An object is to provide a thermoplastic tube bending method that suppresses springback after the processing by a highly safe and short bending step. The thermoplastic tube bending method includes a step S1 of preheating the thermoplastic tube, a step S2 of bending the preheated thermoplastic tube by using a forming mold, and a step S3 of forming the bent thermoplastic tube by temperature control of an electric heater provided to the forming mold.

An imprint apparatus for performing an imprint process of forming a pattern of an imprint material on a substrate using a mold is disclosed. The imprint apparatus includes an adjustment unit configured to adjust a shape of the mold and a control unit configured to control the imprint process. The control unit obtains information indicating a tendency concerning a change of the shape of the mold corresponding to a use count of the mold used for the imprint process and controls the adjustment unit to correct the shape of the mold in accordance with the obtained information and a present use count of the mold. The control unit also controls the imprint apparatus to perform the imprint process after the shape of the mold has been corrected by the adjustment unit.

A method for repairing a part during layer-by-layer additive manufacturing using an additive manufacturing machine. The additive manufacturing being material extrusion printing, and the method including the following steps a) depositing at least one layer of material on a support (2) for manufacturing the part (P), b) detecting at least one missing material defect, if one or more defects of this type are present on said at least one layer, c) repairing said at least one missing material defect by adding material, and d) repeating steps a), b) and optionally c) until the part (P) is produced.

An apparatus for processing a consolidated stack of fiber reinforced plies, comprising an inspection device, in particular an optical inspection device, arranged to inspect a consolidation state of the stack of fiber reinforced plies, and a handling device arranged to make at least an outer surface of the stack of fiber reinforced plies available for inspection by the inspection device.

Provided are a method for producing a carbon fiber-reinforced molding material including a step of detecting the presence of metal in a molding material by a magnetic sensor-type metal detection method, and a method for producing a molded article including subjecting the carbon fiber-reinforced molding material produced by the production method to hot press molding. The method for producing a carbon fiber-reinforced molding material involves accurately detecting foreign metal in the carbon fiber-reinforced molding material and efficiently produces a carbon fiber-reinforced molding material without damaging a mold or causing other problems. The production method is thus suitably used to produce various molded articles, such as automobile parts.

The present invention provides an imprint apparatus including a holding member configured to hold the mold, a spring member configured to connect the holding member to a base unit that supports the holding member, a driving unit provided between the holding member and the base unit and configured to drive the holding member in a vertical direction with respect to the base unit, and a regulating surface configured to regulate, in a vertical range in which the holding member is driven by the driving unit, a driving end on a side that is towards the base unit, wherein the driving unit performs a driving for pressing the holding member against the regulating surface, and in the driving, generates heat while pressing the holding member against the regulating surface.

A resin detection system for closing an automated valve to prevent resin entering a vacuum line portion of an outlet line is described. The resin detection system comprises a support (300) to a pneumatically-actuated device (320), a capacitive sensor (380) and a valve (410) are mounted. The sensor is configured to provide at least one signal indicative of the presence of resin in the outlet line which is used to close the valve automatically once the presence of resin is sensed by the capacitive sensor. The resin detection system forms part of an injection moulding apparatus and receives signals from a processor thereof to ensure that, if too much resin is injected, the valve is automatically closed even in the event that the sensor does not detect the presence of resin in the outlet line.

An example system is configured to photocure a photocurable material to form a polymer film. The system includes a first chuck configured to support a first substantially planar mold, a second chuck configured to support a second substantially planar mold, and an actuable stage coupled to the first chuck and/or the second chuck. The actuable stage is configured to position the first chuck and/or the second chuck so that the first and second molds are separated by a gap. The system also includes a sensor arrangement for obtaining measurement information indicative of a distance between the first and second molds and/or a pressure between the first and second chucks at each of at least three locations. The system also includes a control module configured control the gap between the first and second molds based on the measurement information.

A method includes attaching a clip array to opposing edges of a polymer thin film, the clip array having a plurality of first clips slidably disposed on a first track located proximate to a first edge of the polymer thin film and a plurality of second clips slidably disposed on a second track located proximate to a second edge of the polymer thin film, applying a positive in-plane strain to the polymer thin film along a transverse direction by increasing a distance between the first clips and the second clips, and decreasing an inter-clip spacing amongst the first clips and amongst the second clips along a machine direction while applying the in-plane strain to form an optically anisotropic polymer thin film.

An imprint apparatus that forms a pattern by imprinting an imprint material on a substrate using an original, includes: an original support unit; a substrate support unit; a driving unit relatively driving the original support unit and the substrate support unit; a detection unit detecting a first alignment mark of the original and a second alignment mark of the substrate; a position adjustment unit adjusting a relative position between the original and the detection unit; and a control unit controlling the position adjustment unit to adjust a relative position between the original and the detection unit based on a position of the first alignment mark detected by the detection unit in a field of view of the detection unit during imprinting, and perform an alignment between the substrate and the original by the driving unit based on the first and second alignment marks detected by the detection unit.