Abstract: When a take-up pulley 102 is rotated forward by driving a motor 84 forwardly, a holding plate 106 pushes a stopper 112 into forward rotation. When a wire 110 is thereby pulled and being wound around the take-up pulley 102, a control pipe 34 and ultimately an inner pipe 28 is received in an outer pipe 16. When the inner pipe 28 is received in the outer pipe 26 and the inner pipe 28 is held by a lock plate 54, the motor 84 is driven reverse to rotate the holding plate 106 reversely, together with the take-up pulley 102, to space away from the stopper 112. In this state, until the stopper 112 comes into contact with the holding plate 106, the wire 110 can move toward its one end and ultimately the inner pipe 28 and the control pipe 34 can move upward.

Abstract: A multipurpose controlled atmosphere heat treatment system applicable to small-quantity production of multiple items as well as mass-production. A delivery path is provided so as to pass through a workstation and the heat treatment system and an automatic guided vehicle travels along this delivery path. The automatic guided vehicle shuts out external air, comprises a holding chamber in which an inert gas atmosphere can be created, and shifts workpieces from an elevator provided in a high-rise warehouse into treatment cells. Each treatment cell has a sealing door on the side confronting to the automatic guided vehicle and pipes and various devices on a back face, ceiling or front face thereof.

Abstract: To the end of forming a countersunk hole in a metallic printed circuit board consisting of a metallic plate, an insulating layer, and a printed circuit pattern formed on the insulating layer, for receiving a countersunk head of a mounting screw which is passed through the hole, a rough straight hole consisting of a central main part and radial extensions extending therefrom is first formed in the metallic printed circuit board, and a countersunk portion is formed around the hole by plastic deformation. Since the material of the metallic plate of the metallic printed circuit board is allowed to flow into the extensions of the hole during plastic deformation, the material of the metallic plate in the immediate vicinity of the hole is allowed to flow both radially and circumferentially, and the resulting reduction in the difference in the amount of deformation between the metallic plate and the insulating layer prevents the peeling of the insulating layer from the metallic plate.

Abstract: To the end of forming a countersunk hole in a metallic printed circuit board consisting of a metallic plate, an insulating layer, and a printed circuit pattern formed on the insulating layer, for receiving a countersunk head of a mounting screw which is passed through the hole, a rough straight hole consisting of a central main part and radial extensions extending therefrom is first formed in the metallic printed circuit board, and a countersunk portion is formed around the hole by plastic deformation. Since the material of the metallic plate of the metallic printed circuit board is allowed to flow into the extensions of the hole during plastic deformation, the material of the metallic plate in the immediate vicinity of the hole is allowed to flow both radially and circumferentially, and the resulting reduction in the difference in the amount of deformation between the metallic plate and the insulating layer prevents the peeling of the insulating layer from the metallic plate.

Abstract: A screw inspection device of the invention has a screw transfer mechanism for transferring a screw through a predetermined transfer path, a sensor for performing predetermined measurements of the screw during transfer thereof, a timing signal transmitter for generating a timing signal every time the screw reaches the sensor, a comparator for generating an acceptance/non-acceptance signal representing the measurement results from the sensor every time the timing signal is received, a sorting signal generator for generating a sorting signal corresponding to the acceptance/non-acceptance signal when the corresponding screw reaches the end of the transfer path, and a sorter for classifying the screws into defective and nondefective screws.