A joining method including an overlapping step of overlapping a front surface of a first metal member and a back surface of second metal member such that the front surface is opposed to the back surface; and a welding step of performing a laser welding and a MIG welding by using a hybrid welding machine including a preceding laser welding unit and a following MIG welding unit, in which the laser welding is performed by emitting a laser beam onto a front surface of the second metal member, the MIG welding is performed on an inner corner portion formed by the front surface of the first metal member and an end surface of the second metal member, and a target position for the laser beam from the laser welding unit is located against the second metal member relative to a target position for a MIG arc by the MIG welding unit.

Anchoring devices and methods for affixing an implanted lead of a neurostimulation system at a target location in a patient are provided herein. Such anchoring devices includes a helical body having a plurality of tines extending laterally outward from the lead when deployed that engage tissue to inhibit axial movement of the implanted lead. The plurality of tines are biased towards the laterally extended deployed configuration and fold inward towards the lead to a delivery configuration to facilitate delivery of the lead through a sheath. The tines may be angled in a proximal direction or in both proximal and distal directions and may include various features to assist in visualization and delivery of the lead. The anchor may be formed according to various methods, including laser cutting of a tubular section along with heat or reflow to set the material with the anchor in the deployed configuration and injection molding.

Anchoring devices and methods for affixing an implanted lead of a neurostimulation system at a target location in a patient are provided herein. Such anchoring devices includes a helical body having a plurality of tines extending laterally outward from the lead when deployed that engage tissue to inhibit axial movement of the implanted lead. The plurality of tines are biased towards the laterally extended deployed configuration and fold inward towards the lead to a delivery configuration to facilitate delivery of the lead through a sheath. The tines may be angled in a proximal direction or in both proximal and distal directions and may include various features to assist in visualization and delivery of the lead. The anchor may be formed according to various methods, including laser cutting of a tubular section along with heat or reflow to set the material with the anchor in the deployed configuration and injection molding.

A method of manufacturing a terminal-attached electric wire includes: installing an electric wire including a core wire including a plurality of element wires to a terminal having a conductor coupling part having a pair of barrel pieces, the core wire being installed between the pair of barrel pieces; bending the pair of barrel pieces to cause the pair of barrel pieces to wrap around and cover the core wire in a circumferential direction to form a slit extending in an axial direction between the pair of barrel pieces, with respect to the circumferential direction; melting the element wires of the core wire by emitting laser light toward the core wire through the slit; and adhering the element wires melted with the laser light to the conductor coupling part.

A material joining end effector generally includes a first arm, an optics assembly, a clamp, and a second arm. The first arm elongated along a longitudinal axis. The optics assembly is configured to focus an energy beam. The clamp is movably coupled to the first arm, the clamp being configured to move along a direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis. The second arm is rotationally coupled to the first arm, the second arm being configured to rotate relative to the first arm. The clamp is configured to removably couple the optics assembly to the first arm to allow the optics assembly to be decoupled from the first arm.

A material joining end effector generally includes a first arm, an optics assembly, a clamp, and a second arm. The first arm elongated along a longitudinal axis. The optics assembly is configured to focus an energy beam. The clamp is movably coupled to the first arm, the clamp being configured to move along a direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis. The second arm is rotationally coupled to the first arm, the second arm being configured to rotate relative to the first arm. The clamp is configured to removably couple the optics assembly to the first arm to allow the optics assembly to be decoupled from the first arm.

Provided is a laser welding method of materials having different thicknesses that can achieve excellent weld strength regardless of the thickness of a thick plate, and a welded member having different thicknesses. That is, the present invention is characterized by a laser welding method of materials having different thicknesses, including: abutting two plates (10), (12) having different thicknesses such that one surface of the plate (10) and one surface the plate (12) are made flush with each other; and thereafter welding the plates (10), (12) by applying a laser beam (14) to abutting surfaces thereof, wherein the laser beam (14) is made incident obliquely from the flush surface of the thin plate (10) toward an abutting end face (12a) of the thick plate (12), a target position (P) of the laser beam (14) is set on the abutting end face (12a) of the thick plate (12), and a target position depth D in the plate from a surface thereof on the incident side of the laser beam (14) is set within a range of the following expression (1), t/3≦D≦t . . . (1) (where t is a thickness, in a planar direction, of an abutting end face (10a) of the thin plate (10), and D and t are both given in mm).

A device and a method for beam shaping and beam movement during laser material processing with a laser beam source (1) for continuously emitting a laser beam (2), a first optical deflection element (3), a second optical deflection element (4), and an optical focusing element (5) arranged between the second optical deflection element (4) and a workpiece surface (7) to be processed. The second optical deflection element (4) is configured to displace a point of incidence of the laser beam (2) on the workpiece surface (7), and the first optical deflection element (3) is configured to alter a position of a focal plane of the laser beam (2) relative to the workpiece surface (7) by means of a translational movement and/or to change an intensity distribution within a beam cross section of the laser beam.

A welded component having mechanical properties in a welding seam region comparable or better to those in the non-influenced base material via a method including producing a hot-rolled steel product made of a high-strength air-hardenable steel with a material thickness of at least 1.5 mm having a chemical composition by mass in one embodiment of: C: 0.03 to 0.4; Mn: 1.0 to 4.0; Si: 0.09 to 2.0; Al: 0.02 to 2.0; P<=0.1; S<=0.1; N: 0.001 to 0.5; Ti: 0.01 to 0.2; Cr: 0.05 to 2.0; B: 0.001 to 0.1; Mo: 0.01 to 1.0; V: 0.01 to 0.2; optionally: Ni: 0.02 to 1.0; Nb: 0.01 to 0.1; and residual iron including conventional steel-accompanying elements, subsequently air hardening the produced hot-rolled steel product, then deforming the hot-rolled steel product in the air-hardened state to form a component, and producing welding connections using a fusion welding process on the component.

A method for joining busbars includes reshaping a raw laser beam to obtain a reshaped laser beam. The reshaped laser beam comprises a core focus portion and at least one ring focus portion. The core focus portion and the ring focus portion are coaxial with respect to one another. The ring focus portion surrounds the core focus portion. The method further includes directing the reshaped laser beam to a plurality of busbars to weld the plurality of busbars to one another along at least one weld seam.