A self-contained truck-mounted brick laying machine can include a frame that can support packs or pallets of bricks placed on a platform. A transfer robot can pick up and move the brick(s). A carousel can be coaxial with a tower. The carousel can transfer the brick(s) via the tower to an articulated and/or telescoping boom. The bricks can be moved along the boom by, e.g., linearly moving shuttles, to reach a brick laying and adhesive applying head. The brick laying and adhesive applying head can mount to an element of the stick, about an axis which is disposed horizontally. The poise of the brick laying and adhesive applying head about the axis can be adjusted and can be set in use so that the base of a clevis of the robotic arm mounts about a horizontal axis, and the tracker component is disposed uppermost on the brick laying and adhesive applying head. The brick laying and adhesive applying head can apply adhesive to the brick and can have a robot that lays the brick. Vision and laser scanning and tracking systems can be provided to allow the measurement of as-built slabs, bricks, the monitoring and adjustment of the process and the monitoring of safety zones. The first, or any course of bricks can have the bricks pre machined by the router module so that the top of the course is level once laid.

An apparatus for cutting slab material comprising a working table to support the slabs to be cut during working; a working unit comprising disk cutting means and water-jet cutting means; and a unit for moving the working unit above the working table. The movement unit comprises a horizontal translation unit to move the working unit along two directions parallel to the working table and perpendicular to each other; a vertical translation unit to move the working unit along a direction perpendicular to the working table; a first rotation unit to rotate the working unit about a first axis, vertical and substantially perpendicular to the working table; and a second rotation unit to rotate the working unit about a second axis, inclined with respect to the first axis. Said disk cutting means and water-jet cutting means are integral and therefore the second rotation unit rotates simultaneously with the said cutting means.

A vibrating type hard rock cutting mechanism with a function of directional high-speed abrasive jet advanced slitting includes a disc-shaped hob, a cutting main shaft and a valve plate. When the vibrating type hard rock cutting mechanism works, an outlet of a high-pressure abrasive jet generating system is communicated to a cutting mechanism abrasive jet inlet. An abrasive jet enters an abrasive jet nozzle through flow channels in the valve plate, the cutting main shaft and the disc-shaped hob and forms a directional high-speed abrasive jet. The cutting main shaft is directly driven to rotate by an axial permanent magnet motor. The cutting mechanism enables the disc-shaped hob to vibrate under the action of a vibration motor. A macro crack is formed on a rock mass by rotating the abrasive jet. The rotating disc-shaped hob can be wedged into the formed crack in a vibration manner by swinging the cutting mechanism.

An automatic machine for drilling and milling substantially flat glass sheets shape, comprising includes a machine body; an input conveyor provided with a motorized roller conveyor or roller belt that conveys the glass sheet by its lower edge; an input conveyance surface provided with idle gliding wheels; an output conveyor provided with a motorized roller conveyor or motorized belt that conveys the glass sheet by means of its lower edge; and an output conveyance surface provided with idle gliding wheels. The machine further includes at least one carriage provided with synchronous horizontal motion along the longitudinal axis X2; and at least one pair of working heads provided independently with a synchronous vertical motion for adjustment and feeding along the axes Y1 and Y2, wherein, each head bears a tool provided with rotary motion (cutting) and feeding motion along the axes Z1 and Z2.

A combined cutting and bevelling machine (10) for slabs of stone or stone-like material comprises a workpiece support bench (30) and a work unit (16) provided with a cutting unit (50) and a bevelling unit (40), wherein the cutting unit (50) comprises a cutting spindle (51) and the bevelling unit (40) comprises a bevelling spindle (41).

A machine (1) for machining slab materials (3) is described, comprising: a working plane (2) configured to support a slab material (3) to be machined; a first tool-holder electrospindle (11) associated to a respective supporting body (33), the first electrospindle (11) and the respective supporting body (33) being supported above said working plane (2) by a respective supporting equipment (12) perpendicularly with respect to the working plane (2) and configured to move the first electrospindle (11) and the respective supporting body (33) about a rotation axis (Z) perpendicular to the working plane (2); a moving apparatus (14) configured to move the equipment (12) in parallel to the working plane (2) and along directions (X, Y) perpendicular to one another; at least a second tool-holder electrospindle (45), rotationally and translationally integral with the first electrospindle (11), supported above the working plane (2) in parallel to the first electrospindle (11) by a respective supporting arm (47) slidably supported by the supporting body (33) of the first electrospindle (11); a first actuator device (55) active to move the supporting arm (47) and the second electrospindle (45) supported by the same towards and away from the first electrospindle (11) in parallel to the working plane (2) and along a direction substantially perpendicular to a cutting plane extending perpendicularly to the working plane (2); and a second actuator device (63) associated to the supporting arm (47) of the second electrospindle (45) and configured to move the second electrospindle (45) along a direction perpendicular to the working plane (2) independently of the first electrospindle (11).

Shape memory alloys (SMAs) may be used for static rock splitting. The SMAs may be used as high-energy multifunctional materials, which have a unique ability to recover large deformations and generate high stresses in response to thermal loads.

Methods for controlling the surface profiles of wafers sliced from an ingot with a wire saw include measuring an amount of displacement of a sidewall of a frame of the wire saw. The sidewall is connected to a bearing of a wire guide supporting a wire web in the wire saw. Based on the measured amount of displacement of the sidewall, a pressure profile for adjusting a position of the sidewall is determined by a computing device. Pressure is applied to the sidewall using a displacement device according to the determined pressure profile to control the position of the sidewall.

A self-contained truck-mounted brick laying machine (2) is described. A truck (1) supports the brick laying machine (2) which is mounted on a frame (3) on the truck chassis. The frame (3) supports packs or pallets of bricks (52, 53) placed on a platform (51). A transfer robot can then pick up an individual brick and move it to, or between either a saw (46) or a router (47) or a carousel (48). The carousel is located coaxially with a tower (10), at the base of the tower (10). The carousel (48) transfers the brick via the tower (10) to an articulated (folding about horizontal axis (16)) telescoping boom comprising first boom element in the form of telescopic boom (12, 14) and second boom element in the form of telescopic stick (15, 17, 18, 19, 20). The bricks are moved along the folding telescoping boom by linearly moving shuttles, to reach a brick laying and adhesive applying head (32). The brick laying and adhesive applying head (32) mounts to element (20) of the stick, about an axis (33) which is disposed horizontally. The poise of the brick laying and adhesive applying head (32) about the axis (33) is adjusted and is set in use so that the base (811) of a clevis (813) of the robotic arm (36) mounts about a horizontal axis, and the tracker component (130) is disposed uppermost on the brick laying and adhesive applying head (32). The brick laying and adhesive applying head (32) applies adhesive to the brick and has a robot that lays the brick. Vision and laser scanning and tracking systems are provided to allow the measurement of as-built slabs, bricks, the monitoring and adjustment of the process and the monitoring of safety zones. The first, or any course of bricks can have the bricks pre machined by the router module (47) so that the top of the course is level once laid.

A synthetic quartz glass substrate is prepared by furnishing a synthetic quartz glass block, coating an arbitrary surface and an opposite surface of the block with a liquid having a transmittance of at least 99.0%/mm at the wavelength of birefringence measurement, measuring the birefringence of the block by letting light enter one coated surface and exit the other coated surface, and sorting the block to an acceptable or unacceptable group, based on the measured birefringence value.