Abstract: A laser drilling process capable of producing a plurality of holes in a pharmaceutical dosage form, at high speed, is presented. The process utilizes a high power CO.sub.2 laser steered by an acousto-optic deflector together with various mirrors and optical components to achieve the correct beam path geometry, in order to produce an unlimited number of holes through the surface or coating of a dosage form, at rates up to 100,000 units or more per hour.

Abstract: A hand-held marking device comprises an electrically actuated writing head for making marks on a writing surface and a sensor for detecting when the writing head is moving in any direction in a plane parallel to the surface. The device includes a mechanism for causing the head to be actuated when the sensor detects relative movement of the writing head and the surface. The writing head can be arranged to be able to make a plurality of different types or sizes of marks on a writing surface, in which case a mechanism is provided for selecting which of the different mark types or sizes is to be made.

Abstract: Cable handling and preparation apparatus comprising a cable source (12), cable stripping and crimping means (14), length determining means, robotic control means (13), cable guidance (43) and marking (11) means and cable conveying means (16). The arrangement is such that at least one cable or possibly more can be selectively drawn from a source comprising several powered cable reels (18) holding cables of different size by the robotic control means (13), subjected to processing by the stripping and crimping means (14) and subjected to marking, preferably laser marking, along its length, the prepared cable simultaneously and progressively being conveyed from the apparatus by the conveying means (16).