A drilling apparatus and method for drilling holes into a composite workpiece. The drilling apparatus may include an end effector, a drill bit, and a control system. The end effector may include an end effector housing, a drill bit attachment, a rotation actuator, and a linear motion actuator. The linear motion actuator may convert rotary motion of a rotary motor into linear motion of the drill bit attachment. The drill bit may have a widest portion which cuts a hole into the workpiece and a narrow flute portion limiting contact time between the drill bit and the workpiece. The control system may control a speed of the linear motion actuator, with a first speed as the drill bit is plunged into the workpiece and a second speed, slower than the first speed, as the drill bit is retracted out of the workpiece.

A drilling apparatus and method for drilling holes into a composite workpiece. The drilling apparatus may include an end effector, a drill bit, and a control system. The end effector may include an end effector housing, a drill bit attachment, a rotation actuator, and a linear motion actuator. The linear motion actuator may convert rotary motion of a rotary motor into linear motion of the drill bit attachment. The drill bit may have a widest portion which cuts a hole into the workpiece and a narrow flute portion limiting contact time between the drill bit and the workpiece. The control system may control a speed of the linear motion actuator, with a first speed as the drill bit is plunged into the workpiece and a second speed, slower than the first speed, as the drill bit is retracted out of the workpiece.

Many garments made of denim material have factory created one or more discontinuities exposing a group of parallel threads and referred to as distressed denim. Sometimes, some or all of these threads become torn or rips or tears occur in the denim garment to create a discontinuity. A patch to cover the discontinuity is made of a plurality of side by side threads attached to one side of an adhesive panel and fabric material is attached to the other side of the adhesive panel. A plurality of adhesive strips essentially circumscribing the discontinuity adhere the patch to the rear side of the denim material and expose the threads through the discontinuity.

In order to improve the machining freedom of a workpiece while suppressing a cost increase, a tool rest for a machine tool includes a cutting tool holder having a plurality of parallel cutting tool fixing grooves to which a shank of a cutting tool can be fixed, and a tool holder that holds a tool for machining a workpiece gripped by a spindle that is capable of rotating about a spindle axis AX0. The tool holder includes a shaft part that is fixed to the cutting tool fixing groove, and a holding part. The holding part holds, as the tool that performs machining about a machining axis AX4, at least one of a rotary tool and a non-rotary tool in which the machining axis AX4 extends along the spindle axis AX0.

The machine tool comprises a headstock provided with a main spindle; a driving unit which moves the headstock in a main spindle axial direction and has a feed mechanism extended in the main spindle axial direction and a front end supporter which rotatably supports a front end of the feed mechanism; a first front cover mounted on the headstock in a first position between the main spindle and the feed mechanism with respect to a diameter direction from a main spindle axis toward the feed mechanism; and a second front cover mounted on the front end supporter in a second position between the main spindle and the feed mechanism. Part of the feed mechanism is covered by both of the first front cover and the second front cover when at least part of the first front cover is on the rear side of the second front cover.

The machine tool comprises a headstock provided with a main spindle; a driving unit which moves the headstock in a main spindle axial direction and has a feed mechanism extended in the main spindle axial direction and a front end supporter which rotatably supports a front end of the feed mechanism; a first front cover mounted on the headstock in a first position between the main spindle and the feed mechanism with respect to a diameter direction from a main spindle axis toward the feed mechanism; and a second front cover mounted on the front end supporter in a second position between the main spindle and the feed mechanism. Part of the feed mechanism is covered by both of the first front cover and the second front cover when at least part of the first front cover is on the rear side of the second front cover.

Apparatus and methods for creating multi-layered lightly-laminated provide films with increased or maintained strength. An increased level of strength is achieved by bonding adjacent layers of the multi-layer film together in a manner that the bond strength of the laminated layers is less than a strength of a weakest tear resistance of the individual first and second film layers. The inventors have surprisingly found that such a configuration of light bonding provides increased and unexpected strength properties to the multi-layer film as compared to a monolayer film of equal thickness or a multi-layer film in which the plurality of layers are tightly bonded together.

A machine tool comprising: a first spindle; a second spindle provided on a rear headstock to face the first spindle; a barstock supply unit for supplying an elongate rod to the first spindle; and a processing means including a tool for processing the barstock, characterized in that the machine tool further comprises: a workpiece clamp device provided on the rear headstock and adapted to grip a second material comprised of the barstock that has been removed from the first spindle as an old material; and a joining means for joining opposite end portions of the second material gripped by the workpiece clamp device and of a first material gripped by the first gripping means and comprised of a barstock newly supplied by the barstock supply unit, thereby to integrate the second material and the first material into a single barstock.

The invention provides a machine tool eliminating the need of keeping the removed feed-mechanism-protection cover outside the machine. The machine tool comprises a headstock provided with a main spindle for gripping a workpiece; a driving unit provided with a feed mechanism extended along a main spindle axis to move the headstock in a main spindle axial direction; a supporting bed provided with a guide bush in a removable manner; a first cover mounted on the headstock to protect a portion of the feed mechanism with respect to the main spindle axial direction; and a second cover removably mounted on the headstock on the front side of the first cover to protect another portion of the feed mechanism. The second cover is detachably attached to the first cover when removed from the headstock.

The invention provides a machine tool eliminating the need of keeping the removed feed-mechanism-protection cover outside the machine. The machine tool comprises a headstock provided with a main spindle for gripping a workpiece; a driving unit provided with a feed mechanism extended along a main spindle axis to move the headstock in a main spindle axial direction; a supporting bed provided with a guide bush in a removable manner; a first cover mounted on the headstock to protect a portion of the feed mechanism with respect to the main spindle axial direction; and a second cover removably mounted on the headstock on the front side of the first cover to protect another portion of the feed mechanism. The second cover is detachably attached to the first cover when removed from the headstock.