A method of manufacturing a fluid impermeable rigid composite pipe (10) or hollow tube comprising the steps of:a. providing a supporting mandrel (15) that is shaped to define a bore of the pipe (10); b. laying onto the outer circumferential surface of the mandrel (10) one or more first tapes (11) made of a thermoplastic material thereby to create a first region (11) that is predominantly thermoplastic material adjacent the bore of the pipe (10); c. providing a plurality of tows (14) that comprise co-mingled reinforcing fibres and thermoplastic filaments; d. weaving a plurality of the tows (14) to form one or more circular braids (13) and laying down the one or more of the circular braids (13) on to the first layer (11): to form a second region (12); e. applying to the outer surface of the second region (12) a heat-shrinkable layer (13); f. heating the product of steps (b) to (e) on the mandrel (15) to a first temperature at which the thermoplastic materials of the one or more tapes 11 and the tows 14 melt and the heat-shrinkable layer 13 shrinks radially inwards to consolidate the melted thermoplastic material to form a thermoplastic matrix in which the reinforcing fibres are embedded and a fluid impermeable thermoplastic rich region (11) is formed at the bore of the pipe (10); and, g. allowing the pipe (10) to cool to form a self supporting pipe (10).

Methods of manufacturing a door frame subassembly for an electronic display assembly and related systems and apparatuses are disclosed. A material is extruded to form a frame. The material is bent into a rectangular shape with rounded corners to define an opening. Notches may be formed in the frame to facilitate the bending. A remaining gap in the material is joined, such as by a bracket at a lower portion of the opening to secure the frame to itself.

A nylon tube automatic thermoforming apparatus includes a main body, a conveying assembly, a heating assembly and a tube bending assembly. The heating assembly includes an oven communicated with the conveying assembly and an electrically heated cylinder arranged between the oven and the tube bending assembly. A heating coil is arranged in the electrically heated cylinder. A nylon tube is conveyed from the conveying assembly and enters the tube bending assembly via the oven and the heating coil. The electrically heated cylinder and the tube bending assembly are arranged outside the main body. A nylon tube shaping process includes the steps of drawing, heating inside a main body, heating outside the main body, bending, staying, feeding, angle adjusting, repeating the above steps until the length and the curvature of the nylon tube meet the requirements, and cutting off.

The present invention provides a system for enriching a flowing liquid with a dissolved gas inside a conduit. The system comprises two or more capillaries, each capillary delivering a stream of a gas-enriched liquid to the flowing liquid. The first ends of the capillaries are positioned to form an intersecting angle with respect to the effluent streams such that these streams of gas-enriched liquid collide with each other upon exit from the first ends of the capillaries, effecting localized convective mixing within the larger liquid conduit before these gas-enriched streams are able to come into close contact with the boundary surfaces of the conduit, whereby the gas-enriched liquid mixes with the flowing liquid to form a gas-enriched flowing liquid. In the preferred embodiment, no observable bubbles are formed in the gas-enriched flowing liquid. Methods of making and using such system are also provided.

A catheter device and manufacturing process for manufacturing the catheter device, wherein the catheter device has a halo-shaped coiled portion extending away from a perpendicular stem portion through a swan neck portion. Eyelets on the halo coil portion, and swan neck portion facilitate flow out of the bladder through the catheter device vertical to the catheter, rather than perpendicularly as is the case with existing catheters. The catheter device is formed by using a straight catheter tube, heating and cooling it within a formed mold to have the halo coil and swan neck, such that it can be straightened using a pusher and stylet, inserted into the body while straightened, and thereafter return to its coiled shape when the stylet is removed.

A mandrel for thermoplastic tube material having an internal cross-section. The mandrel includes a mandrel head which is bendable about a longitudinal axis in order to stabilize the tube material in the internal cross-section during a bending operation. A switching device is provided which acts on the mandrel head and switches the mandrel head to a state in which it is resistant to flexing at least relative to the vertical, in order to support the heated tube material during conveying.

Devices, assemblies, kits, systems and methods for shaping of elongated elements containing thermoplastic polymers are disclosed.

A bend fixture for bending a medium pipe comprises a body part comprising a tubular support to receive a section of a medium pipe therein, an inner bend support to allow the medium pipe to be bent about the inner bend support, and an outer bend support to support the medium pipe from an outer side of the bend to keep the medium pipe bent. The outer bend support is coupled to the body part via a hinge and is turnable between an open position to allow the section of the medium pipe in substantially straight state to be inserted into the tubular support, and a closed position to keep the medium pipe bent about the inner bend support. The bend fixture comprises a pipe coupling arrangement for coupling together the outer bend support, in its open position, and the medium pipe outside the section in the tubular support.

There is disclosed a first embodiment which is a device for molding pipes around unusual surfaces comprising at least one block, having at least one channel for receiving a pipe, a hinge, and a linkage coupled to the hinge. The block comprises at least one side wall extending above the channel on the block. The channel comprises a concave surface which is rounded, wherein the channel is indented into the block. The device can include a plurality of blocks coupled together via a plurality of linkages so that the device can move in a serpentine manner and extend flexibly over an uneven wall.

A pick and place end effector configured to form a kink in a composite laminate. The pick and place end effector comprises a vacuum lift face configured to hold the composite laminate and move from a flat configuration to a forming configuration with an angle in the vacuum lift face to form the kink in the composite laminate; a number of motors configured to move the vacuum lift face between the flat configuration and the forming configuration; and a number of restraints configured to clamp portions of a composite laminate on opposite sides of the kink on the vacuum lift face during movement between the flat configuration and the forming configuration.