The present disclosure is directed toward a composite balloon comprising a layer of material having a porous microstructure (e.g., ePTFE or expanded polyethylene) and a thermoplastic polymeric layer useful for medical applications. The layers of the composite balloons become adhered through a stretch blow-molding process. Methods of making and using such composite balloons are also described amongst others.

A method of fabricating a thin film heater includes providing a heating element supported on a surface of a flexible dielectric backing film; and attaching a layer of heat shrink film onto the surface of the dielectric backing film so as to at least partially enclose the heating element between the heat shrink film and the dielectric backing film. The method provides a much more precise and consistent method of assembling the heater assembly and improves the thermal properties and heat transfer to a heating chamber.

Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) composite articles that have a macro textured surface. The composite articles include at least two different PTFE membranes in a layered or stacked configuration. The composite article has a macro textured surface characterized by a plurality of strands raised from the surface of the PTFE membrane. The strands may be formed of either interconnected nodes of PTFE or of at least one nodal mass of PTFE and have a length equal to or greater than about 1.5 mm. The macro textured surface provides a topography to the first PTFE membrane. The composite articles have a bubble point from about 3.0 psi to about 200 psi, a thickness from about 0.01 to about 3.0 mm, and a bulk density from about 0.01 g/cm.sup.3 to about 1.0 g/cm.sup.3.

Provided are methods for forming a rigid cable harness. An example method includes providing a curable sleeve comprising a curable compound, an adhesive, and a backing; wherein the curable adhesive tape has a longitudinal direction. The method further includes placing a plurality of cables on the sleeve in the longitudinal direction and wrapping the curable sleeve around the placed plurality of cables to form a cable harness, wherein the wrapping comprises wrapping the plurality of cables with the curable sleeve in the longitudinal direction. The method additionally includes positioning the cable harness into a desired shape and curing the curable compound of the cable harness to form the rigid cable harness, wherein the rigid cable harness has the desired shape.

The present invention provides a process for preparing a functionalised polymeric chromatography medium, which process comprises (I) providing two or more non-woven sheets stacked one on top of the other, each said sheet comprising one or more polymer nanofibres, (II) simultaneously heating and pressing the stack of sheets to fuse points of contact between the nanofibres of adjacent sheets, and (III) contacting the pressed and heated product with a reagent which functionalises the product of step (II) as a chromatography medium.

Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) composite articles that have a macro textured surface. The composite articles include at least two different PTFE membranes in a layered or stacked configuration. The composite article has a macro textured surface characterized by a plurality of strands raised from the surface of the PTFE membrane. The strands may be formed of either interconnected nodes of PTFE or of at least one nodal mass of PTFE and have a length equal to or greater than about 1.5 mm. The macro textured surface provides a topography to the first PTFE membrane. The composite articles have a bubble point from about 3.0 psi to about 200 psi, a thickness from about 0.01 to about 3.0 mm, and a bulk density from about 0.01 g/cm.sup.3 to about 1.0 g/cm.sup.3.

A method of increasing the tensile strength of polymer films is provided. The creation of the load distribution elements in polymer films necessary to achieve this result is described. Application of the present invention to increase suture retention in a surgical polymer film is also provided.

To provide a process for producing a package for mounting a semiconductor element by using a mold, said a package for mounting a semiconductor element comprising a substrate having a mounting surface for mounting a semiconductor element and a packaging body formed from a cured product of a curable resin and having a frame-shaped portion surrounding the mounting surface, and the package has a concave portion formed by the mounting surface and the packaging body, which allows it to prevent resin burrs without occurrence of dents or damage of a substrate and failure in releasing from a mold, and to provide a mold release film to be suitably used for the production process. A mold release film having a substantially constant thickness over the film, is disposed on the upper mold having a convex portion of which shape corresponds to the concave portion, the substrate is disposed on the lower portion, the upper mold and the lower mold are closed so as to be in close contact with the convex portion to the mounting portion of the substrate via the mold release film, a space formed between the upper mold and the lower mold is filled with a curable resin, followed by curing the curable resin, and the cured product is released together with the substrate, from the mold.

To provide an ETFE film which is unlikely to wrinkle when stretched and retracted, and a method for producing the same. It is an ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene copolymer film characterized in that the crystallinity obtained by the formula (1) from the peak area S.sub.20 in the vicinity of 2=20, the peak area S.sub.19 in the vicinity of 2=19 and the peak area S.sub.17 in the vicinity of 2=17 in the diffraction intensity curve obtained by the X-ray diffraction method, is from 55 to 70%, and the proportion of the quasi-crystal layer obtained by the formula (2) is from 10 to 20%:
crystallinity (%)=(S.sub.19+S.sub.2)/(S.sub.17+S.sub.19+S.sub.20)100(1)
proportion of quasi-crystal layer (%)=S.sub.20/(S.sub.17+S.sub.19++S.sub.20)100(2).

Disclosed is a dike for semiconductor/LCD manufacturing and processing equipment, in which a plurality of straight blocks and a plurality of corner blocks, having a predetermined height, are engaged to form a polygonal-shaped fence having a predetermined area, and molten epoxy is injected to a predetermined height in the space within the fence and solidified.