Method for cutting objects out of an at least partially two-ply web of material by means of a cutting device, wherein two material plies are connected to one another at least partially in a linear, strip-like and/or areal manner. The position of the respective object to be cut out is detected contactlessly on the basis of changes in structure in the material, these being part of the object which arise on account of those regions in the web of material which are connected to one another in a linear, strip-like and/or areal manner. The position of the object is detected in the web of material at least on the basis of previously determined and stored, prominent and spaced-apart geometrical part shapes of those regions of the object which are connected to one another in a linear, strip-like and/or areal manner.

A cut data generating device includes a control device which causes the generating device to acquire data indicating a pattern, to extract outlines of plural subpatterns contained in a design, to determine the number of layers associated with the number of sheets with respect to the extracted outlines, and to determine a sequence for stacking plural layers. The control device further causes the generating device to generate an integrated outline obtained by integrating the outline of first and second subpatterns contained in the extracted outlines, to specify the outline of the first subpattern on a first layer, to generate cut data for cutting the outline of the first subpattern from a first sheet associated with the first layer and for cutting the integrated outline from a second sheet associated with the second layer, and to output the generated cut data via the communication unit to the cutting apparatus.

Embodiments of the present disclosure are drawn to additive manufacturing apparatus and methods. An exemplary additive manufacturing method may include forming a part using additive manufacturing. The method may also include bringing the part to a first temperature, measuring the part along at least three axes at the first temperature, bringing the part to a second temperature, different than the first temperature, and measuring the part along the at least three axes at the second temperature. The method may further include comparing the size of the part at the first and second temperatures to calculate a coefficient of thermal expansion, generating a tool path that compensates for the coefficient of thermal expansion, bringing the part to the first temperature, and trimming the part while the part is at the first temperature using the tool path.

A material processing system includes: an offsetter configured to receive a stack of material and including a lifting bar configured to lift a portion of the stack of material; and a processing station operably connected to the offsetter. A method of processing a material includes: loading a stack of material on an offsetter, the stack of material including a first portion and a second portion, the first portion positioned above the second portion and separated from the second portion by at least one cross tie, the stack of material including a first end and a second end distal from the first end; lifting the second portion away from the first portion by a lifting bar of the offsetter pushing upward on the second end; and removing the cross tie.

A cutting apparatus includes a holding member disposed at a position opposed to a cutting blade and having an adhesive layer removably holding an object, a pressing unit pressing the object held by the holding member and having a contact portion brought into contact with the object, a region specifying unit specifying a region where an adhesive retention of the adhesive layer is insufficient along a cutting line of the object cut by the blade, and a control unit controlling the pressing unit so that when the object is cut by moving the blade and the holding member holding the object relative to each other, at least either an amount of pressing or a pressing force of the contact portion is changed between a case where the region specified by the region specifying unit is cut and a case where any part other than the specified region is cut.

A cutting stock method for a rectangular sheet with defects, including: acquiring information of the rectangular defective sheet, including dimension information of the rectangular sheet and target blocks, and location information of the defects; acquiring a cutting position discrete set of the rectangular sheet; cutting the rectangular sheet according to the cutting position discrete set into a plurality of target blocks; calculating a sum of values of the target blocks, and selecting an optimal cutting solution with the largest sum of values; and cutting the rectangular sheet according to the optimal cutting solution.

A cutting machine having a work surface, configured to accommodate at least one object to be cut, a working group, which is movable above the work surface including a receptacle device for accommodating a replaceable cutting tool, and a processing unit for controlling the cutting machine and storage capacity for providing a database, characterized by a first sensor unit, which is designed to detect individual items of identification information of the cutting tool and to provide detected items of identification information to the processing unit, wherein the processing unit is designed to recognize the cutting tool based on the items of identification information, to detect operating data of the cutting tool and store these data in the database, wherein the operating data comprise at least one operating time of the cutting tool, and to carry out operational monitoring of the cutting tool based on the operating data.

A sheet processing machine includes a processing device including a processing blade; a drive shaft related to an operation of the processing blade; a shaft drive motor; a rotational position detection unit that detects a rotational position of the drive shaft; a width direction drive motor that moves the processing device; and a control unit, in which the control unit controls the shaft drive motor so that the drive shaft is at a predetermined rotational position based on the rotational position of the drive shaft detected by the rotational position detection unit, and controls the width direction drive motor so that the processing device moves to a predetermined processing position while the drive shaft maintains the predetermined rotational position.

An image forming apparatus includes a sheet feeder, a carriage, a cutter, a cutter unit, and a controller. A first standby position and a second standby position are disposed on both ends of a range of movement of the carriage. The carriage does not contact the cutter unit at each of the first standby position and the second standby position. The controller is configured to control the carriage and the cutter unit to overlappingly move. In an image recording condition in which images are consecutively recorded in a plurality of pages on a sheet, the controller is configured to change a direction of movement of the carriage at a leading end of a page so that the direction of movement of the carriage is the same as a direction of movement of the cutter unit at a sheet cutting position at which the cutter cuts the sheet.

A method and apparatus for protecting a structure. A surface of the structure may be identified from a model of the structure. A perimeter of the surface of the structure may be identified from the model. The perimeter may be identified for the surface of the structure to be covered by a masking system during painting of the structure. A two-dimensional representation of the masking system may be generated for the structure based on the perimeter of the surface of the structure. Features for the masking system may be generated within the two-dimensional representation. Identifiers may be assigned to the features in the two-dimensional representation. Instructions for a forming tool may be generated based on the identifiers. The masking system may be formed from a sheet of masking material using the forming tool based on the instructions.