A surgical instrument and related methods are described. The surgical instrument includes a first jaw including a first structural jaw element and a first sealplate fixed to the first structural jaw element and a second jaw including a second structural jaw element and a second sealplate fixed to the second structural jaw element. The second structural jaw element is moveably coupled to the first structural jaw element to facilitate pinching tissue between the first and second sealplates. The first and second sealplates are configured to facilitate sealing tissue pinched therebetween. The first jaw further includes a metallized tie layer between the first sealplate and the first structural jaw element, wherein the first sealplate is fixed to the first structural jaw element via a metal to metal joint between the first sealplate and the metallized tie layer.

A composite wear pad includes a substrate that is selected from the group of iron based alloys, steel, nickel based alloys, and cobalt based alloys. A hard particle-matrix alloy layer is bonded at a surface to the substrate. The hard particle-matrix alloy layer has a plurality of hard particles dispersed in a matrix alloy. The hard particle-matrix alloy layer has a thickness ranging between greater than about 13 millimeters and about 20 millimeters.

A composite wear pad includes a substrate that is selected from the group of iron based alloys, steel, nickel based alloys, and cobalt based alloys. A hard particle-matrix alloy layer is bonded at a surface to the substrate. The hard particle-matrix alloy layer has a plurality of hard particles dispersed in a matrix alloy. The hard particle-matrix alloy layer has a thickness ranging between greater than about 13 millimeters and about 20 millimeters.

A laser soldering device for laser soldering an electric circuit of a heating portion of an electronic cigarette, the soldering device including a head having an emitting area where a laser beam is emitted and a feeding device to feed a heating portion of an electronic cigarette along a feed path, where the heating portion faces the head at the emitting area. A movement device is operatively connected to the head to move the head between first and second points of the electric circuit such that the laser beam is perpendicular to the respective surface to be soldered at the first and second points to form first and second connections, respectively. The head generates two distinct pulses of the laser beam at the first and second points.

A continuous hot bonding method for producing a bi-material strip with a strong bond therebetween is provided. The method comprises sanding a first strip formed of steel; and applying a layer of first particles, typically formed of copper, to the sanded first strip. The method next includes heating the first strip and the layer of the first particles, followed by pressing a second strip formed of an aluminum alloy onto the heated layer of the first particles. The aluminum alloy of the second strip includes tin particles, and the heat causes the second particles to liquefy and dissolve into the melted first particles. The first particles and the second particles bond together to form bond enhancing metal particles, which typically comprise bronze.

A continuous hot bonding method for producing a bi-material strip with a strong bond therebetween is provided. The method comprises sanding a first strip formed of steel; and applying a layer of first particles, typically formed of copper, to the sanded first strip. The method next includes heating the first strip and the layer of the first particles, followed by pressing a second strip formed of an aluminum alloy onto the heated layer of the first particles. The aluminum alloy of the second strip includes tin particles, and the heat causes the second particles to liquefy and dissolve into the melted first particles. The first particles and the second particles bond together to form bond enhancing metal particles, which typically comprise bronze.

A flux composition includes a component (A) that is a powder of an alkali metal zinc fluoroaluminate represented by “M.sub.wZn.sub.xAl.sub.yF.sub.z (1)” (wherein M is K or Cs, and w, x, y, and z are a positive integer, the greatest common divisor of w, x, y, and z being 1), the content of the component (A) in the flux composition being 50 mass % or more. The flux composition prevents occurrence of a brazing defect and discoloration even when an aluminum alloy is brazed in an atmosphere having a high oxygen concentration, or an atmosphere having high humidity.

A flux composition includes a component (A) that is a powder of an alkali metal zinc fluoroaluminate represented by “M.sub.wZn.sub.xAl.sub.yF.sub.z (1)” (wherein M is K or Cs, and w, x, y, and z are a positive integer, the greatest common divisor of w, x, y, and z being 1), the content of the component (A) in the flux composition being 50 mass % or more. The flux composition prevents occurrence of a brazing defect and discoloration even when an aluminum alloy is brazed in an atmosphere having a high oxygen concentration, or an atmosphere having high humidity.

A method for the additive manufacturing of an object and a system for manufacturing an object. The method includes depositing a second foil sheet onto the first foil sheet, wherein the first foil sheet and the second foil sheet each comprise a structural layer, forming a layer stack comprising the first foil sheet and the second foil sheet, the layer stack comprising an object section and at least one support section configured to enclose the object section in the layer stack, and applying at least one of heat or pressure to opposite sides of the layer stack with a first plate and a second plate, wherein applying the at least one of heat or pressure increases he temperature of the layer stack to a temperature lower than the melting temperature of the structural layer, and the at least one of at or pressure bonds the first foil sheet to the second foil sheet in the layer stack, the first plate and the second plate are in contact with the at least one support section, and the at least one support section is configured to conduct the at least one of heat or pressure through the layer stack to the object section.

Examples are disclosed related to forming solder joints between printed circuits by using radiant heat. One example provides a method of manufacturing an electronic device, the method comprising aligning a contact of a first printed circuit with a via of a second printed circuit. The method further comprises applying radiant heat via an infrared light source to a second surface of the second printed circuit, the radiant heat incident on the via to cause the via to conduct heat to solder located at an interface of the contact and the via, and after heating the solder to reflow, cooling the solder, thereby forming a solder joint between the contact of the first printed circuit and the via of the second printed circuit.