A composite and method for producing the composite by incorporating wood or wood pulp fibres with a suitable thermoplastic polymer and coupling agent are described. Homogeneous, void-free transparent/translucent thermoplastic materials in the form of pellets, films or three-dimensional moldable products are produced. The wood pulp fibres can be discrete natural fibres, and flexible assemblies of nano to micro elements, e.g., assemblies of aggregated carbon nanotubes. It is also possible to use our vacuum-assisted co-extrusion process to produce hybrid composites comprising the wood pulp fibre and a further rigid fibre, like glass or carbon fibres, and a flexible fibre or fibrillar network, like cellulose fibres or cellulose filaments. The thermoplastic resin can be, but not limited to, polyolefins, like polypropylene or polyethylene, or polyesters, like polylactic acid, or co-polymers, like acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene terpolymer.

A multi-sheet component for a utility vehicle that includes at least one gap between at least two of the sheets, thereby providing a component that enhances worker safety by increasing component stiffness and reducing component thickness. The component is manufactured through multi-sheet thermoforming and uses a conical frustum corrugation to increase stiffness.

A method of creating a soft and lofty continuous fiber nonwoven web is provided. The method includes providing molten polymer to a spinneret defining a plurality of orifices, and flowing a fluid intermediate the spinneret and a moving porous member. The moving porous member is positioned below the spinneret. The method includes using the fluid to draw or push the molten polymer, in a direction that is toward the moving porous member, through at least some of the plurality of orifices to form a plurality of individual continuous fiber strands. The method includes depositing the continuous fiber strands on the moving porous member at a first location to create an intermediate continuous fiber nonwoven web, and removing and/or diverting some of the fluid proximate to the first location to maintain loft and softness in the deposited intermediate continuous fiber nonwoven web.

Described herein are microplates having wells with ultra-thin walls and methods of forming thereof. The microplates can be made by thermoforming processes that use ultrasound, electricity, etc., to heat a thin polymer sheet or film prior to molding. Vacuum can be optionally applied to help form or shape the wells.

A method and a device for producing fibre-reinforced plastic mouldings, using coated fibre strands. For the coating of the fibre strands, an air flow of ionised air is produced and guided through a Venturi nozzle. Powder from a storage container is taken by means of a screw conveyor and supplied to the Venturi nozzle, a flow of a powder-air mixture being present or forming behind the Venturi nozzle in the direction of flow. This stream is introduced into a chamber and fibre strands that are earthed or ionised unlike the powder are passed through the chamber and through the powder-air mixture flowing through the chamber, powder particles being deposited on the fibre strands. The fibre strands guided out of the chamber therefore have a coating, and the fibre strands coated in this way are supplied to a plasticising device of an injection moulding machine or an extrusion machine.

A deep-drawing apparatus includes an arrangement of die plates, wherein each die plate has a plurality of frame vacuum holes and at least one female die having at least one die vacuum hole. At least one vacuum channel connects a vacuum source to the die vacuum hole of the female die and to the frame vacuum holes of the die plate. The deep-drawing apparatus includes for each die plate a closing device for closing and opening the vacuum channel. The die plate is fed a single foil sheet. The closing device opens the connecting channel at the corresponding die plate and the foil sheet is laid onto the die plate. Thereafter, the foil is held on the frame vacuum holes by a holding vacuum and is deep-drawn by a deep-drawing vacuum at the die vacuum holes in the female die. A method for the deep-drawing of foil is also disclosed.

Vacuum systems for epoxy mounting of material samples are disclosed. In some examples, a vacuum system may be a castable and/or cold mounting vacuum system that facilitates mounting and/or encapsulation of material samples in epoxy resin under low, vacuum, and/or near vacuum pressure. In some examples, the vacuum system may comprise a flow control device configured to control epoxy flow through a dispensing tube that connects to a hollow vacuum chamber. In some examples, the vacuum chamber may have an opening encircled by a rim sandwiched between upper and lower portions of a sealing ring. A movable lid may be configured to press down on the upper portion of the sealing ring when in a closed position, so as to seal the opening.

A parison separation device (30) according to an embodiment includes a cutter (31) with a cutting edge (35), the cutting edge (35) extending in a one direction and facing upward, and a block (33), the cutter being attached to an upper part of the block (33), inclined surfaces (37) being formed on both sides of the block (33) in a thickness direction of the cutting edge (35), each of the inclined surfaces (37) including a component that is inclined increasingly downward as it gets closer to one direction side end, in which the parison separation device (30) is disposed on a discharging direction side of a discharging port of a parison and configured to cut the parison discharged from the discharging port.

A mold for encapsulating a Pin-Fin type power module with resin is disclosed. The power module includes a DBC or IMS, power chips and multiple terminals provided on a first surface of the DBC or IMS and a Pin-Fin structure provided on a second surface of the DBC or IMS. The mold further includes: a cavity for containing the power module; multiple terminal protecting elements corresponding to the terminals, respectively, each for receiving at least a part of a terminal; and an injection hole provided on the bottom of the mold or on the side wall of the mold, The first surface faces the bottom of the mold and the injection hole is below the first surface when the power module is placed in the cavity. A method for manufacturing a power module is also provided.

A stacked workpiece molding device 1 includes: a first mold 20 configured to suck and hold a workpiece body 42; and a second mold 30 having on an inner surface a pattern that can be transferred to a surface of a sheet material 44 stacked on the workpiece body 42 and press the sheet material 44 against the workpiece body 42. The inner surface of the second mold 30 includes a groove portion 31 that is positioned at a peripheral edge portion of the workpiece body 42, the second mold 30 includes a through-hole 32 extending to open into the groove portions 31, the through-hole 32 is connected to a first suction device 51 that sucks the sheet material 44, and the first mold 20 includes a suction hole 22 for sucking the workpiece body 42, and the suction hole 22 is connected to a second suction device 52.