Resistance spot rivet welding systems, subsystems, and methods of use thereof are provided.

A laser processing device is a device that processes a workpiece using a laser beam, and includes a cutting pallet and a container. The cutting pallet includes a placement unit that supports a lower surface of the workpiece. The container supports the cutting pallet and is capable of storing a transmission inhibition liquid inhibiting transmission of light having a wavelength greater than or equal to 0.7 .Math.m and less than or equal to 10 .Math.m up to a height position of the placement unit.

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.

There is provided an optical axis adjustment jig including a flat parallel-surface plate having an upper surface and a lower surface with reflective films disposed respectively thereon, and an image capturing unit disposed beneath the flat parallel-surface plate for capturing an image of a laser beam applied thereto. The flat parallel-surface plate is made of a material that is transmissive of a wavelength of the laser beam. The laser beam is applied through the flat parallel-surface plate to the image capturing unit. A tilt of the optical axis of the laser beam is detected on the basis of the shape of the beam spot of the laser beam whose image has been captured by the image capturing unit.

A method detects a suspension position of a supporting bar in a pallet, having supporting bars along a longitudinal direction, each with multiple supporting bar tips along a main direction of extent. The supporting bar tips define a supporting plane. A two-dimensional contrast-image dataset of the pallet is created, its pixels being assigned a pixel value and a pixel-area unit of the supporting plane. The contrast-image dataset has regions that are assigned to the supporting bar tips as local pixel-value extremes in a uniform pixel-value background. A longitudinal position is determined in the contrast-image dataset of the regions that are assigned to the supporting bar tips a supporting bar using the local pixel-value extremes. The suspension position of the supporting bar in the pallet is deduced based on the longitudinal position in the contrast-image dataset and an extent of the pixel-area unit in the longitudinal direction.

A mobile waterstop welding apparatus includes a first and second support member for supporting a first and second waterstop section, respectively. The second support member is movable between a loading configuration, a heating configuration, and a welding configuration. In the loading configuration, the first and second support members are spaced apart so that the first and second waterstop sections may be loaded onto the first and second support members. In the heating configuration, the first and second support members are spaced apart so that a heating iron may be placed in-between respective welding ends of the first and second waterstop sections. In the welding configuration, the first and second support members are moved towards each other so as to weld the first and second waterstop sections together at their respective welding ends. During the welding process, a spring assembly may urge the first and second support members towards each other.

A method and an apparatus of a powder bed fusion additive manufacturing system that enables a quick change in the optical beam delivery size and intensity across locations of a print surface for different powdered materials while ensuring high availability of the system. A dynamic optical assembly containing a set of lens assemblies of different magnification ratios and a mechanical assembly may change the magnification ratios as needed. The dynamic optical assembly may include a transitional and rotational position control of the optics to minimize variations of the optical beam sizes across the print surface.

A housing for a laser processing machine is described to treat work pieces. The housing comprises a dividing wall, which separates a first work space having a first length and a second work space having a second length from one another, a first entrance to allow access to the first work space, a second entrance to allow access to the second work space, a closing device, which is configured to selectively open and close the first entrance and the second entrance and a control unit, which is operatively connected to the closing device. The dividing wall is placeable in an operating position, which is variable among at least a first position, a second position and a third position. The control unit is configured to control the closing device as a function of the operating position of the dividing wall.

A skid state determination device is a skid state determination device for determining a state of a plurality of skids for supporting a workpiece to be processed by a laser processing machine, with a supporting surface formed by top points of a plurality of protrusions, and includes: imaging means configured to be able to image at least a part of a skid table provided with the plurality of skids; and state determination means configured to determine the state of the skids based on image information obtained by imaging the skid table with the imaging means, and the state determination means executes: first determination processing for determining the state of the skids based on the image information obtained by imaging the skid table with the imaging means, before the workpiece is carried onto the skid table; and second determination processing for determining the state of the skids based on the image information obtained by imaging the skid table with the imaging means, after the workpiece is carried out from the laser processing machine but before a product obtained by processing the workpiece is carried out from the skid table.

A spacer grid welding fixture comprises a frame sized to receive an assembled spacer grid comprising a first set of parallel straps and a second set of parallel straps oriented orthogonally to the first set of parallel straps, the first and second sets of parallel straps interlocked together by slots cut into the straps. A first set of grid engagement bars is placed on a first side of the spacer grid with each grid engagement bar arranged parallel with the straps of the first set of parallel straps and engaging the straps of the second set of parallel straps. A second set of grid engagement bars is placed on an opposite second side of the spacer grid with each grid engagement bar arranged parallel with the straps of the second set of parallel straps and engaging the straps of the first set of parallel straps.