An anti-puckering apparatus for forming, on a work piece, a line of stitching substantially free from puckering is disclosed. The apparatus includes a removable base which is added to a sewing machine bed surface proximate to a needle and a stitch formation zone. The apparatus also includes a carrier mounted on, and moveable relative to, the base and an endless row of flexible filamentary elements carried by the carrier. The carrier progressively moves subsets of filamentary elements into and out of a stitch formation zone during the formation of a line of stitching. The filamentary elements are presented across a stitch formation zone in advance of an intended line of stitching at an oblique angle relative to a sewing machine bed surface.

A waste catch plate for sewing machine held between a sewing machine and a table, and catching wastes produced by a sewing work by the sewing machine, and the waste catch plate includes a plate main body in a tabular shape. The plate main body includes a placement plane provided in a partial region of the plate main body, and on which the sewing machine is to be placed, and an opening provided in a remaining region of the plate main body continuous and adjacent to the partial region, and to which a bag for collecting the wastes is attached. Provided on a back surface of the region of the plate main body where the placement plane is provided is a thin leg spreading on the back surface so as to cover a region surrounded by multiple legs of the sewing machine being placed on the placement plane.

A waste catch plate for sewing machine held between a sewing machine and a table, and catching wastes produced by a sewing work by the sewing machine, and the waste catch plate includes a plate main body in a tabular shape. The plate main body includes a placement plane provided in a partial region of the plate main body, and on which the sewing machine is to be placed, and an opening provided in a remaining region of the plate main body continuous and adjacent to the partial region, and to which a bag for collecting the wastes is attached. Provided on a back surface of the region of the plate main body where the placement plane is provided is a thin leg spreading on the back surface so as to cover a region surrounded by multiple legs of the sewing machine being placed on the placement plane.

A method for performing the automated closure of an axial end of a tubular manufacture and for unloading it inside out, comprising a step of positioning the manufacture right way out at a sewing or linking station, arranged so that its axis is substantially vertical and so that it hangs, by means of a first axial end to be closed by sewing or linking, from an annular handling device; then a step of turning the manufacture inside out is performed; a step of closing the first axial end of the manufacture by sewing or linking is then performed; then a step of disengaging the manufacture from the handling device is performed and then a step of moving the manufacture away is performed.

A method for performing the automated closure of an axial end of a tubular manufacture and for unloading it inside out, comprising a step of positioning the manufacture right way out at a sewing or linking station, arranged so that its axis is substantially vertical and so that it hangs, by means of a first axial end to be closed by sewing or linking, from an annular handling device; then a step of turning the manufacture inside out is performed; a step of closing the first axial end of the manufacture by sewing or linking is then performed; then a step of disengaging the manufacture from the handling device is performed and then a step of moving the manufacture away is performed.

A computer-controlled sewing machine positioning system integrated with a processing device (50), and positioning method thereof, fixedly disposing at least one processing device (50) at one side of the sewing head (41) of a computer-controlled sewing machine (40); movement of the processing device (50) is controlled by a processing program of the computer-controlled sewing machine (40); a relative distance is provided between the processing head (51) of the processing device (50) and the sewing head (41) to give the movement range of a conveying mechanism (20) to extend to covered positions below the sewing head (41) and the processing head (51), such that a fixing mechanism (30) is moved and feeds below the sewing head (41) and the processing head (51); and presetting a positioning distance between two positioning parts (33, 34) of the fixing mechanism (30) and the relative distances in the processing program, thus automatically determining the feed distance of the fixing mechanism (30) between the sewing head (41) and the processing head (51), improving sewing and processing precision and production efficiency, and reducing the size and cost of the device.

A seat heater includes a substrate. A formed heating wire is disposed on the substrate. A sewing thread attaches the formed heating wire to the substrate. A method of fabricating the seat heater includes forming a straight heating wire into a formed heating wire having miniature wave shape, feeding the formed heating wire onto a substrate, and attaching the formed heating wire onto the substrate by sewing a thread.

An assistance system that can be used for prosthetic heart valve manufacturing or suturing procedures includes an automated fixture that can comprise an articulation arm and a target device holder. The target device holder can be positioned and oriented to reduce operator strain during a manufacturing or inspection process. The assistance system includes a user input device enabling the operator to move between positions to assist in such processes. The assistance system can also be trained by capturing sequences of position data corresponding to a manufacturing or inspection process.

An apparatus for producing an interior component from a carrier element and a top layer includes a handling device, a component support for receiving the carrier element and the top layer, where the component support has a fixing device for temporarily fixing the carrier element and the top layer on the component support, a welding head, and a sewing head. A control unit controls the handling device where a data set for controlling at least the handling device in a manner dependent on a material of the top layer is stored in the control unit and where the handling device is controllable depending on the material of the top layer by the control unit such that, to connect the top layer to the carrier element, the top layer and the carrier element are welded by the welding head or sewn by the sewing head.

An apparatus for producing an interior component from a carrier element and a top layer includes a handling device, a component support for receiving the carrier element and the top layer, where the component support has a fixing device for temporarily fixing the carrier element and the top layer on the component support, a welding head, and a sewing head. A control unit controls the handling device where a data set for controlling at least the handling device in a manner dependent on a material of the top layer is stored in the control unit and where the handling device is controllable depending on the material of the top layer by the control unit such that, to connect the top layer to the carrier element, the top layer and the carrier element are welded by the welding head or sewn by the sewing head.