A welder for joining two polymeric sheets together using a wedged heating element allows for a heating profile on opposite faces of the heating element to be varied by controlling where each of the polymeric sheets contacts the corresponding face.

An apparatus to join two panels together includes a chamber, a horn positioned within the chamber, the horn moving reciprocally within the chamber, and a set of heating elements positioned about the horn to heat the horn. One of the panels has a post molded to it, the post extending through the other panel, and after the horn is heated an end of the horn is placed on top of the post and is ultrasonically vibrated to form a head of the post to join the two panels together.

A method for optimizing a welding process to produce a weld joint having a predetermined strength includes measuring a plurality of melt layer thicknesses of weld joints for a plurality of sample assemblies formed by the welding process, measuring a plurality failure loads of weld joints for the plurality of sample assemblies, each of the measured plurality of failures loads being associated with one of the measured plurality of melt layer thicknesses, selecting a first failure load from the plurality of measured failure loads responsive to determining that the first failure load corresponds to a predetermined weld strength, and selecting a first melt layer thickness from the plurality of measured melt layer thicknesses that is associated with the selected first measured failure load.

A method of producing flexible polypropylene fabric bags with heat fused seams comprising providing fabric pieces, wherein each fabric piece has a coated side and an uncoated side; positioning fabric pieces so that a coated side of one fabric piece faces a coated side of another fabric piece; selecting an area of fabric to be joined for forming a seam or joint; applying heat to the area to be joined that is less than the melting point of the fabrics, for forming one or more seams or joints and wherein the heat fused seams or joints of a resulting polypropylene bag retains at least 85% of the fabric strength without using sewing machines.

A method of activating a surface of a plastics substrate formed from: (a) polyaryletherketone such as polyether ether ketone (PEEK) polyether ketone ketone (PEKK), polyether ketone (PEK); polyether ether ketone ketone (PEEKK); or polyether ketone ether ketone ketone (PEKEKK); (b) a polymer containing a phenyl group directly attached to a carbonyl group, for example polybutadiene terephthalate (PBT) optionally wherein the carbonyl group is part of an amide group, such as polyarylamide (PARA); (c) polyphenylene sulfide (PPS); or (d) polyetherimide (PEI); for subsequent bonding,
the method comprising the step of exposing the surface to actinic radiation wherein the actinic radiation: includes radiation with wavelength in the range from about 10 nm to about 1000 nm; the energy of the actinic radiation to which the surface is exposed is in the range from about 0.5 J/cm.sup.2 to about 300 J/cm.sup.2.

Hard to bond substrates are then more easily subsequently bonded for example using acrylic, epoxy or anaerobic adhesive.

Process for forming a permanent join between two sections of fibrous material contained in a thermosetting resin matrix, said process comprising overlaying the two sections and subjecting the overlaid sections to ultrasonic welding to form a permanent join between the two sections, wherein there is no significant change in the sub-ambient Tg of the fibrous material contained in the thermosetting resin matrix in the region of the permanent join.

A first sheet layer made of a nonwoven fabric; a second sheet layer made of a nonwoven fabric opposed to one side of the first sheet layer; and a plurality of elongated elastically stretchable members provided along the stretchable direction at intervals from each other between the first sheet layer and the second sheet layer are provided. At least a part of each end of the elastically stretchable member is fixed to at least one of the first sheet layer and the second sheet layer only via a first hot melt adhesive. The first sheet layer and the second sheet layer are bonded via a second hot melt adhesive in a range in the stretchable direction corresponding to a space between the both ends of the elastically stretchable member. The holding power of the first hot melt adhesive is higher than the second hot meld adhesive.

The invention relates in general terms to a device for production of a packaging precursor, wherein the packaging precursor consists to an extent of at least 80% by weight, based on the packaging precursor (1000), of a sheetlike composite, wherein the sheetlike composite includes: i. a composite plastic layer, ii. a composite carrier layer, iii. a first composite edge region, iv. a second composite edge region, wherein the device includes, as device constituents in a flow direction: a) a flat transport unit designed to transport the flat sheetlike composite, wherein the transport unit includes a transport surface designed to bear the composite; downstream of that b) a first heating unit designed to heat the first composite edge region, where the first heating unit includes energy release segments; downstream of that c) a contacting unit designed to bond the first composite edge region to the second composite edge region;
wherein the first heating unit is designed to release energy in the flow direction. The invention further relates to a method, to a packaging precursor obtainable by the method, to a packaging precursor and to a use of the device.

A joining material for laser welding, a laser welding method using the same, and a laser joined body using the laser welding method. The joining material includes a polymer matrix and a needle-shaped inorganic filler. The polymer matrix includes a polypropylene resin having a melt index of 80 g/10 min or more to 95 g/10 min or less as measured at a temperature of 230° C. and a load of 2.16 kg, and the needle-shaped organic filler has an aspect ratio of 10:1 to 20:1.

A production method for a joined object is a method for producing a joined object by joining two objects together. The method includes: irradiating joining surfaces of the respective two objects with plasma; and bonding the joining surfaces irradiated with plasma, at a temperature lower than a melting point of a substance included in the objects.