A forming tool for forming a semi-finished product comprising reinforcement fibers and being conveyed to the forming tool in a continuous process. The forming tool comprises at least one pressure bag configured to be pressurized during a forming step of the semi-finished product, during which the semi-finished product is sandwiched between a forming surface of a forming element and the at least one pressurized pressure bag, such that the semi-finished product substantially takes on the shape of the forming surface. Further, a forming apparatus and a forming method for forming a semi-finished product comprising reinforcement fibers are provided.

A fiber block molding apparatus comprising: a mold having a lower part and an upper part forming between them a cavity for forming a fiber blank into a fiber block article upon closing the mold; a conveyor system for receiving the fiber blank to be molded at a receiving position, transporting the fiber blank via a heater for activation of a binding agent, and delivering the heated fiber blank into the lower part of the mold at a delivery end of the conveyor system, and a horizontal position shifting arrangement for shifting the horizontal position of the delivery end of the conveyor system relative to the lower part of the mold between a first and a second position to lay the fiber blank on the lower part of the mold.

A powder application apparatus for an at least partially meltable powder to be applied onto a feeding element for producing reinforcing elements comprises a powder container. In the area of an outlet of the powder container a template for defining a basic shape of a reinforcing element to be produced is provided. Further, a closing device for opening and closing the outlet is provided. For producing reinforcing elements having different stiffness, barrier elements in particular connected with the template are provided. The barrier elements reduce the powder supply to the feeding element such that a reinforcing element with areas of different material thickness are created. A method for producing such a reinforcing element.

A molding tool includes a top die, a bottom die, and several middle dies. Each middle die has a molding hole. The top die or the bottom die has a core, and the other one has a partial cavity. The partial cavity and each molding hole jointly form a cavity matching the core. The top die is opposite to the bottom die. The top die and/or the bottom die are/is driven to move towards or away from each other. Each middle die is moved to a position between the top die and the bottom die, allowing each middle die to be clamped with the top die and the bottom die. Upon using, a raw material is disposed on each middle die before the middle dies being sequentially moved to the position, making the top die, the bottom die, and the middle die clamp to process the raw material into a product.

A pressing machine that applies heat and pressure to a press object transported in a first direction includes a first die having a first heater, a second die having a second heater and being disposed above the first die, a support member that supports the first die and the second die, and a movement mechanism that moves the support member from a first position to a second position located in a second direction intersecting the first direction from the first position, in which the first position is the position at which the first die and the second die apply heat and pressure to the press object and the second position is the position at which the first die and the second die do not face the press object.

A process for manufacturing floor tiles comprising the following steps: scattering granules (62) of a thermoplastic material on a conveying member (52) in order to obtain a first layer of granules (64), superimposing several sheets (5B, 5C) in order to obtain a plurality of adjacent sheets on the first layer of granules (64), each of the sheets containing at least 50 wt % of glass fibers, scattering granules (70) of a thermoplastic material on the uppermost sheet (5B) in order to obtain a second layer of granules (72), pressing and heating the first layer of granules, the plurality of adjacent sheets and the second layer of granules, melting or at least softening the first layer of granules and the second layer of granules, the plurality of sheets being at least partly impregnated by the thermoplastic material of the first layer of granules and of the second layer of granules in order to obtain a core layer after cooling, and using the core layer to produce at least a slab, and using the slab to obtain the floor tiles.

A three-dimensional netted structure having an upper surface, a lower surface, two side surfaces a left end surface, and a right end surface, including at least a plurality of filaments helically and randomly entangled and thermally bonded together, wherein the filaments are formed out of a thermoplastic resin by extrusion molding followed by cooling with a liquid; and the netted structure is four-surface molded, the upper surface, the lower surface and the two side surfaces being molded. An apparatus and a method for manufacturing the three-dimensional netted structure.

A decorative member that is a three-dimensional molding article includes a sheet, a lens portion, and an image-forming portion. The sheet has a light-transmitting property and has a first sheet surface that is curved. The lens portion is provided on the first sheet surface so as to curve along the curved surface. The lens portion has a plurality of protruding lenses disposed in parallel. A minimum value of widths of the lenses is in a range of 25.4 m or more and 508.0 m or less. The image-forming portion is provided on a second sheet surface, and an image is formed on the image-forming portion. The curved surface has a first region to a third region having different normal directions and has a shape in which one of the normal directions of the respective regions is inclined to a plane including the other two normal directions.

A sheet manufacturing apparatus includes an impeller mill defibrating, in a dry process, a raw material containing a fiber, a mixer mixing a defibrated material and a resin, using an air stream to produce a mixture of the defibrated material and the resin, a sieve having an opening through which the mixture passes, a belt, a heater, and a nozzle. The mixture is accumulated on an upper side of the belt to form a web. The heater heats the web to form a sheet so that the fiber is bonded by the resin. The nozzle is arranged between the belt and the heater and applies a liquid to a partial portion of the web so that bonding between the fiber and the resin in a first portion of the sheet is weaker than bonding between the fiber and the resin in a second portion of the sheet.

A three-dimensional netted structure having an upper surface, a lower surface, two side surfaces a left end surface, and a right end surface, including at least a plurality of filaments helically and randomly entangled and thermally bonded together, wherein the filaments are formed out of a thermoplastic resin by extrusion molding followed by cooling with a liquid; and the netted structure is four-surface molded, the upper surface, the lower surface and the two side surfaces being molded. An apparatus and a method for manufacturing the three-dimensional netted structure.