A wire electric discharge machine for machining a workpiece includes a handling device for handling core pieces produced by the machine during the machining of the workpiece and upper and lower wire guiding heads moveable with respect to each other and with respect to the workpiece. The handling device includes a gripper mounted in a fixed or movable relation to the upper wire guiding head. The gripper moves so as to face a produced core piece with its gripper base. The gripper includes a fluid inlet where fluid flow under positive pressure enters the gripper and a fluid outlet at the gripper base where the fluid flow exits the gripper. An interior of the gripper guides the fluid flow, producing a low pressure region at the gripper base as the fluid flow exits, generating lifting force to remove the produced core piece from the workpiece by movement of the gripper.

A method for treating a component and a treated component are provided. The method includes the steps of machining a tapered slot in the component. The tapered slot is measured to determine dimensions. An insert is formed to have a corresponding geometry to the tapered slot with a braze gap between an outer surface of the insert and an inner surface of the tapered slot. A layer of a braze material is deposited on the outer surface of the insert, where a thickness of the layer corresponds to the braze gap. The layer of the braze material on the outer surface of the insert is sintered to fabricate a diffusion layer. The insert is positioned into the tapered slot. The diffusion layer is brazed to join the insert to the taper slot. The treated component includes a surface having a tapered slot, an insert, and a braze joint.

A microfluidic device for separating a sample by chromatography includes diffusion bonded metallic sheets joined together to create a hermetically sealed interface between each adjacent metallic sheet without the introduction of a secondary material. Enclosed within the diffusion bonded sheets is a separation channel accessible by at least one of an inlet or an outlet. The separation channel is packed with micrometer-sized particles serving as a stationary phase in a chromatographic separation. Wetted surfaces of the separation channel include a coating of an organic material at least one monolayer thick.

A microfluidic device for separating a sample by chromatography includes diffusion bonded metallic sheets joined together to create a hermetically sealed interface between each adjacent metallic sheet without the introduction of a secondary material. Enclosed within the diffusion bonded sheets is a separation channel accessible by at least one of an inlet or an outlet. The separation channel is packed with micrometer-sized particles serving as a stationary phase in a chromatographic separation. Wetted surfaces of the separation channel include a coating of an organic material at least one monolayer thick.