The present invention aims to provide an ETFE film having excellent transparency and heat resistance and cost efficiency. The present invention relates to a film including a copolymer containing an ethylene unit, a tetrafluoroethylene unit, and a (fluoroalkyl)ethylene unit represented by Formula (1):
CH.sub.2═CX—Rf  (1)
wherein X represents H or F, and Rf represents a fluoroalkyl group having 2 or more carbon atoms, the copolymer containing the (fluoroalkyl)ethylene unit in an amount of 0.8 to 2.5 mol % relative to the amount of all the monomer units and containing the ethylene unit and the tetrafluoroethylene unit at a molar ratio of 30.0/70.0 to 50.0/50.0, the film having a crystallinity of 68% or less, the crystallinity being calculated on the basis of a diffraction intensity curve of the film resulting from X-ray diffraction measurement.

A flexible die head for continuously extruding pipe may have a flexible ring mandrel (112). A second, open end (120) of the ring mandrel (112) near the die exit may be continuously and resiliently formed to a non-circular shape whilst extruding the pipe so as to provide an extrudate profile to counter slump in plastic pipe forming. Symmetric and asymmetric shapes may be formed by the ring mandrel (112). The second end (120) may be flexed or otherwise distorted by use of a flexing means (122). The ring mandrel (112) may also be necked in a circumferential portion to order to further improve the forming of non-circular shapes.

An inventive transfer roller (1) is made of a foam formed from an electrically conductive rubber composition containing an electrically conductive rubber, a crosslinking component, and a foaming agent including OBSH and 0.25 to 2.5 parts by mass of sodium hydrogen carbonate based on 1 part by mass of OBSH, and has an Asker-C hardness of not lower than 25 degrees and not higher than 35 degrees and an average foam cell diameter of not greater than 120 μm. Therefore, the transfer roller is flexible with a lower rubber hardness, and has smaller foam cell diameters. An inventive production method includes the steps of: forming the electrically conductive rubber composition into a tubular body; and maintaining the tubular body at a temperature of not lower than 120° C. and not higher than 140° C. to foam the rubber by a single-stage foaming process.

The smoothing device for plastic films comprises plastic-melt-producing means (1, 5), an adjustable slit die (10) and a roller smoothing unit (16) having cooled smoothing rollers (11, 12), which form an adjustable smoothing gap (13) between each other. Optionally, further rollers (15) are arranged downstream. A thickness gauge (23) measures the thickness of the plastic-film web (22). A controller (30) for controlling the thickness of the plastic-film web (22) may set a setpoint thickness (SD) of the plastic-film web (22) and the volumetric flow rate (SS) of the plastic melt or the line speed (LS). The controller (30) captures the current torques and rotational speeds of the rollers (11, 12, 15) and the current thickness (FD, FD1-FDn) of the plastic-film web (22).

The controller (30) sends setpoint rotational speed signals (C0S, C2S-CnS, CAS) calculated from the captured torques of the rollers (11, 12, 15) to the drives of the rollers and a smoothing-gap setpoint distance signal (GW) for adjusting the smoothing gap (13), and furthermore—in the case of a specified line speed (LS)—setpoint plastic-melt volumetric flow rate signals (SS) to the plastic-melt-producing means, or—in the case of a specified plastic-melt volumetric flow rate (SS)—setpoint line speed signals (LS) to the drives of the rollers (12).

Printed, breathable thermoplastic films, laminates, and methods of making films having a basis weight less than or equal to 15 gsm and a water vapor transmission rate of at least about 500 grams H.sub.2O/24-hour/m.sup.2, wherein the film has a ratio of the MD load at break to the CD load at break of less than about 10, and at least one of a machine-direction notched Elmendorf tear strength of at least about 5 g or a machine-direction notched trapezoidal tear strength of at least about 15 g.

A tubular parison for forming a medical device balloon. The parison is formed of a polymeric material, for instance a thermoplastic elastomer. The parison has an elongation at break which is not more than 80% of the elongation of the bulk polymeric material. The elongation of the parison is controlled by altering extrusion conditions. Balloons prepared from the parisons provide higher wall strength and/or higher inflation durability than balloons prepared from conventional parisons of the same material.

The present invention relates to a metal matrix composite (MMC). The MMC includes a preform formed from a composition having ceramic particles and ceramic fibers and defining a plurality of voids. The metal matrix composite also includes a support element, such as a metal, disposed within the voids of the preform. The MMC has a wear surface defined by both the preform and the support element.

A device for cutting a preferably thick-walled, extended pipe to length, has at least one cutting tool and a receiving unit for the cutting tool. The cutting tool is radially movable in relation to the extrusion axis and is rotatable via further means about the pipe to be cut to length, in order to cut the pipe to length. The receiving unit may be connected by means of a receiving disc to a sleeve via a ring element, wherein linear guiding elements are arranged on said sleeve parallel to the extrusion axis, and wherein at least four linear guiding elements are evenly distributed around the circumference of the sleeve.

A method of making a flexible magnetized sheet is provided. The method may comprise the steps of (1) using cold extrusion to produce a highly viscous fluid magnetizable sheet, (2) passing the sheet through a magnetic field to create an uncured magnetized sheet, and (3) curing the sheet with electron beam curing. The fluid mixture may comprise magnetizable particles with a random charge orientation and an acrylic resin. The components of the mixture are cool when passed through an extrusion die. The extruded fluid sheet allows for the sheet to be magnetized and then, instead of curing by cooling, cured by the bombardment of electrons via an electron beam (EB) generator. The method can eliminate the heat of extrusion and can allow for more freedom of orientation because the sheet does not cure until it reaches the electron beam curing station.

Embodiments of an invention disclosed herein relate to devices, processes, and systems for processing polymers.