Abstract: A system and apparatus is disclosed for controlling a restraining force applied to a panel. The apparatus includes a die, a binder supporting the panel against the die, and a punch used to draw the panel into the die. A restraining element is disposed on one of the die and the binder that engages a surface of the panel and applies a restraining force onto the panel. A strain gauge is disposed inside at least one of the die and the binder that engages a surface of the panel to measure the restraining force applied to the panel. The level of restraining force applied by the restraining element onto the panel is controlled based upon the restraining force measured by the strain gauge.

Abstract: A dyeing method in which a transparent resin body having a surface applied with a dye is heated to fix the dye to the transparent resin body comprises a heating step of irradiating a laser beam having a wavelength less likely to be absorbed by the dye toward the transparent resin body applied with the dye on the surface while relatively scanning the laser beam with respect to the transparent resin body to heat a to-be-dyed region of the transparent resin body to fix the dye, wherein the laser beam is irradiation to heat by changing a laser beam irradiating condition with respect to a portion of the transparent resin body to be heated so that a heating temperature on the transparent resin body by irradiation of the laser beam is substantially equal throughout an entire area of the to-be-dyed region.

Abstract: The present disclosure is directed toward a dimensional automated linkage system for correlating a fixture with a workpiece. The system includes a fixture module repository, a barcode stamp, and a fixture-workpiece data controller. The fixture module repository stores a fixture record for a registered fixture module, where the fixture record includes a workpiece entry portion to link a fixture of the registered fixture module with a subject workpiece. The workpiece entry portion includes a fixture modification field to identify modifications made to the fixture for mounting the subject workpiece on the fixture. The barcode stamp is configured to include data to identify the fixture record for the registered fixture module. The fixture-workpiece data controller is communicably coupled to an external computing device and operable to populate the workpiece entry portion of the fixture record based on information acquired from the external computing device.

Abstract: A servo motor controller comprises: a position command generation unit; a position detection unit; a position control unit that generates a velocity command for position control based on a position command and a position FB; a force command generation unit that generates a force command for instructing force to be applied to a subject by a driving target; a force detection unit; a force control unit that generates a velocity command for force control based on the force command and a force FB; a selection unit that selects one of the position control and the force control; and a storage unit that stores a force threshold. The selection unit selects one of the velocity commands for the position control and the force control of a smaller value. If the force FB is smaller than the force threshold, the selection unit selects the velocity command for the position control.

Abstract: There are provided position controllers each of which controls a position of a cushion pad by controlling a hydraulic machine that supplies pressure oil to a die cushion pressure generation chamber of a hydraulic cylinder, and pressure controllers each of which controls pressure in the die cushion pressure generation chamber of the hydraulic cylinder, and in particular, during a rising process of a slide of a press machine, position control by the position controller and pressure control by the pressure controller are switched to enable press forming also during the rising process.

Abstract: According to an embodiment, an interface system includes a touch panel, a pattern detecting unit, and an identification information acquisition unit. The touch panel supports a multi-touch input. The pattern detecting unit detects a pressing pattern of a pressing portion having a predetermined shape that is provided on a mounted portion of a predetermined object to be mounted on the touch panel. The identification information acquisition unit acquires information indicated by the pressing pattern to be detected by the pattern detecting unit as identification information of the object mounted on the touch panel.

Abstract: According to the die cushion apparatus of a press machine and the die cushion controlling method of the present invention, in holding the cushion pad on standby at a desired standby position, it is possible to hold the cushion pad on standby in parallel with the lower faces of the dies mounted to the slide, and if the lower faces of the dies are inclined, it is possible to hold the cushion pad on standby in the state of being inclined. Through this configuration, it is possible to easily allow the material to come into contact with the lower faces of the dies from the beginning of the die cushion force control (beginning of the collision), and also possible to smoothen the die cushion action in the plane, thereby enhancing the formability.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for bending or shaping orthodontic archwires or other medical devices into a complex, patient individual shape is described. The apparatus comprises of two moveable, compact, manipulators with, in total, at least three revolute joints defining three rotation axes and at least three prismatic joints defining at least three translation axes. Gripping tools are provided on the manipulators. The two manipulators are arranged to allow a relative movement in six degrees of freedom. A reduced complexity embodiment is also described having only one or two revolute joints.

Abstract: A method of producing helical springs by spring winding with a numerically controlled spring winding machine includes feeding a wire, controlled by an NC control program, through a feed device to a forming device of the spring winding machine, forming a helical spring from the wire with tools of the forming device, defining a desired nominal geometry of the helical spring and an NC control program adapted to produce the nominal geometry, measuring an actual position of a selected structural element of the helical spring relative to a reference element at least one measurement time, which occurs after a start and before an end of production of the helical spring in a measurement area which is at a finite distance from the forming device in a longitudinal direction of the helical spring, wherein the distance is less than an overall length of the finished helical spring, comparing the actual position with a nominal position of the structural element for the measurement time to determine a current position differ

Abstract: A hydroforming apparatus and working method able to simply find a load path are proposed, which system and method use a mold in which contact sensors able to judge contact with a metal tube inside the mold are mounted at least at two different positions in the tube axial direction, perform a first step of axially pushing tube ends in a state with the internal pressure held at a constant value and stopping the progress of the axial pushing action when judging that among the contact sensors not yet in contact mounted at positions closest to the tube ends detect contact with the metal tube, next perform a second step of raising only the internal pressure while leaving the positions of the tube ends fixed and stopping the increase in the internal pressure when the contact sensor not yet in contact judges contact, next perform a third step of lowering the internal pressure to the value before raising it while leaving the positions of the tube ends fixed, and repeat said first step to third step until all of said c

Abstract: In a method and a device for creating a symbol in a workpiece surface via stamping (scoring or plastic forming under compressive conditions); the resultant stamping depth is measured and/or regulated constantly by using a distance sensor which is mounted on the stamping needle and is movable therewith. The stamping needle is placed on the workpiece surface before stamping is begun, thereby resulting in a first distance between the distance sensor and the workpiece surface. A second distance between the distance sensor and the workpiece surface is obtained during the subsequent stamping procedure, and when the stamping needle is pressed into the workpiece surface. The stamping depth results from the difference of the two distances.

Abstract: A device can be made operable to distinguish between materials impinging on a predefined area based at least in part on differentials within sets of data indicative of measurable characteristics of the materials impinging on the defined area. Such a device can trigger a protection mechanism based at least in part on identification of such differentials.

Abstract: A device can be made operable to distinguish between materials impinging on a predefined area based at least in part on differentials within sets of data indicative of measurable characteristics of the materials impinging on the defined area. Such a device can trigger a protection mechanism based at least in part on identification of such differentials.

Abstract: A system, method and software arrangement are provided for generating press-formed parts having a more consistent quality based on improved determination of processing conditions. For example, an apparatus can be configured to compare actual performance values of material properties provided by a material property database with standard values, and to adjust forming conditions such as a forming speed and a blank-holder pressure in accordance with the compared result. A control arrangement can be provided to control a press-forming device using the adjusted forming conditions. Accordingly, it may be possible to reduce occurrences of defects such as cracks and wrinkles when press-forming materials, and to obtain products having consistent quality and substantially identical shapes.

Abstract: A die-cushion controlling device includes: a position-command-signal outputting section for outputting a position command signal of a die-cushion pad; a position detecting means for detecting a position of the die-cushion pad; a position comparing section for outputting a position deviation signal corresponding to a deviation between the target position value based on the position command signal and a position detection value based on a position detection signal; a position controlling section for outputting a position-speed command signal based on the position deviation signal; a speed controlling section for outputting a motor-current command signal based on the position-speed command signal from the position controlling section; a servo amplifier for generating a current corresponding to the motor-current command signal; and an output switching section that, based on a press signal output when a slide has reached a bottom dead center, switches the position detection signal from the position detection means

Abstract: An evaluation method of residual stress in water jet peening includes a step of creating an analytical model including meshes according to a water jet peening (WJP) object, the shape of a nozzle, and an injection distance, a step of inputting WJP execution conditions, a step of calculating the internal pressure pBi of a cavitation bubble and a bubble number density ngi through jet flow analysis for a jet flow jetting from the nozzle, a step of calculating cavitation energy according to the internal pressure pBi of a cavitation bubble and a bubble number density ngi (S4), a step of calculating the burst energy of cavitation bubbles from the cavitation energy C, and a step of calculating the compressive residual stress of the WJP object from the collapse pressure of cavitation bubbles. Accordingly, the residual stress of the WJP object can be evaluated precisely in a shorter time.

Abstract: Exemplary embodiments of a press-forming device, press-forming method, computer program/software arrangement and storage medium can be provided. The exemplary press-forming device can include a material characteristic input configured to input material characteristics. A state variable detector can be configured to measure a state variable comprising a metal mold distortion amount. A processing condition computer arrangement can be configured to determine from a first moment to a second moment at least one particular processing condition. Further, a processing condition controller can be configured to control the at least one processing condition from processing conditions.

Abstract: A die cushion controller controls an ascending/descending speed of a die cushion pad based on a preset pressure pattern and positional pattern. A position/pressure control switching unit constantly monitors and compares a first speed command signal ?pc corresponding to a pressure deviation signal ep and a second speed command signal ?hc corresponding to a position deviation signal eh, and selects a smaller one of the speed command signals to be sent to a speed control unit.

Abstract: The present invention provides an automatic test method and an apparatus using the same for testing functions of a product by automatically pressing keys of the product. The automatic test method includes the steps of: inputting motion parameters of at least two driven mechanisms into a microcomputer; producing pulse waves by a motion control card disposed in the microcomputer after the microcomputer handling the motion parameters of the driven mechanisms; leading at least one touch head to move along a first direction and a second direction perpendicular with the first direction until the touch head being above the key of the product by the driven mechanisms after receiving the pulse waves; and pressing the key to test the function of the product through depressing the touch head.

Abstract: Provided is a die cushion controller (40) that controls an ascending/descending speed of a die cushion pad (15) based on a preset pressure pattern (56) and positional pattern (54), in which a position/pressure control switching unit (51) constantly monitors and compares a for-pressure speed command signal ?pc corresponding to a pressure deviation signal ep and a for-position speed command signal ?hc corresponding to a position deviation signal eh, and selects smaller one of those speed command signals to be sent to a speed control unit (53). Since the for-pressure speed command signal ?pc and the for-position speed command signal ?hc are constantly monitored and either one of them is selected, change in pressure and change in position can be accurately recognized to allow switching between a pressure control and a position control quickly, stably, and reliably.

Abstract: A device can be made operable to distinguish between materials impinging on a predefined area based at least in part on differentials within sets of data indicative of measurable characteristics of the materials impinging on the defined area. Such a device can trigger a protection mechanism based at least in part on identification of such differentials.

Abstract: A method for the quality assurance of crimp joints on crimping devices, in which, based on a setpoint dimension of crimp force and/or crimp height, the actual value of crimp force and/or crimp height is measured continuously within defined upper and/or lower tolerance dimensions of crimp force and/or crimp height, and a corrected re-adjustment of crimp height is effected after the actual values have reach a correction value.