A method for forming a heated thermoplastic composite material into a closed profile using a tooling includes a) forming, during a first forming stage, a heated thermoplastic composite in a first space between a male tooling part and a female tooling part, b) forming, during a second forming stage, the thermoplastic composite material by engaging a first segment and/or second segment of the thermoplastic composite material with at least one auxiliary tooling part to thereby bring the first and second segments closer together, and c) forming, during a third forming stage, the thermoplastic composite material by pressing, using a pressing tooling part, the thermoplastic composite material around the male tooling part thereby creating a seam between the first and second segment.

A method for forming a heated thermoplastic composite material into a closed profile using a tooling includes a) forming, during a first forming stage, a heated thermoplastic composite in a first space between a male tooling part and a female tooling part, b) forming, during a second forming stage, the thermoplastic composite material by engaging a first segment and/or second segment of the thermoplastic composite material with at least one auxiliary tooling part to thereby bring the first and second segments closer together, and c) forming, during a third forming stage, the thermoplastic composite material by pressing, using a pressing tooling part, the thermoplastic composite material around the male tooling part thereby creating a seam between the first and second segment.

A process for winding a filament around a winding support. The winding support has a cylindrical shape with dome-shaped longitudinal ends and a roll axis, and is held by a holding device fixed to a base. The process includes the following, occurring in synchronization, feeding a filament, by means of at least one feeding device, towards the winding support, rotating the winding support with respect to the base around a pitch axis of the winding support, rotating unlimitedly the at least one feeding device around a yaw axis of the winding support with respect to the base, and/or rotating unlimitedly the winding support around the yaw axis of the winding support with respect to the base, and rotating unlimitedly the winding support with respect to the base around the roll axis of the winding support.

The present invention describes a method for producing a leak-tight vessel for holding a gas and/or liquid, comprising the steps of winding a heat-sealable thermoplastic barrier strip around a removable mandrel in such a way that each strip fragment overlaps with a substantially parallel strip fragment over at least a lateral overlapping distance, consolidating the overlapping strip fragments so as to form a gas and/or liquid tight layer, winding a fibrous material around the gas and/or liquid tight layer, thereby leaving an opening large enough for removing the mandrel. The invention also describes a leak-tight vessel produced in this way.

A system and method are provided for conditioning paint roller cover fabric inline in a continuous paint roller manufacturing process. The system and method provide an inline fabric conditioning unit upstream of the point in the process that the paint roller fabric cover strip is wrapped about the outer side of the outer strip, the fabric conditioning unit including a fabric conditioning device that conditions the paint roller fabric cover strip as it is being fed towards the outer side of the outer strip. The fabric conditioning unit may be used to perforate the fabric, to remove loose fibers from the fabric side of the paint roller fabric cover, to buff the paint roller fabric, and to orient the paint roller cover fibers. The continuous paint roller manufacturing process includes steps of feeding an inner strip and an outer strip towards a mandrel, wrapping the inner strip and the outer strip about the mandrel in offset relation, applying a strip adhesive to at least a portion of an outer side of the inner strip and at least a portion of an outer side of the outer strip, feeding a paint roller fabric cover strip having a fabric side and a backing side towards the outer side of the outer strip, the fabric side comprising loose fibers and attached fibers, forming a paint roller tube by wrapping the paint roller fabric cover strip about the outer strip at a point in the process after the strip adhesive has been applied to the outer side of the outer strip such that the backing side contacts the strip adhesive, applying compression to the paint roller tube, and cutting the paint roller tubes into like lengths.

A method for forming a composite tube includes the steps of: braiding a plurality of strips to form a workpiece tube; bending the workpiece tube to form a bend; and extending the length of the workpiece tube by continuing the braiding step.

A method for forming a composite tube includes the steps of: braiding a plurality of strips to form a workpiece tube; bending the workpiece tube to form a bend; and extending the length of the workpiece tube by continuing the braiding step.

A method includes: extruding a continuous web of plastics material from an extruder of a hose making apparatus; helically winding the extruded web about a mandrel or at least one rotating rod of the hose making apparatus to form a wall of the hose about a central axis of the hose; extruding a continuous bead of plastics material to have a cross-section that defines a lumen at a location within the cross-section; cooling the extruded bead sufficiently to cool the plastics material adjacent the location within the cross-section of the extruded bead to cause the lumen to retain its size and shape within the cross-section; re-heating the extruded bead sufficiently to cause outer surface portions of the plastics material of the extruded bead to become molten; and helically winding the extruded bead onto and about an external surface of the wall to provide the wall a support helix.

A process for winding a filament around a winding support. The winding support has a cylindrical shape with dome-shaped longitudinal ends and a roll axis, and is held by a holding device fixed to a base. The process includes the following, occurring in synchronization, feeding a filament, by means of at least one feeding device, towards the winding support, rotating the winding support with respect to the base around a pitch axis of the winding support, rotating unlimitedly the at least one feeding device around a yaw axis of the winding support with respect to the base, and/or rotating unlimitedly the winding support around the yaw axis of the winding support with respect to the base, and rotating unlimitedly the winding support with respect to the base around the roll axis of the winding support.

A system and method for forming a strut. A strut comprises a laminated composite tube having a substantially hollow interior and a pair of longitudinal stiffeners attached to opposite sides of the laminated composite tube.