A system and method for registration of rotary drive shaft in a high-torque environment. The system utilizes a pair of connected harmonic drives to allow the clocking or registration of the rotary drive shaft without backlash and without requiring gearing changes as a result of a single harmonic drive. The pair of connected harmonic drives is coupled together by a tandem coupling.

A cutting tool includes a pipe, a pressing foot assembly, a spring, and a blade assembly. The pressing foot assembly is slidably sheathed on an end of the pipe. The spring is sheathed on the pipe. An end of the spring abuts against the pipe, and the other end of the spring abuts against the pressing foot assembly. The blade assembly passes through the pipe and the pressing foot assembly in a slidable manner. When the cutting tool moves along a first direction, the pressing foot assembly keeps pressing against an object in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction, such that the blade assembly protrudes from the pressing foot assembly and cuts the object along the first direction.

Disclosed are modularized garment manufacturing method and system for small quantity batch production of garments. Basic components constituting an ordered garment are generated by analyzing shape graphic data of the ordered garment. For each basic component, basic patterns are generated for each dimension of the ordered garment. The basic patterns are compared with reference garment patterns stored in a garment pattern database to determine a pattern category of each basic pattern. Based on the pattern category of the basic patterns and information on garment production lines currently in operation, subdivided work modules are determined for each basic pattern. A configuration of modular sewing process lines, which include module processing lines for manufacturing the working modules and component-joining process lines for completing production of the ordered garment by joining the basic pattern products produced in each module processing line, is designed based on operation information of a garment production line.

Apparatus for positioning a sub component on a consumable unit for use with an inhalation device including a machine tray support for locating a machine tray of consumable units arranged in an array; a clamp holding a support web including an array of sub components in a position above the machine tray support; and a punch having protrusions configured to engage the array of sub components by displacement of the punch toward the machine tray support to separate the sub components from the support web and locate the sub components on the consumable units, wherein the protrusions include a first protrusion having a first height and a second protrusion having a second height, the second height being greater than the first height, so that the second protrusion engages a sub component before the first protrusion engages a sub component when the punch moves toward the machine tray support.

A manufacturing frame comprises one or more alignment tabs. Each alignment tab comprises an alignment element. The alignment element interacts with a corresponding alignment element at a manufacturing station to identify to the manufacturing station the position and orientation of the frame. The frame supports a flexible material in a known position and orientation relative to the frame, allowing the manufacturing station to infer the position and orientation of the flexible material on the frame from the interaction of the alignment elements on the frame and the manufacturing station.

A punching/perforation machine creates a predefined punching/perforation pattern in a material that is supplied in a direction of travel. The machine comprises a punching/perforation tool that includes an upper tool part which can be moved in a direction of stroke and which is equipped with a plurality of punching dies/perforation needles that are arranged in a predefined grid in a transverse direction and can be moved by a pressure beam that is operatively connected to a drive unit via a control device in order to produce a punching/perforation stroke. The material is supplied between the upper tool part and a lower tool part. The material is placed or clamped in a frame mechanism. The punching/perforation machine includes a frame accommodation/connection device for accommodating/connecting the frame mechanism, and the frame mechanism containing the material is supplied between the upper tool part and the lower tool part.

A positioning device (38) for holding a flat flexible part, especially a sheet, on a positioning surface (46) is presented. It comprises a body (44) having a suction opening (50) for aspiring the part and a fluid port (52) being in fluid communication with the suction opening (50). Furthermore, an abutment protrusion (60) is provided on a connection surface (48) for abutting the positioning device (38) against a base part (28) to which it may be mounted. Also a sealing protrusion (64) is arranged on the connection surface (48) for compressing a gasket (42) being interposed between the positioning device (38) and the base part (28). A height (H.sub.a) of the abutment protrusion (60) is bigger than a height (H.sub.s) of the sealing protrusion (64). Additionally, a positioning assembly (24) is presented which comprises at least one such positioning device (38). Furthermore, a sheet material processing machine comprising at least one such positioning assembly (24) is introduced.

A sheet processing device has a moveable beam (36) that moves in the vertical direction, a gripper bar (30) for gripping a sheet that travels through the sheet processing device (10), and a gripper bar locking device (40) that can lock the gripper bar (30) in a precise position. The gripper bar locking device (40) has a locking lever (68) that is pivoting between a rest position and a locking position. The locking lever (68) is connected to a vertical linear guide coupled with the moveable beam (36) resulting in a precise, compact and simple system to lock the gripper bar.

Discussed is an apparatus for notching an electrode sheet, the apparatus including a transfer unit having first and second transfer rollers provided on a bottom surface of the electrode sheet to transfer the electrode sheet at regular intervals, a jig unit provided below the electrode sheet, and supporting the bottom surface of the non-coating portion and a notching unit provided above the electrode sheet to notch the non-coating portion supported on the jig unit to provide the electrode tab, wherein the jig unit includes a rotation member provided between the first and second transfer rollers and rotated in a direction perpendicular to a transfer direction of the electrode sheet, two or more jigs provided on an outer circumferential surface of the rotation member to alternately support the non-coating portion disposed between the first and second transfer rollers when the rotation member is rotated.

Described herein is an array of finished products, each finished product in said array may have a Percent Compressibility of greater than 3.00% and an actual length ranging from about 10.955 inches to about 11.045 inches. The finished products may be paper towels, where the actual length is different for at least two finished products of the array and where at least one of the finished products of the array of finished products may comprise a protruding core and where at least one of the finished products may comprise a hidden core, and where each of the finished products are in a package.