Presented herein are materials, methods, and systems for the improved 3D printing improved 3D printing of materials that include polypropylene. In some embodiments, the present disclosure provides a composite comprising a polymer matrix and a plurality of fibers for improved 3D printing. For example, the polymer matrix may have a composition that includes a polymer blend of polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE) (e.g., high density polyethylene (HDPE), low density polyethylene (LDPE), linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE)), impact modified polypropylene copolymer and/or polypropylene random copolymer with a plurality of fibers. In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers comprises cellulosic nanofibers (e.g., natural cellulosic nanofibers, e.g., cellulose nanofibrils). In some embodiments, filaments are prepared from the composites by melt compounding the polymer matrix (e.g., PP copolymers and/or PP/PE pellets) with a plurality of fibers and extruding the mixture.

A method for producing an object made of a polymeric material, said polymeric material having a melting temperature (T.sub.F), comprises the steps of: melting the polymeric material; after the step of melting, cooling the polymeric material below the melting temperature (T.sub.F) in a cooling zone; severing a dose from a flow of polymeric material coming from the cooling zone by means of a severing element (5); obtaining said object by shaping the dose between a male forming element and a female forming element (10) which move towards one another with a mutual movement speed, the dose having a temperature lower than said melting temperature (T.sub.F). Between a start-of-forming configuration, in which the dose is in contact with both the male forming element and the female forming element (10), and a start-of-deceleration configuration, in which the male forming element and the female forming element (10) begin to decelerate relative to one another, the mutual movement speed is greater than 10 mm/s.

A composite article includes a first segment and a second segment spaced apart form the first segment. The composite article includes continuous fibers that extend from the first segment to the second segment. The composite article also includes discontinuous fiber distributed throughout the composite article.

The present invention relates to a molded article with a metallic appearance and a process for making the same. Particularly, the present invention relates to a molded article having a part that comprises a layer with a sandwich structure.

A sheet attaching apparatus includes a sheet attaching section that attaches a sheet to a workpiece, and a sheet cutting section that cuts off the sheet from the workpiece along an outer edge. The sheet cutting section includes a chuck table that holds the workpiece, a sheet holding section that detachably holds a peripheral portion of the sheet, a cutting section that cuts the sheet along the outer edge of the workpiece, and a sheet accommodating section that accommodates an unnecessary part of the sheet cut and dropped due to release of holding by the sheet holding section.

A method for producing a resin sintered body 1 by applying an ink 3 to thermoplastic resin powder 2 and sintering the powder, the method including the step of immersing an intermediate resin sintered body 1m, which has an unevenly colored region on the surface thereof and the whole of which has been already sintered, in a surface treatment liquid containing sulfuric acid and chromic anhydride, in which the concentration of chromic anhydride is 300 g/L or more, for 5 minutes or longer. When producing a resin sintered body by sintering thermoplastic resin powder, the surface of the resin sintered body can be evenly and sufficiently colored to an extent required without an unevenly colored region on the surface thereof, and also the surface of the resin sintered body can have a good appearance and smoothness.

A squeezing roller granulator that has a squeezing roller pair composed of a toothed pressure roller and a toothed squeezing roller. The teeth of the pressure roller and the squeezing roller have tooth flanks that are situated between a tooth root region and a tooth tip region. The tooth root region has an outer diameter that is smaller than the outer diameter of the tooth tip region, and the tooth tip region of at least one of the rollers of the squeezing roller pair has three squeezing zones including a middle squeezing zone, which define different distances between the tooth tip regions with a minimum distance in the region of the middle squeezing zone, and the contour of the tooth flanks and the tooth root region of the rollers of the squeezing roller pair defines a maximum cross-section of granulate cushions to be formed.

Aspects hereof provide methods for molding a single-phase solution comprised of a polymer composition and a gas. The polymer composition and the gas are maintained under pressure during the molding operation to prevent a cellular structure from being formed by the dissolved gas in the polymer composition coming out of solution. The mold cavity in which the single-phase solution is introduced for molding purposes is pressurized to a mold pressure that is sufficient to maintain the single-phase solution as a single-phase solution as the mold cavity is filled. Subsequent to filling the mold cavity with the single-phase solution under pressure, the resulting article may be exposed to a reduction in pressure causing the entrapped gas to form a cellular structure.

An implantable medical device is disclosed comprising a thermoplastic composite body having anterior, first lateral, second lateral, posterior, superior, and inferior surfaces, and at least one dense portion and at least one porous portion which are integrally formed. The at least one dense portion is formed of a first thermoplastic polymer matrix that is essentially non-porous, and which is continuous through a thickness dimension from the superior surface to the inferior surface. The at least one porous portion is formed of a porous thermoplastic polymer scaffold having a second thermoplastic polymer matrix which is continuous through the thickness dimension. A method for forming the thermoplastic composite body is disclosed comprising disposing a first powder mixture in a first portion of a mold, disposing a second powder mixture in a second portion of the mold, simultaneously molding the first powder mixture and the second powder mixture, and leaching porogen.

A polar plate is fabricated. The polar plate is flexible and made of a plastic graphite composite. No matter a supporting member is used for calendering or not, a thin polar plate with controllable thickness is fabricated. The polar plate is excellent in blocking the through-transmission of vanadium ions and the limit of blending ratio of conductive carbon is broken through. The longitudinal through-transmission volume resistivity (proportional resistance to thickness) is greatly improved by adjusting the blending ratio of conductive carbon for meeting the demand of conductivity. In the mean time, the present invention strengthens the rigidity required for the thin polar plate while providing large-area polar plate fabrication for industrial use and convenience and provides a cooling and pressing method for patterning a composite polar plate. An integrated mold is thus obtained to replace the conventional polar plate which needs to be processed and prepared with runner.