A structural component serves as a container for a vehicle. The structural component comprises a trough-shaped container section, an edge region, and fastening elements that are provided in the edge region. The container section forms a compartment and defines a bottom region and two or more wall regions, which are at least sectionally inclined with respect to the bottom region. The two or more wall regions are arranged between the bottom region and the edge region. The fastening elements are arranged and distributed around the container section. The container section and the edge region are formed of an injection moldable fiber reinforced thermoplastic material. The structural component at least sectionally has a porous internal structure that is formed by foaming the thermoplastic material.

A composition including at least one polyamide polymer obtained from at least one reactive polyamide prepolymer including at least one chain extender (PA.sub.1-All.sub.1-PA.sub.1), the polyamide polymer being prepared at a temperature T.sub.1 no lower than the temperature melting temperature or glass transition temperature of the polymer and having a mean molecular weight Mn.sub.1. The composition has a melt viscosity which can be modulated according to the temperature to which the composition is exposed, wherein the temperature is between T.sub.2 and T.sub.3, T.sub.2 and T.sub.3 being higher than T.sub.1, and the melt viscosity η.sub.2 or η′.sub.3 observed at the temperature T.sub.2 or T.sub.3, respectively, being lower than the melt viscosity η.sub.2 or η.sub.3 of the polyamide polymer, which does not include a chain extender and has the same mean molecular weight Mn.sub.1(PA.sub.1) observed at the same temperature T.sub.2 or T.sub.3. The composition includes one or more polyamides.

Plural ejector pins are made to project before a molten resin containing reinforcing fibers is injected into an inside of a cavity through pin point gates in a web forming portion in the inside of the cavity and at positions outside the pin point gates in a radial direction. The ejector pins are retracted from the inside of the cavity after a flow of the molten resin containing reinforcing fibers injected into the inside of the cavity through the pin point gates impinges on the ejector pins and is divided and before a tooth portion forming portion in the inside of the cavity is filled with the molten resin containing reinforcing fibers. Accordingly, weld lines which extend along the radial direction are formed at positions outside the ejector pins in the radial direction, and the molten resin is filled in portions formed after the ejector pins are retracted.

A method for producing an injection-molded product is provided, where sunflower hulls are processed into sunflower hull fibers at a maximum temperature T.sub.PFmax of less than 200° C. Then an injection-moldable composite material is produced by mixing the sunflower hull fibers with a plastic material at a maximum temperature T.sub.PCmax ofless than 200° C. Next the produced injection-moldable composite material is automatically injection-molded into an injection-molding tool such that a molded composite material is produced. The composite material introduced into the injection-molding tool has a temperature T.sub.IM of more than 200° C. in at least one section of the injection-molding tool. Then the molded composite material is removed such that the injection-molded product is produced. A corresponding injection-molded product and the use of especially prepared sunflower hull fibers as an additive are also provided.

A vehicle running board includes opposing vertical walls extending along a length of a tubular structure and including a carbon-fiber component. Opposing horizontal walls extend between the opposing vertical walls and include a glass component. The opposing vertical and opposing horizontal walls form the tubular structure having a generally rectilinear cross section. A polymer outer covering extends over the opposing vertical and opposing horizontal walls.

A mixture of solid and hollow glass reinforcers with an alloy of at least one polyamide and of at least one polyolefin, the mixture of solid and hollow glass reinforcers including from 5% to 60% by weight of hollow glass beads relative to the sum of the solid and hollow glass reinforcers, the alloy-mixture proportions being from more than 50% to 75% of said mixture of solid and hollow glass reinforcers, to prepare a composition having a modulus, when dry at 20° C., of from 5 GPa to less than 8 GPa as measured according to ASTM D-2520-13, at a frequency of at least 1 GHz, at 23° C., under 50% RH.

A method for manufacturing an electrically conductive composite material includes obtaining a composite material which includes a thermoplastic matrix and short carbon fibers and is free of carbon nanotubes, preheating a furnace until a predetermined target temperature is reached, inserting the composite material into the preheated furnace once the target temperature has been reached, and heating the composite material in the furnace at the predetermined target temperature which is kept constant for a predetermined duration.

A molded product having both small specific gravity and high stiffness and also suffering few sink marks is described along with a method for the production thereof, where the molded product includes a porous body (A) integrated with an injection molded body (B), the porous body (A) having an apparent density of 0.05 to 0.8 g/cm.sup.3, the average thickness (tA) of the porous body (A) and the average thickness (tB) of the injection molded body (B) satisfying the relation tA≥3×tB, and the injection molded body (B) covering at least one face of the porous body (A).

A method for the design, manufacture, and assembly of modular lattice structures composed of cuboctahedron unit cells.

A method for making a composite piece comprised of a metal part and a glass-fiber-reinforced plastic part, comprising: providing a metal part with a receiving cavity and a flow guiding channel, the flow guiding channel having an inlet communicating with the receiving cavity and an outlet; introducing molten plastic reinforced with glass fibers into the receiving cavity to fill the receiving cavity and the flow guiding channel and overflows from the outlet to form a flash section; curing the molten plastic to obtain a plastic part; removing unwanted portion of the metal part together with a portion of the plastic part to obtain the composite piece, wherein the glass-fiber-reinforced plastic part includes an exposed surface and glass fibers exposed at the exposed surface are substantially parallel to each other. A metal-plastic composite part prepared by the method and an electronic device housing are also disclosed.