An orthodontic appliance shaped to receive teeth. The orthodontic appliance can be constructed from a laminate structure with an outer transparent layer and an inner translucent layer. The translucent layer can scatter light to decrease a relative degree or perceived gloss to the human eye, and hence provide a more natural appearance to the orthodontic appliance.

A thermoplastic polymer advanceable by solid state polymerization is blended with at least one dissimilar thermoplastic polymer. The blend is solid state polymerized to provide a modified polymer alloy blend having at least one physical or chemical property different from that of the blend before solid state polymerization. The modified polymer alloy blend may be coextruded with a layer of thermoplastic extrusion polymer having a melt viscosity similar to that of the modified polymer alloy.

A container made by blow molding out of crystallisable polymers having regular sequence of variations in molecular pre-alignment/orientation between different locations of the cross-section of the preform.

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 wide-neck synthetic resin container has a neck, a body and a bottom. A top side of the neck is sealed by a cap. The neck includes a neck tubular section, an engagement section protruding outward therefrom and engaging the cap, and a flange protruding outward at the top side. The flange protrudes less than the engagement section. The neck's top side includes a first top side formed by the neck tubular section, and a second top side formed by the flange that is the same height level with the first top side and increases an area of the top side. The neck tubular section has a uniform thickness at an area immediately below the flange and an area where the engagement section is formed. A thickness of the flange is smaller than that of the neck tubular section, and the neck has been crystallized.

The invention provides a molded article having excellent mechanical strength, heat resistance, surface roughness, and ferroelectricity. The molded article contains a crystal of a vinylidene fluoride/tetrafluoroethylene copolymer. The crystal is a crystal and is a nano-oriented crystal that has a size of 100 nm or smaller. The molded article has an arithmetic average roughness of 3.0 m or lower.

This invention involves a new and better solution to the problems associated with the premature softening of PLA filaments in the additive manufacturing of three dimensional articles. It is based upon the finding that poly(lactic acid) filaments with high crystallinity offer much better resistance to heat-induced softening. The crystalline poly(lactic acid) filament of this invention can accordingly be used in the additive manufacturing of three dimensional articles without encountering the problems associated with premature softening, such as poor quality and printer jamming The crystalline poly(lactic acid) filaments of this invention can also be used in additive manufacturing of three dimensional articles without compromising the quality of the ultimate product, reducing printing speed, increasing cost, or leading to increased printer complexity. This invention more specifically discloses a filament for use in three-dimensional printing which is comprised of crystalized poly(lactic acid), wherein said filament has a diameter which is within the range of 1.65 mm to 1.85 mm

A foam molded article having excellent shock resistance and inhibited from swelling, and a method for producing the foam molded article. The foam molded article has a bottom portion and a side face portion. The bottom portion has a cross-section including, in order, a first skin layer, a first foam layer, a belt-like resin layer, a second foam layer and a second skin layer. The diameter of the bottom portion is 20 mm or more. The thickness of the bottom portion is 2.0 mm or more. The angle between the bottom portion and the side face portion is 40 or more and 89 or less. The foam molded article satisfies: B/3A3B; A represents a length between an opposite surface of the bottom portion to a side where the side face portion is disposed and an upper end of the side face portion, and B represents the bottom portion diameter.

Provided is a three-dimensional modeling material used for a fused deposition modeling three-dimensional printer. The three-dimensional modeling material has a multilayer structure and contains, in respective different layers, a thermoplastic resin (A) having a shear storage elastic modulus (G) of 1.0010.sup.7 Pa or less as measured at 100 C. and 1 Hz and a thermoplastic resin (B) having a shear storage elastic modulus (G) of more than 1.0010.sup.7 Pa as measured at 100 C. and 1 Hz.

This invention relates to a method for manufacturing an individualized immobilization element for the non-invasive immobilization and/or mobilization of at least a segment of a body part of a patient in a predetermined position relative to a reference and/or in a pre-certain configuration. The method comprises the steps of (i) providing a data set that comprises a three-dimensional image of an outer contour of at least a part of the segment of the body part to be immobilized and/or mobilized and (ii) the manufacture of at least a part of the immobilization element by rapid manufacturing of a shape on the basis of said data set using a polymeric material containing a thermoplastic polymer having a melting point less than or equal to 100 C., wherein the polymer material contains a nucleating agent for enhancing the of the crystallization of the thermoplastic polymer.