An apparatus for hot drape forming a part includes a plurality of pyrometers, a bladder covering a formable material, and a pyrometer control medium positioned between the plurality of pyrometers and the formable material. The plurality of pyrometers are configured to measure a temperature of the pyrometer control medium.

Provided is a method for manufacturing a microneedle array, which enables efficient and stable manufacturing of a microneedle array including a needle-shaped protrusion having a constricted shape. The method for manufacturing a microneedle array includes: a first cutting step of forming a needle-shaped protrusion by cutting a base material by a first cutting tool; a second cutting step of forming a constricted shape in the needle-shaped protrusion by cutting a part of the needle-shaped protrusion by a second cutting tool different from the first cutting tool; a mold forming step of molding, from a plate precursor manufactured through the first cutting step and the second cutting step, a resin mold having a needle-shaped hole which has an inverted shape of the plate precursor; a first array manufacturing step of filling the needle-shaped hole of the resin mold with a drug solution and then drying the drug solution; a second array manufacturing step of filling the needle-shaped hole with a base material solution and drying the base material solution, after the first array manufacturing step; and a peeling step of peeling, from the resin mold, a microneedle array manufactured by the resin mold.

A device for expanding and shaping the end of pipes includes a head with means for connecting to an elastically deformable expanding element with a first elongated portion for being introduced into the end of the pipe, the expanding element having a central through hole, and an extracting member including an expansion head suitable to move from outside to inside the central through hole of the expanding element or the other way round, so as to cause deformation, or to allow the expanding element to elastically return to an undeformed state, means for moving said extracting member, wherein: —the connecting means is suitable for steadily constraining the expanding element to the head for a plurality of different pipes and to allow the expanding element to be replaced when worn out, the elongated portion of the expanding element is made of an elastically deformable polyurethane plastic material having certain characteristics.

Aircraft that incorporates a rounded-hat composite stringer connected to an inner side of the skin of the aircraft to form an elongate conduit that defines a conduit axis, where the conduit axis includes at least one curving portion. The rounded-hat composite stringer can be manufactured by constructing a lower forming die and an upper forming die, each forming die having a length and defining a curve along at least a portion of the length of the die, cutting a pre-cured flat composite charge dimensioned to form the rounded-hat composite stringer, pressing the flat composite charge between the lower and upper forming dies to shape the composite charge into a pre-formed stringer having an inner side between curved fillet portions, contacting a forming member against the inner side of the pre-formed stringer, applying radius fillers to the curved fillet portions of the pre-formed stringer, curing the pre-formed stringer, and removing the forming member from the cured stringer.

The pressing of an article is achieved with a closed-loop feedback press. The closed-loop feedback press is effective to measure an amount of pressure applied and adjust the pressure to achieve a prescribed amount of compression on the article. Further, the press may leverage a closed-loop feedback system to maintain a consistent temperature of one or more platens. The press is able to adjust a pressure applied one or more times during a pressing operation to accelerate a temperature change in the pressed article while reducing the pressure applied as the temperature approaches a target temperature to limit unintentional deformation and bleeding of the pressed material of the article.

A multi-layer elastomeric tooling for the manufacturing of composite structures is disclosed. The tooling comprises an elastomeric base material with an outer layer of fluoroelastomer. The base material can, in certain embodiments, be selected for its mechanical or thermal performance or low cost without the limitation of being a contact material. The outer material can, in various embodiments, have inferior mechanical properties, or durometers different than the base material or can be a contact or barrier material.

A method of manufacturing a microstructure comprises printing a positive mold structure, filling the positive mold structure with a second material to form an elastically deformable negative mold structure, filling the negative mold structure with a third material to form the microstructure, and releasing the microstructure from the negative mold structure. Advantageously, the negative mold structure can be stretched to facilitate the release of the microstructure. For example, the microstructure comprises a chamber with capped micropillars for the generation and/or analysis of muscle tissue.

A method and apparatus for molding non-pneumatic wheels is provided. The exemplary method and apparatus allow for the use of the same molding system to manufacture wheels with different hub constructions. Different configurations of removable mold elements are utilized within the same molding system to provide wheels with different hub constructions.

An apparatus, system, and method that relate to a self-locking tie with one or more elastomeric features are disclosed. A strap of the self-locking tie includes one or more features that physically anchor the strap to a base of a mold during a multi-stage molding process. These features may include one or more recesses. Side walls of the one or more recesses may be sloped, as defined by anchors with undercut regions that physically engage material of the strap to prevent movement of the strap within a mold cavity of the base as the strap cools and as the strap is exposed between its formation and formation of one or more elastomeric features thereon.

A method for extrusion coating or extrusion casting, a polymer sheet (4, 5) produced thereby, a roller (2) for use in extrusion coating or extrusion casting, and an apparatus comprising said roller (2), in which micro- and/or nanostructures provided on the surface of the roller (2) are transferred to the polymer sheet (4, 5), and which is applicable to the extrusion coating or extrusion casting of all types of thermoplastic polymer.