A system for applying a fastening material to a substrate is provided. The system may include a first material source including the substrate. The substrate may define a first length extending from a first edge to a second edge and the first material source may feed the substrate in a first direction transverse to the first length. The system may additionally include a second material source including the fastening material. The fastening material may define a second length extending from a third edge to a fourth edge, whereby the second length is substantially equal to the first length and the second material source feeds the fastening material in a second direction transverse to the second length. The system may also include an applicator system that secures the fastening material to the substrate.

A method for bonding two fiber composite components with each other to form a fiber composite structure includes integrating conductive fibers underneath a bonding surface of at least one of the two fiber composite components, each conductive fiber comprising a carbon fiber coated with an electrically insulating coating, the conductive fibers running along the bonding surface and protruding at least at their ends from the respective fiber composite component; arranging the two fiber composite components against each other at their respective bonding surfaces; passing an electric current through the conductive fibers by electrically contacting the conductive fibers at their protruding ends so that the respective fiber composite component is heated at the bonding surface to a curing temperature; and joining the two fiber composite components with each other at their bonding surfaces via secondary bonding, co-bonding and/or co-curing at the curing temperature, thereby forming the fiber composite structure.

A method to produce a veneered element, the method including applying a first layer on a substrate, applying a second layer on the first layer, applying a veneer layer on the second layer, pressing the first layer, the second layer and the veneer layer together to form a veneered element, wherein, after pressing, the second layer is transparent or translucent such that the first layer is visible through a crack, cavity, hole and/or knot of the veneer layer. Also, such a veneered element.

Disclosed herein are improved overlapping waterproof seams and methods of producing the same.

A joined structure, including: two members made of materials having different coefficients of linear expansion; and an adhesive layer arranged between the two members to join the two members together, wherein the adhesive layer includes at least an end portion in one direction parallel to a plane direction of the adhesive layer and a center portion in the one direction, and a thickness in the end portion is greater than a thickness in the center portion.

An example method of joining a first structure and a second structure is described that includes forming a bond cavity between a first structure and a second structure, placing a semi-permeable breather material at one or more exits of the bond cavity, placing a vacuum bag around the bond cavity and the semi-permeable breather material, evacuating the bond cavity via a vacuum port and forcing adhesive into the bond cavity via an adhesive port while the bond cavity is evacuated, and curing the adhesive via one or more heaters to bond the first structure to the second structure.

A method of fastening a second object to a fiber composite part including a structure of fibers embedded in a matrix material includes: providing the fiber composite part including an attachment surface, with a portion of the structure of fibers being exposed at the attachment surface; providing the second object; placing the second object relative to the fiber composite part, with a resin in a flowable state between the attachment surface and the connector; pressing the second object and the fiber composite part against each other and causing mechanical vibration to act on the second object or the fiber composite part or both, thereby causing the resin to infiltrate the exposed structure of fibers and activating the resin to cross-link; whereby the resin, after cross-linking, secures the second object to the fiber composite part.

A metal-resin joining method of joining a metal member to a composite material member including a fiber reinforced plastic composite material includes an applying step of applying a first adhesive that is a thermosetting adhesive to a first region between the metal member and the composite material member, and applying a second adhesive that is a thermosetting adhesive to a second region between the metal member and the composite material member, a provisional bonding step of irradiating a first irradiation region of the metal member opposed to the first region with a laser light, and heating and curing the first adhesive to provisionally bond the metal member and the composite material member together, and a main bonding step of curing the second adhesive after the provisional bonding step to bond the metal member and the composite material member together.

Adhesive bonds are applied by mixing two adhesives with different properties and dispensing them to form bondlines between substrate pairs. The adhesives are then thermally cured and cooled. Varying the mix ratio permits one to vary the properties of the adhesive mixture so formed for use in bonding many different substrate pairs. The process allows potentially infinite variations of adhesive properties between those of the respective starting adhesives, simply by varying the mix ratio. The invention is especially adapted for use in manufacturing settings in which adhesives are to be applied in multiple places, but differing adhesive properties are needed among the various bonding areas.

Composite laminate structures are produced using partially cured parts. Partial curing of the parts is achieved by applying a catalyst to regions of the parts that are to be fully cured. These regions cure at a lower-than-normal temperature while remaining regions of the part remain uncured, allowing them to be co-bonded or co-cured to other structures.