According to one embodiment, a wet-area device includes a main part and a first layer. The first layer is provided on an outer surface of the main part. The main part includes a main part unevenness at a side of the outer surface of the main part. The main part unevenness includes a plurality of main part recesses and a plurality of main part protrusions. The first layer includes a first unevenness at a side of an outer surface of the first layer. The first unevenness includes a plurality of first recesses and a plurality of first protrusions. The first unevenness is arranged along the main part unevenness. An average height of the main part unevenness is less than an average length of the main part unevenness.

A material includes a sheet of metal having a first face and an opposed second face, and a metal grain direction. The first face is textured with a first set of texturing features. Each texturing feature of the first set includes, respectively, a groove cut into the first face and extending along a groove axis, and a barb extending from the groove and away from the first face. The texturing features of the first set are arranged in a plurality of rows, and the groove axes of the texturing features in a given row extend generally parallel to the given row. The rows are generally non-perpendicular to the grain direction.

According to one embodiment, a wet-area device includes a main part and a first layer. The first layer is provided on an outer surface of the main part. The main part includes a main part unevenness at a side of the outer surface of the main part. The main part unevenness includes a plurality of main part recesses and a plurality of main part protrusions. The first layer includes a first unevenness at a side of an outer surface of the first layer. The first unevenness includes a plurality of first recesses and a plurality of first protrusions. The first unevenness is arranged along the main part unevenness. An average height of the main part unevenness is less than an average length of the main part unevenness.

A sandwich structure employs a core sheet including alternating peaks and valleys therein, and at least one outer face sheet including grooves or ribs therein. In another aspect, a sandwich structure includes at least one core and at least one adhesively bonded outer face sheet including elongated grooves or ribs formed therein. Yet another aspect of a sandwich structure has raised ridges bridging between adjacent peaks in a core sheet in one direction but not in a perpendicular direction, which synergistically interface, engage or contact with grooves or ribs formed in an outer face sheet.

An energy-dissipating cover for covering a component sensitive to mechanical impulse includes a sheet of selected ferrous or aluminum alloy, the sheet having a top surface, a bottom surface, an outer perimeter, an overall area within the outer perimeter and a nominal thickness of no more than 2.5 mm. The sheet is configured for connection with one or more external structures at a plurality of connection points within the outer perimeter, wherein the overall area comprises a plurality of supported areas and at least one unsupported area. Embossments are formed within the at least one unsupported area and extend outward from the bottom surface. The embossments are shaped, sized and arranged so as to limit orthogonal deflection of the sheet from a mechanical impulse directed normal to the bottom surface of the sheet at the plurality of embossments.

A flexible conductive track arrangement has a pre-flexing condition in which the arrangement is generally planar. Conductive tracks are formed from a metal layer and they are covered above and below by insulator layers. The elongate conductive tracks are generally planar but locally corrugated perpendicularly to the general plane. This enables improved binding performance, for example to form tight windings using the conductive tracks.

A method of forming a plurality of embossments in a sheet of metal includes: (i) placing the sheet onto a first surface of a die having a plurality of embossment cavities thereon, wherein the sheet has a bottom surface in contact with the first surface of the die and a top surface having an ablative coating formed thereon; and (ii) directing a laser beam at the ablative coating at one or more loci on the top surface of the sheet which correspond to the plurality of embossment cavities on the first surface of the die, so as to locally ablate the ablative coating at the one or more loci and turn the ablative coating at the one or more loci into plasma, thereby causing a plasma pressure shock wave at each of the one or more loci which presses the sheet into the embossment cavities to form the embossments.

A material includes a sheet of metal having a first face and an opposed second face, and a metal grain direction. The first face is textured with a first set of texturing features. Each texturing feature of the first set includes, respectively, a groove cut into the first face and extending along a groove axis, and a barb extending from the groove and away from the first face. The texturing features of the first set are arranged in a plurality of rows, and the groove axes of the texturing features in a given row extend generally parallel to the given row. The rows are generally non-perpendicular to the grain direction.

A sandwich structure employs a core sheet including alternating peaks and valleys therein, and at least one outer face sheet including grooves or ribs therein. In another aspect, a sandwich structure includes at least one core and at least one adhesively bonded outer face sheet including elongated grooves or ribs formed therein. Yet another aspect of a sandwich structure has raised ridges bridging between adjacent peaks in a core sheet in one direction but not in a perpendicular direction, which synergistically interface, engage or contact with grooves or ribs formed in an outer face sheet.

A sandwich structure employs a core sheet including alternating peaks and valleys therein, and at least one outer face sheet including grooves or ribs therein. In another aspect, a sandwich structure includes at least one core and at least one adhesively bonded outer face sheet including elongated grooves or ribs formed therein. Yet another aspect of a sandwich structure has raised ridges bridging between adjacent peaks in a core sheet in one direction but not in a perpendicular direction, which synergistically interface, engage or contact with grooves or ribs formed in an outer face sheet.