An exemplary hand-held, power operated rotary knife dermatome comprises a blade housing assembly and a depth gauge assembly. The blade housing assembly includes an annular blade housing and a blade lock ring for rotatably supporting an annular rotary knife blade. The annular blade housing includes a shield extending radially inwardly from a blade receiving body and including an inner wall defining a tissue directing surface, the tissue directing surface including a first tissue guide surface extending upwardly from a lower end of the shield, the first tissue guide surface extending substantially parallel to the blade housing axially extending center line. The blade receiving body includes an annular blade channel extending axially upwardly from a lower surface of the blade receiving body, a bearing surface axially spaced from a lower surface of the blade receiving body, and a threaded portion formed on the outer surface of the annular blade housing.

A system for forming a metal strip into a die having a predetermined shape through a series of forming operations is described herein. The system includes a base configured to support the metal strip as the metal strip undergoes the series of forming operations; a feeding device configured to advance the metal strip between each forming operation of the series of forming operations and grip the metal strip during each forming operation; a bending device configured to bend a portion of the metal strip extending from the feeding device as one of the series of forming operations; a forming head configured to house a pair of forming tools and provide features to the portion of the metal strip extending from the feeding device as one of the series of forming operations using the one or more forming tools; a robotic arm configured to selectively provide the one or more forming tools to the forming head; and a computing unit in communication with the robotic arm and configured to transmit a control signal to cause the robotic arm to retrieve the pair of forming tools and provide the pair of forming tools to the forming head.

A system for forming a metal strip into a die having a predetermined shape through a series of forming operations is described herein. The system includes a base configured to support the metal strip as the metal strip undergoes the series of forming operations; a feeding device configured to advance the metal strip between each forming operation of the series of forming operations and grip the metal strip during each forming operation; a bending device configured to bend a portion of the metal strip extending from the feeding device as one of the series of forming operations; a forming head configured to house a pair of forming tools and provide features to the portion of the metal strip extending from the feeding device as one of the series of forming operations using the one or more forming tools; a robotic arm configured to selectively provide the one or more forming tools to the forming head; and a computing unit in communication with the robotic arm and configured to transmit a control signal to cause the robotic arm to retrieve the pair of forming tools and provide the pair of forming tools to the forming head.

A system for generating rules inserted into at least one pattern board including: a controller configured to generate at least one shape diagram, the controller also configured to determine number and measurement of crease rules to be generated based on the at least one shape diagram; a cutting station configured to receive and cut a first crease rule into the number and measurement of the crease rules; and a sorter configured to receive the crease rules from the cutting station and sort the crease rules according to the measurement of the crease rules, wherein the sorted crease rules are inserted into each of the at least one pattern board along with a cutting rule shaped by each of at least one bender.

An exemplary hand-held, power operated rotary knife dermatome comprises a blade housing assembly and a depth gauge assembly. The blade housing assembly includes an annular blade housing and a blade lock ring for rotatably supporting an annular rotary knife blade. The annular blade housing includes a shield extending radially inwardly from a blade receiving body and including an inner wall defining a tissue directing surface, the tissue directing surface including a first tissue guide surface extending upwardly from a lower end of the shield, the first tissue guide surface extending substantially parallel to the blade housing axially extending center line. The blade receiving body includes an annular blade channel extending axially upwardly from a lower surface of the blade receiving body, a bearing surface axially spaced from a lower surface of the blade receiving body, and a threaded portion formed on the outer surface of the annular blade housing.

A method for performing a design rule check of a computer aided design (CAD) file corresponding to a geometry of a tool for use in a process for making an article from a starting material. Design rules defined to avoid a geometry of the tool documented as causing an inefficiency in a non-printing or non-platemaking operation of the process are stored in a computer. A design rule checking (DRC) module of the computer processes the CAD file relative to the stored design rules, identifies violations, automatically suggests design changes responsive to each violation, receives a user input responsive to suggested design changes, and modifies the CAD file in response to the user input. Non-transitory computer readable media containing code for implementing the method and related CAD systems are also described.

A system for forming a metal strip into a die having a predetermined shape through a series of forming operations is described herein. The system includes a base configured to support the metal strip as the metal strip undergoes the series of forming operations; a feeding device configured to advance the metal strip between each forming operation of the series of forming operations and grip the metal strip during each forming operation; a bending device configured to bend a portion of the metal strip extending from the feeding device as one of the series of forming operations; a forming head configured to house a pair of forming tools and provide features to the portion of the metal strip extending from the feeding device as one of the series of forming operations using the one or more forming tools; a robotic arm configured to selectively provide the one or more forming tools to the forming head; and a computing unit in communication with the robotic arm and configured to transmit a control signal to cause the robotic arm to retrieve the pair of forming tools and provide the pair of forming tools to the forming head.

Method and strip steel knife from a steel strip having a bainite and decarburized surface. The steel strip has a generally rectangular cross-section, and the method includes machining a plurality of beveled surfaces in a region of a longitudinal edge of the steel strip to create at least a cutting surface defining a longitudinal cutting edge; first hardening at least a part of the cutting surface to form a first cutting edge region of the longitudinal cutting edge; smoothing the cutting surface of at least the first cutting edge region toward the longitudinal cutting edge; and at least one further hardening in the first cutting edge region to form a distal cutting edge region of the longitudinal cutting edge within the first cutting edge region having an increased material hardness with respect to the first cutting edge region located outside the distal cutting edge region.

An exemplary hand-held, power operated rotary knife dermatome comprises a blade housing assembly and a depth gauge assembly. The blade housing assembly includes an annular blade housing and a blade lock ring for rotatably supporting an annular rotary knife blade. The annular blade housing includes a shield extending radially inwardly from a blade receiving body and including an inner wall defining a tissue directing surface, the tissue directing surface including a first tissue guide surface extending upwardly from a lower end of the shield, the first tissue guide surface extending substantially parallel to the blade housing axially extending center line. The blade receiving body includes an annular blade channel extending axially upwardly from a lower surface of the blade receiving body, a bearing surface axially spaced from a lower surface of the blade receiving body, and a threaded portion formed on the outer surface of the annular blade housing.

A method for performing a design rule check of a computer aided design (CAD) file corresponding to a geometry of a tool for use in a process for making an article from a starting material. Design rules defined to avoid a geometry of the tool documented as causing an inefficiency in a non-printing or non-platemaking operation of the process are stored in a computer. A design rule checking (DRC) module of the computer processes the CAD file relative to the stored design rules, identifies violations, automatically suggests design changes responsive to each violation, receives a user input responsive to suggested design changes, and modifies the CAD file in response to the user input. Non-transitory computer readable media containing code for implementing the method and related CAD systems are also described.