Disclosed herein is a method and apparatus for automatic extrudate loading and alignment. An extrudate handling system includes a head end assembly and an imaging device (which may be part of the head end assembly). The imaging device is configured to image an end face of an extrudate, and generate, during translation of the extrudate, an imaging output signal indicative of a rotational position of the end face of the extrudate. The head end assembly includes a rotational effector to rotate the extrudate during translation thereof and a fixed effector rotationally fixed relative to a track. The extrudate handling system is able to determine the rotational position of the web angle of the extrudate and precisely adjust the rotational position while linearly translating the extrudate along the track. The extrudate handling system provides greater accuracy, reduced costs, and improved results.

Honeycomb bodies, honeycomb structures and extrusion dies, including a transition structural component. A honeycomb structure (100) includes a plurality of interconnected webs (106) defining a plurality of cell channels (108) in a honeycomb matrix (109) having a central axis (110) orthogonal to its transverse cross-section. Radial webs (116) diverge outwardly from the central axis (110). Radial webs (116) include a first radial web (150) and a second radial web (152). Tangential webs (120) are arranged concentrically with respect to the central axis (110), wherein at least one of the tangential webs (120) is a tangential transition web (142). At least one transition structural component (140) is located radially inward from the tangential transition web (124) and includes a first inclined web (144) having a first end (144A) coupled to the first radial web (150) and a second inclined web (146) having a first end (146A) coupled to the second radial web (152). Extrusion dies configured to make the honeycomb structures are provided, as are other aspects.

An apparatus and method to machine cavities in die blanks having little to no taper. The apparatus includes an electrode tool (200) including intersecting walls coated with electrically insulating coating (258), an erosion face (204) comprising a cross section of the walls exposed through the electrically insulating coating, and a channel formed by the walls to supply electrolyte to the erosion face, the channels defined by interior surfaces of the walls and having an opening formed by edges of the erosion face. The method includes pulsed electrochemical machining a work piece with the electrode tool.

Ceramic honeycomb extrusion apparatus and a method of extruding a honeycomb body are disclosed. The honeycomb extrusion apparatus and method utilize a homogenizer plate comprising through holes and a screen support plate comprising screen support plate openings and aligned with the through holes.

The honeycomb structure forming die includes a first die in which a central region on the side of a kneaded material discharging surface has a convex region projecting toward a downstream side in an extruding direction of a kneaded material, a ring-shaped second die, and a reticulated member interposed between the first die and the second die. In the first die, first kneaded material introducing holes are formed and latticed first slits are formed on the side of the kneaded material discharging surface of the convex region, and in the second die, there are formed second kneaded material introducing holes and latticed second slits communicating with the second kneaded material introducing holes, and movement of a kneaded material is performed between the first kneaded material introducing hole and the second kneaded material introducing hole through meshes of the reticulated member.

A method for producing a conductive honeycomb structure includes: a forming step of extruding a forming raw material to obtain a honeycomb formed body; a drying step of drying the honeycomb formed body to obtain a honeycomb dried body; and a firing step of firing the honeycomb dried body to obtain a honeycomb fired body. The forming step includes controlling a volume fraction of a portion that can form pores of the honeycomb formed body so that an absolute value of a difference in the volume fraction of the portion that can form the pores in predetermined regions of the honeycomb formed body relative to a previously set, predetermined porosity of the honeycomb fired body is within 0.5%. The predetermined porosity is a porosity preset for each of the predetermined regions of the honeycomb fired body.

A honeycomb structure has a pillar-shaped honeycomb structure body having porous partition walls which defines cells which forms a passage of liquid extended from an inflow end face toward an outflow end face, a circumferential wall arranged to surround a circumference of the partition walls. The honeycomb structure body has an outermost circumference cell structure including a complete cell arranged at the outermost circumference of the honeycomb structure body, a center cell structure formed by the cells arranged at a center part at an inner side to the outermost circumference cell structure, and a boundary wall arranged at a boundary part between the outermost circumference cell structure and the center cell structure. The outermost circumference cell structure and the center cell structure are formed as different structures to each other, and a thickness of the boundary wall is set to be thicker than a thickness of the circumferential wall.

A ceramic formed body extrusion method for forming a ceramic formed body having a wall-shaped or plate-shaped formed portion by using an extrusion die provided with a slit for extrusion of a ceramic formed body from a raw material for forming, the slit including a slit former stage unit located on an upstream side in an extrusion direction in the extrusion and a slit latter stage unit located on a downstream side in the extrusion direction, the slit latter stage unit having a width of three to 27 times a width of the slit former stage unit, and by extruding a raw material containing a first particle having an aspect ratio of two or more and less than 300 such that the raw material passes though the slit former stage unit of the extrusion die and then passes through the slit latter stage unit.

A honeycomb extrusion die assembly (10) comprising a honeycomb extrusion die (701) and a forming plate (800) to block batch flow to at least a portion of a skin forming region. The honeycomb extrusion die (701) comprising a step cut discharge surface (758, 760) in the skin forming region and at least some slots (722) each with a divot (312) spaced toward a discharge surface (710) from a feedhole-slot intersection and a wide portion at the discharge surface (710) extending into the die body to the divot (312) to strengthen a peripheral region of a honeycomb extrudate in a reinforcement region, and a bulk nominal section corresponding to a bulk region of the honeycomb body.

An apparatus and method of manufacturing a porous ceramic segmented honeycomb body (340,340) comprising axial channels (216) extending from a first end face (220) to a second end face (224). A plurality of porous ceramic honeycomb segments (204) is moved axially past respective apertures (110) of an adhesive applying device (100). Adhesive (118) is applied through openings (126) in the adhesive applying device (100) onto peripheral axial surfaces of each porous ceramic honeycomb segment (204). The plurality of porous ceramic honeycomb segments (204) enters a wide opening (318) of a tapered chamber (314) and exits a narrow opening (322) of the tapered chamber (314); a tapered wall (326) from the wide opening (318) to the narrow opening (322) presses the plurality of porous ceramic honeycomb segments (204) together forming the porous ceramic segmented honeycomb body (340,340). The adhesive (118) on the peripheral axial surfaces between respective porous ceramic honeycomb segments (204) is distributed by the pressing.