Article (9,19) comprising a substrate (10, 20) comprising a polymer and having first (11,21) and second (12, 22) opposed major surfaces. The first major surface (11, 21) has first surface regions (13, 23) with first nanoparticles (14a, 14b, 14c, 14d, 24a, 24b, 24c, 24d) partially embedded into the first major surface (11, 21), and one of •(a) second surface regions (15) free of nanoparticles; or •(b) second surface regions (25) with at least second nanoparticles (28) on the first major surface (11, 21) or partially embedded into the first major surface (11, 21). The first surface regions (13, 23) have a first average surface roughness, R.sub.a1, of at least 20 nm, wherein the second surface regions (15, 25) have a second average surface roughness, R.sub.a2, of less than 100 nm, wherein the first average surface roughness, R.sub.a1, is greater than the second average surface roughness, R.sub.a2, and wherein there is an absolute difference between the first and second average surface roughness of at least 10 nm.

Forming features in the surface of a bicycle component involves depositing a substance onto a substrate in a geometric pattern to form a transfer medium. Forming features may also involve positioning the transfer medium relative to an unformed bicycle component, and forming a negative of the geometric pattern in the bicycle component through the application of heat and/or pressure to the transfer medium and the unformed bicycle component. The transfer medium may be configured for use in the molding of carbon fiber reinforced plastic (“CFRP”) bicycle components and may include a substrate formed of a flexible material, and a geometric pattern formed of a hard material, the hard material different than the flexible material.

A device for heating a target with IR radiation, a process for heat treating a target, a process for making a composite, a use of an IR source, a use of an array of IR sources and a use of the device. Also disclosed is a device for treating a target, comprising an IR source that emits IR radiation from an emitter surface having a first surface area; and a set of elongate bodies consisting of one or more elongate bodies, each elongate body having an inlet, collectively called the inlets, and each elongate body having an outlet, collectively called the outlets; wherein the emitted IR radiation is coupled into the set of elongate bodies via the inlets and decoupled from the elongate body via the outlets over an outlet surface having a second surface area; and wherein the first surface area is greater than the second surface area.

A plate disposed between a lamp and a material to be heated is disclosed. The material absorbs a portion of the energy from the lamp and reflects a second portion of the energy. The plate absorbs the reflected energy and transmits the reflected energy back to the material.

A thermoplastic surfacer for providing lightning strike protection to a composite component of an aircraft, methods of manufacturing the surfacer, and methods of applying the surfacer to a composite part. The thermoplastic surfacer includes a broadgood having a thermoplastic resin, one or more fillers embedded into the broadgood, and a lightning strike protection mesh or foil embedded into the broadgood. When applying the surfacer to a composite part of an aircraft, the method includes draping the surfacer on an at least partially unconsolidated composite part, consolidating the at least partially unconsolidated composite part by heating the part to a temperature at or above a melt temperature of a resins used in the part and in the surfacer, and filling at least one surface defect in the consolidated part using the thermoplastic polymer resin and milled fibers provided in the thermoplastic surfacer.

Methods for producing an annular casing for an aircraft turbine engine are provided. The annular casing includes an annular body made from a composite material based on a first resin, and a fire-resistant outer layer which covers an external annular surface of the body and which is made from a composite material based on a self-extinguishing second resin. The method includes preparing a strip of a glass fabric preimpregnated with said second resin, this strip including woven fibres oriented in directions that are perpendicular to one another and inclined by an angle of approximately 45° with respect to the axis of elongation of the strip, and applying the strip to the external surface of the body so as to cover the entirety of this surface in a single pass of the strip around the body.

A shaping system includes: a printing device that prints an image using predetermined ink on a thermal expansion sheet having a thermal expansion layer on one side; and an expansion device that performs: a drying process of heating the thermal expansion sheet to an extent that allows the thermal expansion layer to maintain a non-expansion state, to dry the image printed by the printing device using the predetermined ink; and an expansion process of, after the drying process, heating the thermal expansion sheet to an extent that allows the thermal expansion layer to expand, to expand the thermal expansion layer.

Described are methods for manufacturing a plastic component, in particular a cushioning element for sports apparel, a plastic component manufactured with such methods, for example a sole or a part of a sole for a shoe, and a shoe with such a sole. The method for the manufacture of a plastic component includes loading a mold with a first material includes particles of an expanded material and fusing the surfaces of the particles by supplying energy. The energy is supplied in the form of at least one electromagnetic field.

An expansion apparatus includes: a first expander for irradiating with electromagnetic waves emitted from a lamp a thermal conversion layer for conversion of the electromagnetic waves to heat, to cause at least a portion of a thermal expansion layer to expand, the thermal conversion layer being laminated to a molding sheet including a base and the thermal expansion layer laminated to a first main surface of the base; and a second expander for causing expansion of a region (C) of the thermal expansion layer that is smaller in size than a region (B) of the thermal expansion layer expanded by the first expander.

A composite forming apparatus includes an end effector, a forming feature, and a non-contact heater. The forming feature is coupled to the end effector. The end effector moves the forming feature relative to a composite ply to form the composite ply over a forming tool or a prior formed composite ply. The non-contact heater heats to a portion of the composite ply before the portion of the composite ply is formed over the forming tool or the prior formed composite ply.