Abstract: A reticle sorter and a semiconductor fabrication facility employing one or more reticle sorters is provided. The reticle sorter(s) generally lies between a reticle storage system and a group of one or more photolithography exposure tools (e.g., steppers) and is configured for sorting reticles in one or more cassettes. The use of the reticle sorter provides sorting functionality apart from the reticle storage system and typically closer to the group of photolithography steppers with which it is associated. This can, for example, significantly increase the throughput of semiconductor wafers through the associated photolithography exposure tools as well as in the semiconductor fabrication plant as a whole.

Abstract: A weight selecting apparatus capable of automatically performing calibration, and providing a weight selecting apparatus capable of certainly carrying objects to be inspected with a relatively simple mechanism and performing weight measurement of the objects. The objects, after being subjected to weight measurement by a first weighing unit 2, are sampled by a sampler 5, and those of the objects thus sampled are subjected to weight measurement by a second weighing unit 6. A calibration unit compares, for the same object, the measured result with that obtained by the first weighing unit 2 and discriminates whether or not a difference therebetween is within a specific error range, to perform calibration of the first weighing unit 2. Further, as a carrier 3 for carrying the objects to the weighing unit 2 one by one uses an intermittently rotatable carrying roller 32 having in its outer peripheral surface portion a plurality of carrying pockets 321.

Abstract: A conveyor device (2) is provided on which the bulk material containing both card board and paper is transported to a sorting station (5). At this point, the cardboard components are extracted mechanically. For this, the paper and cardboard components are transported while lying flat, and are only partially supported, for which the conveyor device (2) includes lowered free spaces (7) between the support areas. A receiver device (9) possessing freestanding barbs (11) moves synchronously with the conveyor device (2). These barbs (11) are arranged pointing toward the non-supported sections of the paper and cardboard components, and can extend into the free spaces (7) formed on the conveyor device (2). For this, the cardboard components are transfixed by, and held to the barbs (11) of the receiver device (9), but the paper components are not.

Abstract: A large percentage of solids are removed from a manure slurry when the slurry is run across a sloped screen separator. The sloped screen on the separator has very small openings. In addition, the separator has a water line with spray heads formed across the sloped screen. The spray heads direct water under pressure onto the sloped screen. Further, the separator controls the air flow through the sloped screen.

Abstract: A classifying fluid bed granulator includes a granulation chamber including a fluidizing air chamber (7) with a bed floor (10), a ceiling (3c), an end wall (3d), and a feed inlet (5), a seed inlet (6), an air outlet (4) defined by walls (3a, 3b) and an outlet (9) for produced granules. The granulation chamber is divided into an agglomeration and seed control section (1) and a granulation and classification section (2), and the section (2) includes one or more consecutive compartments having an asymmetric design.

Abstract: The invention concerns in one aspect, a ferrohydrostatic separation method in which a ferrofluid is used to separate materials of different density. In the method, the apparent density of the ferrofluid is controlled by means of a vertically orientated magnetic field generated by a C-dipole, open dipole (O-dipole) or split pair electromagnet or permanent magnet. Other aspects of the invention include an apparatus for use in this method and a process for separating materials of different density using the method.

Abstract: A shale shaker having a basket for holding screen assembly apparatus, screen assembly apparatus for treating fluid introduced to the shale shaker, a roller bed assembly secured above and/or to the basket above the screen assembly apparatus, the roller bed assembly having a plurality of spaced-apart rotatable rollers, the fluid initially introduced to the shale shaker onto the roller bed assembly. The shale shaker wherein the fluid is drilling fluid with large undesirable solids therein, said large undesirable solids separable from the drilling fluid by the roller bed assembly.

Abstract: In a coal preparation plant which receives a raw coal feed and separates the raw coal feed into a clean coal feed and a refuse feed, an apparatus is provided for use therein. The apparatus mixes the sized raw coal feed particles with a slurry of media and water used for separating the raw coal feed into clean coal and refuse. The inventive apparatus includes a pulping column integrally designed with the discharge chute of a deslime screen and the drain section underpan of clean coal and refuse screens. The pulping column having a coal inlet receiving the sized raw coal directly from the deslime screen, a media inlet receiving the slurry of media and water directly from an underpan of at least one of the refuse screen and the clean coal screen, and an outlet discharging the mixture of sized raw coal and slurry. The pulping column mixes the sized raw coal and the slurry of media and water according to a select proportion, and it is then pumped to a heavy media separation section of the coal preparation plant.

Abstract: The present invention discloses an impactor with a cooled impaction plate capable of efficiently separating aerosols by cooling the impaction plate below a temperature of fluid inflowing into the impactor and a method for classifying and collecting the aerosols using the same. The impactor with a cooled impaction plate according to the present invention comprises: an accelerating nozzle for accelerating movement of the aerosols; an impaction plate for changing the flowing direction of the aerosols by means of impacting the aerosols exhausted from the accelerating nozzle, and for collecting the aerosols which are out of the flowing path of the aerosols and have larger inertia than critical value, wherein the impaction plate is installed apart from an outlet of the accelerating nozzle; and cooling means for cooling the impaction plate below a temperature of fluid inflowing into the impactor, wherein the cooling means is fixedly installed at the impaction plate.

Abstract: A vibratory screening machine having a single vibratory motor mounted on its inner resiliently mounted frame by motor mounting structures at its ends, each motor mounting structure consisting of a combination of a fist bracket carrying a directionally stiff bushing with the fist bracket being mounted in a motor mount bracket with the fist bracket having a first cutaway portion positioned within a second cutaway portion in a rib on the base of the motor mount bracket. The directional stiffness of each bushing is aligned with the center of rotation of the vibratory motor, and this will produce linear motion when the unbalance of the vibratory motor is in line with the center of rotation of the motor and the direction of the directional stiffness of the bushings.

Abstract: A microchip comprises a flow pass in which a solution containing particles can flow, and a deflection mechanism for deflecting a portion of the particles as the particles flow through the flow pass.

Abstract: In a coal preparation plant which receives a raw coal feed and separates the raw coal feed into clean coal feed and refuse feed slurries using a media based separation process, an apparatus is provided for use therein. The inventive apparatus simultaneously processes the raw coal feed and clean coal feed and refuse feed slurries, while occupying minimal floor space within the coal preparation plant. The inventive apparatus includes a unitary vibrating screen assembly having a length and a width, wherein the width of the vibrating screen assembly is partitioned into three screen sections extending the length of the vibrating screen assembly. A deslime screen section receives the raw coal feed and separates the raw coal feed into coarse and fine sized fractions as the raw coal feed moves along the length of the deslime screen section. A refuse screen section receives the refuse feed slurry and removes separation media therefrom as the refuse feed slurry moves along the length of the refuse screen section.

Abstract: A method for sorting mail pieces for delivery by a carrier, wherein the mail pieces include both letters and flats, includes the steps of a) sorting in a first sorting pass a batch of letters, each letter having a destination code thereon which corresponds to one of a predetermined number of delivery destinations for a carrier delivery route, b) sorting in first sorting pass a batch of flats, each flat having a destination code thereon which corresponds to one of the predetermined number of delivery destinations for the carrier delivery route, using the same automated sorting machine which scans each delivery code and stores it in a computer memory; c) sorting in a first sorting pass a batch of dividers having a scannable code thereon; d) then sorting the letters, flats and dividers in at least one subsequent sorting pass, using the scanned and stored codes according to the computer-implemented sort scheme, resulting in a series of groups of mail pieces for each destination, which groups may include letters o

Abstract: The invention relates to an installation for cleaning wood-containing material, comprising the following features: with a feeding zone; with a pre-sifter station with a magnetic separator comprising a magnetic roller; with a wind sifter as a separator of heavy materials which is situated underneath the magnetic roller; with an air system for sifting the flow of material with the following arrangement: an upper deflection conduit section for deflecting the material flow from the horizontal downwardly is guided about the magnetic roller; a drop section is connected to the upper deflection conduit section; a lower deflection conduit is connected to the lower end of the drop section; the lower zone of the drop section comprises a separator for heavy materials; an air conduit for holding back material opens into the lower part of the drop section; a movable baffle wall with swiveling flaps or air nozzles for ejecting NF materials is provided in the drop section.

Abstract: In a machine for processing mail articles, the method of distinguishing between mail articles (P1, P2, P3) contained in envelopes made out of paper and mail articles contained in envelopes made out of plastics material, consists in displacing each mail article in front of a pressure member (5) so as to produce an acoustic signal that results from a suction effect of the pressure member on one face of said article while it moves in front of said pressure member, and in comparing said acoustic signal with a reference signal in order to detect whether the envelope of said article is made out of paper or out of plastics material.

Abstract: A fastening device (1) for fastening polyurethane screening panels (6,7) to a screen (8) is made up of a composite fastener and a disc stringer support. The composite fastener is a steel bolt (2) and nut (3) with a polyurethan holding component (4) and a polyurethane cover (9) for the bolt head. The disc and stringer support is a stringer (31) serving as a joist spanning between girders of the screen frame, the stringer (31) having no flange and being narrow and deep, with discs (35) set in the top surface of the stringer at spaced apart positions, having a hole (36) in each disc for the bolt and nut and a recess (38) in the stringer underneath each disc for the nut. The bolt and nut have a toggle (14) which allows insertion into the hole in the disc and tightening the bolt and nut entirely from above the screen.

Abstract: A device is provided for winding paper in which the paper web running is supported by a reel drum and wound onto exchangeable reel shafts in contact with the reel drum in order to form rolls of paper. The device applies a heated adhesive agent on the web and/or on the reel shaft onto which the web is to be wound. A spray rack is mounted on the stand of the reel-up, upstream of the reel drum and extending transversely to the machine direction, or alternatively, is mounted in various other locations of the reel-up. A hopper with a heater heats the heated adhesive agent to temporarily lower its viscosity and stickiness for smooth and even spraying. A series of nozzles are mounted on the rack spaced across the width of the web to spread spray jets of liquid containing said heated adhesive onto the web and/or the reel shaft. The adhesive area thus is disposed between the web and the empty reel shaft so as to facilitate initiating the winding process.

Abstract: A medicine packing apparatus feeds medicine in accordance with prescription data and then separates and packs the medicine by one dose. A discriminating mechanism (4) determines the type of medicine package belt to be formed in accordance with prescription data. A distributing member (42) distributes the medicine package belt based on the determination of the discriminating mechanism (4). Thus, according to the present invention, a different configuration of medicine package belts can be properly distributed and transferred based on the use thereof.

Abstract: A portable hydraulic classifier (10) for mining gold from stream beds wherein the hydraulic classifier (10) includes a lower sluice unit (11) hingedly connected to an upper sluice unit (12) equipped with a water supply unit (14) and a support unit (13) adapted to allow angular adjustment of the upper sluice unit (12) relative to the lower sluice unit (11) wherein the support unit (13) further includes a pair of support leg assemblies (40) (40′) wherein at least one of the support leg assemblies (40) is provided with a cross-piece element (43) that serves as a handle for transporting the hydraulic classifier (10).

Abstract: A counting and portioning system which counts discrete articles that conform to predetermined specifications into lots having a predetermined number of articles or a target volume. The system includes at least one portioning bin positioned to receive articles from a conveyor. The at least one bin has at least first and second outlet gates for emptying articles into separate respective first and second locations. A scanner detects and maintains a count of articles that are received in the at least one portioning bin and fall within the predetermined specification. The detector unit generates an out-of-specification signal when an article or group of articles received in the at least one portioning bin falls outside the predetermined specification. A control unit causes the first outlet gate to open when the count or volume of articles is equal to the predetermined number and causes the second outlet gate to open in response to receipt of an out-of-specification signal.