Methods for fabricating three-dimensional microstructures are provided. The method includes disposing a reflow material on a mold, heating the reflow material, and creating a pressure gradient across the reflow material to reflow the material towards a bottom surface of the mold. The mold includes a molding region, a boundary region, and a thermal-isolating region disposed therebetween. The molding region includes a cavity and a projection projecting upwards from a bottom surface of the cavity. The thermal-isolating region includes at least one pocket formed adjacent to and along a perimeter of the cavity of the molding region. During heating, the temperature of the molding region is higher than that of the boundary region and the thermal-isolating region controls the thermal conductivity and mass therebetween. The material reflows towards the bottom surface of the cavity and the protrusion helps shapes the reflow material to form a substantially symmetrical three-dimensional microstructure.

Methods and apparatus are provided for forming a patient-specific surgical implant based on mold system. The apparatus comprises a forming tool and a mold that may be generated using imaging and processing techniques and rapid prototyping methods. The mold apparatus includes at least two non-adjacent surface features for securing an implant forming material (such as a titanium mesh) during the forming process, enabling the implant forming material to be stretched beyond its elastic and thus permanently deformed with the correct patient-specific curvature. The implant may include one or more anatomic surface features for guidance and registration when transferring the implant to a patient.

The present disclosure provides a negative mold for luggage molding and an application thereof. The negative mold includes an upper mold holder (11), a convex mold (12), a lower mold holder (21), a concave mold (22), a lifting platform (23), and a material frame (31). The upper mold holder is arranged with a first airflow channel (111); in the adsorbed state, the upper mold holder abuts against the material frame to define an upper air cavity (112); air is blown downward through the first airflow channel to stretch the sheet (41), while each of the convex mold and the concave mold moves in a direction close to the sheet to define a molding space; in the mold detaching state, each of the convex mold and the concave mold moves toward in another direction away from the material frame to detach the molded sheet.

The use of sheets comprising at least one face consisting of a pseudo-amorphous composition based on polyaryl ether ketone(s) for a twin sheet thermoforming process. A twin sheet thermoforming process for manufacturing a hollow body. A hollow body comprising at least one internal surface consisting of a crystallized composition based on polyaryl ether ketone(s), obtainable by the process.

A method of manufacturing a thermoplastic resin molded article having a hollow portion includes setting a molded article (A) premolded from a thermoplastic resin in a first die, forming a melted thermoplastic resin plate (B) in a shape along an inner surface of a second die facing the first die by being attached to the inner surface of the second die by vacuum pressure, welding the thermoplastic resin plate (B) and the molded article (A) only in a predetermined region by mold-clamping the first die and the second die, and forming at least part of an unwelded region as a hollow portion.

A method for continuously manufacturing a complex acoustic multi-element panel for an acoustic attenuation structure, the method including supplying a thermoplastic resin film at the entry of a stamping system including at least one pair of complementary cylinders, a heating of the thermoplastic resin film upstream of the entry of the stamping system, and a passage of the thermoplastic resin film between the at least one pair of complementary cylinders, the pair of complementary cylinders including a male cylinder with teeth radially protruding from the cylinder and a female cylinder with cavities on its radial surface, the cavities of the female cylinder being of shapes complementary to the shapes of the teeth of the male cylinder and a separation of the stamped film at the exit of the stamping system using a separator disposed at the exit of the stamping system between the stamped film and the female cylinder.

This invention provides a PTP sheet for pharmaceutical drug packaging from which a solid pharmaceutical drug is easily taken out and in which a pocket portion is hard to be accidentally damaged. A PTP sheet has a first sheet from which a pocket portion capable of housing a solid pharmaceutical drug protrudes to the side of an upper surface and a second sheet which is stuck to a lower surface of the first sheet and which closes an opening of the pocket portion. The pocket portion has a peripheral wall portion having a peripheral surface continuous with the upper surface and a top portion having a top surface continuous with the peripheral surface of the peripheral wall portion. A wall thickness of the peripheral wall portion is smaller than a wall thickness of the top portion.

A method of forming a composite article (22) comprises the steps of providing a tool (26) having a mold surface (24), providing a preform (62), and disposing the preform (62) on the mold surface (24). The method further comprises the steps of heating the mold surface (24) within a first period of time (Tt1), applying pressure to the preform (62) within a first period of time, and maintaining temperature of the mold surface (24) for a second period of time (Tt2). The method further comprises the steps of maintaining pressure for a second period of time, reducing pressure on the composite article (22), cooling the mold surface (24) within a third period of time (Tt3), and removing the composite article (22) from the mold surface (24). The total of Tt1+Tt2+Tt3 is generally no greater than about 30 minutes. A thermal system (20) comprising a heater-subsystem, and optionally, a chiller-subsystem, can be used to heat and cool the mold surface (24).

Described herein is a method for making a package (300) comprising at least one sheet (100) of packaging material including at least one layer of paper, which is shaped so as to present a hollow portion (102) surrounded by a perimetral portion (104). The hollow portion (102) of the shaped sheet (100) a ratio between depth and width higher than 0.39, preferably between 1:1.8 and 1:2.5.

A thermoforming system and related methods for manufacturing thermoplastic parts, such as interior panels for aircraft, may include a roll-to-roll operation and a forming press having at least one selectively rotatable tool. The rotatable tool, which may include a mold and/or a die, may be multifaceted, such that different faces of the tool have different mold arrangements for different forming characteristics.