A fully coextruded shrink film is disclosed. The film includes a first polar polymer layer, a bonding layer, and a sealant layer. The bonding layer includes a blend of a bonding material and a compatibilizer material. The sealant layer is a first outer layer. The bonding layer including the compatibilizer material is positioned between the first polar polymer layer and the sealant layer. The film includes a shrinkage value of greater than 10% in each of the machine direction and the transverse direction when tested according to ASTM D2732-03 using a bath temperature of 90 degrees Celsius (? C.).

Embodiments of the present disclosure are drawn to additive manufacturing apparatus and methods. An exemplary additive manufacturing system may include an extruder, the extruder having an opening dimensioned to receive a material. The apparatus may also include an extruder output in fluid communication with the extruder, wherein the extruder output extends away from the extruder along a longitudinal axis. One or more heaters positioned along at least a portion of the extruder output may also be included, and, as the material passes through the extruder output, the one or more heaters may at least partially melt the material. The system may also include a gear pump in fluid communication with the extruder output for receiving the at least partially melted material, and a nozzle in fluid communication with the gear pump for depositing the at least partially melted material.

A current collector and a method of manufacturing the same are disclosed herein. In some embodiments, a current collector includes a complex polymer film layer, wherein the complex polymer film layer includes: a polymer matrix; and a metal material dispersed in the polymer matrix, wherein the metal material is fiber-shaped or plate-shaped, and the metal material is oriented in one direction.

It is disclosed a method for the production of a sealing module (1) for a pipe or a cable, the sealing module having a hollow body (10) and a plurality of inner layers (11a-11h) superimposed one to the other provided within said body (10), the layers (11a-11h) being removable one from the other to define the size of the cross-section of a housing (14) extending between two opposite surfaces (S1, S2) of the sealing module to house cables or pipes of different sizes, wherein said plurality of layers (11a-11h) are made of a thermoplastic material, or both said body (10) and said plurality of layers (11a-11h) are made of a thermoplastic material. It is also disclosed an apparatus for the production of a sealing module, and a sealing module made of thermoplastic material.

A method for producing a non-breathable micro-porous thermoplastic polymer film for outer covering of diapers and sanitary towels includes a dispersion step by mixture of mineral particles surface-covered with a hydrophobic layer of fatty acid, a base polymer and a co-polymer adhesive, wherein the co-polymer adhesive is selected to comprise the base polymer; and film forming step in a film extrusion line having a flat film extruder provided with an extrusion nozzle, wherein the mixture is fed to the flat film extruder forming the film, and hot stretching the film between the extrusion nozzle and the solidification of the formed film, thereby obtaining the non-breathable micro-porous film with pores sizing from 0.5 to 5 m without communication between the pores. The process requires less raw materials with a further reduction of film thickness, while giving a matt appearance to the film, thus making the usual micro-embossing step of the extrusion line unnecessary.

Methods of making polymer compositions containing volatile functional agents are provided, along with compositions and articles made from such methods. The methods include mixing one or more volatile functional agents into one or more polymers in a first extruder to form a masterbatch, further mixing the masterbatch in a second extruder having a volume that is larger than a volume of the first extruder, maintaining the mixing temperatures of both the first and second extruders below the volatilization temperature of the one or more volatile functional agents during the first and second mixing steps, and forming the mixture of the one or more volatile functional agents and the one or more polymers into pellets having a substantially uniform distribution of the one or more volatile functional agents in the one or more polymers.

Embodiments of the present disclosure are drawn to additive manufacturing apparatus and methods. An exemplary additive manufacturing system may include an extruder, the extruder having an opening dimensioned to receive a material. The apparatus may also include an extruder output in fluid communication with the extruder, wherein the extruder output extends away from the extruder along a longitudinal axis. One or more heaters positioned along at least a portion of the extruder output may also be included, and, as the material passes through the extruder output, the one or more heaters may at least partially melt the material. The system may also include a gear pump in fluid communication with the extruder output for receiving the at least partially melted material, and a nozzle in fluid communication with the gear pump for depositing the at least partially melted material.

A microvascular system includes a solid polymeric matrix and a woven structure in the matrix. The woven structure includes a plurality of fibers, and a plurality of microfluidic channels, where at least a portion of the microfluidic channels are interconnected. The microvascular system may be made by forming a composite that includes a solid polymeric matrix and a plurality of sacrificial fibers in the matrix, heating the composite to a temperature of from 100 to 250 C., maintaining the composite at a temperature of from 100 to 250 C. for a time sufficient to form degradants from the sacrificial fibers, and removing the degradants from the composite. The sacrificial fibers may include a polymeric fiber matrix including a poly(hydroxyalkanoate) and a metal selected from the group consisting of an alkali earth metal and a transition metal, in the fiber matrix, where the concentration of the metal in the fiber matrix is at least 0.1 wt %.

Described herein is a melt-processible polymer composition comprising: a non-fluorinated melt-processible polymer; and a fluorine-containing polymer comprising at least three (SO.sub.3.sup.)iM.sup.+i groups per polymer chain wherein M is a cation; and i is an integer.

A process for the extrusion of plastics, such as plastics that tend to adhere or stick to parts of an extruder, using a planetary roller extruder in the feed part.