the cylindrical barrel for transferring heat thereto.

Provided are a flame retardant composition for expandable styrene resin that can be used to produce a foamed molded article having excellent flame retardancy and excellent heat resistance, a flame-retardant expandable styrene-based resin composition, and an extrusion-foamed molded article of the styrene-based resin compostion. The flame retardant composition for expandable styrene resin of the present invention comprises at least tetrabromobisphenol A-bis(2,3-dibromo-2-methylpropyl ether) as a component (B1), fatty acid zinc as a component (C), and a fatty acid metal salt, excluding the component (C), as a component (D), the component (C) being contained in an amount of 0.1 to 15 parts by mass based on 100 parts by mass of the component (B1), and the component (D) being contained in an amount of 1 to 35 parts by mass based on 100 parts by mass of the component (B1).

Methods of recovering and/or recycling expanded polymer tooling, the methods including collecting expanded polymer tooling, reducing the collected expanded polymer tooling into smaller particles, treating the reduced expanded polymer tooling in order to yield an at least partially purified recovered polymer composition, and then collecting the at least partially purified recovered polymer composition. The at least partially purified recovered polymer composition can then be used to form new expandable polymer tooling.

A method of forming a plurality of fasteners includes extruding a continuous strip of material, the continuous strip defining a base portion, a tip portion, and a stem portion extending between the base portion and the tip portion. A portion of material is removed from the continuous strip of material along the tip portion such that a plurality of tip portions are separated from each other and spaced apart, each tip portion having at least one flexible tab. The continuous strip of material is then extruded through a foaming die, wherein the flexible tabs are elastically displaced away from the base portion during a foaming process such that a foam material fills a cavity of the foaming die to form a sealing element around the stem portion. Portions of the continuous strip between each of the tip portions are separated to produce a plurality of individual sealed fasteners.