Apparatus and methods for manufacturing compostable, biodegradable drink straws from polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) material are disclosed herein. Such apparatus may include a hopper that contains raw PHA material, an extruder that receives the raw PHA material from the hopper and produces extruded PHA material, one or more waters baths that cool the extruded PHA material, a puller that pulls a tubular stream of PHA material through the system, and a cutter that is configured to cut the stream of PHA material into finished straws. The finished straws may be soil- and marine-biodegradable, as well as home- and industrial-compostable.

This invention provides for a component forming a part of a breathing tube, or forming the breathing tube, for example as a part of a breathing circuit for respiratory therapy. The component comprising a tubular body having a foamed wall. The foamed wall can be formed from extrusion of a single extrudate. The foamed wall is of a sufficient minimum optical transparency such that, in use, there is enabled the visual detection of a liquid (or condensate that may have formed) within the tubular body.

A spinning die for melt-blowing has plastic passages, a hot air passage, and an opening surface, in which discharge ports and blowing ports open. Adjacent and closest two of the discharge ports are first and second proximate discharge ports. One of the blowing ports corresponding to the first proximate discharge port is a first proximate blowing port, and one of the blowing ports corresponding to the second proximate discharge port is a second proximate blowing port. The first proximate blowing port includes a guide portion that projects away from the center of the first proximate discharge port. The guide portion is formed such that, as the distance from the opening surface increases, the hot air flow guided by the guide portion flows to be separated away from the hot air flow blown onto the molten plastic discharged from the second proximate discharge port.

Blown films based on a blend of a C.sub.2C.sub.3 random copolymer and a C.sub.2-based plastomer, which combine low scaling initiation temperature (SIT), good optical properties and an improved stiffness/impact balance, and which also show an excellent sterilization behaviour.

A polyamide resin composition for an extrusion-molded article exposed to high-pressure hydrogen gas contains: 70 to 99 parts by weight of a polyamide 6 resin (A); 1 to 30 parts by weight of an impact modifier (B); and 0.005 to 1 parts by weight of a metal halide (C) with respect to a total of 100 parts by weight of the polyamide 6 resin (A) and the impact modifier (B). The polyamide resin composition has a melt tension of 20 mN or more when measured at 260° C. and a take-up speed at strand break of 30 m/min or more when measured at 260° C.

An example extrusion system includes a die including a circular cross-section disposed about an axis, and a plurality of slits disposed in the die and circumferentially spaced about a periphery of the die. Each of the plurality of slits has a generally rectangular cross-section. A ratio of a number of slits comprising the plurality of slits to a distance between the plurality of slits is between approximately 144:1 and 96:1. A method of forming a biodegradable component with an extrusion system is also disclosed.

A breathing circuit component includes an inlet, an outlet and an enclosing wall. The enclosing wall defines a gases passageway between the inlet and the outlet. At least a region of the enclosing wall is formed from a breathable material that allows the passage of water vapor without allowing the passage of liquid water or respiratory gases. The breathing circuit component may be the expiratory limb of a breathing circuit.

A head is disclosed for use with a continuous manufacturing system. The head may have a housing configured to receive a matrix and a continuous fiber, and a diverter located at an end of the housing. The diverter may be configured to divert radially outward a matrix-coated fiber. The head may also include a cutoff having an edge configured to press the matrix-coated fiber against the diverter.

The present invention relates to an overturning device (10) for overturning a molten material (200) in a melt channel (110) comprising a melt inlet (20) and a melt outlet (30) wherein between the melt inlet (20) and the melt outlet (30) at least one melt guidance means (40) is assembled for a rearrangement of the molten material (200) from the center (22) of the melt inlet (20) to the edge (34) of the melt outlet (30) and for rearrangement of the molten material (200) from the edge (24) of the melt inlet (20) into the center (32) of the melt outlet (30).

The present invention relates to an overturning device (10) for overturning a molten material (200) in a melt channel (110) comprising a melt inlet (20) and a melt outlet (30), wherein between the melt inlet (20) and the melt outlet (30) at least a melt guiding means (40) is assembled for a rearrangement of the molten material (200) from the centre (22) of the melt inlet (20) to the edge (34) of the melt outlet (30) and for a rearrangement of the molten material (200) from the edge (24) of the melt inlet (20) into the centre (32) of the melt outlet (30).