A disclosed forming system is a forming system which expands and forms a metal pipe in a die. The forming system includes a preliminary forming apparatus which preliminarily forms a metal pipe material, a forming apparatus which includes a gas supply unit which supplies gas into the preliminary-formed and heated metal pipe material to expand the metal pipe material and a main body portion to which the die is attached, and a cutting device which cuts at least a portion of the formed metal pipe. The gas supply unit is provided so as not to be disposed on a first straight line which connects the preliminary forming apparatus and the main body portion in a plan view and a second straight line which connects the cutting device and the main body portion in a plan view.

A cutting mechanism includes a cutter roll and a rotational driving mechanism for rotationally driving the cutter roll. The cutter roll has a roll body and a blade portion protruding from a peripheral surface of the roll body. The blade portion is formed at a same position on a circumference of the roll body and extends in an axial direction of the roll body. The cutter roll is arranged so that the axial direction is at a predetermined angle with respect to a pull-out direction of the reinforcing fiber material. The cutting mechanism further includes a slide mechanism that displaces cutter roll in the axial direction toward a side in the pull-out direction of the reinforcing fiber material at least when the reinforcing fiber material is cut.

A method for densifying a fibrous mat, such as scrim, to achieve a uniform mat density, including a set of parallel bars each having a row of pins extending downward therefrom which can engage the mat fibers, a plurality of shafts along which the bars slide so as to maintain the bars parallel, a plurality of extendable accordion linkages connecting the set of bars, and a linear positioning assembly having a reciprocating drive mechanism coupled to one of the bars which can move the bars in response to an actuation signal. As the drive mechanism retracts the bar to which it is coupled the spacing between the rows of bars is decreased uniformly and the rows of pins draw the fibers together and compress them uniformly across the width of the mat.

A method for densifying a fibrous mat, such as scrim, to achieve a uniform mat density, including a set of parallel bars each having a row of pins extending downward therefrom which can engage the mat fibers, a plurality of shafts along which the bars slide so as to maintain the bars parallel, a plurality of extendable accordion linkages connecting the set of bars, and a linear positioning assembly having a reciprocating drive mechanism coupled to one of the bars which can move the bars in response to an actuation signal. As the drive mechanism retracts the bar to which it is coupled the spacing between the rows of bars is decreased uniformly and the rows of pins draw the fibers together and compress them uniformly across the width of the mat.

A raw-material supply device for supplying a biomass raw material under pressure, wherein the device is provided with: a screw body, provided inside a screw feeder and adapted for compressing, rotating, and transporting the powdered biomass raw material using a motor from a normal-pressure feed section for the fed biomass raw material to a high-pressure discharge section; and a pressing plug provided on the tip section side of the screw body, the pressing plug having a plug tip for maintaining a high-temperature/high-pressure field against the discharge force of compressed consolidated biomass. The interior of the screw feeder comprises a raw-material feed region for feeding the biomass raw material in the raw-material transport direction, a raw-material compression region for compressing the biomass raw material, a raw-material consolidation region for consolidating the biomass raw material in the form of a cork, and a material seal section for maintaining the high-pressure field using the consolidated biomass.

A raw-material supply device for supplying a biomass raw material under pressure, wherein the device is provided with: a screw body, provided inside a screw feeder and adapted for compressing, rotating, and transporting the powdered biomass raw material using a motor from a normal-pressure feed section for the fed biomass raw material to a high-pressure discharge section; and a pressing plug provided on the tip section side of the screw body, the pressing plug having a plug tip for maintaining a high-temperature/high-pressure field against the discharge force of compressed consolidated biomass. The interior of the screw feeder comprises a raw-material feed region for feeding the biomass raw material in the raw-material transport direction, a raw-material compression region for compressing the biomass raw material, a raw-material consolidation region for consolidating the biomass raw material in the form of a cork, and a material seal section for maintaining the high-pressure field using the consolidated biomass.

A pressing apparatus includes a driving device, a platform configured to support a workpiece, a movable support mounted to the driving device, a pressing member rotatably mounted to the movable support, and a limiting block mounted on the platform. The movable support is movable in a direction substantially perpendicular to the platform. The limiting block rotates the pressing member down pressing the workpiece between the platform and the pressing member when the movable support moves.

A pressing apparatus includes a driving device, a platform configured to support a workpiece, a movable support mounted to the driving device, a pressing member rotatably mounted to the movable support, and a limiting block mounted on the platform. The movable support is movable in a direction substantially perpendicular to the platform. The limiting block rotates the pressing member down pressing the workpiece between the platform and the pressing member when the movable support moves.

A multi-axis flattening tool and method are described. In an example, the multi-axis flattening tool includes a support structure to constrain a bowed wafer along a support perimeter, and a pair of flattening structures independently movable relative to the support structure. For example, a first flattening structure may grip the wafer within the support perimeter and move axially relative to the support structure to bend the wafer about a first plane, and a second flattening structure may grip the wafer within the support perimeter and move axially relative to the support structure to bend the wafer about a second plane orthogonal to the first plane. The multi-axis bending of the wafer may flatten the wafer.

A method for producing a wound electrode assembly includes a winding a lamination sheet around a winding shaft by feeding the lamination sheet and by rotating the winding shaft, the winding shaft having an outer circumferential surface of an oval shape including a pair of flat surfaces facing each other and a pair of arcked surfaces connecting both of ends of the pair of flat surfaces to each other; and pressing the lamination sheet formed to have an oval shape, such that a pair of flat portions of the lamination sheet are pressed to each other. In the winding the lamination sheet, the lamination sheet is fed by, per rotation of the winding shaft, a length longer than an outer circumferential length corresponding to the number of winds of the lamination sheet wound around the winding shaft.