Rheological measurement systems for use with systems including pressurized polymer melts and/or other viscous materials are described. In one embodiment, a rheometer is connected to an associated system with a bent, curved, or bendable tube to permit the rheometer to measure rheological properties in locations where the rheometer could not otherwise be located due to the presence of obstructions. Embodiments including rigid straight tubes for connecting a rheometer to an associated system are also described. In another embodiment, a flow-through rheometer is connected to an industry standard ½-20 thermowell aperture that is typically used for attaching temperature and pressure probes to a vessel containing a viscous material such as an extruder or injection molding system.

Rheological measurement systems for use with systems including pressurized polymer melts and/or other viscous materials are described. In one embodiment, a rheometer is connected to an associated system with a bent, curved, or bendable tube to permit the rheometer to measure rheological properties in locations where the rheometer could not otherwise be located due to the presence of obstructions. Embodiments including rigid straight tubes for connecting a rheometer to an associated system are also described. In another embodiment, a flow-through rheometer is connected to an industry standard ½-20 thermowell aperture that is typically used for attaching temperature and pressure probes to a vessel containing a viscous material such as an extruder or injection molding system.

A dispatch system and a dispatch method for manufacturing mold are provided. The dispatch system includes a control unit, a mold material storage unit, a processing cutter storage unit, an object pick-and-place and transfer unit, a mold processing unit and a mold product storage unit. The mold material storage unit includes many unprocessed mold materials. The processing cutter storage unit includes many processing cutters. The object pick-and-place and transfer unit is electrically connected to the control unit and disposed between the mold material storage unit and the processing cutter storage unit. One of the unprocessed mold materials and one of the processing cutters are transferred to the mold processing unit by the object pick-and-place and transfer unit, the unprocessed mold material is processed to form a mold product by the mold processing unit, and the mold product is transferred to the mold product storage unit.

A method, medium, and system to receive an indication of an assembly including a plurality of different components to produce by additive manufacturing (AM), determine based on a forward search process that starts with individual components of the plurality of components and iteratively adds other components of the plurality of components thereto in combinations until an entirety of the assembly is accounted for, determine based on a reverse search process that starts with the entirety of the assembly and iteratively removes components of the plurality of components therefrom in combinations until a two-component set is reached, automatically select an optimal combination of the plurality of components from the combinations determined by the forward search and reverse search processes; and transmit the selection of the optimal combination of the plurality of components to an AM controller.

The present invention an imprint apparatus which performs an imprint process of forming a pattern in an imprint material on a substrate using a mold, the apparatus including an image capturing unit configured to obtain an image by capturing the substrate, and a processing unit configured to perform detection processing of detecting a foreign particle present between the mold and the substrate, wherein the processing unit performs the detection processing by comparing, with a reference image, an image obtained by the image capturing unit in a state in which the mold and the imprint material on the substrate are in contact with each other, and when the image includes a region outside the substrate, the region outside the substrate is excluded from a target of the detection processing.

Plastic flooring having registration system contains: an electronic control unit electrically connected with roller equipment and the registration system, the roller equipment is configured to deliver a substrate, a printing layer, and an abrasion resistance layer toward a rolling device. The rolling device includes a fourth roller set having pressing patterns identical to surface patterns of the printing layer, and the registration system has a first sensor, a tension regulator, and a second sensor. The first sensor is disposed on a delivery path of the printing layer which corresponds to the first sensor and has multiple positioning points. A length between a first positioning point and a second positioning point depends on a perimeter of the fourth roller set so as to form a print unit, and the first sensor is configured to sense the multiple positioning points and to transmit sensed signals to the electronic control unit.

A method is provided for fabricating a composite ply layup with a desired shape. The method includes moving a shuttle having a sheet of elastic material into engagement with at least one composite ply at a ply pickup station, and picking up the at least one composite ply with the shuttle. The method also includes transporting the shuttle and the at least one composite ply from the ply pickup station to a forming station, and moving the shuttle and the at least one composite ply into engagement with a forming tool at the forming station or any previously laid plies on the forming tool. The method further includes compacting the at least one composite ply on the forming tool or any previously laid plies on the forming tool with the shuttle to form the composite ply layup with the desired shape.

Systems, methods, apparatus, and articles of manufacture for automated composite layup quality assurance.

A method for expanding an end of a pipe made of plastics having shape memory with the aid of an expander tool having a tool head having an expansion member arranged to be insertable inside the end of the pipe. The method includes steps of measuring the temperature of the pipe to be expanded, adjusting at least one of the expansion control parameters of the tool head on the basis the measured temperature of the pipe, and expanding the end of the pipe utilizing the adjusted expansion control parameter of the tool head. The expander tool includes a temperature sensor for measuring temperature of the pipe to be expanded and/or ambient temperature, and an electronic control unit for adjusting at least one of the expansion control parameters of the tool head on the basis the measured temperature value.

A method of transferring a flexible layer to a substrate makes use of a partial bulge in the flexible layer, which does not make contact with the substrate. The partial bulge advances to the location of an alignment marker on the substrate. When alignment adjustments are needed, they are made with the partial bulge in place so that more reproducible positioning is possible when fully advancing the flexible layer against the substrate.