A composite shaping apparatus includes at least one first roller that loads a prepreg with pressure, at least one second roller that loads the prepreg with pressure, and at least one motor that rotates at least one of the first roller or the second roller. The at least one first roller and the at least one second roller are rotated while at least one of rotation speed, roller diameter, or presence/absence of rotating power is made different between at least one of the first roller and at least one of the second roller.

A process for flexibly making a wetsuit or the like is disclosed by integrally forming a functional surface layer on a rubber foam substrate sheet, thereby rendering the function of the surface layer for the wetsuit or the like.

A method for making a floor or wall panel has a foamed polymer core. A foamable polymer powder is foamed between two conveyor belts in the forming zone of a steel belt press. The sum of the thicknesses of the two conveyor belts and the total thickness of the layers at the entrance of the steel belt press is less than or equal to the opening of the steel belt press at the entrance of the steel belt press. The sum of the thicknesses of the two conveyor belts and the total thickness of the substrate at the outlet of the steel belt press is equal to the opening of the steel belt press at the outlet of the steel belt press and greater than the sum of the thicknesses of the two conveyor belts and the total thickness of the layers at the entrance of the steel belt press.

A belt calender for manufacturing preimpregnated composites includes a first roller, which is rotatable around its longitudinal axis, a first belt running at least partly around the first roller; and a second belt running in between the first roller and the first belt. The first belt and the second belt guide a feed of material between them. The belt calender includes auxiliary rollers which are rotatable around their longitudinal axes, and are arranged substantially parallel to the first roller around at least a part of a circumference thereof. The first and second belt run in between two adjacent ones of the plurality of auxiliary rollers, thereby defining a meandering path for the feed of material. A method for manufacturing preimpregnated composites by using such a belt calender.

A linear actuator leverage assembly including a base with a side surface and a back surface defining between them a corner, a rail member coupled to the base, a lever arm with a bearing surface, and a linear actuator. The lever arm is pivotally connected to the rail member at a first pivot and to the linear actuator at a second pivot. The linear actuator is configured to move the rail member with respect to the base over a linear stroke of the linear actuator that moves the second pivot of the lever arm along a continuous motion path. The motion path includes a first path segment generally parallel to the side surface and a second path segment, over which the lever arm pivots about the bearing surface as a fulcrum, thereby increasing leverage applied by the actuator to the rail.

A molding apparatus defining a processing direction includes multiple molding modules spaced apart in a lateral direction perpendicular to the processing direction and a common reaction surface. Each molding module includes a frame and a mold roll that defines molding cavities. Each mold roll defines a respective pressure zone in cooperation with the reaction surface and each mold roll is movable with respect to the reaction surface by controlled operation of the frame. Molten resin is introduced into the pressure zones and forced into the molding cavities to form arrays of fastener elements extending from base layers of resin formed on the surfaces of the mold rolls. The fastener elements are withdrawn from the cavities while stripping the base layers from the peripheral surfaces.

Discrete male touch fastener elements are molded of thermoplastic resin extending from a common, flexible base sheet, by introducing molten resin to a molding nip between two counter-rotating rolls consisting of a mold roll and a pressure roll arranged such that their rotation axes are parallel and together define a common plane containing each of the rotation axes. Solidified resin is stripped from molding cavities of the mold roll after the cavities have passed a rotating reaction roll forming a pressure nip with the mold roll. The reaction roll is spaced from the pressure roll by a distance less than an outer diameter of the mold roll, and the mold roll is simultaneously held against both the pressure roll and the reaction roll in a non-planar roll stack.

A structure with a substrate, and a fine-unevenness-structure layer provided to at least one surface of the substrate, wherein the fine-unevenness-structure layer is disposed at a surface of the structure, the indentation elastic modulus of the structure is 1-1300 MPa, and the ratio () of the rate of change of the coefficient of kinetic friction of the surface of the structure is 0.15-1.05, wherein =f/s: s represents the rate of change of the coefficient of kinetic friction of the surface of the structure at an initial-abrasion stage of a reciprocating abrasion test; and f represents the rate of change of the coefficient of kinetic friction of the surface of the structure immediately prior to the end of the reciprocating abrasion test. This structure exhibits excellent scratch resistance without compromising on the optical performance thereof, such as the antireflection performance.

An ethylene/tetrafluoroethylene copolymer sheet obtained by extrusion, has R.sub.0/d, wherein R.sub.0 is an in-plane phase difference [unit: nm]and d is a thickness, [unit: nm], of at most 3.0?10.sup.?3, and a thickness of more than 300 ?m. The ethylene/tetrafluoroethylene copolymer sheet preferably has a thickness of from 305 to 3,000 ?m . A process for producing an ethylene/tetrafluoroethylene copolymer sheet includes melting an ethylene/tetrafluoroethylene copolymer to obtain a melt, continuously extruding the melt through a die for shaping the melt to a sheet, and letting the sheet pass between two rolls. One of the two rolls is a rigid roll, and the other is an elastic roll. The two rolls are pressed under a linear pressure of from 0.1 to 1,000 N/cm.

The invention relates to a calender stack for an extruded material web (51) made from thermoplastic, in particular a film web, having (a) a stand (1) which has (i) a first guide rail set (2) which comprises two arcuate first guide rails (2, 2) and (ii) a second guide rail set (3) which comprises two arcuate second guide rails (3, 3), (b) a first calender roll (8) which can be rotated about a first calender roll rotational axis D8) and is mounted on the stand (1), (c) a second calender roll (9) which forms a calender with the first calender roll (8) and is fastened to the stand (1), (d) an adjusting roll (14) which can be rotated about an adjusting roll rotational axis (D14) and is mounted on the stand (1), and (e) a supporting device (34), on which the stand (1) is mounted rotatably in such a way that the first calender roll rotational axis (D8) remains stationary during a rotation of the stand (1). According to the invention, the stand (1) is configured in such a way that the adjusting roll (14) can be positioned at an angle of inclination () of at least 55, wherein the angle of inclination () is formed firstly between a horizontal which runs perpendicularly with respect to the first calender roll rotational axis (D8) and through the first calender roll rotational axis (D8), and secondly a straight line which runs perpendicularly with respect to the first calender roll rotational axis (D8) through the first calender roll rotational axis (D8) and through the adjusting roll rotational axis (D14).