Abstract: A flexible control system and method of controlling a processing operation. The control system and method may be employed to control a high speed manufacturing system for processing articles of manufacture requiring processes to be performed on the articles at a pre-selected processing rate includes a trunk for simultaneously conveying a plurality of the articles of manufacture at the pre-selected processing rate in a first mode of motion from the beginning of the manufacturing system to the end of the system. At least one branch processing station is positioned intermediate the beginning and the end of the trunk wherein the branch processing station during its operation performs at least one process on articles of manufacture conveyed on the branch processing station and where the articles are conveyed in a second mode of motion.

Abstract: Apparatus for coupling light from one optical fiber into another includes a pair of molded plano-convex lenses. Each lens has an aspheric surface and a flat surface. The aspheric surfaces have a conic constant between −0.6 and −0.3, where the conic constant is chosen so as to give optimal coupling efficiency from a collimated beam input on the aspheric surface into an optical fiber located near the flat surface. The pair of lenses are separated by a distance approximately equal to the sum of the focal lengths of the lenses. Light from an optical fiber placed near the focal plane of one of the pair of lenses is focused into an optical fiber placed near the focal plane of the other of the pair of lenses.

Abstract: According to one aspect of the present invention, a method of making a lens assembly with a plurality of lens arrays having a plurality of lenslets and at least one spacer having a plurality of holes, includes the steps of (i) arranging at least two lens arrays and the spacer, such that the spacer is located between the two lens arrays and the lenslets of one of the two lens arrays overlay the lenslets of another one of the two lens arrays and, the holes of the spaces are located between the corresponding lenslets of the two lens arrays; (ii) fixedly attaching the lens arrays and the spacer to one another to form an array assembly; and (iii) dividing the array assembly to create a plurality of individual lens systems. According to another aspect of the present invention, the optical assembly includes at least two lens arrays and at least one spacer with a plurality of holes. The spacer is located between the two lens arrays and is fixedly attached to the two lens arrays. The spacer has a thickness of 0.

Abstract: According to one aspect of the present invention, a method for determining orientation of one surface of an optical component relative to another surface of the optical component comprises: (a) placing the optical component into a test fixture having certain characteristics from which differences in test fixture orientation and position can be determined, so that the one surface of the optical component is accessible in one orientation of the test fixture and the other surface of the optical component is accessible in another orientation of the test fixture; (b) measuring surface profile and orientation of the one surface of the optical component with the test fixture in one orientation; (c) measuring surface profile and orientation of the second surface of the optical component with the test fixture in second orientation; and (d) determining profile and relative orientation of the one surface of the optical component with respect to the another surface of the optical component by nulling out differences betw

Abstract: A process for magnetically separating non-magnetic material from a mixture by combining the mixture with a magnetizing solution containing the salt of a magnetic element. The magnetic atoms attach to available sites on the molecules of the non-magnetic material so as to develop in that material a positive susceptibility. Thus the material is responsive to the influence of a magnetic field to move the material to a region where it can be analyzed or recovered. Materials with low positive or negative susceptibilities are separated by suspending them in a magnetic salt solution which when subjected to the attraction of a magnetic field develops a differential buoyancy force, pushing the diamagnetic or weak paramagnetic material strongly away from the magnet. Disclosed are solutions of ferric chloride, manganese chloride, erbium chloride, dysprosium chloride, terbium chloride, and holmium chloride.