A machine and method for making bags is described and includes a web traveling from an input section to a rotary drum, to an output section. The rotary drum includes at least one seal bar, having a first sealing zone, and an adjacent weakening zone. The weakening zone may be a heated perforator, includes a heating wire, or be disposed to create an auxiliary sealed area. The heating wire can have connected thereto, a source of power that is an adjustable voltage or magnitude, and/or pulsed, and/or a feedback loop. The heating wire ay be an NiCr wire and make intermittent contact with the web and be disposed in an insert. The weakening zone may create a line of weakness that is uniform or varies in intensity, is a separating zone, or includes a heat film, a toothed blade, a row of pins, a source of air, or a source of vacuum. The sealing zones ma include temperature zones, cartridge heaters, cooling air, or hated air, or a source of ultrasonic, microwave or radiative energy.

A handrail has a thermoplastic body having a generally C-shaped cross section, a stretch inhibitor in the thermoplastic body above a T-shaped slot and a slider fabric layer. The handrail includes first and second end portions, each comprising a forward part extending from an end surface of the end portion and a rear part adjacent the forward part. A method of forming a joint can include: providing cuts to separate a top section of the thermoplastic body from a base section including shoulder portions; for each end portion, removing at least shoulder portions from the forward part thereof, to leave a central portion including a forward part at the slider fabric layer and a layer of thermoplastic; cutting the forward parts to a required shape; and assembling the first and second end portions together to form a spliced joint for moulding.

A method of providing covers over at least a portion of a roof of a storm damaged built structure that includes the steps of: applying a sheet of heat shrinkable film over the portion of the roof, the sheet having a leading edge and a trailing edge and being a film of low density polyethylene including shrinking resins; wrapping portions of the leading edge around a first batten and attaching the first batten to the underside of a first eave or to the facia of the built structure; wrapping portions of the trailing edge around a second batten and attaching the second batten to the underside of a second eave or to the facia of the built structure at a location different than the first batten; and heating the sheet of heat shrinkable film to bring the film into conformity with the portion of the roof, wherein the heating step shrinks the sheet of film tight against the built structure to cover over the portion of the roof.

A method of applying a sealing strip onto a web of packaging material comprising advancing the web along a web advancement path; applying a first longitudinal portion of the sealing strip onto a longitudinal edge of the web, sealing the first longitudinal portion of the sealing strip onto the longitudinal edge, detecting and/or determining a correct alignment of the sealing strip with respect to the web. The detecting and/or determining of the correct alignment comprises acquiring an image of a second longitudinal portion of the sealing strip and a reference marker of a strip application apparatus, analyzing the acquired image to determine at least a first transversal distance between the reference marker and a longitudinal border of the second longitudinal portion; and evaluating the correct alignment/misalignment as a function of at least the first transversal distance.

A device and a method for applying cover sheets to cross-bottoms of tubular sections made of a plastic material. The device includes conveyor devices for transporting the tubular sections and for depositing the cover sheets on the cross-bottoms in a deposit area. The device includes a hot gas device with a gas heater and a nozzle connected to the gas heater and oriented toward the deposit area for the cover sheets so when gas is supplied to the gas heater, the gas flows along a flow path from the gas supply through the gas heater and the nozzle into the deposit area. The hot gas device has a hot gas reservoir with an internal volume for the temporary storage of hot gas, the flow path running through the hot gas reservoir. A gas mass flow ({dot over (m)}1, {dot over (m)}2, {dot over (m)}ges) of gas supplied to the gas heater is adjustable by a control.

A method for joining a thermoplastic film to a metal component, at least comprising the following method steps: providing the metal component with a joining surface, incorporating microstructures and/or nanostructures into the joining surface of the metal component, arranging the thermoplastic film on the joining surface of the metal component, softening the thermoplastic film by heating to a temperature above the glass transition temperature of the thermoplastic film, pressing the softened thermoplastic film onto the joining surface of the metal component in such a way that part of the softened thermoplastic film penetrates into the microstructures and/or nanostructures in the joining surface of the metal component, and obtaining an interlocking connection between the thermoplastic film and the metal component after the thermoplastic film has cooled.

A process for thermo-adhesive bonding of semi-finished products includes preparing an inner sock, an outer sock and an impermeable membrane provided with a thermo-adhesive disposed on an inner surface and/or an outer surface of the membrane; fitting the inner sock onto a rigid reference shape; fitting the membrane over the inner sock; fitting the outer sock over the membrane; heating the outer sock, the membrane and the inner sock arranged on the rigid reference shape in an oven until at least partial melting of the thermo-adhesive; cooling the outer sock, the membrane and the inner sock arranged on the rigid reference shape until cross-linking of the thermo-adhesive and stable bonding of the membrane to the outer sock and/or the inner sock. Also, exerting a substantially uniform pressure on the outer sock, the membrane and the inner sock disposed on the rigid reference shape during cooling, so as to compact them.

A method for fusing thermoplastic composite structures includes placing a substructure on an inner surface of a skin that is laid up on a shaping surface of a tool configured to maintain the shape of an outer mold line. The method further includes applying at least one insulation layer over a flange of the substructure and over exposed portions of the inner surface of the skin not in contact with the substructure, and applying a vacuum bag to at least partly enclose the skin and the substructure. The method yet still further includes applying heat to the shaping surface to fuse the substructure to the skin such that the skin exceeds its melting point and at least a portion of a raised segment of the substructure does not exceed its melting point.

The present invention relates to a pig for use in a system for lining ducts such as water or sewage pipes or electrical ducts or gas pipes. The pig is insertable at least partly within a fabric liner sleeve located in a duct such as a water or sewage pipe and is capable of heating the liner sleeve in situ in the duct to melt or soften thermoplastic material of the liner sleeve to subsequently form, on cooling of the melted thermoplastic material, a rigid liner in the duct. A pig for fitting a liner to the inside of a pipe, comprising a pig body defining a longitudinal axis in a longitudinal direction from a front portion to a rear portion; a gas supply port in the front portion; a gas outlet diffuser forming part of the rear portion; a heating chamber in the pig body forming a flow path from the fluid inlet to the outlet diffuser; and a heater within the heating chamber, wherein the outlet diffuser comprises a plurality of channels, each channel comprising an inlet facing the front portion in the longitudinal direction and an outlet extending radially outwardly from the longitudinal axis.

The present invention relates to a pig for use in a system for lining ducts such as water or sewage pipes or electrical ducts or gas pipes. The pig is insertable at least partly within a fabric liner sleeve located in a duct such as a water or sewage pipe and is capable of heating the liner sleeve in situ in the duct to melt or soften thermoplastic material of the liner sleeve to subsequently form, on cooling of the melted thermoplastic material, a rigid liner in the duct. A pig for fitting a liner to the inside of a pipe, comprising a pig body defining a longitudinal axis in a longitudinal direction from a front portion to a rear portion; a gas supply port in the front portion; a gas outlet diffuser forming part of the rear portion; a heating chamber in the pig body forming a flow path from the fluid inlet to the outlet diffuser; and a heater within the heating chamber, wherein the outlet diffuser comprises a plurality of channels, each channel comprising an inlet facing the front portion in the longitudinal direction and an outlet extending radially outwardly from the longitudinal axis.