Abstract: A laser cutting apparatus includes a laser beam irradiation apparatus configured to radiate a laser beam, a pressure wave irradiation part including a plurality of pressure wave sources configured to radiate pressure waves toward a fusing part or a section to be cut by the laser beam, and a jet injection part configured to inject jets toward the fusing part or the section to be cut along respective outer circumferential sides of the pressure waves.

Abstract: A fiber laser-treated workpiece is configured with a body having a discontinuous surface which defines a plurality of spaced through-going passages so that each passage is delimited by a peripheral layer having a surface characteristic which includes a recast layer or one or more microcracks or a combination thereof. The passages are provided by a high power Yb fiber laser operating in a pulsed regime and configured to output either a single pulse per an entire passage or a train of pulses per the passage. The Yb fiber laser is so configured that, if formed, the recast layer and micro-crack each are smaller than respective standards in an airspace industry.

Abstract: A thermal processing apparatus and method in which a first laser source, for example, a CO2 emitting at 10.6 ?m is focused onto a silicon wafer as a line beam and a second laser source, for example, a GaAs laser bar emitting at 808 nm is focused onto the wafer as a larger beam surrounding the line beam. The two beams are scanned in synchronism in the direction of the narrow dimension of the line beam to create a narrow heating pulse from the line beam when activated by the larger beam. The energy of GaAs radiation is greater than the silicon bandgap energy and creates free carriers. The energy of the CO2 radiation is less than the silicon bandgap energy so silicon is otherwise transparent to it, but the long wavelength radiation is absorbed by the free carriers.

Abstract: An embodiment of a rail switch heating system is disclosed, including a controller comprising a processor and memory, an electrically resistive heating element coupled to the controller, the heating element configured for mounting to and heating a railroad rail, and software stored on the memory for executing the steps of: (a) automatically determining a pulse width modulated (PWM) cycle corresponding to a target energy consumption for cycling the heating element on and off; and (b) cycling the heating element on and off according to the PWM cycle.

Abstract: A method of resistance spot welding a workpiece stack-up that includes an aluminum workpiece and an overlapping adjacent steel workpiece so as to minimize the thickness of an intermetallic layer comprising Fe—Al intermetallic compounds involves providing reaction-slowing elements at the faying interface of the aluminum and steel workpieces. The reaction-slowing elements may include at least one of carbon, copper, silicon, nickel, manganese, cobalt, or chromium. Various ways are available for making the one or more reaction-slowing elements available at the faying interface of the aluminum and steel workpieces including being dissolved in a high strength steel or being present in an interlayer that may take on a variety of forms including a rigid shim, a flexible foil, a deposited layer adhered to and metallurgically bonded with a faying surface of the steel workpiece, or an interadjacent organic material layer that includes particles containing the reaction-slowing elements.

Abstract: A friction clutch assembly for an automatic transmission, a friction clutch plate, and a method of forming a friction clutch plate are provided. The method includes providing a friction material layer for a face of the friction clutch plate and cutting the friction material layer with a laser beam to form a plurality of grooves within the friction material layer. In one version, a friction plate for the friction clutch assembly includes an annular core plate having first and second opposed faces and defining an outer edge and an inner edge. Friction material is affixed to at least one of the first and second opposed faces. The friction material defines a plurality of grooves within the friction material, each groove being bordered by friction material having a ridge. The cross-section of the ridge has a corner having a radius of curvature that is less than 300 microns.

Abstract: A loading pin, for a joining device, having a first axial end portion connectable to an axial drive, and having a second axial end portion which is realized for the purpose of exerting an axial force onto a joining element in order to push the joining element into a holding device and/or in order to support the joining element axially during a joining process, wherein the loading pin comprises an axial hollow channel portion through which a joining element is guidable in an axial feed direction. The loading pin partially defines a lateral joining element feed opening, via which a joining element is feedable into the hollow channel portion.

Abstract: A welding device for welding a workpiece using a welding robot includes a welding control device that controls operation of the welding robot and a preheating device that preheats the workpiece. The welding control device includes an input unit through which at least one or both of dimensions of the workpiece and a shape of a welding joint, and preheating information are inputted, and a storage unit that includes at least welding robot operation orbit teaching data, welding condition data, and preheating condition data. The welding control device automatically provides a preheating condition, a welding robot operation orbit, and a welding condition for the welding joint to be welded, and preheating and welding are performed.

Abstract: Laser annealing systems and methods with ultra-short dwell times are disclosed. The method includes locally pre-heating the wafer with a pre-heat line image and then rapidly scanning an annealing image relative to the pre-heat line image to define a scanning overlap region that has a dwell time is in the range from 10 ns to 500 ns. These ultra-short dwell times are useful for performing surface or subsurface melt annealing of product wafers because they prevent the device structures from reflowing.

Abstract: A welding device for automatically welding a workpiece by a welding robot using a welding wire includes a welding control device that controls operation and welding work of the welding robot. The welding control device includes a sensing unit configured to detect a position of the workpiece, a root gap calculating unit configured to determine a root gap, and a storage unit including wire melting information as a database of a proper welding current corresponding to a feeding rate for each of the welding wire. A lamination pattern and a welding condition are provided in accordance with the root gap determined by the root gap calculating unit and the wire melting information so that an amount of heat input is equal to or less than a predetermined amount of heat input.

Abstract: An optical apparatus includes a rotatable reflecting member including a first reflecting surface and a second reflecting surface, an optical system including a plurality of reflecting surfaces and configured to sequentially reflect light having been reflected at the first reflecting surface at the plurality of reflecting surfaces to make the light incident on the second reflecting surface, a driving part configured to change an angle of the reflecting member, a control unit configured to control the driving part to change a path of light emitted from the reflecting member after being reflected at the second reflecting surface, and a light incident portion configured to recognize a position of the light having been reflected at the first reflecting surface.

Abstract: A side mirror structure includes: a substrate; a mirror glass that is disposed above the substrate; a heat generation circuit that is provided at a first area on a top surface of the substrate, and transmits heat to the mirror glass; and a light emission circuit that is provided at a second area on the top surface of the substrate, and displays a signal on the mirror glass.

Abstract: To provide a wire collection device of a wire electrical discharge machine capable of collecting a used wire electrode even while a power supply for the wire electrical discharge machine is not turned off and even during electrical discharge machining. A wire collection device of a wire electrical discharge machine comprises: a first collection box having a wire inlet provided at a top portion; a second collection box having a wire inlet provided at a top portion, housed in the first collection box, and capable of being taken out to the outside through an access port formed in the first collection box; and a partition plate provided to be openable and closable for partitioning the interior of the first collection box into lower space for housing the second collection box and upper space, and for making communication between the lower space and the upper space.

Abstract: Provided is a manufacturing method for a cooler, including brazing: a cooling plate (10) made of an aluminum alloy containing 0.35 mass % to 0.9 mass % of Mg and 0.2 mass % to 0.

Abstract: A method for controlling the exposure of a selective laser sintering or laser melting apparatus. The method includes providing a selective laser sintering apparatus or laser melting apparatus that uses successive solidification of layers of a powder-type construction material that can be solidified using radiation.

Abstract: A system and method are provided for using a welding or cutting system that uses a physical key to lock or unlock welding parameters or operations. The key can be used to lock, unlock, store and track welding or cutting information and can be customized as needed.

Abstract: A fully-automatic cutting and welding apparatus for stepped steel plate, comprising a multi-function motion module (1), an automatic feed library turntable (2), a product flip platform (3), a steel plate bearing module (4), a pedestal (5), and a base (6). The multi-function motion module (1) is capable of performing motion in a Y-axis direction on the pedestal (5); the pedestal (5) is fixed on a surface edge of the base (6);the automatic feed library turntable (2) is fixed at one end of the base (6); the product flip platform (3) is disposed between the automatic feed library turntable (2) and the steel plate bearing module (4), and the steel plate bearing module (4) is fixed at the other end of the base (6) for bearing and fixing a steel plate, and is used as a welding platform for the final steel plate step part.

Abstract: A flow control device for an additive manufacturing system is provided. The flow control device includes a gas supply configured to discharge a gas, a first flow modifier configured to modify at least one flow characteristic of a first portion of the gas, and a second flow modifier configured to cooperate with the first flow modifier to modify the at least on flow characteristic of the first portion of the gas. The second flow modifier is further configured to modify at least one flow characteristic of a second portion of the gas, and the first flow modifier and the second flow modifier are configured to cooperate to direct at least a portion of the first portion and the second portion of the gas towards a melt pool in a plurality of particles.

Abstract: It is provided a steering-wheel assembly for a motor-vehicle steering wheel, comprising a gripping region for gripping and actuating a steering wheel, and at least one electrical element arranged on the gripping region. The at least one electrical element is formed by an electrical layer which contains an electrically non-conducting material as well as electrically conductive nanowire received therein.

Abstract: An apparatus may include a diode-pumped solid-state laser oscillator configured to output a pulsed laser beam, a modulator configured to modify an energy and a temporal profile of the pulsed laser beam, and an amplifier configured to amplify an energy of the pulse laser beam. A modified and amplified beam to laser peen a target part may have an energy of about 5 J to about 10 J, an average power (defined as energy (J)×frequency (Hz)) of from about 25 W to about 200 W, with a flattop beam uniformity of less than about 0.2. The diode-pumped solid-state oscillator may be configured to output a beam having both a single longitudinal mode and a single transverse mode, and to produce and output beams at a frequency of about 20 Hz.