A system for producing a multicore optical fiber includes a source of electromagnetic radiation in a spectral range that is suitable for inducing photopolymerization of a transparent polymer. An arrangement of one or more optical components is configured to concurrently focus the radiation that is emitted by the source on a plurality of elongated regions of the transparent polymer so as to photopolymerize the transparent polymer solely in the elongated regions to increase the index of refraction of the elongated regions such that in the optical fiber that is formed of the transparent polymer after the elongated regions are photopolymerized, each of the elongated regions functions as a core of the optical fiber and regions of the transparent polymer that surround the elongated regions function as a cladding of each of the cores.

A method of activating a surface of a plastics substrate formed from: (a) polyaryletherketone such as polyether ether ketone (PEEK) polyether ketone ketone (PEKK), polyether ketone (PEK); polyether ether ketone ketone (PEEKK); or polyether ketone ether ketone ketone (PEKEKK); (b) a polymer containing a phenyl group directly attached to a carbonyl group, optionally wherein the carbonyl group is part of an amide group, such as polyarylamide (PARA); (c) polyphenylene sulfide (PPS); or (d) polyetherimide (PEI); for subsequent bonding,
the method comprising the step of exposing the surface to actinic radiation wherein the actinic radiation: includes radiation with wavelength in the range from about 10 nm to about 1000 nm; the energy of the actinic radiation to which the surface is exposed is in the range from about 0.5 J/cm.sup.2 to about 300 J/cm.sup.2. Hard to bond substrates are then more easily subsequently bonded for example using acrylic, epoxy or anaerobic adhesive.

A device comprising; a controller arranged to receive data for an article to print; a sub-device comprising a resin source arranged to provide material for printing the article; a radiation source arranged to direct radiation for the printing of said article; a plurality of stations, said stations including a printing tank in which the article is printed, at least one cleaning station for cleaning the printed article and a curing station arranged to at least partially complete the curing of the printed article; a build surface upon which the article is arranged to be printed; wherein controller is arranged to move the build surface and the plurality of stations relative to each other.

A method and apparatus for the additive manufacturing of three-dimensional objects are disclosed. Two or more materials are extruded simultaneously as a composite, with at least one material in liquid form and at least one material in a solid continuous strand completely encased within the liquid material. A means of curing the liquid material after extrusion hardens the composite. A part is constructed using a series of extruded composite paths. The strand material within the composite contains specific chemical, mechanical, or electrical characteristics that instill the object with enhanced capabilities not possible with only one material.

Methods and systems are provided for ultra-violet curing, and in particular, for ultra-violet curing of optical fiber surface coatings. In one example, a curing device includes a first elliptic cylindrical reflector, with a second elliptic cylindrical reflector housed within the first elliptic cylindrical reflector. The first elliptic cylindrical reflector and second elliptic cylindrical reflector have a co-located focus, and a workpiece to be cured by the curing device may be arranged at the co-located focus.

A curing apparatus for curing a coating composition disposed on an optical fiber, the curing apparatus including a first light source and a second light source such that the second light source is spaced from the first light with a gap. The curing apparatus further including a first reflector and a second reflector such that the second reflector is spaced from the first reflector with the gap. Furthermore, a spacer is disposed within the gap, the spacer being formed of a material configured to reflect at least about 90% of light emitted from the first light source and from the second light source, and incident on the spacer, to an optical fiber such that the reflected light has sufficient intensity to cure a coating on the optical fiber.

The present invention concerns a chemical mechanical polishing pad having a polishing layer. The polishing layer contains an extruded sheet. The extruded sheet is prepared by extruding a compounded photopolymerizable composition followed by exposure to UV light.

A method for manufacturing an optical fiber includes: a coating step of forming a first layer by applying a first ultraviolet ray curable resin composition onto a glass fiber, and then, of forming a second layer by applying a second ultraviolet ray curable resin composition onto the first layer; a first irradiation step of curing the first layer and the second layer by irradiating the first layer and the second layer with an ultraviolet ray, and of obtaining the optical fiber including a primary resin layer and a secondary resin layer; and a second irradiation step of irradiating the optical fiber with an ultraviolet ray at an illuminance of less than or equal to one tenth of an illuminance in the first irradiation step for an irradiation time of longer than or equal to 10 times an irradiation time in the first irradiation step.

A UV (ultraviolet) curing apparatus for a contact-lens polymerization process is provided. A UV curing module is equipped for the mold cavities of contact-lens curing molds, including a plurality of first UV light sources arranged above the mold cavities and a plurality of second UV light sources arranged below the mold cavities. A plurality of light output areas of a first light guide device guides the light beams emitted by the first UV light sources to illuminate upper light receiving surfaces of the molds. A plurality of reflecting plates of a second light guide device reflects and scatters the light beams emitted by the second UV light sources to lower light receiving surfaces of the molds. Thereby, the contact-lens polymer inside the molds is uniformly cured, and the yield is raised.

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.