A laminate-shaping support material includes one of: a resin composition containing a polyvinyl alcohol resin having a primary hydroxyl group at its side chain, and having a heat of fusion of 10 to 30 J/g at its melting point (Embodiment (X)); and a resin composition containing a polyvinyl alcohol resin, and a block copolymer including a polymer block of an aromatic vinyl compound, at least one of a polymer block of a conjugated diene compound and a block of a hydrogenated conjugated diene compound, and a functional group reactive with a hydroxyl group (Embodiment (Y)). Therefore, the laminate shaping support material according to Embodiment (X), for example, is excellent in shape stability and adhesiveness to a model material. The laminate shaping support material according to Embodiment (Y) is excellent in peelability and forming stability.

A semi-crystalline blended polymer useful for additive manufacturing is comprised of an amorphous thermoplastic polymer and a thermoplastic semi-crystalline polymer, each of the polymers being essentially miscible in the other and being blended at a weight ratio of amorphous polymer/semi-crystalline polymer of greater that 1 to about 20. The semi-crystalline blended polymer displays a DSC melt peak enthalpy of at least about 3 joules/g. The semi-crystalline polymer may be made by blending the aforementioned polymers at the weight ratio and subject to heating between the melt temperature of the semi-crystalline polymer and the glass transition temperature of the amorphous polymer. The semi-crystalline blended polymer may revert to essentially an amorphous polymer when additive manufactured by fusing layers of said polymer powders together.

Articles comprising a skin layer comprising virgin polymer and a core layer comprising a recycled polymer, along with associated systems and methods, are generally provided.

A handle connection mechanism with a handle having a distal end and a proximal end opposite the distal end. The proximal end has a hollow portion. A connector has an outer lateral surface and a recess therein. The recess forms a cavity within the connector. A spring-loaded ball-snap element having a ball and a spring is configured to apply a radial force onto the ball. The spring-loaded ball-snap is positioned within the cavity of the connector. The spring applies a force onto the ball in a direction towards the outer lateral surface of the connector. A head is repeatedly attachable to and detachable from the handle via the connector. A portion of the connector having the spring-loaded ball-snap element therein outwardly extends from the proximal end of the handle and the ball slightly extends beyond the outer lateral surface surrounding the ball.

Methods and systems of fabricating a polymeric stent are disclosed herein.

Methods for reducing the density of thermoplastic materials and the articles made therefrom having similar or improved mechanical properties to the solid or noncellular material. Also disclosed are improvements to foaming methods and the cellular structures of the foams made therefrom, and methods for altering the impact strength of solid or noncellular thermoplastic materials and the shaping of the materials into useful articles.

A method for producing a polylactic acid (PLA) shaped article by thermoforming and thermoformed PLA articles. The method for producing a shaped article includes: heating a sheet of crystallizable polylactic acid (PLA)-based resin having a ratio of cold crystallization over total melting enthalpy (Hcc/Hm) greater than 0.70 as determined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), wherein heating includes a heating step the sheet is heated from a surface temperature of at most 80 C. to a surface temperature of at least 90 C. to at most 150 C. at heating rate of 5 C. to 25 C. per second, to provide heated sheet having a ratio of cold crystallization over total melting enthalpy (Hcc/Hm) greater than 0.5 as determined by DSC; and immediately after heating, forming heated sheet to provide a shaped article by means of a mold having a temperature of at least 70 C. and at most 120 C.

Continuous compression molding machines (CCMMs) and methods of continuous compression molding a consolidated thermoplastic matrix composite material are disclosed herein. The CCMMs include a mold, a heat zone heating structure, a consolidation zone heating structure, and a stress relaxation zone heating structure. The CCMMs also include a press structure, a demold structure, and a supply structure. The methods include providing a thermoplastic matrix composite material (TMCM) that includes a thermoplastic material to a CCMM. During the providing, the methods also include heating the TMCM within a heat zone of the CCMM, cooling and consolidating the TMCM within a consolidation zone of the CCMM, relaxing stress within the TMCM within a stress relaxation zone of the CCMM, demolding the TMCM within a demold zone of the CCMM at a mold temperature that is greater than a glass transition temperature of the thermoplastic material, and periodically compressing the TMCM.

A method for the production of thermoformed plastic parts from nucleation-free, amorphous polyethylene terephthalate includes a feed step in which a semi-finished product (1) having a predetermined semi-finished product width is first fed in a machine direction (MD) running parallel to the longitudinal direction of the semi-finished product to a processing section (3) of a thermoforming apparatus comprising a thermoforming tool and is then heated there in at least one heating step to a stretching temperature of 90-180 C., and is, as a function of the set stretching temperature, actively stretched at a degree of stretching of 1.2-5.0 in the machine direction (MD) in at least one stretching step. The at least one heating step takes place simultaneously with or precedes the at least one stretching step, and then, in a forming step, the semi-finished product (1) stretched in the processing section (3) is formed with the aid of the cooled hot thermoforming tool and is quenched to a temperature of at least 30 C. below the glass transition temperature of the polyethylene terephthalate used.

A method for producing a polyester film is provided. The method includes a resin alloy master batch preparation step and a film forming step. The resin alloy master batch preparation step includes melting and kneading a high temperature resistant resin material and a polyester resin material with a twin-screw granulator, and then forming a plurality of resin alloy master batches. In the resin alloy master batch preparation step, a twin-screw temperature of the twin-screw granulator is between 250 C. and 320 C., and a twin-screw rotation speed of the twin-screw granulator is between 300 rpm and 800 rpm. The film forming step includes melting and extruding the resin alloy master batches with to form a polyester film. The polyester film includes a heat resistant layer formed of the plurality of resin alloy master batches so that the heat resistant layer includes the high temperature resistant resin material and the polyester resin material.