A composite pipe comprises a polyetheretherketone innermost pipe around which a reinforcing overwrap is arranged. A protective sheath surrounds the overwrap. Such a composite pipe may be made by selecting a polyetheretherketone pipe having an outer region having a crystallinity of less than 25%; overlaying the selected pipe with overwrap; and subjecting the combination to heat, thereby causing the crystallinity of the outer region of the polyetheretherketone pipe to increase. The method reduces the risk of pipe failure.

A webless corrugated dual wall foundation drain which is constructed as a hollow rectangular tubular member with an inner corrugated wall formed of HDPE and an integral outer smooth wall formed of the same material. The outer smooth wall of the foundation drain is attached to and integrally formed with the corrugations of the inner corrugated wall through a coextrusion process, thereby significantly enhancing the vertical beam stiffness of the foundation drain and eliminating the need for an internal supporting web.

The invention relates to a method for producing plastic profiles, according to which a starting material is plasticated and formed in an extruder, then is cooled and calibrated in at least one dry calibration unit and at least one calibration tank and is subsequently subdivided into individual profile sections. To achieve optimal control of the extrusion line, measurements relating to the geometry and/or the weight of the plastic profile are continuously carried out downstream of the calibration tank and correction values, which are used to change settings in the extruder, the dry calibration unit and/or the calibration tank, are calculated directly from these measured values.

Apparatus and methods for manufacturing compostable, biodegradable drink straws from polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) material are disclosed herein. Such apparatus may include a hopper that contains raw PHA material, an extruder that receives the raw PHA material from the hopper and produces extruded PHA material, one or more waters baths that cool the extruded PHA material, a puller that pulls a tubular stream of PHA material through the system, and a cutter that is configured to cut the stream of PHA material into finished straws. The finished straws may be soil- and marine-biodegradable, as well as home- and industrial-compostable.

The invention relates to a method for the extrusion and labelling of a packaging tube (14), comprising the following successive steps performed on an extrusion-labelling line, namely: a) forming a partially or fully tubular label (17) from a film (12); b) introducing the label (17) into a calibration element (22); c) extruding a tubular body (13) on the side of the concave surface of the label (17); d) bringing the external surface of the tubular body (13) into contact with the concave surface of the label (17), step (c) being performed in the calibration element (22). The invention also relates to an extrusion-labelling device and a packaging tube.

A method of and apparatus for extruding an article of uniform cross-section, the article including a thermoplastic material and at least one cable for inhibiting stretch of the article. The cable is supplied to a respective tube and is conveyed between upstream and downstream ends. The thermoplastic material may be supplied to the downstream end of the tube. The thermoplastic material is brought together with the cable to embed the cable within the thermoplastic material, thereby forming a composite extrudate. The tube is configured to at least hinder movement of loose windings of the cable from the downstream end towards the upstream end, which may prevent or at least reduce incidence of birdcaging.

A calibration device for the extrusion of profiles from plastics is provided. The calibration device comprises at least one tank calibrator with an opening and a running surface for the extruded profile, which can be arranged in a vacuum tank with cooling water and via whose outer surface the heat of the extruded profile can at least partly be transferred to the cooling water. The at least one tank calibrator includes at least one cooling channel for cooling the running surfaces and the axial length of the tank calibrator at least corresponds to the height and/or the width of the nominal dimension of the profile.

Apparatus and methods for manufacturing compostable, biodegradable drink straws from polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) material are disclosed herein. Such apparatus may include a hopper that contains raw PHA material, an extruder that receives the raw PHA material from the hopper and produces extruded PHA material, one or more waters baths that cool the extruded PHA material, a puller that pulls a tubular stream of PHA material through the system, and a cutter that is configured to cut the stream of PHA material into finished straws. The finished straws may be soil- and marine-biodegradable, as well as home- and industrial-compostable.

The present invention relates to a seal device for a negative pressure calibrating unit in a extrusion line for producing profiled plastic sections, in particular pipes whereby the inner face of a seal rests against the circumference of the extruded profiled section in a formfitting manner and the seal is radially supported on the profiled section in order to apply a sealing force. It is the object of the invention to provide another similar device which is very easily constructed and can be produced inexpensively. This task is solved in that the seal is a porous and elastic foam body (13), the surfaces (17, 19) of that are exposed to the atmosphere are coated with an air-tight coating (21).

Apparatus and methods for manufacturing compostable, biodegradable drink straws from polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) material are disclosed herein. Such apparatus may include a hopper that contains raw PHA material, an extruder that receives the raw PHA material from the hopper and produces extruded PHA material, one or more waters baths that cool the extruded PHA material, a puller that pulls a tubular stream of PHA material through the system, and a cutter that is configured to cut the stream of PHA material into finished straws. The finished straws may be soil-and marine-biodegradable, as well as home-and industrial-compostable.