A connector with a first substantially cylindrical section having a cavity with a spring-loaded ball-snap element comprising a ball and a spring. An at least partially conically shaped section connecting the first substantially cylindrical section and a second substantially cylindrical section. The first and the second substantially cylindrical sections and the at least partially conically section define a longitudinal length extension. The first substantially cylindrical section and the second substantially cylindrical section are off-center with respect to the longitudinal length extension. A head having a hollow portion is dimensioned to receive the second substantially cylindrical section, the at least partially conically shaped section and a part of the first substantially cylindrical section. The hollow portion has an inner wall with a circular recess dimensioned to receive the ball, removably attaching the head to the second substantially cylindrical section.

In various aspects, the present disclosure pertains to thermoformed webs that comprise polymer films having one or more thermoformed cavities contained therein, the polymer films comprising a polymer blend of amorphous polyethylene terephthalate (APET), polyethylene furanoate (PEF), and a copolyester that comprises (a) dicarboxylic acid residues (e.g., dicarboxylic acid residues that comprise terephthalic acid residues and, optionally, one or more additional dicarboxylic acid residues) and (b) diol residues (e.g., diol residues comprising ethylene glycol residues and, optionally, one or more additional diol monomer residues). Other aspects of the disclosure pertain to methods of forming such thermoformed webs, packaged products comprising such thermoformed webs, and methods of recycling such thermoformed webs.

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 (ΔHcc/ΔHm) 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 (ΔHcc/ΔHm) 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.

Disclosed is a composition, in particular to a building material for an additive manufacturing process, wherein the composition is treated by heat. Further, the present invention is directed to a process for the manufacturing of the inventive composition and to a device comprising the inventive composition and the use of the inventive composition.

A mold includes: a first molding surface configured to form a lens surface of a scanning lens being elongated in a main-scanning direction; and a first coolant passage, which is disposed within the mold and through which a coolant to control the temperature of the first molding surface flows, wherein the first coolant passage includes: a first passage portion corresponding to a first lens portion which is a portion protruding most in an optical axis direction in the lens surface; and a second passage portion corresponding to a second lens portion which is a portion retreated most in the optical axis direction in the lens surface, and the second passage portion is located to be closer to the second lens portion than a virtual plane, which passes through the first passage portion and is orthogonal to the optical axis direction.

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 printing a three-dimensional part with an additive manufacturing system, which includes providing a part material that compositionally has one or more semi-crystalline polymers and one or more secondary materials that are configured to retard crystallization of the one or more semi-crystalline polymers, where the one or more secondary materials are substantially miscible with the one or more semi-crystalline polymers. The method also includes melting the part material in the additive manufacturing system, forming at least a portion of a layer of the three-dimensional part from the melted part material in a build environment, and maintaining the build environment at an annealing temperature that is between a glass transition temperature of the part material and a cold crystallization temperature of the part material.

A method for rapid heat cycle compression molding comprises placing an assemblage of feed constituents in a mold, placing the mold between two hot platens of a hot press, heating the mold by pressing the two hot platens against the mold, placing the mold between two cold platens of a cold press, cooling the mold by pressing the two cold platens against the mold, and ejecting the part from the mold.

A method of printing a hollow part with a robotic additive manufacturing system includes extruding thermoplastic material onto a build platform movable in at least two degrees of freedom in a helical pattern along a continuous 3D tool path with an extruder mounted on a robotic arm, to thereby print a hollow member having a length and a diameter. The method includes orienting the hollow member during printing by moving the build platform based on a geometry of the hollow member wherein the movement of the build platform and the movement of the robotic arm are synchronized to print the part without support structures.

A build material for additive manufacturing applications is disclosed. The build material includes a build composition in powder form. The build composition includes a semi-crystalline polymer having a glass transition temperature of at least 60° C. as measured by DSC and a minimum crystallization half-time of greater than 100 minutes as measured by SALS. A semi-crystalline polymer useful in additive manufacturing applications, an additive manufacturing method for producing a three-dimensional object and an additive-manufactured polymer article are also described.