Victrex Manufacturing Limited

Eos Gmbh Electro Optical Systems

Alan Wood

Horst Sandner

Brian Wilson

Martin Leuterer

Andreas Pfister

Adam Chaplin

Frank Mueller

Frank Müller

Alice Victoria Mary Matthews

Jack Vloedman

Geoff Small

Richard Thomas Leibfried

Guglielmo Pernice

A polyetheretherketone pipe of length greater than 250 meters and a residual stress of less than 5 MPa may be made using a calibrator devicewhich includes a cone shaped openingarranged to receive a molten extruded pipe shaped polymer. Attached to the front memberis a vacuum plateand successive vacuum plates-are attached to one another to define an array of vacuum plates, the vacuum plates being arranged to allow a vacuum to be applied to a pipe precursor passing through opening. The vacuum platesalso include temperature control means for heating or cooling the plates and therefore heating or cooling a pipe precursor passing through the openings. With a vacuum applied to openingand heating/cooling the plates, an extruded hot plastics pipe is inserted into calibratorvia openingand conveyed through openingin plates, whereupon it is urged by the vacuum against the cylindrical surface defined by platesto maintain its shape and the temperature of each plate is controlled to control the rate of cooling of the pipe precursor passing through. The pipe may be cooled at a relatively slow rate so that a pipe made from a relatively fast crystallising polymer crystalises and the crystallinity of the pipe along its extent and throughout its thickness is substantially constant.

Pipe

A composite pipe comprises a polyetheretherketone innermost pipe around which a reinforcing overwrap is arranged. A protective sheath surrounds the overwrap. Such a composite pipe may be made by selecting a polyetheretherketone pipe having an outer region having a crystallinity of less than 25%; overlaying the selected pipe with overwrap; and subjecting the combination to heat, thereby causing the crystallinity of the outer region of the polyetheretherketone pipe to increase. The method reduces the risk of pipe failure.

Method of producing a composite pipe and such a composite pipe

A process for manufacturing an object by laser sintering comprises: (i) selecting a powder comprising a polymeric material having a repeat unit of formula&#x2014;O&#x2014;Ph&#x2014;O&#x2014;Ph&#x2014;CO&#x2014;Ph&#x2014;&#x2003;&#x2003;Iand a repeat unit of formula&#x2014;O&#x2014;Ph&#x2014;Ph&#x2014;O&#x2014;Ph&#x2014;CO&#x2014;Ph&#x2014;&#x2003;&#x2003;IIwherein Ph represents a phenylene moiety; and (ii) selectively sintering the powder to produce the object. It is found that the polymer used can be advantageously recycled and blended with virgin material to produce a blend which has very similar mechanical properties and crystallinity compared to the virgin material. Thus, the polymer may be cost-effectively used in laser sintering.

Polymeric materials

A component comprises a first part and a second part, wherein said second part is in contact with said first part, wherein: (i) said first part comprises a first polymer which is semi-crystalline and includes phenylene moieties, carbonyl moieties and ether moieties; (ii) said second part comprises a second polymer which is semi-crystalline and includes phenylene moieties, carbonyl moieties and ether moieties; (iii) the melting temperature (Tm) of the second polymer is less than the melting temperature (Tm) of the first polymer. In a preferred embodiment, said first polymer is polyetheretherketone and said second polymer is a copolymer having a repeat unit of formula VIII and a repeat unit of formula IX.

A polyetheretherketone pipe of length greater than 250 meters and a residual stress of less than 5 MPa may be made using a calibrator device () which includes a cone shaped opening () arranged to receive a molten extruded pipe shaped polymer. Attached to the front member () is a vacuum plate () and successive vacuum plates (-) are attached to one another to define an array of vacuum plates, the vacuum plates being arranged to allow a vacuum to be applied to a pipe precursor passing through opening (). The vacuum plates () also include () temperature control means for heating or cooling the plates and therefore heating or cooling a pipe precursor passing through the openings. With a vacuum applied to opening () and heating/cooling the plates, an extruded hot plastics pipe is inserted into calibrator () via opening () and conveyed through opening () in plates (), whereupon it is urged by the vacuum against the cylindrical surface defined by plates () to maintain its shape and the () temperature of each plate is controlled to control the rate of cooling of the pipe precursor passing through. The pipe may be cooled at a relatively slow rate so that a pipe made from a relatively fast crystallizing polymer crystallizes and the crystallinity of the pipe along its extent and throughout its thickness is substantially constant.

A method of fitting a compressed component, for example a pipe, in a receiver, for example a bore, comprises compressing a selected component which is made out of a polymeric material having a glass transition temperature of at least 100&#xb0; C., for example polyetheretherketone; arranging the compressed component in position within a receiver; and subjecting the compressed component to conditions, for example of temperature and/or pressure, whereby the compressed component expands.

A three-dimensional object is manufactured from a powder of polymer material by selective sintering process by means of electromagnetic radiation of the powder, wherein the powder comprises a preselected polymer or copolymer and is subjected to selective sintering such that the manufactured three-dimensional object has a final crystallinity which is in such a range that the balance of properties, in particular mechanical properties including Young's modulus, tensile strength and elongation at break, is improved.

Influencing specific mechanical properties of three-dimensional objects manufactured by a selective sintering by means of electromagnetic radiation from a powder comprising at least one polymer or copolymer

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Cumbria, United Kingdom

Alan Wood