Abstract: An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a toaster oven including: a cooking chamber; an air passage; and a fan. The cooking chamber includes a side wall and a top wall. One of the side wall and the top wall is provided with an air inlet in communication with a cooking space of the cooking chamber. The other of the side wall and the top wall is provided with an air outlet in communication with the cooking space. The air passage between the air inlet and the air outlet is disposed outside the cooking chamber. The fan blows air from the air inlet to the air outlet through the air passage.

Abstract: Laser welding methods include focusing laser radiation onto a first metal sheet disposed on a metal part, optionally with one or more intervening metal sheets therebetween. The laser radiation is steered to trace at least one spiral path to spot-weld together the metal parts. The laser radiation includes a center beam and an annular beam to maintain a stable keyhole. One method is tailored to weld aluminum parts, e.g., with high gas content and/or dissimilar compositions, and the laser radiation traces first an outward spiral path and then an inward spiral path. The center beam is pulsed during one segment of the inward spiral path. Another method is tailored to weld steel or copper parts having a coating at an interface therebetween, and the laser radiation traces an inward spiral path. The interface may be a zero-gap interface, or a non-zero gap may exist.

Abstract: An oven appliance for providing convection and microwave heating includes a cabinet having a chamber positioned within the cabinet. The chamber is configured for receipt of food items for cooking and has a plurality of walls including a top wall, a bottom wall, a back wall, and opposing sidewalls defining the chamber. At least one of the plurality of walls defines a plurality of apertures and a first duct in fluid communication with the chamber through the plurality of apertures. The oven appliance also includes at least one convection heating element for heating the chamber. Further, the oven appliance includes a convection fan in fluid communication with the first duct. The convection fan is operable to cause air to flow out of the apertures. Moreover, the oven appliance includes a convection motor having a motor shaft. The convection motor is operably coupled to the convection fan for rotating the convection fan about the motor shaft.

Abstract: An appliance and methods for operating the appliance in a safety-critical operation are provided. The appliance and methods for operating the appliance include features that provide safe and intuitive ways to initiate and cancel safety-critical operations performed by the appliance.

Abstract: An induction cooker has a temperature sensor mount that includes a reciprocating sensor holder and a flexible diaphragm.

Abstract: An ingredient supplier of a beverage maker and a beverage maker having an ingredient supplier are provided. The ingredient supplier of the beverage maker may include an ingredient accommodation body including an ingredient accommodation portion into which an ingredient may be accommodated, a lid rotatably hinge-coupled to the ingredient accommodation portion, the lid being configured to cover the ingredient accommodation body at an upper side of the ingredient accommodation body, and a rotary damper configured to dampen rotation of the lid module. The rotary damper may include a damper case coupled to the ingredient accommodation body, and a damper shaft configured to connect the damper case to the lid. The damper shaft may be disposed in a straight line with a rotational axis of the lid.

Abstract: A method for welding components includes the following steps: providing a first component and a second component; bringing together the two components; welding the two components by use of a laser beam, wherein a plurality of welding impulses are generated through the repeated activation and deactivation of the laser beam, with each welding pulse being interrupted by welding-free rest intervals in which the laser beam is deactivated, wherein a local welding area is generated by each welding pulse, in which material of the two components is melted and fused in a locally limited manner, wherein individual welding areas of those generated by the welding pulses overlap.

Abstract: The present invention is to provide a cooking apparatus to operate in an automated/robotic environment containing 2 major sub-units: air fryer hood and a rotating pot wherein the air fryer hood streams high velocity, heated air, circulating it in the cooking pot which is rotated, generating a stirring motion of the food ingredients contained in the pot. The apparatus can be used as a stand alone or incorporated in robotic or automated food preparation systems. The apparatus provides controlled cooking regimes for various recipes and food product requirements and each of the sub-units of the apparatus is independently controlled, enabling turning on and off the sub-unit, adjusting the circulated air, velocity and temperature, adjusting the pot's rotational velocity and direction.

Abstract: The disclosure provides a method for preparing a multiple-material variable-rigidity component by efficient collaborative additive manufacturing, relates to the technical field of additive manufacturing. In the disclosure, the method comprises: pretreating a component structure model and dividing the component structure model into a lightweight part with complex pore structures and a solid part that needs to be manufactured rapidly; preparing the lightweight part by a selective laser melting prototyping; performing a surface treatment on the prepared lightweight part to obtain a treated lightweight part; preparing the solid part on the treated lightweight part by a wire arc additive manufacturing, to obtain a component.

Abstract: A device (12) for treating must, comprising a duct (14) for the flow of said must, having an inlet end (16) and an outlet end (18), characterized in that it comprises inside the duct (14) cutting means (20) comprising at least one rotating cutting blade (22) interfering at least partially with the must flow.

Abstract: A steam generator has a water container and an upper heating device and a lower heating device, a first temperature detection device covering a temperature detection area including the area covered by the two heating devices, a control device for monitoring and evaluating the first temperature detection device and for controlling the activation state of the two heating devices. For operation of the steam generator, water is filled into the container, at least one of the two heating devices is activated for generating steam for an operation of a steam household device, wherein finally this operation is over. Then at least the lower heating device is activated, until the first temperature detection device detects that a pre-defined first temperature threshold has been reached, upon which the lower heating device is deactivated. Remaining water is pumped off from the water container for a pre-defined first pumping duration.

Abstract: An automatic stir-frying device of food frying machines is disclosed, comprising a machine body, a food frying pot, a food material stir-frying device and a master controller, wherein the food frying pot and the food material stir-frying device are respectively installed on the machine body, the food frying pot internally includes a scraper, the food material stir-frying device has a fixing frame and a track rod, a receive-send cylinder is installed on the track rod, a movable frame is fixedly mounted on the receive-send cylinder, a rotation motor is set up on the movable frame and connectively includes a stir-frying device, and the master controller is applied to control the receive-send motor and the rotation motor so as to drive the movable frame and the stir-frying device to stretch thereby entering the inside of the food frying pot to perform automatic stir-frying operations on loaded food materials and ingredients.

Abstract: The present invention concerns an apparatus for laser or plasma cutting of pieces of laminar material, comprising a cutting station, comprising a first support structure and at least a laser or plasma cutting head which is associated with the first support structure and which is movable in relation thereto within an operating area; and a positioning element for positioning at least a portion of the laminar material in the operating area on a cutting plane. The positioning element may consist of a conveyor belt of the spike bed type. The apparatus may further comprise a first closing device suitable to close a first opening into the operating area and a second closing device suitable to close a second opening of the operating area. The positioning element may be associated with a second support structure independent of the first support structure. The first and second closing devices may also be associated with a support structure that is independent of the first support structure.

Abstract: An edge position detecting apparatus for detecting a position of an edge of a disk-shaped workpiece includes a chuck table having a holding surface for holding the workpiece thereon, a laser displacement gage having a laser applying unit including a light source, for applying a linear laser beam shaped into a linear shape perpendicular to a direction of travel from the light source toward the holding surface, across the edge of the workpiece, and a beam detecting unit including a plurality of photoelectric transducers arrayed at predetermined spaced intervals along a direction for detecting a reflection of the linear laser beam, a moving mechanism for moving the laser displacement gage and the chuck table relatively to each other along the longitudinal direction, and a calculating unit for calculating the position of the edge on the basis of information of a change in an amount of the detected reflection.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a dispensing device (10) for dispensing a food product from a exchangeable multi-dose container (1), the device comprising a support (9) for removably supporting the container (1), a sealable dosing chamber (4) for receiving, dosing and holding a dose of food product dispensed from the container (1), oxygen reducing means (5) designed for reducing oxygen level in the dosing chamber (4), characterized in that the device further comprises at least one piston (7) arranged to move relatively to the support (9) of the device, and configured to at least partially enclose the dosing chamber (4) in an initial sealingly engaged position of the piston with the support (9), the piston (7) being designed for selectively opening the container (1) by moving relatively to the support (8) and for enabling the dosing chamber (4) to be charged with the dose of food product in an extended and sealingly disengaged position of the piston (7) relative to the support (9).

Abstract: An automatic cooking system includes a computer system that stores recipes, cooking stations each comprising a cookware that can cook food ingredients therein to produce a first cooked food, wherein the computer system can assign and schedule a plurality of dishes to be cooked at the cooking stations, containers configured to hold food ingredients, mini vehicles each carrying containers of food ingredients, wherein the computer system can control at least some of movements of the mini vehicles in accordance to the recipes, a loading apparatus configured to load containers of food ingredients to the mini vehicles, and a dispensing apparatus that can dispense food ingredients from containers to a cookware.

Abstract: Presented are metalworking systems for joining metallic workpieces, methods for forming and welding such workpieces, and lithium-ion battery pouch cells with anodized aluminum tabs joined via knurling and laser welding. A method for laser welding abutting sections of a workpiece or stackup of workpieces includes receiving, via a workpiece support frame, one or more metallic workpieces each with a surface having applied thereto a treatment layer. This treatment layer releases a gas during welding. A metalworking device forms a knurl pattern into the workpiece surface with the treatment layer. The knurl pattern includes a network of channels, such as one or more series of mutually parallel, rectilinear vent channels, designed to exhaust therethrough the gas released from a welded section of the treatment layer. A laser welding device thereafter welds a joint region of the surface(s) of the one or more metallic workpiece with the knurl pattern.

Abstract: A laser processing machine includes: a variable focal length optical system in which a focus position is periodically changed in response to a drive signal to be inputted; a position-detection light source configured to emit a detection light onto a workpiece through the variable focal length optical system; a light detector configured to receive the detection light reflected on the workpiece and output a light detection signal; a signal processor configured to output a synchronization pulse signal in synchronization with the focus timing when the detection light is focused on the surface of the workpiece in accordance with the inputted light detection signal; and a laser oscillator configured to oscillate a pulse laser beam in accordance with the inputted synchronization pulse signal to radiate the pulse laser beam on the workpiece through the variable focal length optical system.

Abstract: The invention concerns a process for preparing a tea in a drinking receptacle with a tea brewing machine, said machine being configured:—to brew tea from a capsule, said capsule comprising tea leaves, by introducing hot water in said capsule and dispensing brewed tea from the capsule in the drinking receptacle, and—to pump and heat water and dispense hot water to the capsule, wherein said process comprises a step of pasteurization of tea leaves inside the capsule before dispensing brewed tea from the capsule inside the drinking receptacle, wherein said pasteurization step comprises the sub-steps of: p1)—introducing hot water in the capsule until all the tea leaves are submerged by hot water inside the capsule and stopping water introduction before tea is dispensed therefrom in the drinking receptacle, then p2) keeping all the tea leaves submerged in hot water during a period of time, wherein the temperature of hot water introduced in sub-step p1) and the sum of the periods of time of sub-steps p1) and p2) bef

Abstract: A system for increasing joint strength and reducing embrittlement in a resistance spot weld of metal workpieces is disclosed. The system comprises a stackup of first and second metal workpieces, and an interface member disposed between the first and second metal workpieces. The interface member comprises a peripheral wall defining a hollow inner portion. The peripheral wall has a first open end extending to a second open end. The first open end is in contact with the first metal workpiece defining a first weld portion thereon. The second open end is in contact with the second metal workpiece defining a second weld portion thereon. The system further comprises a first electrode configured to contact the first metal workpiece to heat the peripheral wall at the first weld portion and join the first metal workpiece with the first open end of the peripheral wall.