A method of assembling a prosthetic heart valve includes providing a collapsible and expandable stent having an annulus section and an aortic section. The annulus section has a first diameter in a relaxed condition and a second diameter less than the first diameter in a collapsed condition. A constraint is applied to the stent to constrain the annulus section to a predetermined diameter between the first and second diameters. Applying a cuff and/or a plurality of leaflets to the stent in the constrained condition enables less material to be used. The resultant prosthetic valve is therefore able to be collapsed to a smaller diameter for introduction into a patient.

A self-aligning swaging punch is provided for adjoining together a pin and a workpiece having a pinhole. The swaging punch comprises a shaft and a tip having an open-ended cavity. The shaft transfers an axial force from a press or hammer to the tip. The tip transfers the axial force from the shaft to a top surface of the workpiece near the pinhole. The tip may be spherical in shape for evenly deforming the workpiece near the upper edge of the pinhole. The open-ended cavity receives the pin therein and allows the pin to extend at least partially into the open-ended cavity while the tip contacts the workpiece. The open-ended cavity also ensures that the swaging punch is aligned with the pinhole and perpendicular to the surface of the workpiece when the pin is inserted into the pinhole such that the workpiece evenly deforms and presses against the pin.

A sandwich structure employs a core sheet including alternating peaks and valleys therein. In another aspect, a sandwich structure includes at least one metallic core and at least one adhesively bonded outer face sheet. Yet another aspect of a sandwich structure has raised ridges bridging between adjacent peaks in a core sheet in one direction but not in a perpendicular direction, thereby achieving different properties in the different sheet directions.

A method includes providing a ceramic matrix composite (CMC) seal arc segment that has radially inner and outer sides, attaching an abradable layer on the radially outer side of the CMC seal arc segment, providing a carrier to support the CMC seal arc segment, the carrier including a ridge, and sliding the CMC seal arc segment relative to the carrier such that during the sliding the ridge cuts a groove into the abradable layer, the ridge remaining disposed in the groove to thereby provide a labyrinth seal that partitions the cooling cavity between the carrier and the CMC seal arc segment into sub-cavities.

An appliance cabinet may be made having at least a first metallic tub, and a mounting bracket by which a component of the appliance may be mounted to the cabinet. The bracket and the first metallic tub may be juxtaposed. The bracket may be attached to the first metallic tub by moving one of a portion of the first metallic tub or the bracket at a speed great enough to induce plastic flow of the portion of the first metallic tub about a portion of the bracket.

Expandable containers having lids for providing headspace control in food can are disclosed. In one embodiment, a process for producing a lid closure for cans containing foodstuff, the lid providing tightness during sterilization or pasteurization in a continuous autoclave, said cans being closed with a can closure may include (1) producing the can closure from an annular ring adapted for seaming to the can body and a lid panel having an outer ring band sealingly affixed onto an inner flat web; and (2) reshaping a central area of the lid panel by deep drawing to a smooth bowl shape or a dome shape with a plane surface, as original shape, a material of this central area thereby solidified or hardened to such an extent that under an increased pressure in a headspace of the can during a passage thereof through an autoclave station, the central area changes to an axially outwardly bulged shape that is mirror-inverted with respect to the original shape and, during a subsequent cooling of the can, the central area automatically returns substantially to the original shape thereof. The reshaping may be done prior to attaching the lid to the filled can, and the lid pane may be limited by an outer ring band.

A process for producing a textured laminate sheet includes a) positioning a substrate material adjacent a barbed face of a metal sheet. The barbed face has a plurality of barbs, and the metal sheet has an opposed face opposite the barbed face. The process further includes b) forcing the metal sheet and the substrate material together to impale the substrate material on the barbs and secure the substrate material and the metal sheet together as a laminate sheet, and c) debossing the opposed face to form a plurality of depressions in the laminate sheet and texture the laminate sheet.

A self-aligning swaging punch is provided for adjoining together a pin and a workpiece having a pinhole. The swaging punch comprises a shaft and a tip having an open-ended cavity. The shaft transfers an axial force from a press or hammer to the tip. The tip transfers the axial force from the shaft to a top surface of the workpiece near the pinhole. The tip may be spherical in shape for evenly deforming the workpiece near the upper edge of the pinhole. The open-ended cavity receives the pin therein and allows the pin to extend at least partially into the open-ended cavity while the tip contacts the workpiece. The open-ended cavity also ensures that the swaging punch is aligned with the pinhole and perpendicular to the surface of the workpiece when the pin is inserted into the pinhole such that the workpiece evenly deforms and presses against the pin.

It is the intention for a linear unit (7) for imparting an axially acting force, having a rotational-translational gear (8), in particular a ball screw, which has a threaded spindle (1) and a threaded nut (2), and having a force transmission element (3), which is in particular in the form of a thrust rod or thrust tube, to be improved such that fewer components are required and the assembly of the linear unit is kept as simple as possible. For this purpose, the threaded nut (2) and the force transmission element (3) are connected to one another by means of a positively locking, in particular play-free connection, in particular by means of clinching.

Goggles are described as including an outrigger, an elastic band, and one or more cages. The elastic band is coupled to the cage, which may then be disposed within an opening of the outrigger. Thus, the elastic band may be coupled to the outrigger and, accordingly, to the goggle frame, through the cage. Such a configuration may allow for the elastic band to have a stronger and more compact coupling to the outrigger and/or goggle frame. The cage may comprise metal or another material stronger than the material of the goggle frame and/or the outrigger. Furthermore, the cage may be more compact (e.g., narrower) than a typical connection while maintaining or improving strength.