A method for manufacturing a floor covering product includes the steps of forming a single- or multilayered substrate by extruding of synthetic material-based material in a layer shape; laminating at least one continuous film to the substrate; and impressing the at least one continuous film using a roller provided with a relief on its surface.

A method and system to dry crack-free and high strength skin including an inorganic binder of an average particle size (D.sub.50) in a range between 10 nm and 700 nm on a porous ceramic body. The method includes supporting the honeycomb body on an end face such that axial channels and outer periphery are substantially vertical. A gas is flowed past the honeycomb body substantially parallel to the axial channel direction, substantially equally around the outer periphery of the skin, to uniformly dry the skin to form a partially dried skin under mild conditions. Then the partially dried skin may be dried more severely resulting in rapidly dried crack-free and high strength skin.

The invention provides a method for manufacturing a 3D item (10), wherein the 3D item (10) comprises an outer layer (210) and a support structure (220) with cavities (230), wherein the outer layer (210) at least partly encloses the support structure (220), and wherein the method comprises: (a) a 3D printing stage comprising 3D printing with fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printable material (201) the outer layer (210) and the support structure (220) and at least partly filling the cavities (230) with a filler material (204); and (b) a post-treatment stage comprising post treating at least part of the outer layer (210) for reducing surface roughness.

Methods are disclosed including thermally processing a scaffold to increase the radial strength of the scaffold when the scaffold is deployed from a crimped state to a deployed state such as a nominal deployment diameter. The thermal processing may further maintain or increase the expansion capability of the scaffold when expanded beyond the nominal diameter.

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.

The invention is characterized by a semifinished composite structure product with the at least two layers, of which the at least one layer, in which the continuous fibers are contained, is heated such that the matrix of thermoplastic material is heated within at least one first surface region to or above a melting temperature that can be assigned to the thermoplastic material, and the matrix of thermoplastic material is kept to a temperature below the melting temperature within a second surface region directly adjoining the first surface region. The semifinished composite structure product is heated in this way so that the moldable thermoplastic, continuous fiber-reinforced composite structure in which the continuous fibers within the first surface region are movable relative to each other and those within the second surface region are spatially fixed relative to each other.

A fiber-reinforced resin article with excellent mechanical properties can be provided efficiently in a short time. The method includes 3D printing including forming fibers and a resin by a 3D printer, and pressurizing the 3D printed article formed by the 3D printing step, in which the pressurizing is performed at a temperature at which the resin of the 3D printed article is softened, and heating to the temperature at which the resin is softened is performed by induction heating.

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.

An apparatus for manufacturing a composite article from a composite material. The apparatus comprising: a pulsed broadband radiation source comprising a flashlamp and a light guide adapted to guide light emitted by the pulsed broadband radiation source to a target area. The light guide comprises at least a portion ahead of the pulsed broadband radiation source, relative to the target area, comprising a light transmitting material.

A method for operating a heating device for thermal conditioning preforms made of a thermoplastic material in which each respective one of the preforms is prepared for a subsequent forming process during which the preforms are formed into containers with a forming fluid fed under pressure into the preforms. The heating device is operated in at least a first operating state and a second operating state. The second operating state is a startup phase of the heating device during which a temperature of the heating device approaches an equilibrium temperature of a thermodynamically stable equilibrium state of the heating device. The first operating state is a continuous operation state following the startup phase. The second operating state is operated with a heating output value that varies over time. Furthermore, the invention relates to a heating device and a machine having a heating device, which are configured to implement the method.