A method of manufacturing a hole in a component consisting of a composite material, such as a fiber or fabric reinforced plastic part, wherein the component, having first and second oppositely disposed sides, is placed with its first side on a support having an iris diaphragm. A tip which diverges in the axial direction is pressed from the second side of the component through the component, which optionally has a pre-piercing, for formation of the hole or for enlargement of the pre-piercing. The iris diaphragm has a smaller starting opening which receives a narrower region of the tip and opens into a larger opening with increasing penetration of the component by the tip, the component is supported during hole formation over an as large as possible area from the first side. A piercing aid in the form of an iris diaphragm or a die button is likewise claimed.

A punching device and the like contributing to high-quality punching processing that punches a flat workpiece by a punch includes a measuring instrument for calculating translational forces generated in respective directions of orthogonal two axes in a plane orthogonal to an axis extending along a punching direction by the punch in forces generated at the time of punching the workpiece.

The present invention relates to a cutting tool (100) for providing holes in a core material layer (10). The cutting tool (100) comprises a cutting knife (110) having a cutting edge (112) configured to cut through the core material layer (10), and a support structure (120) onto which the cutting knife (110) is attached, wherein the support structure (120) is at least partly formed by an elastic material.

A sheet material (1) consisting of an mixture consisting essentially of: a) 10-50 percent by weight of random-oriented fibres, and; b) 90-50 percent by weight of a thermoplastic or thermoplastic elastomer; the weight percentages being based on the overall homogeneous mixture; and the sheet material having at room temperature a Shore D hardness of 40 to 85, preferably of 40 to 60, more preferably of 45 to 55. The sheet material (1) is used as a support in punching applications or as the top layer in punching belts (2).

A sheet material (1) consisting of an mixture consisting essentially of: a) 10-50 percent by weight of random-oriented fibres, and; b) 90-50 percent by weight of a thermoplastic or thermoplastic elastomer; the weight percentages being based on the overall homogeneous mixture; and the sheet material having at room temperature a Shore D hardness of 40 to 85, preferably of 40 to 60, more preferably of 45 to 55. The sheet material (1) is used as a support in punching applications or as the top layer in punching belts (2).

An image forming apparatus connected to a sheet hole punching apparatus that applies a punch process to a sheet, and a method for controlling the same, in which from a die-set mounted to the sheet hole punching apparatus, die-set information including at least identification information for identifying the die-set is obtained, and in association with the die-set information, a number of times that the punch process has been executed using the die-set is counted. Control is performed to prompt a user to lubricate the die-set when the number of times counted by the counter unit exceeds a threshold value.

An image forming apparatus connected to a sheet hole punching apparatus that applies a punch process to a sheet, and a method for controlling the same, in which from a die-set mounted to the sheet hole punching apparatus, die-set information including at least identification information for identifying the die-set is obtained, and in association with the die-set information, a number of times that the punch process has been executed using the die-set is counted. Control is performed to prompt a user to lubricate the die-set when the number of times counted by the counter unit exceeds a threshold value.

A clamping mechanism is provided to clamp a die set on a carrier of a machine. The clamping mechanism utilizes a first pushing block to push a locating shaft of the die set to allow a top surface of the locating shaft to contact a mounting surface of the carrier and utilizes a second pushing block to push the locating shaft to allow a first contacting surface of the locating shaft to contact a reference surface of a cage base such that the die set will not clamp on the carrier of the machine with shift or skew errors.

A printing device includes, in one example, a media output system including a mezzanine level including a plurality of media support members, the mezzanine level being intermediate to a floor level and a media output level; wherein the plurality of media support members move orthogonally relative to a print media path so that a number of finishing processes may be performed on print media accumulated on the number of media support members.

A two different process continued performance type product assembly device may include a punching jig having a punch and configured to ascend and descend, a punching tool located on a lower portion of the punching jig and having a punching die that is located below the punch during a punching work, a fusion tool located on the lower portion of the punching jig and having a fusion horn that is located below the punch during a fusion work, and a tool exchange cylinder configured to push the punching die so that the fusion horn secedes from a position below the punch during the punching work and to pull the punching die so that the fusion horn comes into the position below the punch during the fusion work.