Abstract: An apparatus for rotating a seat relative to ball in a valve lapping machine includes a seat spindle assembly, an airbag assembly with a first and a second airbag, and a linear compensator affixed to a frame of the seat spindle assembly and to the seat tooling adapter plate. The airbag assembly is adapted to apply contact force between the seat and the ball. The linear compensator has a top plate, middle plate and a bottom plate. A first set of rails extends in a first direction so as to allow movement between the top plate and the middle plate, while a second set of rails which extends in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction allow movement of the bottom plate relative to the middle plate. A ball valve lapping machine utilizing this apparatus is also provided.

Abstract: A knee resurfacing process has the steps of fixing a bone in a position, creating an incision in a knee so as to expose a surface of the knee, guiding a probe of a robot arm around the perimeter of a search zone on the surface of the knee, probing the probe of the robot arm onto the knee so as to define a plurality of points within the perimeter, collecting point cloud data from the plurality of points so as to form an image of the probed surface, and shaping the knee relative to the collected point cloud data. The step of guiding is hand guiding the probe so that the probe penetrates tissues at a bony surface of the knee and contacts the bone of the knee. A force of the contact of the probe with the bone of the knee is measured.

Abstract: A method of arc welding a first metal piece to a second metal piece includes the steps of extend a welding head between the space between first and second metal pieces, bending a filler wire, passing the bent filler wire through the welding head such that an end of the bent filler wire extends in a direction toward a surface of one of the first and second metal pieces, and arc welding the end portion of the bent filler wire onto the surface of the metal piece. The method further includes rotating the end of the bent filler wire toward another surface of the metal pieces and arc welding the of end of the rotated bent filler wire onto the surface of the another metal piece. The welding head travels along the space between the first and second metal pieces as the step of arc welding occurs.

Abstract: An apparatus for manufacturing a wire wound filter screen from wrapping wrap wire over a set of rib wires has a frame, a spindle for supporting the rib wires in a longitudinal orientation, a wire guide for delivering wrap wire around the rib wires as the spindle rotates the rib wires, an electrode for welding the wrap wires to the rib wires at each intersection thereof, and a translating mechanism positioned on the frame for moving rib wires and the welded wrap wire longitudinal along the frame. A laser measures a gap between adjacent surfaces of wrap wire. A processor is used to adjust the translating of the rib wires relative to the gap. An air cushion urges the electrode against the wrap wire.

Abstract: A gas shield strip cladding welding system including a workpiece, a strip of welding material, an enclosure having an opening through which the strip of welding material passes, a feeder for controllably passing the strip of welding material into the enclosure through the opening, a gas delivery conduit connected to the enclosure so as to pass a shielding gas into the enclosure adjacent to the strip of material, and a power supply electrically connected to the strip of welding material and to the workpiece such that an arc is produced when the strip of welding material comes into close proximity to the workpiece. A mechanism is connected to the enclosure so as to move the enclosure continuously relative to the workpiece so as to deposit the welding material in a desired pattern. The shield gas includes an inert gas.