Among all the materials available on earth, diamond has demonstrated outstanding properties for general-purpose applications. Nevertheless, due to the total lack of processability, artificial diamonds have never captured large industrial markets for the recognized performance. However, theoretical chemists recently paid attention to an old but highly efficient way of producing new facets on gem diamonds by manual self-abrasion. They found by using molecular dynamics calculations that the rate-determining step in the self-abrasion sp.sup.3-sp.sup.2 order-disorder transition on the crystal surface. The product of such a transition is an amorphous layer, which chemically decomposes to produce a new facet. Taking advantage of the self-abrasion mechanism thus found, we designed a novel spheroidization method and experimental apparatuses, wherein the self-abrasion works preferentially on mechanically weak portions like vertices and edges but hardly on stronger surfaces. Spherical diamonds lack self-aggregation properties, are resistant against shocks, have mechanically strong surface and offer a new material.

Among all the materials available on earth, diamond has demonstrated outstanding properties for general-purpose applications. Nevertheless, due to the total lack of processability, artificial diamonds have never captured large industrial markets for the recognized performance. However, theoretical chemists recently paid attention to an old but highly efficient way of producing new facets on gem diamonds by manual self-abrasion. They found by using molecular dynamics calculations that the rate-determining step in the self-abrasion sp.sup.3-sp.sup.2 order-disorder transition on the crystal surface. The product of such a transition is an amorphous layer, which chemically decomposes to produce a new facet. Taking advantage of the self-abrasion mechanism thus found, we designed a novel spheroidization method and experimental apparatuses, wherein the self-abrasion works preferentially on mechanically weak portions like vertices and edges but hardly on stronger surfaces. Spherical diamonds lack self-aggregation properties, are resistant against shocks, have mechanically strong surface and offer a new material.

A thermo-compression bonding tool with a high temperature elastic element, and methods of bonding a metal sheet to a substrate using a thermo-compression bonding tool are described. In an example, a system for bonding a metal sheet to a substrate includes a stage to support the substrate and an elastic roller located above the stage. The elastic roller includes a high temperature material. The system also includes a heated backing plate located above the elastic roller. The backing plate is configured to apply pressure and heat to the elastic roller as the elastic roller rolls across a metal sheet disposed above the substrate.

{Problem} Provided is a roll-press machine provided with a wrinkle occurrence prevention device for suppressing occurrence of wrinkles caused by a roll-pressing operation on a coated part and an uncoated part of an electrode plate, and a roll-pressing method.

{Solution} A work roll having a diameter smaller than that of the pressing roll is pressed to allow the uncoated part to be rolled between the pressing roll and the work roll, and the work roll is held by two backup rolls arranged in a V-shape formation so that the work roll can press the uncoated part with a pressing force uniform in width-wise.

In a roll press device, a thickness meter is provided on the exit side of first and second pressure rollers and detects the thickness of an electrode plate of a secondary battery at three or more points in the width direction of the electrode plate. From thickness measurement values at the three or more points and a thickness target value, a calculation unit calculates three feature amounts: the deviation between a thickness measurement value at the central point among the three or more points and the thickness target value, the quadratic component of the thickness profile of the electrode plate, and the linear component of the thickness profile of the electrode plate, and adaptively changes the respective pressure setting values of the first press mechanism, the second press mechanism, the first bend mechanism, and the second bend mechanism based on the three feature amounts.

In a roll press device, a thickness meter is provided on the exit side of first and second pressure rollers and detects the thickness of an electrode plate of a secondary battery at three or more points in the width direction of the electrode plate. From thickness measurement values at the three or more points and a thickness target value, a calculation unit calculates three feature amounts: the deviation between a thickness measurement value at the central point among the three or more points and the thickness target value, the quadratic component of the thickness profile of the electrode plate, and the linear component of the thickness profile of the electrode plate, and adaptively changes the respective pressure setting values of the first press mechanism, the second press mechanism, the first bend mechanism, and the second bend mechanism based on the three feature amounts.

The invention relates to a method for removing a roller tire (3) shrink fitted to a roller core (2) of a roller-press roller (1) where the roller tire is expanded by heating and pulled off the roller core. This method is characterized in that the roller tire is inductively heated with an induction coil (4).

A compacting system compacts particulate matter in open-top railroad gondola cars rolling on rails. The compacting system comprises a compacting station adjacent the rails and a scanning system that scans the gondola cars as they move along the rails toward the compacting station. The scanning system transmits data of the gondola car to an electronic control system. The compacting station has at least one compaction member, e.g., a plate structure or a roller, configured to contact an upper surface of the particulate matter in the gondola cars. The electronic control system controls the compacting station so that the compaction member engages with and applies force to the upper surface of the particulate matter in the gondola car so as to compress the particulate matter in the gondola. A method for compacting particulate matter in a gondola car is also shown.

A compacting system compacts particulate matter in open-top railroad gondola cars rolling on rails. The compacting system comprises a compacting station adjacent the rails and a scanning system that scans the gondola cars as they move along the rails toward the compacting station. The scanning system transmits data of the gondola car to an electronic control system. The compacting station has at least one compaction member, e.g., a plate structure or a roller, configured to contact an upper surface of the particulate matter in the gondola cars. The electronic control system controls the compacting station so that the compaction member engages with and applies force to the upper surface of the particulate matter in the gondola car so as to compress the particulate matter in the gondola. A method for compacting particulate matter in a gondola car is also shown.

A method for producing a hydrophobic or superhydrophobic surface topography on a smooth or structured surface of a pressing tool in the form of a pressing plate, endless belt, or embossing roller for producing material plates, plastic films, separating films, PVC surfaces, and LVTs (luxury vinyl tiles), includes the following steps: preparing a surface template having a microstructure, making an impression of the surface using a resin, scanning the molded surface using a 3-D microscope, converting the digitalized data from the scanning process with depth measurement into grayscale bitmaps, using the grayscale bitmaps to control the machining process of an abrasive surface treatment or to apply a mask for chemically processing the pressing tool in order to produce the surface topography. For this purpose, either the pressing tool is partially covered with a mask and subjected to an etching operation or the determined grayscale bitmap data are used to control an abrasive machining head.