Abstract: A method and apparatus for coating a substrate with a deposition material in a vacuum wherein a material source having a substantially longitudinal deposition emission component is used to create a substantially longitudinal material deposition emission plume which coats the surface of the substrate without increasing the throw distance between the substrate and the material source.

Abstract: The invention relates to a test device for testing electronic components mounted on a carrier such as a lead frame, comprising: a transport path for supplying a carrier for testing; a manipulator for engaging and displacing a supplied carrier; a test contact with which a carrier and/or at least one component mounted on the carrier can be placed in contact by the manipulator; and a transport path for discharging a tested carrier. The invention also embraces a test assembly which includes at least one described test device. The invention furthermore provides a method for testing electronic components mounted on a carrier and method for calibrating a test device.

Abstract: An apparatus for removing sludge is applied to a generally cylindrical filter for use in an electric discharge machine. The filter removes sludge in a process solution used in the electric discharge machine by flowing the process solution from an inner periphery surface to an outer periphery surface and/or the outer periphery surface to the inner periphery surface of the filter. A filter support device holds the filter rotatively with the central axis thereof as the central figure and inclining the central axis by a predetermined angle to the horizontal direction. The filter support device also includes cams for providing rotational driving force and successive impactive force to the filter. A motor provides rotational driving force to the cams. Sludge storage may receive the sludge falling from the filter. The filter support device may further alternate the inclined direction of the filter in a predetermined cycle by rotating with an axis perpendicular to the central axis as the central figure.

Abstract: After a cavity 2 of a die-casting mold 1 is evacuated to exclude gases, oxygen gas is blown into the cavity 2 until an internal pressure of the cavity exceeds the atmospheric pressure, and then a molten metal 5 is forcibly injected into the cavity 2. The cavity 2 is evacuated to a degree of vacuum less than 100 millibar through a suction nozzle 11. The oxygen gas is blown through a nozzle 14 into the cavity 2 so as to fill the cavity 2 with the oxygen gas at an internal pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure. When the molten metal 5 is injected into the cavity 2 clarified in this way, inclusion of gases is perfectly prohibited. As a result, obtained die-cast products are free from defects such as blowholes or porosity caused by inclusion of gases and so useful as functional members as well as structural members.