A method and an apparatus for collecting powder samples in real-time in powder bed fusion additive manufacturing may involves an ingester system for in-process collection and characterizations of powder samples. The collection may be performed periodically and uses the results of characterizations for adjustments in the powder bed fusion process. The ingester system of the present disclosure is capable of packaging powder samples collected in real-time into storage containers serving a multitude purposes of audit, process adjustments or actions.

Techniques and devices are disclosed for fabrication workstation and assembly layout device. The fabrication workstation includes a table with a work surface. The work surface being a continuous surface and configured to support a plurality of components for fabrication of an assembly, such as an assembly of metal components. The device further includes a beam located above the work surface. The beam is operatively coupled to the table, such that the beam moves relative to the work surface in a first direction. A marking device on the beam is configured to move along the beam in a second direction different from the first direction. The marking device is further configured to mark the work surface in the shape of an assembly pattern. Assembly components are positioned on the assembly pattern to be assembled.

The invention relates to machines and methods for the separative machining of a plate-shaped workpieces. The machine includes a first movement device for moving the workpiece in a first direction (X), a second movement device for moving a machining head, which directs the machining beam onto the workpiece, along a second direction (Y), Between workpiece bearing faces there is formed a gap for the passage of the machining beam. In the machine, mutually facing side edges of at least two of the workpiece bearing faces are oriented non-perpendicularly and non-parallel with respect to the first direction (X).

A plate thickness test mechanism includes a detection section that detects an abnormality when a plate thickness is thinner than a desired plate thickness by a predetermined amount or more or thicker than the desired plate thickness by the predetermined amount or more, a determination section that determines whether or not the detection section functions normally, and a plate-shaped test jig that has a first plate portion having a plate thickness thinner than a predetermined specific plate thickness, and a second plate portion having a plate thickness thicker than the specific plate thickness. The determination section determines whether or not a plate thickness test is normally performed on the basis of a detection result of the detection section obtained when the detection section tests the plate thicknesses of the first and second plate portions by taking the desired plate thickness as the specific plate thickness.

A method determines an actual state of a supporting bar for supporting a plate-like workpiece on a machine tool for a cutting the workpiece. The method includes: determining a geometry of supporting projections on the supporting bar by a light section method, which includes: projecting a longitudinal line of light onto a longitudinal side of the supporting bar; with the line of light, scanning the longitudinal side over a height region assigned to the supporting projections in the direction of the height of the supporting bar, detecting the scanned extent of the longitudinal side of the supporting bar to generate an image of the longitudinal side of the supporting bar, and determining the geometry of the supporting projections based on the generated image; and comparing the determined geometry of the supporting projections with the defined intended geometry of the supporting projections.

A stage for cutting a substrate includes: a body member; a plurality of first discharging members, each including a first suction portion in the body member and a first partition wall portion connected to the first suction portion and protruding from a top surface of the body member, each of the first discharging members defining a first space connected to an outside; a plurality of second discharging members, each including a second suction portion in the body member and a second partition wall portion connected to the second suction portion and protruding from the top surface of the body member, each of the second discharging members defining a second space connected to the outside; a plurality of connecting pipes each connected to the first partition wall portion and the second partition wall portion; and a plurality of supply pipes connected to the connecting pipes.

An apparatus for manufacturing a heat exchanger for a vehicle has a plurality of cooling panels bonded to each other by pressing a cooling panel module where the plurality of cooling panels are stacked vertically, including: a fixing portion for supporting top and bottom ends of the cooling panel module; and a pair of elastic portions that are provided between the top or bottom end of the cooling panel module and the fixing portion, and are arranged symmetrically based on a top or bottom surface of the cooling panel module to compress the cooling panel module.

A beam vibrating mechanism vibrates a laser beam in a parallel direction with a cutting advancing direction of a sheet metal. An amplitude amount of the laser beam is Qx, a radius of a first circular region having an area occupying 86% beam energy at a center side of total beam energy in a sectional area of the laser beam on a top surface of the sheet metal is rtop, and a radius of a second circular region having an area occupying 86% beam energy at a center side of total beam energy in a sectional area of the laser beam in a bottom surface of the sheet metal is rbottom. A calculation value Va is expressed by the expression: Va=(Qx+rtop+√{square root over (2)}×rbottom). When a standard deviation of the calculation value Va at a time of cutting sheet metals of a plurality of plate thicknesses is Vasd, a nozzle having a diameter of an opening between a minimum value obtained by 2Va−Vasd, and a maximum value obtained by 2.5 Va+Vasd is used as a nozzle attached to a machining head.

A manipulator device such as a robot arm that is capable of increasing manufacturing throughput for additively manufactured parts, and allows for the manipulation of parts that would be difficult or impossible for a human to move is described. The manipulator can grasp various permanent or temporary additively manufactured manipulation points on a part to enable repositioning or maneuvering of the part.

A processing apparatus is equipped with: a first stage system that has a table on which a workpiece is placed and moves the workpiece held by the table; a beam irradiation system that includes a condensing optical system to emit beams; and a controller to control the first stage system and the beam irradiation system, and processing is performed to a target portion of the workpiece while the table and the beams from the condensing optical system are relatively moved, and at least one of an intensity distribution of the beams at a first plane on an exit surface side of the condensing optical system and an intensity distribution of the beams at a second plane whose position in a direction of an optical axis of the condensing optical system is different from the first plane can be changed.