An apparatus is provided for positioning a connecting rod relative to one or more components underlying a cylinder of an engine block, in tandem with assembling a cylinder liner to the cylinder of the engine block. The apparatus has a holder mechanism releasably holding a bottom end of the cylinder liner. A portion of the holder mechanism is configured to extend beyond the bottom end of the cylinder liner to define a groove that is disposed parallel to a circumference of the cylinder liner. A link pivotally connects the cylinder liner to the connecting rod. The link includes a first end defining a pin that is slidably engaged with the groove of the holder mechanism and a second end that defines an opening therethrough. The opening facilitates insertion of a fastener for releasably securing the link to a bottom end of the connecting rod.

Methods and apparatuses for aligning a first hole in a first panel with a second hole in a second panel to define a through-hole. A wall that defines the second hole is gripped from within the through-hole to pull the second panel towards the first panel and thereby establish a clamp-up of the first panel and the second panel.

Methods and apparatuses for providing a clamp-up are provided. An apparatus for forming a clamp-up comprises an end effector. The end effector is positioned at a first side of a panel joint and applies a first clamp-up force to a first panel of a panel joint and an equal and opposite second clamp-up force to a second panel of the panel joint to provide the clamp-up.

Apparatus and associated methodology contemplating holding a bucket stationary while a user mixes a substance in the bucket. A rigid base is configured to support the bucket upright upon a predetermined holding zone, and supports a selectively rotatable pivot member. A paddle has a proximal end attached to the pivot member and extends therefrom downwardly toward the base on one side of the pivot member. A foot-actuated lever has a proximal end attached to the pivot member and extends downwardly toward the base on the opposing side of the pivot member.

A gripping machine for an article includes a machine frame, first and second drive means associated with the machine frame, a support platform of the article, movable with respect to the machine frame by the first drive means along a direction of displacement, and holding members, arranged about the direction of displacement to delimit therebetween a gripping plane or space of the article, at least one holding member being movable radially by the second drive means between a holding configuration and a release configuration of the article, and vice versa. Electronic control means control the first drive means so that the support platform is located at one or more predefined axial positions and the second drive means so that, in the holding configuration, at least one holding member is moved continuously towards the article to actively clamp the article.

A device for pressing materials guided by rollers for a carpentry cutting includes a device body, two base body fixing blocks, an adjustment mechanism and two pressing mechanisms. The device body includes a fist base body and a second base body. The two base body fixing blocks are arranged to press both sides of the base body, respectively. The adjustment mechanism includes a pushing mechanism configured to move the two pressing mechanisms along a direction from the first base body toward the second base body, two compressing mechanisms configured to compress a play between the first base body and the pressing mechanisms and a reset mechanism. Each of the pressing mechanisms includes a roller fixing block connected with the sliding block, and two rollers with a same rolling direction, the two rollers are respectively mounted on both sides of the roller fixing block.

A tread support device (10) for a retread process is provided that has a first support roller (12) that rotates about a first support roller axis. A second support roller (16) is present that rotates about a second support roller axis. A third support roller (20) is also included that rotates about a third support roller axis. The first support roller (10), the second support roller (12), and the third support roller (20) all support a tread (24). Also in the tread support device (10), the first support roller axis, the second support roller axis, and the third support roller axis are arranged with respect to one another so as to be located on a circumference of a circle (32).

A tread support device (10) for a retread process is provided that has a first support roller (12) that rotates about a first support roller axis. A second support roller (16) is present that rotates about a second support roller axis. A third support roller (20) is also included that rotates about a third support roller axis. The first support roller (10), the second support roller (12), and the third support roller (20) all support a tread (24). Also in the tread support device (10), the first support roller axis, the second support roller axis, and the third support roller axis are arranged with respect to one another so as to be located on a circumference of a circle (32).

A workpiece holding device for holding a workpiece in a heat treatment system while the workpiece undergoes a thermal expansion and/or contraction includes at least two clamping units configured to apply a radial and/or an axial clamping force to the workpiece to hold the workpiece in the workpiece holding device in a predefined position, and at least three support units configured to support the workpiece. A first one of the at least three support units includes a first cylinder configured to support the workpiece, the first cylinder having a longitudinal axis and being configured to rotate around the longitudinal axis.

A workpiece holding device for holding a workpiece in a heat treatment system while the workpiece undergoes a thermal expansion and/or contraction includes at least two clamping units configured to apply a radial and/or an axial clamping force to the workpiece to hold the workpiece in the workpiece holding device in a predefined position and a drive unit configured to rotate the workpiece in the workpiece holding device. The at least two clamping units may be configured to adjust their position relative to the holding device to maintain the clamping force during the thermal expansion and/or contraction of the workpiece.