Pipe corrugators having opposed series of pushed mold blocks forming a moving mold tunnel are subject to significant thermal expansion and are designed with a thermal expansion gap. The present invention provides a method and apparatus for measuring changes in this expansion gap and preferably recognizing potential thermal issues before serious problems occur. A sensor is provided adjacent a mold block drive that preferably detects a time duration between sensing a trailing portion of a lead mold block and a leading edge of a following mold block separated from the lead mold block by the thermal expansion gap. This time duration in combination with a speed of the pushed mold blocks is used to calculate the size of the thermal expansion gap.

The invention relates to a method for the online monitoring of film quality during a production process for a plastic film, in particular a blown film or a continuously cast film, in which method the film material (1) is fed out of an outlet device (40) that is designed as a melt lug (4) by a transport device (10). The film material (1) cools on or in front of the transport device (10) and the film material (1) solidifies in front of or on the transport device (10).

Techniques, systems, and devices are described for implementing a portable and affordable 3D printer. One portable 3D printer includes a material supply system to supply printing material to a print engine. The print engine includes an extrusion system that comprises a heating block, which includes a top portion coupled to the material supply system to receive the printing material, a heating body to heat up the printing material, and a heat break portion positioned between the top portion and the heating body. The printer further includes a movement system to allow a horizontal movement of the extruder carriage, a build platform positioned below the movement system to receive the printing material from the extrusion system, and a printer body positioned to enclose the extrusion system, the movement system, and the build platform.

The present invention relates to a light guide plate (LGP) capable of bidirectional focusing via a bidirectional micro-transmissive layer, a fabrication method of the LGP, an extrusion equipment, a backlight module and a display device. The LGP comprises a LGP substrate, the LGP substrate comprises at least one incident surface for receiving a light beam and one outgoing surface connected to the incident surface, a bidirectional micro-transmissive layer is provided in the LGP substrate, the bidirectional micro-transmissive layer comprises a plurality of micro-transmissive points having biconvex surfaces. According to the principle that convex lens converges light, the design of micro-transmissive points having biconvex surfaces causes several scattered light beams having different directions that enter the micro-transmissive points to be converged, which effectively improves the brightness of the outgoing surface of the LGP, thereby improving the brightness and definition of images displayed in the liquid crystal panel.

Provided is a molded resin strand configured so that interlayer fusion of a shaped object can be improved and mechanical aptitude (specifically, stiffness) in a 3D printer can be more improved even in a case where an inorganic filler such as carbon fibers is mixed. The molded resin strand contains thermoplastic resin, an inorganic filler, and -olefin elastomer. The thermoplastic resin is polypropylene, for example. The inorganic filler is carbon fibers, for example. The -olefin elastomer is ethylene--olefin copolymer, for example. The molded resin strand of the present invention is used for a 3D printer employing a fused deposition modeling method.

Some embodiments are directed to a system for detecting foreign matter in a parison discharged successively from a discharge device, the system comprising: infrared cameras that detect infrared beams emitted from the parison; and a determination unit that determines whether foreign matter is present in the parison on the basis of the infrared beams detected by the infrared cameras. A determination area is set in the parison in a discharge direction of the parison, a storage unit is provided that stores an infrared threshold set for the determination area, and the determination unit compares the detected values from the infrared cameras with the threshold.

In various embodiments, a device for producing a high density compact livestock feed from a loose granular material according to various embodiment can include a source for supplying a loose granular material to be treated and moving the treated material through a series of successive treatment zones. Rotatable screws are provided within an extruder to compress and transport the treated material a die. The treated material is pressed through the die while a two-dimensional cross-section compression is applied to the treated material. In various embodiments, the high density compact livestock feed is produced having a high protein content, a high fat content, high shipping durability, high quality, and high nutritional value, without the addition of additives.

Methods and systems of measurement for blown film lines are provided. The sensing system includes a terahertz (THz) sensor positioned adjacent to a film bubble extruded from a blown film die, and a sensor support configured to guide the THz sensor around the circumference of the film bubble to measure its film thickness.

A continuous flow dryer system according to various embodiments can include a source for supplying a material to be treated having a high moisture content, such as a distiller wet grain, a profile screw compression dryer, a profile screw, and a drive coupled to the profile screw for axially rotating the profile screw. The profile screw compression dryer includes an inlet for receiving the material for drying, which is fed therein in a controlled manner. The profile screw is provided within the housing of the dryer. The profile screw has a diameter that increases in dimension in a direction away from the inlet for increasing the compressive force applied to the material to assist with drying as the profile screw rotates and moves the material longitudinally along the profile screw to produce a final product, for example, a distiller dried grain for use as an animal feed.

A system for making a nonwoven nonwoven spun-bond or melt-blown fabric has a spinneret for spinning fibers or filaments, a cooler downstream of the spinneret for cooling the spun fibers or filaments, a stretcher downstream of the cooler for stretching the cooled fibers or filaments, and a conveyor downstream of the stretcher. The stretched and cooled fibers or filaments are deposited as a nonwoven web on the conveyor. Sensors measure input parameters at the spinneret, at the cooler, at the stretcher, and/or at at least one diffuser or at the conveyor. An evaluating unit for determining an output parameter from the measured input parameter with respect to a predetermined reference parameter.