This application uses live data from a thermoplastic injection molding manufacturer to examine the feasibility and effectiveness of using backpropagation artificial neural networks for predictive quality control. Preprocessing and post processing of live data, formulating neural predictive strategies, selecting architecture and parameters, and handling of temporal aspects are topics. Performanc...

Biodegradable polymers were formed from N-benzyloxycarbonyl-L-glutamic acid with the comonomers ethylene glycol, diglycidyl ether of 1,4-butanediol, and diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A. The three polymers were a linear and a rosslinked heterochain polyester and a crosslinked polyester that contained aromatic units within its network chains. The thermoplastic resin and the soluble fractions for ...

Aiming at demonstrating the potential of unidirectional natural fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composites in structural applications, textile flax yarn/thermoplastic polyester composites with variable fiber volume fractions have been manufactured by a filament-winding process followed by a vacuum-assisted compression molding process. The microstructure of the composites shows that the flax fibe...

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of 3 solvents (eucalyptol, orange oil, and xylol) on 2 types of gutta-percha (conventional and thermoplastic) and Resilon. Specimens (10 mm diameter x 1 mm thick; n=7 per condition) were prepared and maintained at 37 degrees C for 48 h. Each specimen was weighed on a precision scale every 24 h until its mass was stable, at which time the i...

This paper presents a study of hole quality and energy consumption in the process of drilling a thermoplastic polymeric material, polyether-ether-ketone, reinforced with 30% glass fibers (PEEK-GF30). PEEK-GF30's capacity to be machined has focused on turning operations. Studies of drilling involving thermoplastic polymeric materials have considered materials with other types of matrices, or rei...

Bio-based high elastic polyurethanes were prepared from hexamethylene diisocyanate and various ratios of isosorbide to poly(tetramethylene glycol) as a diol by a simple one-shot bulk polymerization without a catalyst. Successful synthesis of the polyurethanes was confirmed by Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy and (1)H nuclear magnetic resonance. Thermal properties were determined by diffe...

BACKGROUND The classic Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) patients usually present with progressive skin lesions over the lower extremities, following an indolent course. Although radiotherapy is an effective treatment for KS, radiation over these lesions is not without difficulty. The intrinsic difficulty resides in how a homogenous radiation dose over superficial lesions involving large areas and irregula...

OBJECTIVE The purposes of this study were to measure the orthodontic forces generated by thermoplastic aligners and investigate the possible influences of different activations for lingual bodily movements on orthodontic forces, and their attenuation. METHODS Thermoplastic material of 1.0-mm in thickness was used to manufacture aligners for 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, and 0.6 mm activations for lingu...

We have studied nine thermoplastic vulcanizate elastomers (TPVs) in four series: as made, after accelerated aging, after γ irradiation, after both irradiation and aging. The materials exhibit two glass transitions, one seen in crosslinked regions and the other in un-crosslinked amorphous regions. Three techniques of determination of glass transitions have been used and the results compared, all...

A new high speed and potentially economical method of creating a composite material and structures therefrom is tested. The method consists of spinning composite fibers from a melt blend of a thermoplastic with a liquid crystal polymer (LCP). Discontinuous fibrils of the LCP are formed in situ during the spinning process. These composite fibers are aligned and placed in a mold and heated to mel...