Additive manufacturing can involve dispensing a powdered material to form a layer of a powder bed on a support surface of a build platform. A portion of the layer of the powder bed may be selectively melted or fused to form one or more temporary walls out of the fused portion of the layer of the powder bed to contain another portion of the layer of the powder bed on the build platform

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for joining a longitudinal seam in a tube, to an apparatus and method of joining a longitudinal seam in a tube in a borehole, to an apparatus and method of repairing a tube and to a pig. In an aspect an apparatus is provided for joining a longitudinal seam in a tube. The apparatus (200) includes a spool (202) for progressively unwinding a coiled member (10) into an extended form (12). The member (10) transitions from a flat form when coiled (11) to a slit tube form when extended (12), in which form the member is resiliently biased. A joining device (214) is positioned downstream of the spool arranged to provide energy to a portion of the member in its extended form to cause heating so as to progressively join together the longitudinal edges of the slit tube as the member passes the joining device. A longitudinal seam (20) is thereby formed in the tube.

A sheet wrapping material including a metal layer (10), for example, aluminium, can be treated by applying a laser-treatment beam (LB1) to the metal layer (10). The metal layer (10) may be included in a multilayer set with a layer of polymeric material (50), by applying to the metal layer (10) coupled with the layer of polymeric material (50) a further laser-treatment beam (LB2), of a different wavelength, may be applied, to obtain also treatment of the polymeric material (50). The treatment may, for example, include cutting, pre-cutting, and perforation.

A laser ablation marking system for providing an image to a web of packaging material is provided. The marking system includes at least one marking device having at least one laser having a plurality of individually controlled light outputs arranged in the cross-wise direction of the web of packaging material, each light output having a power output of at least 60 W and being configured to emit light to provide laser ablation, and a controller being connected to the marking device and configured to control the light outputs based on the speed of the web of packaging material such that the emitted light will always hit the web of packaging material at the same angle.

The laser irradiation step includes: removing zinc plating layers respectively disposed on the surfaces of the galvanized steel sheets by the laser irradiation; and melting the surfaces of the galvanized steel sheets of which the zinc plating layers have been removed, and the roller pressurizing step includes pressurizing the galvanized steel sheets by the rollers while the surfaces of the galvanized steel sheets that have been melted are in contact with each other such that the galvanized steel sheets are joined together.

Provided is an epoch-making original sheet dividing method in which an original sheet is cut while being conveyed and which enables a continuous operation to be performed for a long period of time without occurrence of burrs at cut end faces, without scattering cutting dust, and without time and effort for component replacement.

The original sheet dividing method is an original sheet dividing method for cutting an original sheet 1 having an active material layer applied to at least one surface of a long metal foil 4, with a laser beam L in a longitudinal direction. The original sheet 1 is continuously moved. While the original sheet 1 is moved, the laser beam L is applied to the original sheet 1 to melt the original sheet 1 at an irradiation point P. At a downstream side of the irradiation point P of the laser beam L, one divided original sheet 1s is pulled upward relative to a feed surface of the original sheet 1, and adjacent another original sheet 1t is pulled downward relative to the feed surface of the original sheet 1, thereby separating the slit original sheets 1s and 1t adjacent to each other at the irradiation point P.

Methods of separating a glass web that is moving at a glass web velocity. The method includes exposing a separation path on the glass web to at least one laser beam spot that moves with a laser beam spot velocity vector that is equal to a glass web velocity vector in a conveyance direction. The method also includes creating a defect on the separation path while the separation path is under thermal stress from the laser beam spot, whereupon the glass web spontaneously separates along the separation path in response to the defect. In further examples, a glass web separation apparatus includes a first reflector that rotates such that a laser beam spot repeatedly passes along a separation path and a second reflector that rotates such that the laser beam spot moves in a conveyance direction of the glass web.

The assembly and welding mill for production of pipes includes a tubular billet feed device with a roller table having a longitudinal axis and passing through the assembly and welding stand with radial hold-down roller beams intended for reduction of a tubular billet that travels along the roller table and a longitudinally oriented guide knife, a carriage with rollers enabling rotation of the rollers on the inner surface of the tubular billet being moved through the assembly and welding stand. On the supporting elements of assembly and welding stand there is a laser welding head or a laser-arc hybrid welding head that can travel in transverse and vertical directions and around longitudinal axis. The carriage is rigidly connected with the supporting elements of the assembly and welding stand through a vertically oriented and longitudinally directed connecting knife. The guide knife is intended for tubular billet positioning through opening of edges at 12 o'clock position and is mounted on the supporting elements of the assembly and welding stand configured to enable vertical travel and fixation. On the carriage, there is a hold-down roller facing upwards that can travel in vertical direction to act on the edges of tubular billet from the inner side, while one of the roller beams is installed vertically that can act on the tubular billet edges from the outer side. Technical result: application of a root weld with laser technologies with guaranteed alignment of tubular billet edges regardless of size.

To optimize equipment and processes to enhance magnetic domain refinement efficiency and to enhance workability to improve processing capability, a method of refining a magnetic domain of a grain-oriented electrical steel plate includes zigzag controlling for transferring the steel plate without being inclined in right and left directions along a production line center, steel plate support roll position adjusting for controlling a position of the steel plate in up and down directions while supporting the steel plate, laser beam irradiating for irradiating a laser beam to a surface of the steel plate to melt the steel plate to form a groove in the surface of the steel plate, and removing for absorbing and removing radiant heat due to reflection of the laser beam irradiated to the surface of the steel plate during the laser beam irradiating.

Additive manufacturing can involve dispensing a powdered material to form a layer of a powder bed on a support surface of a build platform. A portion of the layer of the powder bed may be selectively melted or fused to form one or more temporary walls out of the fused portion of the layer of the powder bed to contain another portion of the layer of the powder bed on the build platform.