A method of manufacturing a wind turbine blade shell part is described. Fibre mats and a root end insert are laid up in a mould part in a layup procedure by use of an automated layup system. The fibre mats are laid up by use of a buffer so that the fibre mats may continuously be laid up on the mould surface, also during a cutting procedure. The root end insert is prepared in advance and mounted on a mounting plate. The root end insert is lowered onto the mould by use of the mounting plate and a lowering mechanism. After the wind turbine blade shell has been moulded, the mounting plate is removed.

Manufacturing and assembly of a shoe or a portion of a shoe is enhanced by automated placement and assembly of shoe parts. For example, a part-recognition system analyzes an image of a shoe part to identify the part and determine a location of the part. Once the part is identified and located, the part can be manipulated by an automated manufacturing tool.

A welder for constructing and welding plastic fenestration structures, including parts storage bins structured to store and support parts to be assembled to create the plastic fenestration structures; wheels that receive the parts from the parts storage bins; aligners that position the parts relative to one another; heating plates that apply heat to ends of the parts thereby rendering at least a portion of the ends of the parts molten; parts shifters operably shiftable between a first position adjacent the wheels and a second position remotely located from the wheels that shift the parts to a fusing position in which adjacent parts are abutted together at a fusing station to produce the plastic fenestration structure; and at least one cooling station at which the plastic fenestration structure is held.

In one embodiment, a method includes fastening a plurality of components of a composite structure in an assembly fixture, wherein the assembly fixture comprises a plurality of strands of a fiber-reinforced thermoplastic material, wherein the fiber-reinforced thermoplastic material comprises a thermoplastic embedded with a plurality of reinforcement fibers, wherein the plurality of reinforcement fibers is aligned within each strand of the plurality of strands, and wherein the assembly fixture further comprises an anisotropic thermal expansion property based on an orientation of the plurality of reinforcement fibers within the assembly fixture; and heating the assembly fixture in an autoclave to bond the plurality of components of the composite structure.

A machine for converting two different types of webs of inflatable material to two different types of inflated cushioning material includes an inflation arrangement, a sealing arrangement, and a tensioning device. The inflation arrangement is configured to provide air at a lower pressure to a first web of a first type of inflatable material to inflate the first type of inflatable material, and to provide air at a higher pressure to a second type of inflatable material to inflate the second type of inflatable material. The inflation arrangement includes a guide pin configured to the first and second webs and align the first and second webs on the machine. The sealing arrangement is configured to seal the first type of inflatable material and the second type of inflatable material to create the two different types of inflated cushioning material. The tensioning device is configured to provide a lower tensioning force to the first web as the first web moves between the inflation arrangement and the sealing arrangement, and to provide a higher tensioning force to the second web as the second web moves between the inflation arrangement and the sealing arrangement.

A device for joining a lens to a housing of a lighting device of a motor vehicle, having a receptacle device for accommodating and securing the housing, a pre-centering device for aligning and clamping the lens on the housing during an alignment procedure, and having a holding device for accommodating the lens after the alignment procedure and for holding the lens during an adjustment process, wherein the holding device is releasably attached to the pre-centering device by fastening elements during the alignment operation, and wherein the pre-centering device, together with the accommodated lens and the holding device attached to the pre-centering device is movable relative to the receptacle device during the alignment procedure such that the lens and the holding device can be aligned on the housing accommodated in the receptacle device.

A method for bonding a contact surface of a first substrate to a contact surface of a second substrate comprising of the steps of: positioning the first substrate on a first receiving surface of a first receiving apparatus and positioning the second substrate on a second receiving surface of a second receiving apparatus; establishing contact of the contact surfaces at a bond initiation site; and bonding the first substrate to the second substrate along a bonding wave which is travelling from the bond initiation site to the side edges of the substrates, wherein the first substrate and/or the second substrate is/are deformed for alignment of the contact surfaces.

A method for joining a lens to a housing of a lighting device of a motor vehicle, in which the housing is accommodated and secured in a receptacle device. The method includes accommodating the lens in a pre-centering device, aligning the lens towards the housing during an alignment procedure and accommodating the lens by a holding device after the alignment procedure. The method further includes holding the lens by the holding device during a subsequent joining process, releasably attaching the holding device to the pre-centering device, aligning, via fastening elements, during the alignment procedure and moving the accommodated lens and the holding device attached to the pre-centering device relative to the receptacle device such that the lens and the holding device are aligned on the housing accommodated in the receptacle device.

A system for treating a deep abdominal wound. The system includes a wound dressing. The wound dressing includes a visceral-protective layer, a compressive layer, and a sealing layer. The visceral-protective layer is configured to be positioned in an open abdomen. The compressive layer is configured to be disposed proximate to the visceral-protective layer. The compressive layer includes a pattern of voids configured for anisotropic collapse of the compressive layer when under negative pressure. The sealing layer is configured to form a sealed space in the open abdomen. A negative pressure source configured to provide negative pressure to the compressive layer.

Provided is a tube joining apparatus that allows a user to easily and properly set tubes to be joined, and can prevent occurrence of joining failures due to tube setting errors. A tube joining apparatus 1 includes a housing 10, a lid 22 relatively movable toward and away from the housing, a tube holding part 23 that holds a first tube T1 and a second tube T2 individually in a state of being placed side by side in an oblique direction D1 with respect to a height direction Z of the housing, and a tube pressing part 25 that presses the first tube and the second tube against each other as the lid relatively moves toward the housing.