Using a conveyance roller having an outer peripheral surface which is capable of conveying two sheets with an elastic element sandwiched therebetween, in a longitudinal direction of the sheets, and formed with a convex section; and a clamping and pressing device, the sheets with the elastic element sandwiched therebetween are ultrasonic-welded together under pressing. The convex section is formed in a shape extending along a line intersecting a conveyance direction of the conveyance roller, and the convex section is provided with a plurality of grooves at positions spaced apart from each other in a longitudinal direction thereof, wherein each of the grooves extends in the conveyance direction of the conveyance roller to allow a portion of the sheets on which the elastic element is disposed, to be inserted therein.

An apparatus (1) for ultrasonic welding which comprises a sonotrode (2) with an elongate sonotrode head (4), on which an elongate welding surface (5) oriented in the longitudinal direction of the sonotrode head (4) is formed. The apparatus (1) further comprises at least two converters (11) for exciting ultrasonic vibrations of the sonotrode (2) in a direction of action (B). The direction of action (B) is preferably oriented substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction (A) of the sonotrode head (14). Finally, the apparatus (1) comprises a reaction body (3) as a reaction mass, the at least two converters (11) are arranged between the sonotrode (2) and the reaction body (3).

Composite tooling systems and methods of manufacturing composite stringers of aircraft are provided herein. A composite tooling system includes a layup tool and an articulating stringer mandrel. The layup tool has a contoured surface with portions having different surface complexities. The articulating stringer mandrel includes two rigid mandrel elements and a cable. The first rigid mandrel element defines a first aperture, a first stringer surface, and a first bottom surface. The second rigid mandrel element is adjacent to the first rigid mandrel element and defines a second aperture, a second stringer surface, and a second bottom surface. A first length of the first rigid mandrel element cooperates with the surface complexity and a second length of the second rigid mandrel element cooperates with the surface complexity at the second rigid mandrel element so that a gap between the rigid mandrel elements does not exceed a predetermined gap threshold.

A sonotrode that includes a sealing face; a front quarter wavelength region adjacent to the sealing face, wherein the front quarter wavelength region has been modified to increase the gain of the sonotrode; and a rear quarter wavelength region adjacent to the front quarter wavelength region, wherein the rear quarter wavelength region has been modified to create a non-uniform amplitude profile across the length of the sealing face of the sonotrode.

An ultrasonic module for use in package sealing systems that includes a moveable front jaw; an elognated sonotrode disposed within the front jaw, wherein the sonotrode includes an elongated sealing face, and wherein the width of the sealing face is at least 12 inches (30.48 cm); a moveable rear jaw; and an anvil mounted on the rear jaw opposite the sonotrode, wherein the anvil mechanically cooperates with the sonotrode to seal a package.

A layered body containing continuous sheets is thermally fused when passing through a space between an anvil roll and an energy applying device to form a layered sheet. A nip stage for sandwiching the layered body is provided upstream of the space between the anvil roll and the energy applying device. The nip stage includes at least one displacement member which is displaced in accordance with the thickness of the layered body sandwiched by the nip stage. Whether the thickness of the layered body sandwiched by the nip stage has deviated from a reference range is detected on the basis of the displacement of the displacement member, and when it is detected that the thickness has deviated from the reference range, the energy applying device is caused to retreat in a direction going away from the anvil roll.

In a vertical vibration joining apparatus where a resonator having a vibrator on one end side is horizontally attached to a supporting tool capable of ascending and descending, the resonator includes a cross phone of a cross shape in a front view and two boosters, the cross phone is for converting acoustic vibration transmitted from the vibrator from vibration in a lateral direction to vibration in a vertical direction orthogonal to the lateral direction, two boosters are provided at both ends of a pair of projection portions of the cross phone in the lateral direction, and portions to be supported to the supporting tool are coaxially and integrally provided on two boosters by bending outer peripheral faces of the boosters at minimum vibration amplitude points of vibration in the lateral direction resonating with the acoustic vibration transmitted from the vibrator outside in a diametrical direction to project the same annularly.

A method of forming a shaped article wherein said article comprises at least two parts which are chemically bonded, the method comprising: assembling at least two non chemically bonded parts in a weld cavity of a tool to form an assembly of the at least two parts, wherein said weld cavity is adapted to receive the assembly of at least two parts in the form of the shaped article; sealing the weld cavity of the tool; melting the assembly of at least two parts to chemically bond the at least two parts together to form the shaped article, wherein the shape of the weld cavity is matched to the outer circumference of the assembly of parts such that thermal expansion forces the polymer parts against the weld cavity surface and the pressure leads to full surface bonds between all parts, and wherein the tool forming the weld cavity comprises two halves forming a piston which fits into the bore of a bolster component and the plane of the split line between the two piston halves is parallel to the axis of the bore such that the pressure from the thermal expansion of the assembly of parts within the weld cavity is opposed by the surface of the bore preventing the weld cavity split line from opening and therefore preventing leakage of polymer from within the pressurised weld cavity volume, and wherein the two piston components are made from a dissimilar metal with higher coefficient of thermal expansion than the bolster component ensuring that at the welding temperature the piston is larger in diameter than the bore diameter of the bolster component leading to an interference fit which makes forces the weld cavity split line to close at the weld temperature but which still allows for a clearance gap between piston and bore at room temperature for the tool to be assembled and disassembled.

An ultrasonic vibration element which vibrates with a longitudinal ultrasonic vibration, the vibration unit is bounded in the longitudinal direction by a rear face and a front face, the front face is either intended to come into contact with a further vibration element or is designed as a sealing surface or adjoins a sealing surface which comes into contact with a material to be processed, wherein a circumferential lateral surface is provided, which connects the rear surface and the front face, the vibration element has a slit in the lateral surface, the slit has a slit length, a slit width and a slit depth, the slit depth being selected such that the slit completely penetrates the ultrasonic element, and the slit length being greater than the slit width, wherein the slit is not axially symmetrical to a slit longitudinal axis.

An ultrasonic welding system that includes an ultrasonic transducer configured to convert electricity to generate ultrasonic waves, wherein the waves propagate along a first direction from the transducer; and a sonotrode that includes a single-component body having nodal and anti-nodal regions, and configured to propagate ultrasonic waves received at a nodal region along a first direction; a plurality of redirecting features formed in the body and configured to cause received ultrasonic waves propagating along the first direction to propagate along a second direction, perpendicular to the first direction, upon encountering one or more of the redirecting features; wherein the body is further configured to stretch and compress along the second direction based on corresponding peaks and valleys of the waves propagating along the second direction; and at least one ultrasonic welding surface at an anti-nodal region of the body configured to oscillate based on the stretching and compressing, wherein opposing ends of the sonotrode comprise the nodal region, at least one of the opposing ends configured to receive the ultrasonic waves.