Useful thermoplastic polymer powders are formed by a method comprising: cooling a foam comprised of a thermoplastic foam below the brittleness temperature of the thermoplastic polymer, wherein the foam has an average strut dimension of 10 to 500 micrometers, and comminuting the cooled foam to form a thermoplastic polymer powder. The method allows for the efficient grinding of the thermoplastic polymer having improved morphology and desirable characteristics such as dry flow without flow aids.

An apparatus (100) for generating three dimensional objects comprises a first scanning carriage (102). The first scanning carriage comprises a first energy source (104) to pre-heat an area of a build surface as the first scanning carriage (102) moves over the build surface.

Bi-axially orientated polypropylene film having a thickness of between 10 m and 120 m, suitable to make packing, flexible packages, laminated products and labels, where the film is obtained by means of flat die co-extrusion and sequential stretching respectively in the machine direction and in a direction transverse to the machine direction.

Improved battery separators, base films or membranes and/or a method of making or using such separators, base films or membranes are provided. The preferred inventive separators, base films or membranes are made by a dry-stretch process and have improved strength, high porosity, high charge capacity and high porosity to provide excellent charge rate and/or charge capacity performance in a rechargeable battery.

A polyester film and a method for producing the same are provided. The polyester film includes a heat resistant layer. The heat resistant layer includes a high temperature resistant resin material and a polyester resin material. The high temperature resistant resin material and the polyester resin material are melted and kneaded with each other via a twin screw granulator. The twin-screw granulator has a twin-screw temperature between 250 C. and 320 C., and the twin-screw granulator has a twin-screw rotation speed between 300 rpm and 800 rpm, so that the high temperature resistant resin material is dispersed in the polyester resin material with a particle size of between 50 nm and 200 nm.

A sold nano- or micro-structured thermoplastic foil including a nano- or micro-structured surface area is produced by providing an extrusion casting roller for an industrial polymer extrusion casting process using a thermoplastic material, applying a nano- or micro-structured surface on the extrusion casting roller, maintaining a temperature of the casting roller below a solidification temperature of the thermoplastic material while the casting roller and the counter roller are rotating, and continuously applying a melt of the thermoplastic material between a counter roller and the casting roller while the casting roller and the counter roller are rotating. A rotational velocity of the casting roller may be 10 meters/minute. The melt of the thermoplastic material is moved between the casting roller and the counter roller while the rollers are rolling, and the melt of the thermoplastic material is solidified upon contact with the casting roller to form the thermoplastic foil.

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.

An underwater pipe including a metal reinforcing layer around an inner polymeric sealing sheath which may be in contact with hydrocarbons. The inner polymeric sealing sheath includes a polypropylene block copolymer or a mixture of polypropylene block copolymers, wherein the polypropylene block copolymer or the mixture has a density greater than 0.900 g/cm3, and a melt index measured at 230 C. under a mass of 2.16 kg of less than 10 g/10 minutes, its preparation method and its use for the transport of hydrocarbons. Such a sheath may be used in contact with hydrocarbons at high temperature.

A stabilizing liquid functional material (SLFM) for 3D printing includes ceramic nanoparticles in an amount ranging from about 0.25% to about 5% by weight based on a total SLFM weight and silica nanoparticles present in an amount ranging from about 0.1% to about 10% by weight based on the total SLFM weight. The ceramic nanoparticles have a particle size ranging from about 5 nm to about 50 nm. The silica nanoparticles have a particle size ranging from about 10 nm to about 50 nm. The ceramic nanoparticles and the silica nanoparticles are different in composition and/or morphology. An electromagnetic radiation absorber is present in an amount ranging from about 1% to about 10% by weight based on the total SLFM weight. An organic solvent is present in an amount from about 5% to about 50% by weight based on the total SLFM weight. The SLFM includes a balance of water.

A treated liquid crystal polymer resin sheet includes a main surface, a non-fiberized portion in which fibrous crystalline portions and a non-crystalline portion filling a gap between the crystalline portions are provided, and a fiberized portion in which the fibrous crystalline portions is exposed at the main surface with a gap between the crystalline portions that is unfilled.