There is disclosed an apparatus for winding filaments to form a structure. The apparatus includes a carrier which mounts spools of fiber, a mandrel, and a guide element which directs fiber tows, comprising filaments from the spools, onto the mandrel. The system further includes a heating element which applies heat to the fiber tows, and a diaphragm element which defines an orifice about the mandrel. The diaphragm element includes one or more displaceable portions which define a physical dimension of the orifice and which: displace to vary the physical dimension of the orifice; and apply a predetermined pressure to the fiber tows disposed on the mandrel. Also disclosed and described is a related method.

A pipe lining apparatus having a pressure sensitive adhesive backed reinforcement filament that is helically wound onto the inner surface of a pipe or pipe lining by an inverted filament winding apparatus, the apparatus having multiple spools and applicator arms to retain and apply the filament. The applicator arms may be aligned circumferentially or axially.

Disclosed is a liner reel, a cassette, a let off station and a method for collecting a liner, wherein the liner reel has a core and a shell that is concentrically mountable to said core for rotation together with said core about a liner reel axis, wherein the shell has a collection wall that extends in a circumferential direction about the liner reel axis when the shell is mounted to the core, wherein the collection wall is arranged for receiving the liner, wherein the core has a support wall extending in the circumferential direction for supporting the collection wall at least with a vector component in a radial direction perpendicular to the liner reel axis, wherein the collection wall is at least partially contractible in said radial direction when the shell is removed from the core.

A paint roller manufacturing system and method are described. In an embodiment, an inner strip of material and an outer strip of material are wound about a mandrel in offset relation. The inner strip of material and the outer strip of material each comprise material that results in a final paint roller which shrinks by less than 2.5 percent of the final paint roller axial length, or which has shrinkage that varies by less +/0.1%, upon hardening and setting. An adhesive is applied to at least a portion of the outer strip as it is wound about the mandrel. A length of fabric is wound about at least the outer strip to form a paint roller tube, and compression is applied to the paint roller tube while advancing the paint roller tube in a direction parallel to the mandrel. A precision measuring or sensing device is used to control a cutting device causing the cutting device to cut the advancing paint roller tube into pre-selected lengths prior to the paint roller tube hardening and setting.

A reservoir made of a composite material includes a tubular element, two end fittings, each inserted into one end of the tubular element, and a circumferential layer that envelops the tubular element and the end fittings. The circumferential layer is made of resin-impregnated wound fibers. At least one segment of each end fitting has an outwardly tapering shape and the wall of the tubular element has a taper at each end, and thus at each end the wall is pressed against the segment surface having a tapering shape. The tubular element includes a plastic tube surrounded by a longitudinal layer essentially made of parallel fibers in a resin matrix, the parallel fibers being oriented along the longitudinal axis of the plastic tube. Finally, the circumferential layer is essentially made of fibers wound around the circumference of the tubular element and end fittings and parallel to each other.

Disclosed are a composite layer, a composite layer lamination and a method of manufacturing a composite layer. The composite layer includes: a resin core formed in a plate-shape and comprising with a plurality of guide protrusions protruding along an edge of the resin core as being spaced apart at a predetermined distance from each other and a plurality of guide notches between the plurality of guide protrusions; and a reinforcing fiber wound around the resin core via the plurality of guide notches functioning as a guide for the reinforcing fiber.

Plastic pipes and a continuous production device and method for a glass fiber reinforced tape polyethylene composite pipe is provided. The main structure of the production device includes a first extruder, an inner pipe die, a vacuum sizing box, a first cooling spray box, a first tractor, a first winding machine, a first heater, a second winding machine, a second heater, an automatic tape replacing manipulator, an outer pipe extruder, an outer pipe extrusion die, an outer pipe cooling shaping die, a second cooling spray box, a second tractor, a meter counter, a fixed length cutting machine and finished pipe racks. The process of the production method totally includes four steps: inner pipe extrusion molding, continuous winding of the composite tape, outer pipe extrusion cladding, and cutting and warehousing, thus realizing the continuous on-line production of the glass fiber reinforced tape polyethylene composite pipe.

In one embodiment, a breathing circuit component is provided and comprises: an inlet; an outlet; and an enclosing wall defining a gases passageway between the inlet and the outlet, at least a region of the wall comprising a membrane that allows the passage of water vapour without substantially allowing the passage of liquid water or respiratory gases, wherein, said membrane has a thickness of about 35 to 45 micrometers.

The present invention relates inter alia to an apparatus for providing a coiled collagen carrier. An apparatus according to the invention preferably comprises a device for applying moisture to a collagen carrier prior to coiling of the collagen carrier and a coiling device. The coiling device preferably comprises rotatable gripping means for gripping the collagen carrier along an edge and coiling the collagen carrier, and a support device supporting the collagen carrier while being coiled. In another aspect, the invention relates to a production facility wherein an apparatus according to invention is arranged.

A process for winding a filament around a winding support having a general cylindrical shape with dome-shaped longitudinal ends and having a roll axis, by which the winding support is held by a holding device fixed to a base. The following steps occur in synchronization: (i) feeding a filament, by at least one primary feeding device and at least one secondary feeding device, towards the winding support; (ii) translating the primary feeding device and the secondary feeding device with respect to the base in parallel to the roll axis of the winding support; and (iii) rotating the winding support around its roll axis with respect to the base, where the movement of the primary feeding device and the secondary feeding device are symmetric one of another.