Widely used additive manufacturing technique for plastic materials is Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM). The FDM technology has gained interest in industry for a wide range of applications, especially today when large number of different materials on the market are available. There are many different manufacturers for the same FDM material where the difference in price goes up to 50%. This experimental study investigates possible difference in strength of the 3D printed PLA material of five different manufacturers. All specimens are 3D printed on Ultimaker S5 printer with the same printing parameters, and they are all the same colour.

Objective/Purpose: The purpose of this work was the assessment of the clinical efficacy and safety of Bioapigyn® vaginal ointment for pelvic muscle tonus compared to pelvic floor muscle training in alleviating the symptoms of stress, urge and mixed urinary incontinence and vulvo-vaginal disorders in child-bearing and menopausal & postmenopausal women. Materials and Methods: The experimental group consisted of 66 women was treated 28 days with Bioapigyn® ointment for pelvic muscle tonus (2.5 mL/day). The control group also consisted of 66  participants was subjected to pelvic floor muscle training during 28 days (five times a day). ICIQ-UI SF score, the residual urine volume, perineometry, the total score of vulvo-vaginal symptoms and vaginal pH were determined before and after the treatment or training. Results: Following the treatment with Bioapigyn® ointment ICIQ-UI-SF score decreased 54.9%, perineometry parameters  increased  between  31.5  and  34.3%,  residual  urine  decreased  for 76.9%  and  vaginal  pH  for 14.2%. All the symptoms of vulvo-vaginal disorders disappeared completely in all participants. The control group showed no changes in vaginal pH or the improvement concerning the vulvo-vaginal complaints. ICIQ- UI-SF score decreased for 4.3%, residual urine volume for 9.1% while perineometry parameters increased between 4.3 and 8.3%. Conclusion/Discussion: Bioapigyn® vaginal ointment for pelvic muscle tonus alleviate the symptoms of incontinence by tightening and firming of the smooth muscles of the pelvic floor thanks to the ingredients with smooth muscles contraction/relaxation and astringent properties. Low pH, high osmolarity, viscosity, greasiness and coating effect of the ointment eradicated vulvo-vaginal complaints.

Aluminium and its alloys represent very important group of structural materials. They have many applications in mechanical and civil engineering, and welding is considered to be one of the most important joining techniques. However, welding of aluminium has several issues, like high thermal conductivity and easy formation of oxide layer with high melting temperature. Recently, solid state friction stir welding process has been developed to overcome such issues, but it is not easily applicable in every situation. Therefore, welding of aluminium still greatly relies on arc welding. Among commonly used TIG and MIG processes, pulsed MIG (and its variants) are developed to fulfil requests regarding heat input and oxide layer removal during welding. This paper gives brief general overview of technical and technological aspects of these processes, and then more details regarding welding of widely used aluminium 5754 alloy with thickness of 4 mm. Comparison of relevant costs is given as well. All welds were made using digitally controlled equipment, while voltage and current were additionally measured. Based on evaluation of welds and calculated costs, conclusion regarding feasibility of each process is given.