Embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods for using nonwoven materials for evacuation slides, life rafts, life vests, and other life-saving inflatable devices. The nonwoven materials have a substrate layer with continuous filaments formed in various directions.

An inlet duct for an internal combustion engine includes a duct member made of a compression molded fiber material. The duct member includes a main body and end portions provided on opposite sides in an axial direction of the main body. The main body includes at least one high-compression portion and at least one low-compression portion, which is made through compression molding at a compression ratio lower than that of the at least one high-compression portion. The at least one low-compression portion extends throughout a length in the axial direction of the main body.

Described herein are structural waterproof films comprising a composite of at least one wool sheet, the wool sheet being at least partially impregnated with a hardening resin that, when hardened, is rigid or semi-rigid and is substantially water impermeable. The films described introduce organic materials into, among many applications, water craft design plus the films described offer a useful alternative to traditional non-organic fibreglass construction.

A vehicle interior panel includes a substrate with non-uniform hardness, providing cushioned portions of the panel without the need for a distinct cushioning layer. The substrate is made from a mat of natural and synthetic fibers that is heated and pressed so that the pressed mat has thick and thin portions. The thin portions are rigid and structural, and the thick portions are soft. Application of a decorative layer can be incorporated into the process, as can back-injection molding (BIM) for additional structure.

Provided is a seal material having high rigidity without deformation or breakage, excellent corrosion resistance to fluid, and low solubility when used under high sealing force, and to provide a flow cell, a detector, and an analyzer in which there is no fluid leakage, contamination of the seal material components is prevented, and the replacement frequency is low. Provided are a seal material for an analyzer, including a resin and at least one layer of fiber sheet embedded in the resin, wherein the at least one layer of fiber sheet is embedded between and in substantially parallel to two seal surfaces: a first seal surface, which is one resin surface of the seal material; and a second seal surface, which is the other resin surface substantially parallel to the former one, and a flow cell, a detector, and an analyzer using the seal material.

An interior/exterior covering member for an automobile having excellent sound-absorbing performance is provided. The interior/exterior covering member includes an air-permeable fiber layer 2 and a thermoplastic resin layer 3 laminated on one surface of the fiber layer 2. The melt flow rate of the thermoplastic resin is in a range of 2 g/10 min to 500 g/10 min, and a plurality of through-holes 11 penetrating the resin layer in the thickness direction is formed in the thermoplastic resin layer 3.

An apparatus (2) for forming a noodle (20) within an elongate groove (14) of a product is provided comprising an extrusion system comprising at least one extruder nozzle (4) through which noodle material (16) is extruded, at least one levelling device (6) adjacent the extruder nozzle (4) which levels the noodle material (16), and a gantry system which moves the extruder nozzle (4) and the levelling device (6) along the elongate product groove (14), such that noodle material (16) is extruded along the product groove (14) and is levelled to form at least part of the noodle (20) within the product groove (14).

A device for shaping a workpiece is provided. The device includes at least one first and one second component between which the workpiece to be shaped can be molded under the effect of heat. The design and/or the material properties of the first and/or the second component are selected such that the component's thermal expansion is different in different directions.

The application relates to a process for forming a nonwoven composite. The process includes forming a lofty nonwoven layer, obtaining a thermoplastic polymer, and applying the thermoplastic polymer to the second surface of the nonwoven layer, where the thermoplastic polymer is in the form of a molten polymer, semi-molten polymer, or solid film. Next, pressure and optionally heat is applied to the nonwoven layer and thermoplastic polymer, where the thermoplastic polymer and the second surface of the nonwoven layer are subjected to a textured surface forming a plurality of peak regions and a plurality of valley regions in the second surface of the nonwoven layer and embedding a portion of the primary fibers from the nonwoven layer into the thermoplastic polymer within the valley regions. The thermoplastic polymer is cooled forming a thermoplastic film and the nonwoven layer which together form the nonwoven composite.

A tubular lower mold partitioning wall is erected on a lower mold, and a three-dimensional mesh-like body is disposed with a part of a side face exposed with respect to the lower mold partitioning wall. When a pad main body is molded by foaming a liquid raw material, the mesh-like body is penetrated through the pad main body in a thickness direction. Since the mesh-like body is disposed with a part of the side face exposed with respect to the lower mold partitioning wall, the liquid raw material is hardened between the fibers on the side face of the mesh-like body, and the side face is attached to the pad main body. Therefore, it is possible that the mesh-like body is not easily displaced with respect to the pad main body while suppressing a sweaty feeling.