The present disclosure provides a system for printing a three-dimensional (3D) object. The system may comprise a source of at least one feedstock, a support for supporting at least a portion of the 3D object, a feeder for directing such feedstock from the source towards the support, and a power supply for supplying electrical current. The system may comprise a controller operatively coupled to the power supply. The controller may receive a computational representation of the 3D object. The controller may direct such feedstock through a feeder towards the support and may direct electrical current through such feedstock and into the support. The controller may subject such feedstock to heating such that at least a portion of such feedstock may deposit adjacent to the support. The controller may direct deposition of additional portions adjacent to the support and may direct an additional feedstock through such feeder and subject to heating.

An electrostatic energy storage welding machine for performing resistance welding while applying pressure to an object to be welded includes: a pair of welding electrodes; an energy storage section including a plurality of energy storage parts; an individual charge circuit for individually charging respective energy storage parts; an individual discharge circuit for individually discharging the respective energy storage parts; a voltage monitor circuit individually monitoring voltages of the respective energy storage parts; an individual voltage stabilization control section for performing control to further charge an energy storage part having deviation in performance in an individual manner to stabilize a voltage of that energy storage part and thereby achieve a set voltage; and an output circuit for outputting power produced by the set voltage stabilized through individual charging and electric current through individual discharging in the energy storage section to apply the electric current between the welding electrodes.

A sealing method that uses an electrostatic energy storage welding machine which includes an energy storage section including a plurality of energy storage parts is provided. A method of sealing a liquid inlet port of a power storage device includes burring in advance a through-hole of the liquid sealing port to raise a hole edge of the through-hole into a form of a projection, wherein the liquid sealing port of the power storage device to be sealed with electrolyte contained therein corresponds to an object to be welded; placing a spherical body that is a lid body on the projection; and performing resistance welding between the projection and the spherical body to seal the liquid inlet port.

An apparatus having a housing, a location pin, a lever and a sensor is disclosed. The housing may be configured to receive a weld head. The location pin may be configured to move linearly in the housing in response to a force between the location pin and a part to be welded. The lever may be rotatably attached to the housing and configured to convert a linear position of the location pin relative to the housing into an angular position of a shaft relative to the housing. The sensor may be coupled to the shaft and configured to generate a value representative of the linear position of the location pin by a measurement of the angular position of the shaft.

Distance to the upper face of workpieces W sandwiched between electrode rollers 15 and 16 is measured by a range sensor 41 that has a predetermined positional relationship with the electrode rollers 15 and 16 (STEPs 1, 3). Correction is made based on the distance found by the range sensor 41 by moving the pair of electrode rollers 15, 16 with reference to the workpieces W so that an angle Rx between a straight line L0 connecting centers of the pair of electrode rollers 15, 16 and the surface of the plurality of workpieces W is preset angle (STEP 5).

A method of monitoring in real time pressure resistance welding of a cladding tube and an end plug. The method includes: a first step of detecting welding information including voltage, current, and welding force in a process of pressure resistance welding of a cladding tube and an end plug; a second step of comparing static factors obtained by calculating effective values for the welding information with predetermined reference values, respectively; a third step of calculating dynamic factors for the welding information including the gradient of instantaneous welding force, when the reference values are satisfied in the second step; and a fourth step of determining whether there is defect or not in welding quality by comparing the dynamic factors.

The present disclosure provides a method for printing at least a portion of a three-dimensional (3D) object adjacent to a support. The method may comprise receiving in computer memory a computational representation of the 3D object. Subsequent to receiving the computational representation of the 3D object, at least one feedstock may be directed through a feeder towards the support. Upon directing the at least one feedstock through the feeder, electrical current may be flowed through the at least one feedstock and into the support. The at least one feedstock may be subjected to Joule heating upon flow of electrical current through the at least one feedstock, which may be sufficient to melt at least a portion of the at least one feedstock. The at least the portion of the at least one feedstock may be deposited adjacent to the support in accordance with the computational representation of the 3D object.

An upper electrode assembly for welding fasteners includes a body that supports an electrode that has an aperture. The aperture is configured to receive a movable pin of a lower electrode assembly arranged opposite the upper electrode assembly. The lower electrode assembly supports a fastener in a welding position. The upper electrode assembly includes a position sensor which includes a position sensor member that is arranged in the body and is configured to cooperate with the pin to detect a fastener welding characteristic.

As a correction amount is acquired a deviation between a first rotational angle of a servo motor when a reference movable electrode is brought into contact with a reference opposite electrode and a second rotational angle of the motor when the reference movable electrodes pushes in the reference opposite electrode with a predetermined pressing force; and a third rotational angle of the servo motor when a movable electrode to be measured pushes in an opposite electrode to be measured with the same pressing force is corrected based on the correction amount.

A spot welding system includes a position detection part which detects the position of a movable arm, a first calculation part which calculates the combined spring constant of the movable arm and a fixed arm based on a position when the movable arm is driven by a predetermined drive force and the drive force, a second calculation part which calculates the spring constant of the movable arm based on a position when the movable arm is driven by a predetermined drive force and the drive force, a third calculation part which calculates the spring constant of the fixed arm based on the combined spring constant and the spring constant of the movable arm, and an elastic displacement calculation part which calculates an amount of elastic displacement of the fixed arm based on the spring constant of the fixed arm and a drive force when welding is performed.