A molding apparatus (10) for forming a retaining device. The molding apparatus (10) comprises a molding strip (12) and a molding support (24). The molding strip (12) has an inside face (14), an outside face (16), and a plurality of through cavities (18) extending from the outside face (16) to the inside face (14), the molding strip (12) extending in a longitudinal direction (X) and presenting both a transverse direction (Y) perpendicular to the longitudinal direction (X), and also a height direction (Z) perpendicular to the longitudinal direction (X) and to the transverse direction (Y). The inside face (14) is configured to press against a molding face (26) of the molding support (24), wherein the inside face (14) of the molding strip (12) and/or the molding face (26) of the molding support (24) includes an array of passages, the array of passages forming vents and connecting together the cavities (18) when the molding strip (12) is pressed against the molding support (24).

A retaining device with hooks, comprising a base extending in a longitudinal direction and presenting a top face and a bottom face; and a plurality of retaining elements extending from the top face of the base, each retaining element being formed by a stem and a head; the device being characterized in that: the base presents a thickness lying in the range 10 ?m to 700 ?m, where the thickness is the distance between the top face and the bottom face; and the base has two edges in the longitudinal direction, each of said edges presents highs and lows.

A method for assembling an assembly comprising a tape (100) of retaining elements and a substrate (200), said method comprising the following steps: a step of forming a tape of retaining elements by dispensing a molding material into a molding device (1), so as to form a tape (100) of retaining elements comprising a base (51) presenting a bottom face (511) and a top face (512), the top face (511) of the base (51) being provided with retaining elements; and a step of applying a substrate (200) against the bottom face (511) of the base (51) prior to said bottom face (512) of the base (51) solidifying in such a manner as to cause the substrate (200) to penetrate at least in part beyond a plane defined by the bottom face (511) of the base (51) of the tape (100).

A retaining device (300), comprising: an elastic film (310) extending in a longitudinal direction; and a plastics tape (100) extending in the longitudinal direction comprising a base (51) presenting a bottom face (512) and a top face (511) and including a plurality of retaining elements extending from said top face (511); the device being characterized in that the film (310), the base (51), and the retaining elements are formed integrally by means of extrusion.

A method of forming a retaining device with hooks, wherein: a molding strip is provided that presents an inside face and an outside face, and that has a plurality of cavities, each cavity defining a stem extending from the outside face towards the inside face and including an end forming a head that extends from the stem towards the inside face of the molding strip; and the molding strip is positioned on rotary drive means, comprising at least two rollers, the inside face of the molding strip being arranged to bear against the drive means.

A retaining device, comprising: a base (51) extending in a longitudinal direction and presenting a top face (511) and a bottom face (512); and a plurality of retaining elements extending from the top face (511) of the base (51), each of the retaining elements being formed by a stem (52) surmounted by a head (53), the stem (52) having a bottom end (521) connected to the base (51), and a top end (522) opposite from the bottom end (521), the head (53) surmounting the top end (522) of the stem (52), and having a bottom face facing towards the base and a top face opposite from the bottom face.

A molding apparatus (10) for forming a retaining device. The molding apparatus (10) comprises a molding strip (12) and a molding support (24). The molding strip (12) has an inside face (14), an outside face (16), and a plurality of through cavities (18) extending from the outside face (16) to the inside face (14), the molding strip (12) extending in a longitudinal direction (X) and presenting both a transverse direction (Y) perpendicular to the longitudinal direction (X), and also a height direction (Z) perpendicular to the longitudinal direction (X) and to the transverse direction (Y). The inside face (14) is configured to press against a molding face (26) of the molding support (24), wherein the inside face (14) of the molding strip (12) and/or the molding face (26) of the molding support (24) includes an array of passages, the array of passages forming vents and connecting together the cavities (18) when the molding strip (12) is pressed against the molding support (24).

A method of nanoscale patterning is disclosed. The method comprises: mixing predetermined amounts of a first solvent and a second solvent to generate a solvent, the first solvent and the second solvent being immiscible with each other; dissolving a solute material in the solvent to generate a coating material, the solute material having solubility that is higher in the first solvent than in the second solvent; and applying the coating material onto a substrate to form a plurality of pinholes in the coating material. The formation of the plurality of pinholes is associated with suspension drops mostly comprised of the second solvent, separated from the solute material dissolved in the first solvent, in the coating material. A method of making a stamp with a nanoscale pattern is also disclosed based on the above method.

An article having at least one microneedle (160, 260) is provided. The microneedle includes a base (162), an elongated body (161) having a central axis (130) and a body diameter (168), a tip portion (166), and a hollow channel (170). The a tip portion includes a tip (164), a first bevel face (140) oriented diagonally with respect to the central axis and extending through at least 75% of the body diameter, a second bevel face (146) oriented substantially perpendicular to the central axis and intersecting the first bevel face, and a bevel opening defined by a first edge (174) of the first bevel face and a second edge (176) of the second bevel face. The hollow channel extends axially into the body from the bevel opening (172).

A resin sheet having hairlike bodies arranged regularly on at least one surface of an underlayer can be manufactured by forming the bodies by: melt extruding, from a die with an extrusion molding method, a thermoplastic resin having, on a log-log graph having elongational viscosity ?(t) (unit: Pa.Math.S) as measured at a strain rate of 0.5 (unit: S?1) and at a temperature at which elongation is possible as the vertical axis and elongation time t (unit: S) as the horizontal axis, a region in which the slope (log ?/log t) in the interval 0.1<t<1.0 is no greater than 0.5 and by the temperature range wherein the adhesive force in probe tack measurement is 0.05-0.25 N/mm2 at least partially overlapping with the temperature at which elongation is possible; and casting using a transfer roll on which a relief process has been performed and a touch roll.