Abstract: An electrode structure is provided in which an upper pin having a magnet is built in a cavity inside an upper electrode so as to be vertically movable to allow its front end portion to protrude downward, and a lower pin is arranged so as to face the upper pin and built in a cavity inside a lower electrode so as to be vertically movable to allow its front end portion to protrude upward. In a state where the front end portion of the upper pin protrudes downward, the weld nut inserted onto it is attracted and held by the magnet. In a state where the upper pin is pushed upward by the lower pin, the weld nut comes off the upper pin and drops due to a less attracting force by the magnet, and then fitted onto the lower pin at a position higher than a workpiece.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are bonded structures and methods of forming the same. One embodiment of a bonded structure comprises first and second metallic layers and a bonding interface between the first and second metallic layers formed by diffusion and comprising a layer of at least one intermetallic compound. The intermetallic compound layer is formed in an area 52% or greater of an area of the bonding interface and has a thickness of 0.5 to 3.2 ?m.

Abstract: A device for cooking with a combination of steam and smoke. This device employs a burner for heating a material to create smoke, a container to hold such material; a water pan to catch drippings and also having an aperture to direct the flow of the smoke; a tapered pipe having its inlet attached to a water pan with a taper of a pipe accelerating speed of flowing smoke; optionally, a substantially flat plate at an exit of a tapered pipe to cause the smoke to spread farther from a center of its flow through optional apertures in a tapered pipe; optionally, fins attached to an exit in order to cause smoke to rotate as it rises; and apertures in a steam tube for injecting steam into an intended path of smoke.

Abstract: A method and portable device for modifying or coating a surface of turbine components in the field includes an ESD torch electrically connected with ESD equipment. The ESD torch includes an inert gas source, vibration source, and electrode disk of conductive material. The electrode disk is disposed within the ESD torch, shielded by an inert gas and coupled with the vibration source. The electrode disk is rolled over the surface, which actuates the electrode disk and deposits the conductive material from the electrode disk onto the surface of the workpiece to form the compositionally controlled protective coating. The compositionally controlled protective coating deposited by the electrode disk forms a metallurgical bond with the surface of the workpiece to prevent erosion of the workpiece.

Abstract: An frit-sealed device comprising a resistive heating element having an electrically-closed-loop structure and process for frit-sealing a device by using such heating element. The element can be advantageously made of a metal such as Invar® and/or Kovar®. The invention enables hermetic frit sealing with low residual stress in the seal. The invention is particularly advantageous for hermetic sealing of OLED display devices.

Abstract: Because it is possible to cool down a column member at a higher speed than natural cooling, throughput can be improved further. Especially, when the tubular body M42 and the column part M43 are made of different metals and the column part M43 is pressed into the tubular body M42, a distortion will occur in the column member M42 and M43 and the top board M41 fixed to the column member M42 and M43 due to the difference in thermal expansion coefficients between them, but the cooling paths P1 and P2 can absorb a distortion caused by the difference in thermal expansion coefficients of these metals. In particular, when the top board M41 is used as a mold for resin molding, it is possible to perform resin molding precisely because distortion caused by the difference in thermal expansion coefficients does not easily occur.

Abstract: A cooking appliance including a temperature sensing system having an upper housing having a first heating surface and a lower housing having a second heating surface includes a temperature sensing probe, a control panel and a control unit in electrical communication with the temperature sensing probe and the control panel. The temperature sensing probe is removably received by the upper housing and extends through the first heating surface. The control panel has one or more input buttons for allowing a user to select at least one input parameter including a desired internal temperature of a food item.

Abstract: A method for controlling an induction heating system, particularly an induction heating system of a cooktop on which a cooking utensil with a certain contents is placed for heating/cooking purposes, comprises the steps of carrying out a predetermined number “n” of electrical measurements of a first electrical parameter of the heating system on the basis of a predetermined electrical value of a second electrical parameter, “n” being ?2, repeating the above set of measurements at a predetermined time after the first measurements, and estimating at least one thermal parameter of the heating system, particularly of the contents of the cooking utensil, on the basis of the above set of measurements.

Abstract: A control is performed so that phase angles of outputs from resonant inverters fall within a predetermined range under a mutual induction environment. An inductive heating device (100) includes: a plurality of resonant inverters (30a, 30b) that supply power to a plurality of inductive heating coils (La, Lb), respectively, under a mutual induction environment; and a control circuit (40) that aligns drive frequencies so as to be in common among the resonant inverters and controls the drive frequencies commonly so that phase angles of the outputs from the plurality of the resonant inverters fall within a predetermined range. In addition, the control circuit individually controls coil currents flowing through the inductive heating coils so that the phase angles fall within a predetermined range.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a roof for an electric furnace. The roof includes: a small-ceiling seating port (120) which has a small-ceiling seating surface (122) and a small-ceiling support surface (124) that extends from the small-ceiling seating surface inwards and downwards; and a large ceiling (130) which has an upper roof panel (132) that radially extends from the small-ceiling seating port at a downward inclination angle, a lower roof panel (134) disposed below the upper roof panel at a position spaced apart from the upper roof panel, and a side roof panel (136) connected to the upper roof panel and the lower roof panel. The upper roof panel is connected to the outer circumferential surface of the small-ceiling seating port, and the lower roof panel is connected to a lower end of the small-ceiling support surface so that the inclination angle of the lower roof panel can be increased.

Abstract: A silicon carbide heating element is provided having one or more hot zones and two or more cold ends in which:— the cross-sectional areas of the two or more cold ends are substantially the same or less than the cross-sectional areas of the one or more hot zones; and part at least of at least one cold end comprises a body of recrystallized silicon carbide material coated with a conductive coating having an electrical resistivity lower than that of the recrystallized silicon carbide material.

Abstract: A micro-electro-mechanical system for heating a sample including a substrate, a micro-channel flow channel in the substrate, a carrier fluid within the micro-channel flow channel for moving the sample in the micro-channel flow channel, and a microwave source that directs microwaves onto the sample in the micro-channel flow channel for heating the sample. The carrier fluid and the substrate are made of materials that are not appreciably heated by the microwaves. The microwave source includes conductive traces or strips and a microwave power source connected to the conductive traces or strips.

Abstract: A tea maker comprises a vessel in which is located a conveyor. The conveyor, preferably vertically, transports a carriage. The conveyor and a carriage are surrounded by a tube and are protected from the water in the vessel. An enclosed basket is coupled to the carriage. An external user interface allows a user to select brewing parameters such as the type of beverage brewed, the brewing temperature, and the steeping time. The selection is sent to a processor. The processor then encodes the selection into a control data for the heating assembly or the conveyor.

Abstract: A method corrects a head suspension by irradiating an objective part of the head suspension with a laser beam before or after mounting a read/write head on the head suspension. The method can precisely correct the head suspension even when correcting the head suspension a plurality of times. The method includes drawing, with the laser beam, a straight line of predetermined length on the objective part and repeating this process a plurality of times in such a way that the direction of a straight line drawn this time crosses the direction of a straight line drawn last time.

Abstract: A process for solid state deposition of a material onto a workpiece includes the steps of providing a rod of metallic deposition material, exerting pressure at one end of the rod to move the metallic deposition material into a deposition zone, rotating the rod while the pressure is being exerted to generate frictional heat when the rod contacts a surface of the workpiece, and raising the temperature of the metallic deposition material to reduce the amount of frictional heat which needs to be generated during the rotating step and to produce a microstructure which is substantially free of porosity and which has a fine grain size.

Abstract: A diffuser insert is provided for use with a welding diffuser and contact tip assembly comprising a diffuser with an interior chamber configured to receive a wire conduit that supplies electrode wire and a shielding gas used during a welding operation and a contact tip coupled to the diffuser and configured to receive electrode wire. The diffuser insert comprises a diffuser insert body configured to be disposed within the interior chamber of the diffuser, and further comprises an insert bore extending therethrough configured to receive electrode wire. An outer periphery of the diffuser insert has at least one surface feature configured to manipulate a flow of said shielding gas from within said interior chamber of the diffuser and out of exit passages to thereby direct said flow of shielding gas about a molten welding puddle formed during a welding operation.

Abstract: An induction heating device comprises a frequency converter that generates a high-frequency drive voltage from an intermediate circuit voltage generated at least temporarily as a function of an AC mains voltage, a resonant circuit having an induction heating coil, with the drive voltage applied to the resonant circuit, and a temperature detection device that determines a temperature of a cooking vessel base which is heated by means of the induction heating coil. An auxiliary voltage source generated the intermediate circuit voltage over predefined time periods at a constant level. The frequency converter generates the drive voltage over time periods such that the resonant circuit oscillates at a natural resonant frequency in a substantially de-attenuated manner, and the temperature detection device further measuring at least one oscillation parameter over the time periods, and to evaluate the at least one measured oscillation parameter in order to determine the temperature.

Abstract: A welding torch has a torch handle. A wire drive assembly is disposed in the torch handle and includes a drive motor and a drive roller. The wire drive assembly contacts the welding wire and is configured to drive the welding wire from a wire feeder to a welding operation. In addition, the welding torch has a trigger and a wire feed speed adjustment assembly. The trigger is disposed near a rear end of the torch handle and is configured to be depressed by an operator for initiating feed of the welding wire. The adjustment assembly is positioned near the rear end of the handle adjacent to the trigger and on the same side of the handle as the trigger. The adjustment assembly allows operator adjustment of a feed speed of the welding wire.

Abstract: A thermally emissive apparatus (2) having an electro-thermal heating element (6) comprising a layer (8) of a first material having a first resistivity and a plurality of discrete regions (10) of a second material having a second resistivity substantially lower than that of the first material in electrical contact with the first material. The plurality of regions (10) of second material are arranged spatially so as to impart a predetermined effective sheet resistivity to the first layer (8). A plurality of heating elements may be used having a common first layer (30) of first material, wherein the spatial arrangement of the regions (10) of second material within a first heating element are optionally different to that within a second heating element. In this configuration the first and second heating elements may emit infrared radiation (14) having different intensities. The apparatus (2) finds applications as a thermal target and as an electro-thermal ice protection device.

Abstract: Apparatuses and methods are disclosed for heating objects. The apparatus may include two conveyer belts. Each conveyer belt may include a plurality of teeth. At least a portion of the two conveyer belts may be in parallel to each other. In the parallel portion, the conveyer belts may include opposite teeth that are symmetrical to each other and the object may be fitted in the opening of the symmetrical teeth and secured by the surrounding teeth.