A 3D thermoplastic pultrusion system and method based upon a 3D variable die system and including one or more sets of 3D thermoplastic forming machines to continuously produce thermoplastic composite pultrusions with at least one of varying cross-section geometry and constant surface contours, varying cross-section geometry and varying surface contours, and constant cross-section geometry and varying surface contours.

A 3D thermoplastic pultrusion system and method based upon a 3D variable die system and including one or more sets of 3D thermoplastic forming machines to continuously produce thermoplastic composite pultrusions with at least one of varying cross-section geometry and constant surface contours, varying cross-section geometry and varying surface contours, and constant cross-section geometry and varying surface contours.

Extrusion-to-sheet production line and method comprise first and second rolls set to a predetermined gap through which a continuously-extruded sheet of molten plastic material passes to calender the sheet to a predetermined thickness. The sheet passes through a nip formed between the second roll and a continuous belt looped around a third roll and a fourth roll. The belt comprises an embossing pattern of optical element shapes that is an inverse pattern of optical element shapes to be embossed at a first major surface of the sheet. The sheet remains in contact with the second roll until the sheet passes through the nip, where the pattern of optical element shapes on the belt is embossed into the first major surfaces of the sheet. Downstream of the third roll is a cooling area through which the belt passes.

A compact deformation-based micro-texturing apparatus and method employ flexure bearing houses for rotatably supporting opposite ends of each of a first (e.g. upper) roll and a second (e.g. lower) roll to provide a working roll gap between the rolls, wherein at least one of the rolls has one or more micro surface features to plastically deform a surface of a workpiece deformed by rolling action in the roll gap. An electrical current may be passed through the workpiece to assist micro deformation. A roll gap adjusting device is operably associated with the first and second flexure bearing houses for adjusting the roll gap dimension to the final depth of the micro surface features to be imparted to the surface of the workpiece by the rolling action. A sheet material or antifriction element (e.g. journal bearing or bushing) is produced having at least one surface that includes rolled-in micro surface depressions wherein depressions have a lateral dimension of about 1 m to about 10 mm and a depth of about 1 m to about 10 mm, typically a lateral dimension of about 1 m to about 100 m and a depth of about 1 m to about 100 m.

A 3D thermoplastic pultrusion system and method based upon a 3D variable die system and including one or more sets of 3D thermoplastic forming machines to continuously produce thermoplastic composite pultrusions with at least one of varying cross-section geometry and constant surface contours, varying cross-section geometry and varying surface contours, and constant cross-section geometry and varying surface contours.

A 3D thermoplastic pultrusion system and method based upon a 3D variable die system and including one or more sets of 3D thermoplastic forming machines to continuously produce thermoplastic composite pultrusions with at least one of varying cross-section geometry and constant surface contours, varying cross-section geometry and varying surface contours, and constant cross-section geometry and varying surface contours.

A hose assembly (1) is provided having a structure (2), in which the structure (2) has circumferential ribs (3), the axial extent of which varies, preferably periodically, along a circumference, and locally limited gap-filling elevations (4), as a result of which, a braiding impression is produced, without a separate braiding of the hose assembly (1) being carried out. The structure (2) is applied by at least two embossing dies (7), in particular embossing rollers (8), which are rollable on the hose assembly (1), in particular are rollable in synchronism on the hose assembly, and are part of an extrusion process.

A vacuum deposition substrate comprising at least one of a plurality of patterned recesses, raises, or openings. The at least one of a plurality of patterned recesses, raises, or openings further define a geometry of a medical device.

Methods for forming discrete deformations in web materials are disclosed. In some embodiments, the method involves feeding a web into an apparatus having nips that are formed between intermeshing rolls. The apparatus may be in the form of nested or other arrangements of multiple rolls, in which the web is maintained in substantial contact with at least one of the rolls throughout the process, and at least two of the rolls define two or more nips thereon with other rolls. In some embodiments, rolls can be used to expose a different side of the web for a subsequent deformation step. In these or other embodiments, the rolls can be used to transfer the web between rolls in such a manner that it may offset the rolls and/or web so that subsequent deformations are formed at a different cross-machine direction location than prior deformations.

A 3D thermoplastic pultrusion system and method based upon a 3D variable die system and including one or more sets of 3D thermoplastic forming machines to continuously produce thermoplastic composite pultrusions with at least one of varying cross-section geometry and constant surface contours, varying cross-section geometry and varying surface contours, and constant cross-section geometry and varying surface contours.