A package or container includes a side wall, the side wall having an inner surface and an outer surface. At least one of the inner surface or the outer surface of the side wall may be at least partially coated by a layer of a insulating material. The material may be adapted to be expanded to provide thermal insulation.

Nanocomposite microcapsules for self-healing of composites. The nanocomposite microcapsules comprise a urea-formaldehyde shell encompassing a liquid core of polymerizable healing agent. The microcapsules further comprise nanoparticulates encompassed in the core and also present on the outer surface of the microcapsule shell. Self-healing composites with the nanocomposite microcapsules embedded in the composite polymer matrix are also described. Methods of making and using the same are also disclosed.

A package or container includes a side wall, the side wall having an inner surface and an outer surface. At least one of the inner surface or the outer surface of the side wall may be at least partially coated by a layer of a insulating material. The material may be adapted to be expanded to provide thermal insulation.

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 method for forming a vacuum insulated structure using a prepared core material includes preparing a powder insulation material defining a bulk density, pre-densifying the powder insulation material to form a pre-densified insulation base, crushing the pre-densified insulation base into granular core insulation to define a core density of the granular core insulation, disposing the granular core insulation having the core density into an insulating cavity defined within an insulating structure and expressing gas from the interior cavity of the insulating structure to further densify the granular core insulation to define a target density. The granular core insulation defines the target density disposed within the insulating structure defines the vacuum insulation structure, wherein the target density defines a density in the range of from approximately 80 grams per liter to approximately 350 grams per liter.

A 3D printing method for an impact-resistant gradient complex part containing a hollow ceramic sphere complex, wherein the method includes the following steps: 1) designing the size and shape of the part as well as an internal layered structure; 2) providing a raw material, wherein the raw material contains a high polymer, a curing agent and hollow ceramic spheres; and 3) providing the raw material with a certain thickness according to a design, then, curing the raw material by using a heat source to form a high polymer layer containing the hollow ceramic spheres, and repeatedly printing the high polymer layer according to the design until the high polymer layer reaches the designed thickness to form the impact-resistant gradient complex part.

A method for forming a roll core for use in an electrophotographic image forming device according to one example embodiment includes shaping the roll core from a mixture of an uncured elastomer and hollow microparticles. The elastomer of the shaped roll core is cured without permanently expanding hollow microparticles positioned near the outer surface of the shaped roll core. After curing, the hollow microparticles positioned near the outer surface of the shaped roll core are permanently expanded to form the roll core having compressible and resiliently recoverable hollow microparticles extending beyond an outer circumference of the roll core and providing a surface texture to the roll core.

In an embodiment, the present disclosure pertains to a method for forming a three-dimensional (3D) printing resin. In some embodiments, the method includes forming a mixture by combing a mesogen with a solvent and a stabilizer, heating the mixture, adding a spacer to the mixture, and adding a catalyst to the mixture. In some embodiments, the method further includes mixing a photoinitiator into the mixture. In some embodiments, the method further includes mixing a filler into the mixture. In some embodiments, the method further includes tailoring viscosity of the mixture. In some embodiments, the method further includes mixing a thermal initiator into the mixture. In an additional embodiment, the present disclosure pertains to methods of forming a material utilizing the 3D printing resin and a 3D foam device composed of a porous material printed into a form via the forming method.

A process is provided for thermal molding an article with at least one layer of thermoplastic fibers that are non-woven and uni-directionally oriented in combination with at least one layer of reinforcing fibers. The reinforcing fibers including glass, carbon, nature based, and combinations thereof; alone or mixed with chopped thermoplastic fibers. Upon subjecting the layers to sufficient heat to thermally bond in the presence of non-oriented filler fibers, thermoplastic fiber fusion encapsulates the filler fibers. The filler fibers impart physical properties to the resulting article and the residual unidirectional orientation of the thermoplastic melt imparts physical properties in the fiber direction to the article. By combining layers with varying orientations of uni-directional fibers relative to one another, the physical properties of the resulting article may be controlled and extended relative to conventional thermoplastic moldings. The uni-directional fibers may have discontinuities along the length of individual fibers.

A polymer material in manufacture of 3D articles by means of additive manufacturing, the polymer material including: a) at least one propylene polymer P having a flexural modulus determined according to ISO 178:2019 standard of at least 150 MPa, b) at least one propylene-based elastomer PBE having a flexural modulus determined according to ISO 178:2019 standard of not more than 100 MPa, and c) at least one solid inorganic compound SC.