A method may include pressing a mat including a blend of paper and plastic fragments by applying a pressure to the mat using a heated press such that the mat is compressed to a first thickness, where the pressure is greater than a critical pressure threshold such that at least a portion of a moisture content of the mat is in a super-heated liquid state. The method may include maintaining the pressure on the mat above the critical pressure threshold until at least a portion of the plastic fragments of the mat are melted. The method may include decreasing the pressure on the mat below the critical pressure threshold such that the mat expands to a second thickness greater than or equal to a target thickness, and such that the portion of the moisture content of the mat in the super-heated liquid state is converted to steam.

The disclosure provides a core layer for an information carrying card, resulting information carrying card, and methods of making the same. A core layer for an information carrying card comprises at least one thermoplastic layer having at least one cavity, an inlay layer, and, and a crosslinked polymer composition. At least one portion of the inlayer layer is disposed inside the at least one cavity of the at least one thermoplastic layer. The cross-linked polymer composition is disposed over the at least one thermoplastic layer and contacting the inlayer layer.

An optical device includes a shaped layer, an optical function layer, and an embedding resin layer. The shaped layer has a structure forming a concave section. The optical function layer is formed on the structure, and partially reflects incident light. The embedding resin layer is made of energy beam curable resin, the embedding resin layer having a first layer having a first volume, and a second layer formed on the first layer, the second layer having a second volume, the concave section being filled with the first layer, a ratio of the second volume to the first volume being equal to or larger than 5%, the structure and the optical function layer being embedded in the embedding resin layer. In the optical device, at least one of the shaped layer and the embedding resin layer has light transmissive property, and an entrance surface for the incident light.

A light-weight structural panel is formed by pultruding a closed-cell foam core embedded with high-strength reinforcing pins through a pair of heated platens along with upper and lower sheets of woven fiber glass wetted by a polymer resin. The lengths of the reinforcing pins exceeds the thickness of the core so the platens compress the skin sheets forming pockets which accumulate excess resin that, when it cures, forms a more stable panel.

A laminating apparatus includes workpiece transport units, a vacuum laminating device and a flat press device. The flat press device includes a ball screw having a screw shaft and supporting a first one of a pair of pressing elements, a servomotor connected to the screw shaft of the ball screw, a gap measuring device (linear scale) for measuring a distance between the first pressing element and the second pressing element, and a pressing gap control system for moving the first pressing element to a position in which a predetermined gap is defined between the first pressing element and the second pressing element to stop the first pressing element at that position. The pressing gap control system changes the RPM of the servomotor, based on information on the distance between the first and second pressing elements which is provided from the gap measuring device.

Equipment of making a substrate of plastic flooring contains: an extrusion unit, a thickness regulating unit, and a rolling apparatus. The extrusion unit includes an outlet, and the thickness regulating unit including an inlet, a channel, and a cooler. The rolling apparatus includes a first roller, a second roller, and a press roller. The press roller at least includes a contacting roller and a pressing roller, wherein the contacting roller is configured to roll a foaming sheet, a printing layer, and an abrasion resistant layer. Furthermore, a heating unit heats the foaming sheet, the printing layer, and the abrasion resistant layer so that the foaming sheet, the printing layer, and the abrasion resistant layer are connected by using the pressing roller.

There is described a laminating apparatus for coupling electrodes of non-rectangular shape with a separating film for the manufacture of electric energy accumulating devices, wherein a pair of laminating rollers has a roller driven by an elastic arrangement loaded with a variable force adjusted by an endless screw conveyor controlled by a brushless motor, during the passage of the electrodes, so as to vary the laminating force according to the width of the electrode laminated instant by instant, in order for the laminating pressure to remain almost constant.

A method for manufacturing a lightweight compounded uni-directional cloth is presented, includes: providing two uni-directional cloths, and each of the uni-directional cloths has a yarn layer and an adhesive film layer; hot pressing the two uni-directional cloths with the yarn layers facing each other to form a semi-finished product, the yarn directions of the two yarn layers being not parallel; and heating the semi-finished product, and peeling off the adhesive film layer on one side of the semi-finished product to obtain a lightweight compounded uni-directional cloth. A system for implementing the above-mentioned method is also presented.

Examples are disclosed that relate to lightweight and thin composite panels. One example provides a composite panel comprising a mesh core, a first outer skin layer couple to a first side of the mesh core, and a second face layer coupled to a second side of the mesh core.

The invention pertains to a molded part (10) with a visible surface and a rear surface (S1, S2), wherein the molded part (10) features: a substrate (20) of hot-pressed fibrous molding material (21); a coating (30) of at least one polymer material (34, 35);
wherein the surface (33) of the coating (30) has at least sectionally a center line average height Ra in the range of 10 to 80 m,
as well as to a method for manufacturing the molded part.