A method and an apparatus for producing a three-dimensional decoration piece that does not damage the tacky bonding or adhesion strength of the lower layer material of the decoration piece. The method includes putting an upper layer material on a first table operating as cathode; lowering an upper mold operating as anode onto the first table, emitting a high frequency wave for dielectric heating; stopping the high frequency dielectric heating; moving a second table carrying a lower layer material having a tacky bonding property to below the upper mold; and lowering said upper mold onto the second table. In the apparatus, the second table or the lower mold is provided on the top surface thereof with recessed sections that are transversally and inwardly separated from a position where an edge of the first machining means contacts, by 0.2 mm to 1 mm; and a cushion member being arranged in the respective recessed sections.

This application relates to an imprinting apparatus and method. In one aspect, the imprinting apparatus applies pressure between a master substrate and a polymer film to transfer a pattern formed on the master substrate to the polymer film. The imprinting apparatus includes a plurality of coils and the surface of the master substrate is heated by an electromagnetic field induced by the plurality of coils. Through holes are defined in each of the plurality of coils, and support bars are inserted into the through holes. The positions of the plurality of coils are changed corresponding to the master substrate.

A deposition print head including a non-susceptive or low susceptive sleeve, a susceptive element having a filament channel, the susceptive element arranged inside the sleeve, wherein the susceptive element is susceptive for at least one of a magnetic field and an electrical field, wherein the filament channel is for feeding a thermoplastic filament in a feed direction. The deposition print head further includes an exciter arranged around the susceptive element, wherein the exciter is arranged for generating a field compatible with the susceptivity of the susceptive element, and a nozzle attached to one end of the susceptive element.

A method of fabricating a blade. The blade comprises subassemblies made of thermoplastic composite materials, each subassembly comprising an internal arrangement and at least one external arrangement, each internal arrangement comprising a stack of intermediate layers comprising reinforcing fibers impregnated with a semicrystalline thermoplastic matrix, each external arrangement comprising at least one surface layer comprising reinforcing fibers impregnated with an alloy of a semicrystalline thermoplastic polymer and of an amorphous thermoplastic polymer. An assembly film comprising an amorphous thermoplastic material and a ferromagnetic member is interposed between two surface layers of two distinct subassemblies that are to be assembled together by a method of local heating by induction.

A method of joining together liner sections within a polymer-lined pipe energises an induction coil inside the pipe to spot-heat part of a circumferential interface between the liner sections. This melts and fuses the polymer material locally. The induction coil is then moved along the interface to heat other parts of the interface successively above the melting temperature. An apparatus for performing the method has a power supply for energising the induction coil and a drive system for moving the energised induction coil relative to a body of the apparatus. The apparatus may be configured as a carriage that is movable along the pipe.

A mold heating device for heating a tire mold (M) for a green tire (T) includes an upper ring member (11) and a lower ring member (12) arranged so as to face one other in a specific direction with the space in which the tire mold (M) is disposed therebetween. A plurality of nonmagnetic members (13) are disposed at a plurality of positions aligned in the circumferential direction of the ring members (11, 12) with spaces therebetween so as to connect the upper ring member (11) and the lower ring member (12). Ferromagnetic non-conductive members (14) are provided on the inner surfaces of the nonmagnetic members (13), and a coil (15) is supported by the nonmagnetic members (13) with the ferromagnetic non-conductive members (14) therebetween so as to surround the space where the tire mold (M) is disposed from the outside in the direction perpendicular to the specific direction.

Methods of repairing a defect in a polymeric composite structure are provided. The methods include disposing a patch over a defect in a polymeric composite structure; disposing a textured sheet over the polymeric patch, applying pressure to the polymeric patch and the textured sheet; and heating the polymeric patch. The textured sheet has a surface texture that is a negative of a surface texture of the polymeric composite structure.

Methods are disclosed including thermally processing a scaffold to increase the radial strength of the scaffold when the scaffold is deployed from a crimped state to a deployed state such as a nominal deployment diameter. The thermal processing may further maintain or increase the expansion capability of the scaffold when expanded beyond the nominal diameter.

A method and apparatus for forming a sandwich structure is presented. A sandwich structure comprises a metallic core layer and a thermoplastic layer on a first side of the metallic core layer. The thermoplastic layer is consolidated against the first side of the metallic core layer.

Assisted magnetic forming uses a magnetic field to assist in the forming or molding of metallic and non-metallic materials. For example, such a forming process may form a blank of ferromagnetic metals like high-strength steel and high-hard armor, non-ferromagnetic metals like aluminum and magnesium, as well as non-metals like ceramics, plastics, and fiber-reinforced composites into formed or molded parts. The magnetic field is generated to partially or completely saturate the blank during the forming process, which increases the blank's formability and/or moldability while in the presence of the magnetic field.