Apparatus and associated methods relate to an enhanced auxetic composite material (EACM) of a base thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) and/or a thermoset material combined with an auxetic material, the composite formed with a molding process, where the base material is injected or dripped into or injected, dripped or formed around the auxetic material, the composite material providing higher impact performance than the individual materials. In an illustrative example, combining various energy absorbing materials with auxetic materials may further enhance impact performance. In some examples, TPE material injected into auxetic structures may fill internal voids. In some examples, the auxetic material may be suspended within the TPE material and be encapsulated around the auxetic material form. Auxetic materials may take various forms, for example, sheets, 3-D structures, and particles, each providing unique benefits. Various embodiments included within various personal protection articles may advantageously provide long life and enhance impact resistance.

A structural reinforcement for an article including a carrier that includes: (i) a mass of polymeric material having an outer surface; and (is) at least one consolidated fibrous insert having an outer surface and including at least one elongated fiber arrangement having a plurality of ordered fibers arranged in a predetermined manner. The fibrous insert is envisioned to adjoin the mass of the polymeric material in a predetermined location for carrying a predetermined load that is subjected upon the predetermined location (thereby effectively providing localized reinforcement to that predetermined location). The fibrous insert and the mass of polymeric material are of compatible materials, structures or both, for allowing the fibrous insert to be at least partially joined to the mass of the polymeric material. Disposed upon at least a portion of the carrier will be a mass of activatable material.

The present invention molds, with simple processes, a tube which has a smaller outer diameter and is hardly bent in a folded manner. The present invention includes (i) a primary molding step of forming a primary molded body by carrying out resin molding while a reinforcing member and a core pin (4) are placed in a cavity of a first mold made up of a lower mold (30) and an upper mold (40) for primary molding and (ii) a secondary molding step of covering the reinforcing member by carrying out resin molding while the primary molded body is placed in a cavity of a second mold that has an inner diameter larger than an inner diameter of the cavity of the first mold.

A velcro inserting type universal synthetic resin mask with a replaceable filter, an injection molding apparatus therefor, and a manufacturing method thereof are described. The velcro inserting type universal synthetic resin mask with a replaceable filter can include a mask guide with a rim-like shape which supports a filter insertion portion therein and is formed of a synthetic resin by an injection molding process using an upper mold and a lower mold along with the filter insertion portion; and a velcro for attachment of a filter which is placed at a front portion of a velcro entity for attachment of a filter forming portion of the upper mold during the injection molding process for the mask guide and the filter insertion portion and formed on the mask guide when inserted such that the velcro for attachment of a filter is fixed through a velcro entity insertion hole of the upper mold.

Systems for manufacturing bulked continuous carpet filament from polymer, where the systems are configured for: (1) melting polymer (e.g., derived from post-consumer PET bottles) to create a first single stream of polymer melt; (2) separating the first single stream of polymer melt into multiple streams of polymer melt; (3) exposing the multiple streams of polymer melt to a pressure of between about 0 millibars and about 5 millibars; (4) allowing the multiple streams of polymer melt to fall into a receiving section of a melt processing unit; (5) recombining the multiple streams of polymer melt into a second single stream of polymer melt; and (6) providing the second single stream of polymer melt to one or more spinning machines that are configured to form the second single stream of polymer melt into bulked continuous carpet filament.

A method of manufacturing bulked continuous carpet filament from recycled polymer. In various embodiments, the method includes: (1) reducing recycled polymer material into polymer flakes; (2) cleansing the polymer flakes; (3) melting the flakes into a polymer melt; (4) removing water and contaminants from the polymer melt by dividing the polymer melt into a plurality of polymer streams and exposing those streams to pressures below 25 millibars or another predetermined pressure; (5) recombining the streams; and (6) using the resulting purified polymer to produce bulked continuous carpet filament.

An additive manufacturing system has a plurality of manifolds in an extruder. Each manifold is connected to at least one nozzle of the extruder so the at least one nozzle extrudes thermoplastic material through a corresponding aperture in a faceplate mounted to the extruder. A plurality of valves is configured between each manifold and each nozzle connected to the manifold so the nozzles connected to a manifold extrude thermoplastic material from the manifold selectively. The faceplate is also configured for rotation about an axis perpendicular to the faceplate so different orientations of the nozzles and the apertures of the faceplate can be obtained. The different manifolds of the extruder enable a plurality of thermoplastic materials having different properties to be extruded simultaneously so the materials can join to one another while the materials are at an elevated temperature.

A method and apparatus for additive manufacturing that includes a material guide for directing a supply of working material and a plurality of rollers for advancing the working material. An electromagnetic heater is provided to heat and deposit molten working material as a new supply of working material is forced through the material guide.

A supply of build material such as a spool or cartridge is instrumented with a data tag that includes information about the build material. A three-dimensional printer, or a tag reader in communication therewith (directly or indirectly), can read the information from the tag for a determination as to how to use the build material during fabrication of a three-dimensional object.

A molding apparatus includes: a die provided with a die recessed portion; a core being relatively movable toward a first side and a second side in an axial direction of the die, and forming a flow passage for molten resin between the core and the die; a slider housed in the die recessed portion, having a gap in the die radial direction between the slider and the die recessed portion, the slider being slidable in the die axial direction; and a wall portion forming part of an inner wall in the die radial direction of the die recessed portion, positioned to oppose the core, and extending in such a way that a thickness of the wall portion gradually decreases heading from the first side toward the second side; wherein the wall portion is elastically flexible outward in the die radial direction in a case in which the wall portion is pushed by the molten resin.