High tenacity, high elongation multi-filament polymeric tapes as well as ballistic resistant fabrics, composites and articles made therefrom. The tapes are fabricated from multi-filament fibers/yarns that are twisted together, bonded together, compressed and flattened.

Described herein are starch-based materials, and formulations including such for use in directional alignment extrusion processes. The present compositions exhibit critical shear stress characteristics that allow extrusion at high shear rates and line speeds, without onset of melt flow instability. The present compositions provide sufficient melt strength to allow such compositions to be directionally oriented by stretching the heated polymer (e.g., the polymer melt) following initial extrusion, directionally aligning the molecular chains of the heated polymer blend in the machine-direction, the cross-direction, or both. In an embodiment, the starch-based material is blended with one or more thermoplastic materials having desired melt flow index value(s), which serves as a diluent, allowing the very viscous starch-based component to be processed under such conditions. The starch-based materials (and masterbatches thereof) may exhibit high molecular weight, high shear sensitivity, strain hardening behavior, and/or a very high critical shear stress (e.g., at least 125 kPa).

An improved longitudinal stretching unit is disclosed, in addition to the installation position or operating position (A) for the assembly to be replaced, a standby position (D) and/or standby station at which a further assembly is kept on standby. The standby position (D) and/or the standby station is arranged and/or configured in relation to the longitudinal stretching unit such that the further assembly provided at this standby position (D) and/or standby station, already before the installation at the operating position (A), is brought or can be brought to operating temperature or at least to a preheating temperature that is higher or less than 30° C. lower than operating temperature.

A system for controlling the temperature of a film before and/or during application, the system including: a heat source for heating a film; and stretch rollers; wherein the heat source heats the film from an ambient temperature to a temperature from about 2° C. to about 40° C. above the ambient temperature, wherein the film is heated prior to or simultaneous to being stretched by the stretch rollers, and wherein the ambient temperature is below 15° C. The preheating system may be used to enhance binding and sealing properties of stretch films used for wrapping palletized products in a reduced temperature environment. Other embodiments of the preheating film system, and methods for its use, are described herein.

The present invention relates to a process for producing a fluoropolymer article having a high surface roughness and high coarseness which comprises the following steps: a) forming a paste comprising a fluoropolymer into a paste-formed fluoropolymer product at a temperature lower than 50° C., b) densifying the paste-formed product, and c) stretching the densified paste-formed fluoropolymer product in at least one direction. The present invention further relates to a fluoropolymer article obtainable by a process according to the invention. The present invention furthermore relates to a fiber comprising, or consisting of, a fluoropolymer having a surface roughness expressed as a peak to valley distance (Rt) greater than 10 micrometer and/or an average surface roughness (Ra) greater than 1.5 micrometer. The present invention furthermore relates to a membrane comprising, or consisting of, a fluoropolymer having a coarseness index ρ/EBP of at least 0.3, an air permeability of 15 ft.sup.3/ft.sup.2/min or higher and a node aspect ratio of below 25.

The invention relates to a process for the production of a high strength transparent high density polyethylene article comprising the steps of (i) heating a high density polyethylene (HDPE) to a temperature above the melting temperature (T.sub.m) of the HDPE; (ii) molding the heated HDPE obtained in step (i) to form a hot molded HDPE article; (iii) cooling the hot molded HDPE article to a temperature below T.sub.m to form a melt-crystallized HDPE article; (iv) stretching the melt-crystallized HDPE article to a total draw ratio of at least 5 comprising at least one stretching step of the article at a temperature T.sub.1 below the melting temperature T.sub.m to a draw ratio (DR.sub.1) of at least 2 to form an oriented HDPE article, wherein the HDPE has a melt flow index (MFI) measured at 21.6 kg and 190° C. according to ASTM D1238 of at most 1.5 g/I Omin, an isotropic density measured according to ISO 1 183-1 A of at most 0.955 g/cm3 and a T.sub.m measured according to ISO 1 1357-3 of greater than 130° C. The invention also relates to high strength transparent HDPE articles and products comprising the high strength transparent HDPE article such as ballistic resistant articles, visors, car parts, train parts, plane parts, windshields, windows and radomes.

A porous polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) membrane including a nonwoven web having a microstructure of substantially only microfibrils fused at crossover points, said membrane having a percent balance of orthogonal dimensions that is within 10%.

The present invention provides a synthetic resin microporous film which has excellent permeability of lithium ions, can constitute high performance power storage devices, and is less likely to cause a short circuit between a positive electrode and a negative electrode as well as rapid decrease in discharge capacity due to a dendrite even when used in high power applications. The synthetic resin microporous film of the present invention is a synthetic resin microporous film comprising a synthetic resin, the synthetic resin microporous film being stretched, the synthetic resin microporous film having, in a cross section along a thickness direction and a stretching direction of the synthetic resin microporous film: a plurality of support portions extending in the thickness direction of the synthetic resin microporous film; a plurality of fibrils formed between the support portions; and the support portions having the number of branch structures of 150 or less per 100 μm.sup.2; and the synthetic resin microporous film being configured such that micropore portions are formed in areas surrounded by the support portions and the fibrils.

A system for controlling the temperature of a film before and/or during application, the system including: a heat source for heating a film; and stretch rollers; wherein the heat source heats the film from an ambient temperature to a temperature from about 2° C. to about 40° C. above the ambient temperature, wherein the film is heated prior to or simultaneous to being stretched by the stretch rollers, and wherein the ambient temperature is below 15° C. The preheating system may be used to enhance binding and sealing properties of stretch films used for wrapping palletized products in a reduced temperature environment. Other embodiments of the preheating film system, and methods for its use, are described herein.

Apparatus for longitudinal orientation of thermoplastic film material (4) comprises a width-reduction zone upstream of the longitudinal stretching zone, through which the width of the film is gradually reduced so as to allow longitudinal stretching without necking. The width-reduction zone comprises at least one, preferably several, pairs of pleating rollers (16, 17) comprising intermeshing grooves or discs for pleating the material, the length of said width reduction zone preferably being less than 3 times the original width of the film. The width-reducing zone has upstream (14) and downstream (15) rollers or roller assemblies, with curved axes and optionally also conveyor belts for providing smooth width reduction. Longitudinal stretching is preferably between at least two, and preferably more than two, pairs of stretching rollers (9, 10, 11, 12) which are relatively close together. The pleats may be provided in several stages with increasing pleats per stage, while guiding means preferably lay all the pleats to one side. The apparatus allows achievement of high tensile strength, yield point, resistance to tear propagation and puncture resistance, especially for polyethylene and polypropylene films.