A limb for a breathing circuit manufactured from very thin walled polymer materials has an elongate axial reinforcing spine lying freely inside the conduit and fixed to each end connector. The spine is laterally compliant but axially stiff. The spine provides resistance to tensile and compressive loads on the conduit, including that induced by prevailing internal pressures.

A method of joining segments of non-metallic pipe and an apparatus that may be used to form the joint. The pipes may be joined using by melting the ends to form a butt joint, then the joint may be wrapped with one or more sheets of reinforcement material (e.g., pre-impregnated fiberglass, carbon fiber, or aramid fiber). The reinforcement material may be heated using a heating apparatus which allows the material to bond to the pipes to strengthen the joint.

Exclusion devices for anatomical structures, and related instruments and related methods, are disclosed. An application instrument for an exclusion device may include an end effector including a head configured to be disposed distally on a shaft, a stationary jaw fixedly disposed on the head and configured to releasably couple to a first clamping portion of an exclusion device, the exclusion device being biased in a closing direction, and a movable jaw movably disposed on the head and configured to releasably couple to a second clamping portion of the exclusion device. The movable jaw may be movable relative to the stationary jaw to reconfigure the exclusion device from a closed configuration to an open configuration. The movable jaw may be oriented generally parallel to the stationary jaw when the exclusion device is in the open configuration and the closed configuration.

Exclusion devices for anatomical structures, and related instruments and related methods, are disclosed. An exclusion device may include a first clamping portion, a second clamping portion opposing the first clamping portion, and/or a biocompatible fabric cover at least partially sheathing the first clamping portion and/or the second clamping portion. The cover may be generally tubular and/or may define a relaxed circumference when the first clamping portion and the second clamping portion are in a closed configuration. At least a portion of the cover may be configured to stretch to a stretched circumference of about 2× to about 3× the relaxed circumference when the first clamping portion and the second clamping portion are reconfigured from the closed configuration to an open configuration.

Exclusion devices for anatomical structures, and related instruments and related methods, are disclosed. An exclusion device for an anatomical structure may include a first beam, a second beam, and/or at least one spring operatively coupled to the first beam and the second beam to exert a closing force on the first beam and the second beam and bias the first beam and the second beam in a closing direction. The spring may be operatively coupled to the first beam by a crimp connection.

A system for depositing a composite filler material into a channel of a composite structure includes an end-effector configured to extrude a bead of the filler material into the channel. The filler material can comprise a first group of relatively long fibers, a second group of relatively short fibers and a resin. A drive system is configured to move the end-effector relative to the channel, and a position sensor is configured to detect the position of the bead relative to the channel. A controller is configured to operate the drive system in response to the detected position and to operate the end-effector to heat and compress the filler material so as to orient the longer fibers in a substantially longitudinal direction relative to the channel and the shorter fibers in substantially random directions relative to the channel when the bead is extruded into the channel.

A packaging apparatus, in particular for packaging smoking articles, includes a wrapping device for wrapping a barrier film around an item to be packaged, such as a pack of smoking articles; and at least one sealing head having a contact surface for contacting the barrier film wrapped around the item and sealing the barrier film along a seam to form a protective enclosure around the item. The contact surface of the sealing head is at least partially discontinuous to provide a non-sealing region in the sealing head. In this way, the non-sealing region can be positioned to at least partially, and preferably wholly, overlie a frangible part or strip provided in the barrier film.

Methods for applying high shrink wrap labels to a shaped article are disclosed. The leading edge of the label is bonded to the article. A seaming agent is applied, and the label is wrapped around the article. The seaming agent is then exposed to radiation to cure the seaming agent, and the label is then exposed to heat to cause heat-shrinking. The label is made of a film with at least one external layer that has a Hildebrand solubility parameter. The seaming agent includes a component having a Hildebrand solubility parameter that is within 2.2 MPa.sup.1/2 or within 4.4 calories.sup.1/2.Math.cm.sup.3/2 of the Hildebrand solubility parameter of the external layer of the film. The seaming agent also has a viscosity of at least 1 centipoise and less than 1000 centipoise when measured at any temperature between ambient temperature and 60 C. Articles including such affixed high shrink wrap labels are also disclosed.

The invention relates to a method for producing strapping. A strapping band (4) is first guided about at least one packaging piece, tightened, and equipped with a closure at band ends (4a, 4b) to be connected in a closure unit (1). Furthermore, at least one sensor (7) connected to a control unit (8) is provided in the closure unit (1). One or more closure parameters are detected by means of the control unit (8) using the sensor (7), and the closure unit (1) is correspondingly actuated. According to the invention, the sensor (7) is designed as a load cell (7) which is let into a compression ram (6a, 6b) of the closure unit (1).

A thin ribbon spirally wound polymer conduit and method of forming, wherein a helical reinforcing bead is interposed adjacent overlapping layers of ribbon. Further, a method of continuously forming spirally wound conduit wherein a sacrificial layer, preferably having a different base polymer to that of the conduit, is first applied to the former before the conduit is formed overtop.