This disclosure provides economical and effective methods and apparatus for repairing scratches and scuffs on refillable bottle surfaces that minimally contaminates the bottle during the refurbishing process. In one aspect, the method comprises the steps of: a) adding at least one fluid into the polymeric packaging material such as a bottle to form at least a partially filled packaging material; and b) applying at least one heat source to an exterior surface of the at least partially filled packaging material to form a repaired polymeric packaging material. Apparatus and recycling systems that incorporate this method are also disclosed.

Systems and methods for processing additively manufactured objects are described herein. In some embodiments, for example, a system includes a controller configured to provide one or more control signals; a heater coupled to the controller, where the heater comprises one or more heating elements arranged to heat a blasting medium in response to the one or more control signals; a chamber coupled to the controller, where the chamber comprises an agitatable drum shaped to receive a plurality of additively manufactured objects, and to agitate the plurality of additively manufactured objects in response to the one or more control signals; and an applicator coupled to the controller, where the applicator comprises a nozzle operative to direct, in response to the one or more control signals, a plurality of thermally conductive particles in the blasting medium toward the plurality of additively manufactured objects within the agitatable drum.

An object of the present invention is to provide a method of joining resin tubes, in which the degree of freedom of selecting a tube material is large, and further a defect such as stiffness and contraction at joining portions of the tubes is not developed. The method of joining resin tubes according to the present invention is a method of joining resin tubes so that a first tube is joined to a second tube, the first tube and the second tube each being made of synthetic resin, the method comprising: a surface activation step of activating each of a joining region of the first tube and a joining region of the second tube; and an adhesion step of adhering the joining region of the first tube obtained via the surface activation step with the joining region of the second tube obtained via the surface activation step to each other.

An object of the present invention is to provide a method of joining resin tubes, in which the degree of freedom of selecting a tube material is large, and further a defect such as stiffness and contraction at joining portions of the tubes is not developed. The method of joining resin tubes according to the present invention is a method of joining resin tubes so that a first tube is joined to a second tube, the first tube and the second tube each being made of synthetic resin, the method comprising: a surface activation step of activating each of a joining region of the first tube and a joining region of the second tube; and an adhesion step of adhering the joining region of the first tube obtained via the surface activation step with the joining region of the second tube obtained via the surface activation step to each other.

A scaffold strut is shaped to improve hemocompatibility. After laser cutting, the scaffold is placed on a work piece and its struts are shaped by flame polishing or brushing. The abluminal surfaces and luminal surfaces can have corners rounded. The strut can have a sloped surface on its luminal side without reducing strut thickness needed for strength.

A method and apparatus are provided for producing pre-insulated pipes, which can be configured both for producing corrugated pipes and smooth pipes. The new method does not require a film to enclose expanding foam insulation around an inner pipe prior to it being enclosed by a jacket casing. Instead, a jacket casing is extruded around the inner pipe, the inner pipe and casing fed into a vacuum unit and the inside of the jacket casing is surface treated to ensure adherence between layers just after it exits the extruder and before it is fed into a vacuum unit. Inside the vacuum unit, a dispenser dispenses liquid expanding insulation material (such as polyurethane) in the space between the jacket casing and the inner pipe.