1. A wire saw for cutting a workpiece, comprising:
a wire;
an applicator device for applying a slurry to the wire; and
a device for establishing a predetermined water content in at least part of a gaseous medium coming into contact with the slurry.
2. A wire saw according to claim 1, further comprising a housing which separates at least a portion of the wire saw from the environment, in such a manner that the water content of gaseous medium in this portion can be controlled independently of the water content outside this portion of the wire saw.
3. A wire saw according to claim 1, further comprising a device for moving the gaseous medium within the wire saw.
4. A wire saw according to claim 2, wherein the portion of the wire saw in which the water content of the gaseous medium is controlled includes a region in which the workpiece is cut when the wire saw is operating.
5. A wire saw according to claim 1, further comprising:
a collection apparatus for collecting the slurry applied to the wire during operation; and
a recirculation device for recirculating the slurry collected by the collection apparatus.
6. A wire saw according to claim 5, wherein the device for establishing the water content of at least one part the gaseous medium is arranged to control the water content in the region of the recirculation device.
7. A wire saw according to claim 1, further comprising a device for controlling the temperature of the gaseous medium in the wire saw.
8. A wire saw according to claim 1, further comprising at least one monitoring device for monitoring at least one parameter, and wherein the device for establishing the water content of the gaseous medium comprises a device for controlling the water content based on said monitored parameter.
9. A process for cutting a workpiece, comprising:
wire sawing the workpiece with a wire saw;
applying a water-containing slurry to the wire during sawing; and
establishing a predetermined water content of at least part of a gaseous medium coming into contact with the slurry during at least one stage of the process.
10. A process according to claim 9, further comprising circulating the gaseous medium within the wire saw.
11. A process according to claim 9, further comprising circulating the slurry within the wire saw.
12. A process according to claim 9, wherein the water content of the gaseous medium in a cutting region in which the workpiece is cut is controlled to a value in the range from 7-17 gm3 during at least a part of the operating time of the process.
13. A process according to claim 9, wherein the water content of the gaseous medium in a cutting region in which the workpiece is cut is controlled to a value in the range from 11-15 gm3 during at least a part of the operating time of the process.
14. A process according to claim 9, wherein the water content of the gaseous medium in a cutting region in which the workpiece is cut is controlled to a value of less than approximately 5 gm3 during at least a part of the operating time of the process.
15. A process according to claim 9, in which the water content of the gaseous medium is controlled variably as a function of at least one measured parameter of the process.
16. A process according to claim 15, wherein the measured parameter comprises the density andor viscosity of the slurry.
17. A process according to claim 9, wherein the water content of the gaseous medium is kept on a predetermined desired curve, which is dependent on the duration of use of the slurry.
18. A process according to claim 9, further comprising controlling the temperature of the gaseous medium.
19. A slurry for use in a wire saw, the slurry having a dynamic viscosity of less than approximately 220 mPas, and wherein the dynamic viscosity in the shear rate range from 2 s\u22121 to 34 s\u22121 is substantially independent of the shear rate.
20. A slurry according to claim 19, wherein the dynamic viscosity is in the range from 170 to 200 mPas for any shear rate in the range from 2 s\u22121 to 34 s\u22121.
21. A slurry according to claim 19, wherein the dynamic viscosity of the slurry is substantially independent of the shear rate in the shear rate range from 1 s\u22121 to 100 s\u22121.
22. A slurry according to claim 19, wherein the slurry has a water content of more than 60 gl.
23. A slurry according to claims 19, which includes a glycol-based carrier substance.
24. A process for preconditioning a slurry that comprises a hygroscopic carrier substance, comprising:
first preparing the slurry with a starting viscosity predetermined at a shear rate of 20.4 s\u22121, and
preconditioning the slurry, by controlling the water content of at least part of a gaseous medium coming into contact with the slurry, for a period of time so that the slurry has a preconditioned viscosity of approximately 220 mPas or less at a shear rate of 20.4 s\u22121, wherein the preconditioned viscosity differs from the starting viscosity.
25. A slurry comprising a hygroscopic carrier substance which has been produced by a process according to claim 24.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method of producing antenna elements for a wireless communication device, the method comprising:
passing a conductive material through a first die cut roller to generate a first cut in the conductive material, wherein the first cut defines a first portion of a perimeter of a pair of antenna tabs;
passing the conductive material through a second die cut roller to generate a second cut in the conductive material, wherein the second cut defines a second portion of the perimeter of the pair of antenna tabs and thereby forms a first antenna tab, and wherein the second cut variably overlaps the first cut to adjust a size of a perimeter of the first antenna tab; and
passing the conductive material through a third die cut roller to generate a third cut in the conductive material, wherein the third cut defines a third portion of the perimeter of the pair of antenna tabs and thereby forms a second antenna tab, and wherein the third cut variably overlaps both the first cut and the second cut to adjust a size of a perimeter of the second antenna tab.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the conductive material has a backing material, the method further comprising separating waste material from the backing material.
3. The method of claim 1, further comprising varying a relative phase of the rollers to vary the size of the perimeter of at least one of the first or second antenna tabs.
4. The method of claim 3, wherein said varying a relative phase of the rollers comprises varying a phase of the second die cut roller with respect to a phase of the first die cut roller to vary the size of the perimeter of the first antenna tab.
5. The method of claim 3, wherein said varying a relative phase of the rollers comprises varying a phase of the third die cut roller with respect to a phase of the first die cut roller to vary the size of the perimeter of the second antenna tab.
6. The method of claim 1, further comprising rotating the first, second, and third rollers at an equal rate of rotation.
7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
selecting a dimension of the first antenna tab to optimize a read range of the first antenna tab when operating at a desired operating frequency; and
adjusting a phase of the second die cut roller with respect to a phase of the first die cut roller to configure the second die cut roller to produce a first antenna tab having the selected dimension.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first antenna tab is formed with a dimension that causes an impedance of the first antenna tab to substantially match an impedance of the wireless communication device.
9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
selecting a dimension of the second antenna tab to optimize a read range of the second antenna tab when operating at a desired operating frequency; and
adjusting a phase of the third die cut roller with respect to the first die cut roller to configure the third die cut roller to produce a second antenna tab having the selected dimension.
10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:
selecting a dimension of the second antenna tab according to a thickness of the conductive material; and
adjusting a relative phase of the third die cut roller with respect to a phase of the first die cut roller to configure the third die cut roller to produce a second antenna tab having the selected dimension.
11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:
selecting a dimension of the second antenna tab according to a dielectric constant of the conductive material; and
adjusting a relative phase of the third die cut roller with respect to a phase of the first die cut roller to configure the third die cut roller to produce a second antenna tab having the selected dimension.
12. The method of claim 9, wherein the selected dimension of the second antenna tab causes an impedance of the second antenna tab to substantially match an impedance of the wireless communication device.
13. The method of claim 1, further comprising forming more than two antenna tabs by passing the conductive material through the first, second, and third rollers.
14. The method of claim 1, further comprising independently positioning at least one of the rollers relative to another of the rollers to shorten or lengthen at least one of the antenna tabs.