An unusual kind of wear between machine parts in sliding contact, traceable to environment, is greatly reduced by constituting at least one of the parts of a preferred steel alloy casting consisting essentially of In a specific embodiment, the part is the cam ring of a vane pump obtained by casting the alloy as a centrifugal tube and cutting ring blanks from the end of the tube.

A method of grinding the edge of a disc uses a grinding machine having mounted thereon a grooved grinding wheel, in which the groove is formed in situ using a forming wheel also mounted on the grinding machine. After a workpiece has been ground or after a succession of workpieces have been ground, re-engaging the grinding wheel and the forming wheel with the grinding wheel remaining in situ, to re-form the groove in the grinding wheel to correct for wear. A grinding machine comprises a grinding ...

A rotary printing machine having two doctor blades, a gravity fed ink dispensing mechanism, and a drum cleaning spray system is provided. Ink is applied in excess to one of the doctor blades and excess ink is removed by the other. One of the ink dispensing mechanisms can be removed and replaced while printing is taking place using ink from the other ink dispensing mechanisms.

A coin-operated player-operable entertainment machine has a main display device comprising a matrix of symbol selections with which a main game can be played involving selection and display of symbols. An award is made in correspondence with display of at least one predetermined winning combination of symbols at least one predetermined combination of positions within the matrix. These predetermined combinations of positions may be lines of positions running either vertically, horizontally or dia...

A four-stoke reciprocating internal combustion engine includes the capability to change the distance between the crankshaft axis and the big end of the connecting rod and hence the maximum cylinder displacement within a combustion cycle. This provides for a given inducted volume of gases to be expanded over a greater volume. An exhaust gas aperture is uncovered by the piston towards the end of the expansion stroke. The piston and crankcase space serves as a pre-compression space for superchargin...

A teat locating sensor for use in farming equipment such as robotic milking machines and teat disinfection units. One or more cameras capture an image of the udder. The captured image is processed by applying an edge detector to provide an edge image. A Hough transform is applied for detecting edges using semi-circles and near vertical forms. A feature detector then matches these to provide teat ends and teat sides and thus produces a teat location map. Colour or monochrome cameras can be used a...

A binding machine is provided having a base member with a bifurcated shape in the front side thereof, into which an item can be inserted; a tie feed mechanism that feeds out a tie-like member of a predetermined length in the width direction of the base member so as to transverse an opening formed between the bifurcations of the base member; a tie guide mechanism having a pair of tie guide members capable of moving respectively in the substantially front/rear direction of the base member at the s...

A shredding machine includes a housing which defines a passageway through which a sheet of material to be shredded may pass, a punching mechanism comprising a plurality of punch members, a mechanism to move the punch members from a retracted position in which the punch members are spaced from the passageway to an advanced position in which the punch members extend through the passageway, and a feeding mechanism for feeding the sheet of material through the punching mechanism so that repeated mov...

Control programs for machine tools and industrial machines include programs that control axis motion, and programs, that periodically execute machine sequence control. Both the axis motion control programs and the sequence programs are coded in an NC program format. The controller analyzes the sequence programs created in NC program format, converts them into executable form, and executes the executable-form programs periodically from when power to the machine is turned on until the power is shu...

A molding machine (1) may include first and second dies (13, 23) arranged and constructed to be closed and opened, and first and second trimming members (17, 27) arranged and constructed to engage with each other after the first and second dies are closed. When the first and second dies (13, 23) are closed, a resin based sheet material (S') is pressed so as to form a molded material (S). When the first and second trimming members (17, 27) engage with each other, the molded material (S) is circum...