Work-saving improvements for food-process lines include (1) mounting alternate machines of a food process line on pivot hardware to speed up washing and maintenance operations, (2) mounting the machines on rolling riding gear in order to speed up the activities of building and re-building food process lines of a different series of machines, or (3) isolate the food process line in its own tunnel and hence its own climate-controlled atmosphere to reduce conflicts with running two food process lines side by side where one food process line is a source of air borne allergens.

A control system including a discharge control circuit configured to control an application device such that a coating is discharged from a discharge circuit; a robot control circuit configured to cause an articulated robot to change a position and an orientation of the discharge circuit such that the coating is applied to a workpiece; an application abnormality detection circuit configured to detect an abnormality in an application state of the coating on the basis of at least one of a state of the device or of the robot; an application position calculation circuit configured to calculate an application position of the coating; and an abnormality notification circuit configured to send a notification of a site of an abnormality in the application state on the workpiece on the basis of a detection result of the abnormality in the application state and a calculation result of the application position.

A sealant system for operation with a metal workpiece comprises a frame, a cam assembly mounted to said frame, a sealant reservoir, a sealant application unit connected to said sealant reservoir, and a control module for coordinating operation of said cam assembly and said sealant reservoir, wherein said control module comprises a temperature sensor for monitoring the temperature of said sealant, an integrated heating system for heating said sealant and a controller in communication with said temperature sensor and said integrated heating system.

An installation including an atomizer configured to atomize a fluid, a robot and a first station, the robot being configured to move the atomizer in a predetermined reference frame between at least a first position and a second position, the atomizer being configured to atomize the fluid when the atomizer is in the first position, a distance being defined between the atomizer and the first station, the distance when the atomizer is in the second position being strictly less than the distance when the atomizer is in the first position. The first station includes at least one sensor configured to measure at least one value of a parameter of the atomizer when the atomizer is in the second position.

A resin supply unit of a manufacturing apparatus supplies a resin to a roller surface of an impregnated roller which is capable of rotating at a constant speed. A transport mechanism brings the fiber bundle into contact with the resin on the roller surface and thereby forms a tow prepreg while the fiber bundle is being transported. A fineness acquisition unit acquires as a fineness acquisition value a fineness, which is defined by a mass per unit length of the fiber bundle during conveyance thereof before being brought into contact with the resin. A resin supply amount control unit controls the resin supply amount based on the fineness acquisition value, in a manner so that a resin content of the tow prepreg becomes a target resin content.

A sealant discharging apparatus includes a sealing gun, a movement controller, and a discharge controller. The sealing gun discharges sealant to an object. The movement controller causes the sealing gun and the object to move relatively. The discharge controller controls a discharge amount of the sealant discharged from the sealing gun. The movement controller controls a movement velocity of the sealing gun based on a volume of post-sealing sealant that has been discharged from the sealing gun and used to seal the object, and an amount of volume change in a sealant pool that has been discharged from the sealing gun and is yet to be used to seal the object.

A method of depositing an extrudable substance onto a surface. The method comprises the step of delivering the extrudable substance from a cartridge to a flow-bypass assembly. The method further comprises the step of selectively controlling the flow-bypass assembly to purge air from the extrudable substance before the extrudable substance enters a delivery tube. The method further comprises the step of selectively controlling the flow-bypass assembly to deliver the extrudable substance from the flow-bypass assembly to a valve assembly via the delivery tube. The method further comprises the step of controlling flow of the extrudable substance from the valve assembly to a nozzle.

An apparatus for depositing an extrudable substance onto a surface. The apparatus comprises a bracket, comprising an opening that has a central axis, and a tubular sleeve, coupled to the bracket via the opening and rotatable relative to the bracket about the central axis. The apparatus further comprises a valve assembly, comprising a valve body, fixed to the tubular sleeve and rotatable relative to the bracket together with the tubular sleeve, and a valve, internal to the valve body. The apparatus also comprises a linear actuator, configured to position the valve relative to the valve body. The apparatus further comprises a nozzle, fixed to the valve body and rotatable relative to the bracket together with the valve body.

Described herein is a technique capable of preventing a deterioration in controllability of a gas flow rate in a substrate processing apparatus. According to one aspect thereof a substrate processing apparatus includes: a process furnace including a process chamber; a process gas supply path; a process gas supply controller; a heater configured to heat at least a part of the process gas supply controller or the process gas supply path; a gas box accommodating the process gas supply path, the process gas supply controller and the heater. The gas box includes: an inlet port configured to introduce an outer atmosphere; an exhaust port connected to an exhaust duct and configured to exhaust an inner atmosphere to the exhaust duct; a temperature controller configured to lower and monitor a temperature of the inner atmosphere; and a gas leakage sensor configured to detect the process gas leaked in the gas box.

A slot-die coating apparatus for manufacturing a patterned coating layer (3) on a substrate surface (1s) of a substrate (1) comprises a slot-die coating head (2), a controlled coating fluid supply system (7) and a substrate carrier (6) for carrying the substrate (1). The slot-die coating head (2) comprises an inlet (21) for receiving coating fluid from the coating fluid supply system and a slit-shaped outflow opening (22) that is communicatively coupled to the inlet and has a slit direction. The controlled coating fluid supply system (7) alternately operates in a first mode (M1) to provide for a flow of coating fluid out of the slit-shaped outflow opening (22) for deposition on the substrate surface and in a second mode (M2) wherein a deposition of coating fluid out of the slit-shaped outflow opening (22) on the substrate surface is interrupted (21). The coating head (2) has an internal coating fluid trajectory extending from the inlet (21) to the slit-shaped outflow opening (22). In a stream-downwards order, the coating fluid trajectory comprises a lateral distribution portion (23) to distribute a flow of fluid over said slit direction, a collection channel (24) extending transverse to the stream-downwards direction, and a flow resistive output portion (25). Upon a transition from the first mode (M1) to the second mode (M2) the coating fluid supply system (7) sucks coating fluid from at least one outlet (26) of the slot-die coating head (2) that is communicatively coupled to the collection channel (24).