The invention relates to an apparatus and to a method for establishing a connection having material continuity or having material continuity and shaping matching or for separating such a connection of at least one metal or ceramic component and of a component formed from or by a thermoplastic polymer in which the components to be joined together can be pressed together by a pressing device having a counterholder and a plunger. A heating device is present at the plunger and/or at the counterholder or acts there. A heating of the at least one metal or ceramic component up to above the softening temperature of the component formed from or by polymer can be achieved with the heating device, with the heating device being having at least one electrical resistance heating element that is covered by an electrically insulating, preferably ceramic, protective film, and/or having at least one laser beam that is directed to the metal component(s) within the joining region, and/or having at least one inductor present at the plunger and/or at the counterholder for the inductive heating of the meal component(s).

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, 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.

A high-frequency dielectric heating adhesive contains a thermoplastic resin, in which the thermoplastic resin contains a styrene copolymer resin, an amount of the styrene copolymer resin contained in the thermoplastic resin is 40% or more by volume and 100% or less by volume, the styrene copolymer resin has a styrene monomer unit content of 10% or more by mass and 90% or less by mass, the high-frequency dielectric heating adhesive has a tensile modulus of 20 MPa or more, and the high-frequency dielectric heating adhesive has a dielectric property (tan δ/ε'r) of 0.005 or more, where tan δ is a dielectric loss tangent at 23° C. and a frequency of 40.68 MHz, and ε'r is a relative dielectric constant at 23° C. and a frequency of 40.68 MHz.

The invention relates to a process (100) for manufacturing an object (1) made of thermoplastic polymer composite from at least two parts (10) made of thermoplastic polymer composite, said thermoplastic polymer composite comprising a fibrous reinforcement and a thermoplastic polymer matrix, said process comprising the steps of: arranging (120) the two parts (10) made of thermoplastic polymer composite adjacently or overlapping at an assembly interface zone (11), and heating (130) to melt the thermoplastic polymer matrix at said assembly interface zone (11), so as to form an object (1) made of thermoplastic polymer composite comprising a welded interface (12).

There is provided a polymer fabrication method for forming 3-dimensional shapes from a sheet polymer blank (10) by machining at least one re-entrant, elongate groove forming a reduced thickness portion (25) permitting the blank to be folded and having opposed edges (12) at the surface, folding the blank about the groove to form at least a portion of the 3-dimensional shape, the re-entrant of the groove forming an elongate chamber (21) adjacent the reduced thickness portion and opening through an elongate gap (20) between the opposed edges, hot air welding the opposed edges across the gap with filler rod (22), and heating the reduced thickness portion to a selected thermo-reforming temperature via the chamber.

A caulking pin (15) is inserted into a mounting hole (21) provided in a metal case body (3), and the end portion of the caulking pin (15) is thermally caulked with a welding tip (24) to form a mold forming portion (17). A surplus absorption recess (31) is formed by enlarging the opening end of the mounting hole (21), and surplus resin is absorbed. The surplus absorption recess (31) is positioned inside a region of the mold forming portion (17). Therefore, the amount of molten surplus resin that protrudes outward from the welding tip (24) in the thermal caulking process is reduced.

Multi-layered articles or products comprising layers of filled polymer compositions, methods of making and applications or uses thereof.

The present invention relates to a pouch-shaped secondary battery sealing apparatus and a pouch-shaped secondary battery manufacturing method capable of radiating an infrared laser to a sealed portion in an overlapping state, whereby it is possible to increase sealing force, to prevent occurrence of wrinkles, and to reduce sealing time when forming a sealed portion of a pouch-shaped secondary battery case.

A heating block assembly including one or more configurable insulator segments and a heater block having a first surface configured to removably receive the one or more configurable insulator segments, in which each of the one or more configurable insulator segments covers only a portion of the first surface. A method for sealing at least one portion of a package using such a heating block assembly is also disclosed.

A bioprocessing system comprising a series of processing stations for performing operations for bioprocessing is disclosed. The bioprocessing system includes an automated system comprising means for manipulating a fluid connection between a first container and a separable second container whereby to create an aseptic connection that enables a controlled transfer of fluid or cell material between the first container and the second container, wherein the means for manipulating a fluid connection is configured to create an aseptic connection that can be disconnected after the transfer of fluid or cell material is complete to enable a further such fluid connection to be manipulated between the first container and a separable third container, and means for controlling an automated sequence of operation of the processing stations.