An element manufacturing method for a transmission belt of a continuously variable transmission having a thick wall portion and a thin wall portion formed by sequentially feeding a material having a strip shape with a uniform thickness to each press position and performing press working on the material at the press position. The method includes, as the press working performed at the press position: a preliminary punching step in which a portion other than a connecting portion is cut off from surrounding material and the cut off portion is punched so as not to overlap with the surrounding material in a plate thickness direction; a crushing step of compressing and crushing a region of the thin walled cut off portion, after the preliminary punching step; and a punching step of punching the cutting off portion into an outer shape corresponding to the element, after the crushing step.

A localized annealing process and a part having localized areas with increased ductility produced by the process. The part is formed of hard material, tempered, and/or otherwise hardened such that it meets minimum hardness and ductility requirements. The part further includes localized areas that have increased ductility for workability, which could include various types of deformation. The localized annealing process includes providing a part with low levels of ductility and then annealing localized areas of the part for increased ductility that will need to be machined or attached to another formed part. The annealing process includes placing an electrode on either side of the localized area and generating electricity through the localized area. The material in the localized area is then heated from the electricity to form a more ductile physical structure.

A spacer structure for a sandwich construction, formed from a material web which is provided with a plurality of cuts and which has a material web plane as a first plane, wherein, by forming the material web, at least one support platform is formed in portions which is spaced at a distance from the first plane and is arranged in a second plane. Spacing elements run along a direction of extent (Ε) from the first plane into the second plane in the transition zone from the first plane into the second plane and thus the spacing elements space the first plane apart from the support platform, the spacing elements having a twist about the direction of extent thereof along the direction of extent thereof (Ε), the twist being formed by the shaping of the material web being performed as bending.

A spacer structure for a sandwich construction, formed from a material web which is provided with a plurality of cuts and which has a material web plane as a first plane, wherein, by forming the material web, at least one support platform is formed in portions which is spaced at a distance from the first plane and is arranged in a second plane. Spacing elements run along a direction of extent (Ε) from the first plane into the second plane in the transition zone from the first plane into the second plane and thus the spacing elements space the first plane apart from the support platform, the spacing elements having a twist about the direction of extent thereof along the direction of extent thereof (Ε), the twist being formed by the shaping of the material web being performed as bending.

A fin manufacturing apparatus includes: a progressive pressing device that forms, by forming in a metal plate having thermal conductivity a plurality of openings for tube-insertion and a plurality of slits while leaving uncut portions, strips that each have openings along a longitudinal direction of the strip and are partially coupled to each other in a width direction; an inter-row cutting device that separates, by cutting the portions via which the strips are coupled to each other, the strips such that each strip has a width of the fin; a cutoff device that cuts the separated strips to a predetermined length; and a guiding device between the inter-row cutting device and an inter-row slit device that guides and supplies, to the inter-row cutting device, the strips that are partially coupled to each other in the width direction, are arranged in the width direction, and are conveyed in the longitudinal direction.

A method for stamping and stacking sheet metal parts to form lamination stacks is disclosed. In order to facilitate the separation of joined sheet metal parts into lamination stacks, a second stamping-out of at least one second sheet metal part is performed in a step preceding the first stamping-out, as well as a pushing-back of the separating element into a region of the electrical steel strip from which the second sheet metal part has been stamped and a pushing-out of the separating element from the electrical steel strip with the first stamping-out.

There is provided a method of manufacturing washers with improved material yield. The method includes: a preparing step of preparing a material having a panel shape; a first cutting-out step of cutting out a first thrust washer having a substantially arc shape from the material; and a second cutting-out step of cutting out a second thrust washer from a portion of the material in contact with a portion from which the first thrust washer is cut out.

There is provided a method of manufacturing washers with improved material yield. The method includes: a preparing step of preparing a material having a panel shape; a first cutting-out step of cutting out a first thrust washer having a substantially arc shape from the material; and a second cutting-out step of cutting out a second thrust washer from a portion of the material in contact with a portion from which the first thrust washer is cut out.

A material including a metal sheet, a first plurality of raised and pointed structures, and a second plurality of raised and pointed structures is provided. The metal sheet includes first and second opposed sides, and a thickness between the first and second opposed sides. The first plurality of raised and pointed structures are gouged out of the first side of the metal sheet. The sheet is not perforated, and the raised and pointed structures of the first plurality have a height of between 150% and 300% of the thickness. The second plurality of raised and pointed structures are gouged out of the second side of the metal sheet.

A material including a metal sheet, a first plurality of raised and pointed structures, and a second plurality of raised and pointed structures is provided. The metal sheet includes first and second opposed sides, and a thickness between the first and second opposed sides. The first plurality of raised and pointed structures are gouged out of the first side of the metal sheet. The sheet is not perforated, and the raised and pointed structures of the first plurality have a height of between 150% and 300% of the thickness. The second plurality of raised and pointed structures are gouged out of the second side of the metal sheet.