A method of manufacturing a printing cylinder. The method comprises providing a moulding apparatus comprising a cylindrical moulding vessel defining a moulding cavity (101). The vessel comprises at least one inlet for the ingress of moulding material. The method comprises performing an injection moulding operation comprising: injecting moulding material through the at least one inlet to substantially fill the moulding cavity with moulding material; and effecting hardening of the moulding material within the vessel (102). The method comprises removing the printing cylinder (103). At least part of the injection moulding operation is performed in the presence of an active pressure being applied to the moulding cavity.

A method of manufacturing a bicycle component having a component body formed at least partially of a fibrous composite material in a shaping mold. A shaping area of the shaping mold which serves to shape an outer section of the component body is provided with at least one intended surface roughness. At the same time, an intentional surface roughness is provided for the outer section by means of the surface roughness of the shaping area during manufacture of the outer section, to inhibit surface imperfections of the shaped outer section.

A shaped preform component (200A) for a spoke portion (108A) of a composite wheel (100), the shaped preform (200A) comprising: an elongate body (215) configured to be located in a spoke (108) of a composite wheel (100), wherein the shaped preform component (200A) is formed from a cured composite fibre material having a compressibility of <2% volumetric under moulding conditions of 50 bar hydrostatic pressure and a temperature of 60 to 150 C., and wherein the density of the cured composite fibre material is selected to form a counterbalance mass for a mass addition (300) to the composite wheel (100).

A method for producing a product including a composite fiber part and a second part, wherein the second part includes a carrier part, wherein the carrier part is a replica of a press tool configured to be heated and to apply a pressure, the method including applying, in a non-cured state, the composite fiber part on the carrier part, arranging the carrier part including the composite fiber part on the press tool, curing the composite fiber part on the carrier part, and removing the product from the press tool, wherein after removal from the press tool the composite fiber part and the carrier part constitutes together at least a part of the finished product. Also disclosed is a composite fiber product including a composite fiber part and a second part.

A conveyor roller tube (1) including a plurality of co-extruded polymer layers (2, 3). The tube (1) includes an inner layer (2) and an outer layer (3), and an optional intermediate layer. The inner layer (2) is formed of a first polymer material. The outer layer (3) is formed of a second polymer material. The outer layer is formed to have high wear properties and is also formed to be of a different color to the adjacent layer (2) thereto so that a visual indication of the wear of the roller tube (1) is provided.

Disclosed herein are systems and techniques for producing complex components using a reinforced thermoplastic material. The complex components can include contoured or curved outer surfaces, and in some cases define a cavity. In certain examples, one or more thermoplastic materials are arranged to form a wheel component, such as that adapted to define a rim of the bicycle. Thermal bonding can be used to join multiple reinforced thermoplastic materials to one another in order to form a cavity of the wheel component or other complex shape. In certain examples, a portion of a tooling assembly can be pressurized to maintain a shape of the cavity during thermal bonding and cooling. This can remove the need for a sacrificial bladder or other structure that would maintain the shape of the cavity, allowing for a seamless final component, optionally absent indicia of bladder exit or other seams.

The disclosure relates to a stable one piece wheel, which is particularly suitable for cycles having an increased system weight such as electrically powered bicycles or cargo bikes, and a method producing said vehicle wheel. Said vehicle wheel includes an annular portion, a plurality of spokes and a hub portion integrally formed by mould injection of fibre reinforced or carbo nano tubes containing thermoplastic, wherein each of the plurality of spokes comprise a substantially Z-shaped cross section with a middle leg and a pair of outer legs, wherein the angle enclosed by each of the pair of outer legs and the middle leg is greater than a right angle and wherein the length of the middle leg increases from the annular portion toward the hub portion.

The disclosure provides a wheel for an omnidirectional moving device which takes fewer man-hours for manufacturing, and a manufacturing method of the wheel for an omnidirectional moving device which takes fewer man-hours. The wheel includes an annular core body 36; a plurality of bearings 75 each including an inner ring 76 and an outer ring 77 relatively rotatable with respect to the inner ring, and the inner ring being fixed to an outer peripheral surface of the core body; and a plurality of rollers 37 each fixed to the outer ring and rotatably supported by the core body via the bearing. The inner ring is tightened and fitted to the core body.

In a resin wheel manufacturing method for forming, with a mold, a material made of a thermoplastic fiber-reinforced resin, the temperature of the mold is set to a temperature lower than a melting point of a resin matrix of the material. As the material, a billet-shaped material and a sheet-shaped material are prepared, and heated to a temperature higher than the melting point of the resin matrix. The heated billet-shaped material is held in the mold surrounded by a disc outer surface mold and a rim outer diameter mold, and the sheet-shaped material is held on a surface of the rim outer diameter mold on a punch mold side. While the sheet-shaped material is subjected to deep draw forming to form the rim portion of the wheel, the billet-shaped material is subjected to compression forming with a part of the sheet-shaped material pressed against the billet-shaped material.