Abstract: An apparatus for penetrating a cover over a multi-well sample plate containing at least one individual sample well includes a cutting head, a cutter extending from the cutting head, and a robot. The cutting head is connected to the robot wherein the robot moves the cutting head and cutter so that the cutter penetrates the cover over the multi-well sample plate providing access to the individual sample well. When the cutting head is moved downward the foil is pierced by the cutter that splits, opens, and folds the foil inward toward the well. The well is then open for sample aspiration but has been protected from cross contamination.

Abstract: A stack of alternating sheets includes repeating diecuts offset among the sheets. The sheets may be made from a continuous web using a die to cut the repeating diecuts along the running axis of the web. Individual sheets are cut from the web and stacked with the diecuts offset from each other in turn. The stack of sheets may be loaded into a printer and fed individually therethrough, with the offset diecuts preventing interlocking therebetween.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for cutting a wafer from a crystalline ingot, by directing a stream or streams of etching gas at the crystalline ingot in a vacuum. Waste in cutting can be greatly minimized and the work environment can also be kept clean. Further, excellent surface smoothness can be realized on the cut wafers.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for producing a wafer from a crystalline ingot, wherein the method supplies an etching gas, having a high etching property for at least one constituent of the crystalline ingot, in a state of a molecular beam stream on a predetermined part of the crystalline ingot to be processed, volatilizing the predetermined part gradually from the ingot, and then removing the predetermined part entirely so as to cut the wafer from the ingot. According to the method, waste in cutting can be greatly minimized and the work environment can also be kept clean. Further, excellent surface smoothness can be realized on the cut wafers.

Abstract: Apparatus for cutting an advancing strip of photographic paper into prints of different size along and across the strip. The apparatus includes devices that cut perpendicular to the edges of the strip upstream of devices that cut parallel with the edges of the strip. Other devices secure the paper in position while it is being cut.

Abstract: Rectangular drawings of standard dimensions or formats can be automatically cut out of a continuous paper or plastic web (1) by a transverse cutter (9) and a plurality of longitudinal cutters (26), as directed by coding (20) on the edge of the web. The cut-off strips (23) of scrap made by transverse cutter (9) are directed away by a movable deflector (13). Additional deflectors (62) are provided downstream, in web motion direction D, of the longitudinal cutters (26) and serve to separate the scraps (23, 25) produced by the longitudinal cutters from the drawing forms (A0-A4) which have been trimmed on all four sides. Thus, manual separation of the drawings from the surrounding scrap is obviated.

Abstract: An apparatus for severing and laying composite tape to form structural members with a shearing and compacting mechanism capable of a large variety of angular or circular severances. The severances are formed incrementally or digitally with a number of lengthwise slits of selected length. A plurality of transverse cuts are formed in the tape to intersect the slits to form a stairstepped severance. A curved chute at the discharge end of the apparatus has an endless belt to maintain the tape in alignment as it is pressed onto the work surface. The tape is compacted onto the work surface by a segmented roller system composed of several individual rollers. As the severance is reached, the rollers are selectively and individually disengaged from the work surface to correlate compaction termination with the shape of the severance.

Abstract: A sheet element, such as a banknote, having an authenticating device in the form of a strip extending across the sheet and having at least one edge provided with a non-rectilinear portion or portions providing difficulty in copying for the forger and preferably shaped to provide coded information relating to the sheet element. In the case of a banknote, one or both edges of the strip may have wavy-shaped portion or portions, of which characteristics such as amplitude and periodicity can be employed to encode such information as the issuing authority, currency, denomination and serial number. Other aspects of the invention concern a method of verification comprising providing a sheet element as above and sensing the non-rectilinear edge or edges to derive the coded information, and a method of slitting a sheet comprising operating a slitting assembly to slit the sheet along a number of slitting lines into a plurality of strips as aforesaid.