The method of metal-thermoplastic resin direct bonding is characterized by comprising a first step for irradiating a surface of the metal material with a pulse laser under an oxidizing atmosphere to form a surface modification region, a second step for causing the thermoplastic resin material to abut against the surface modification region to form a bonding interface, and a third step for heating up the bonding interface by laser irradiation to achieve bonding, the first step including forming metal oxide particle clusters obtained when metal oxide particles having a particle diameter of 5-500 nm to be continuously bonded at the surface modification region, so that the maximum height (Sz) of a surface of the metal oxide particle clusters is 50 nm-3 .Math.m.

A molded body which is formed from a shaping material containing a fluororesin powder. The fluororesin powder has a D50 of 30 .Math.m or more and 200 .Math.m or less and a D10 of 12 .Math.m or more. Also disclosed is a method for forming a molded body from a shaping material containing the fluororesin powder, the method including controlling the temperature of the fluororesin powder; and irradiating the fluororesin powder with a laser at the controlled temperature to fuse the same.

A tapered implantable device includes an ePTFE tubular member having a tapered length portion. The tapered length portion provides rapid recovery properties. The tapered length portion can feature a microstructure that includes a multiplicity of bent fibrils.

Apparatus and methods are provided for making catheters having relatively larger distal and proximal regions and/or including intermediate layers that minimize or eliminate gaps during manufacturing, and to catheters or other tubular devices made using such apparatus and methods.

A method of manufacturing a mixture PTFE thread using a mixture PTFE powder consisting of PTFE: 73-95 wt %, MoS.sub.2: 3-25 wt %, Al.sub.2O.sub.3: 1-5 wt %, and Al(OH).sub.3: 1-5 wt % comprises heat-retaining step for adding 18-25 wt % kerosene of a solvent to the mixture PTFE powder and keeping it warm at 30-50° C. for 40 to 50 hours, extruding the heat-retained mixture PTFE powder into a rod shape with a circular or elliptical cross section at the cylinder temperature of 70-90° C., rolling the extrusion at 100-150° C. into a 0.3-0.7 mm thick sheet shape, multiple-folding the sheet and passing the sheet through an oven at 250-270° C. at the rate of 10-40 cm/s, and stretching the folded sheet with a stretch ratio of 200-600% in multiple stages after heating the sheet at 450-500° C.

A polytetrafluoroethylene tube is provided and has a thickness of 0.1 mm or less, a tensile elongation at break of 350% or more, and a melting energy of 0.6 J/g or more which is calculated from an endothermic peak at 370° C.±5° C. in a procedure of increasing a temperature in differential scanning calorimetry (DSC).

A method for forming a pipe elbow comprises cutting a first precursor from a pipe. The pipe has an inner diameter surface and an outer diameter surface and a central longitudinal axis. The first precursor has a first end and a second end off parallel to the first end. Machining forms an interior surface having an arcuate centerline. Machining forms welding interfaces at the first end and the second end.

A method for forming a pipe elbow comprises cutting a first precursor from a pipe. The pipe has an inner diameter surface and an outer diameter surface and a central longitudinal axis. The first precursor has a first end and a second end off parallel to the first end. Machining forms an interior surface having an arcuate centerline. Machining forms welding interfaces at the first end and the second end.

An object is to provide a technique that improves the power generation performance, while enhancing the strength of a reinforced electrolyte membrane. There is provided a method of manufacturing a reinforced electrolyte membrane that comprises a first reinforcing film on one surface of an electrolyte membrane and a second reinforcing film on the other surface of the electrolyte membrane. The method of manufacturing the reinforced electrolyte membrane comprises (a) process of thermally compressing the first reinforcing film and the second reinforcing film to the electrolyte membrane. In the process (a), a number of times of thermally compressing the second reinforcing film to the electrolyte membrane is less than a number of times of thermally compressing the first reinforcing film to the electrolyte membrane.

The invention relates to a method for producing a catheter (1) having a proximal segment, a distal segment, and an expandable element (2) arranged in the distal segment, it being possible to bring the expandable element (2) from a contracted state into an expanded state by supply of a fluid and there being arranged around the expandable element (2) in the contracted state a removable protector in the form of a tube (5), and the tube (5) being pulled over the expandable element (2) and being guided with the catheter (1) through one or more nozzles (6), stretching the tube (5) and reducing the inner diameter of the tube (5). Furthermore, the invention relates to a corresponding catheter (1) having a tube (5) pulled over the expandable element (2). The invention provides a catheter (1) having a particularly small cross section in the region of the distal segment.