Method for manufacturing at least one part 8 of electroconductive material by additive manufacturing on a bed of powder characterized in that it comprises the steps of manufacturing the part on a support plate of a first additive manufacturing machine, layer by layer, said part being bounded by an external contour surface portion which is opposite and spaced apart from said support plate, and which is connected to said support plate by at least one bridge of support material of the part, providing a reference element 51 on the support plate in a predetermined position, mounting said support plate on a second machine 60 for cutting said at least one part, and using a wire (62-66) of said second machine for cutting by electrical discharge machining said at least one part by passing it between said at least one part and said support plate, along and at the level of said surface portion.

An electrostatic discharge machining fixture includes a fixture body, two or more electrically conductive face contacts seated in the fixture body, and two or more electrically resistive point contacts seated in the fixture body. The electrically conductive face contacts and the electrically resistive point contacts define a 3-2-1 alignment system to locate an additively manufactured article relative to the fixture body during an electrostatic discharge machining operation. Electrostatic discharge machining arrangements and methods of supporting additively manufactured workpieces during electrostatic discharge machining operations are also described.

An electrostatic discharge machining fixture includes a fixture body, two or more electrically conductive face contacts seated in the fixture body, and two or more electrically resistive point contacts seated in the fixture body. The electrically conductive face contacts and the electrically resistive point contacts define a 3-2-1 alignment system to locate an additively manufactured article relative to the fixture body during an electrostatic discharge machining operation. Electrostatic discharge machining arrangements and methods of supporting additively manufactured workpieces during electrostatic discharge machining operations are also described.

This disclosure provides a system, method, and resulting workpiece combining liquid guided laser and electrical discharge machining to create a common feature. The workpiece is positioned in a liquid guided laser cutting path and machined by the liquid guided laser device to create an intermediate feature in the workpiece. The work piece is then positioned in an electrical discharge machining (EDM) device so that an electrode of the EDM device is operatively positioned proximate the intermediate feature and machined using the EDM device to modify the intermediate feature in the workpiece to create the finished common feature in the workpiece.

This disclosure provides a system, method, and resulting workpiece combining liquid guided laser and electrical discharge machining to create a common feature. The workpiece is positioned in a liquid guided laser cutting path and machined by the liquid guided laser device to create an intermediate feature in the workpiece. The work piece is then positioned in an electrical discharge machining (EDM) device so that an electrode of the EDM device is operatively positioned proximate the intermediate feature and machined using the EDM device to modify the intermediate feature in the workpiece to create the finished common feature in the workpiece.

A machine tool includes a machining unit for feeding cutting oil to a work surface of a workpiece and machining the work surface, an optical sensor body unit dividing light outputted from a frequency sweep light source for outputting light whose frequency varies periodically into irradiation light with which the workpiece is to be irradiated and reference light, irradiating the workpiece with the irradiation light, detecting a peak frequency of interference light between reflected light which is irradiation light reflected by the workpiece, and the reference light, and measuring the distance from the machine tool to the work surface on the basis of the peak frequency, and a shape calculation unit calculating the shape of the workpiece on the basis of the distance measured by the optical sensor body unit.

A method for producing a plate-fin heat exchanger core includes the steps of stacking a bottom end sheet, multiple alternately stacked individual hot and cold layers, and a top end sheet, each of the individual hot and cold layers including a fin element forming multiple parallel open-ended fluid channels, a parting sheet separating the various individual layers, and two closure bars positioned on opposite sides of the fin element, parallel to the open-ended channels and extending a length of the open-ended channels, brazing the bottom end sheet, the various layers, and the top end sheet in a brazing furnace; and removing material from each of the exterior faces by precision machining, thereby removing material from each closure bar outer face. The precision machining can include electrical discharge machining, laser cutting, band sawing, drilling, boring, hogging, acid etching, and ion milling, in any combination.

A method for producing a plate-fin heat exchanger core includes the steps of stacking a bottom end sheet, multiple alternately stacked individual hot and cold layers, and a top end sheet, each of the individual hot and cold layers including a fin element forming multiple parallel open-ended fluid channels, a parting sheet separating the various individual layers, and two closure bars positioned on opposite sides of the fin element, parallel to the open-ended channels and extending a length of the open-ended channels, brazing the bottom end sheet, the various layers, and the top end sheet in a brazing furnace; and removing material from each of the exterior faces by precision machining, thereby removing material from each closure bar outer face. The precision machining can include electrical discharge machining, laser cutting, band sawing, drilling, boring, hogging, acid etching, and ion milling, in any combination.

A surgical stapler includes a first stapler half a second stapler half configured to releasably couple together. The second stapler half includes a first elongate member, a second elongate member, and a polymeric body that encapsulates at least a portion of each of the first elongate member and the second elongate member. One of the first stapler half or the second stapler half includes a distal portion configured to receive a staple cartridge, and the other of the first stapler half or the second stapler half includes a distal portion having a plurality of staple-forming pockets.

A program editing device edits a machining program in which a machining path along which a wire electrode of a wire electrical discharge machine machines a workpiece is defined. The machining program includes a plurality of blocks corresponding to respective multiple partial paths into which the machining path is divided, each of the blocks including path information indicating the corresponding partial path. The program editing device includes an analyzer analyzing the machining program and thereby identifying a predetermined shape pattern formed by a series of the multiple partial paths in the machining path, an information generator generating shape information corresponding to the identified predetermined shape pattern, and an editor inserting the shape information into the machining program.