Various embodiments related to three dimensional printers, and reinforced filaments, and their methods of use are described. In one embodiment, a void free reinforced filament is fed into an conduit nozzle. The reinforced filament includes a core, which may be continuous or semi-continuous, and a matrix material surrounding the core. The reinforced filament is heated to a temperature greater than a melting temperature of the matrix material and less than a melting temperature of the core prior to drag the filament from the conduit nozzle.

A method for the active adjustment of the profile of a film produced with blown extrusion technology, a film obtained with such method and a reel resulting from the winding of the film.

A multi-layer visor system for a surgical hood or garment is provided. The system includes a base film layer and one or more removable film layers that are coextruded at high temperature to form a sterile surface between each of the film layers should the surgeon elect to peel away a soiled or splattered removable film layer during the course of a surgical procedure so that an unobstructed view can be maintained. Thus, no separate sterilization step is required in order to sterilize the layers of the visor system. Each of the removable film layers can additionally include a tab having distinctive features in order to enable a wearer to easily distinguish between the tabs in order to make it easier for a wearer to know which tab to pull first to remove the outermost removable film layer. Further, because the tabs are located about the perimeter of the removable films, viewing is not obscured, yet the film layers are held securely in place until easily removed from the underlying removable film layer or base film layer.

A method of manufacturing a film (F1) including cavities and formed from a polymer in which a cavitating agent is dispersed, said method including a step of extruding the polymer through an extrusion die equipped with adjustment actuators for adjusting thickness of the extruded film, and a step of stretching (Str1) the film, as well as establishing a mapping function of the film on the basis of mass-per-unit-area profiles of the film before and after the stretching step, establishing a stretch profile of the film as stretched on the basis of said mapping function and of said transverse mass-per-unit-area profiles, and establishing a characteristic transverse profile that is characteristic of the film on the basis of said stretch profile and of a transverse profile of the concentration by mass of cavitating agent in the film as stretched that makes it possible to take into account the distribution of the cavities in the film; in which method said adjustment actuators are controlled as a function of said characteristic transverse profile.

A new dielectric material for a communication cable has a dielectric base with strength members embedded therein. By a new process, vacuum voids are formed in the dielectric base and at least partially contain or abut the strength members. The material is particularly well suited for a first dielectric tape, where the cable includes a first insulated conductor, the first dielectric tape and a second insulated conductor, with the first insulated conductor being twisted with the second insulated conductor with the first dielectric tape residing between the first insulated conductor and the second insulated conductor. The material is also suitable for a separator of the cable serving to separate twisted pairs from each other within the cable, as well as other components of the cable, such as an insulation layer of one or more of the insulated conductors of the twisted pairs.

A method of extruding filament comprises the steps of cutting a bulk source material into pieces having size S.sub.1, performing a first extrusion pass comprising the steps of melting the pieces in an extruding device at a temperature T.sub.1 and extruding a first filament at an extrusion speed V.sub.1, and performing at least one additional extrusion pass k comprising the steps of cutting the first filament into pieces having size S.sub.k, melting the pieces in an extruding device at temperature T.sub.k, and extruding a final filament at an extrusion speed V.sub.k. A system for extruding filament is also described.

Described herein are UV reflective particles, and methods of forming UV reflective particles, comprising extruding a film having a plurality of alternating layers of polycarbonate (PC) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), wherein each layer is less than 150 nm thick, and grinding the film into particles having a median particle size less than 200 microns.

A method of producing a microparticle includes providing a mould assembly, which comprises two moulds that comprise an upper mould and a lower mould, positioning the mould assembly in a closed position, wherein the two moulds define a micro-cavity to exert pressure on a moulding material within the micro-cavity to form the moulding material into a microparticle, and positioning the mould assembly in an open position, wherein the microparticle adheres to one of the two moulds of the mould assembly.

In an embodiment, a slit film tape composition includes a propylene-based elastomer comprising 1-16 wt % ethylene based on a total weight of the propylene-based elastomer, the propylene-based elastomer having a melt flow rate (MFR) of 1-50 g/10 min; a polypropylene comprising 10-100 mol % propylene based on a total weight of the polypropylene, the polypropylene having a MFR of 2-35 g/10 min; and a filler. In another embodiment, a slit film tape composition includes a propylene-based elastomer comprising from 5-30 wt % ethylene based on a total weight of the propylene-based elastomer, the propylene-based elastomer having a MFR of 35-60 g/10 min; a polypropylene comprising 10-100 mol % propylene based on a total weight of the polypropylene, the polypropylene having a MFR of 2-35 g/10 min; and a filler.

An oral product includes a body that is wholly receivable in an oral cavity. The body includes a mouth-stable polymer matrix, cellulosic fibers embedded in the mouth-stable polymer matrix, and a mouth-soluble binder dispersed in the mouth-stable polymer matrix.