A method of rivet bonding a workpiece stack-up that includes one or more polymer composite workpieces, such as carbon fiber composite workpieces, involves several steps. In one step, adhesive is applied to a surface of the workpiece stack-up. In another step, workpiecesincluding the polymer composite workpiece(s)are brought together. In yet another step the adhesive is partially or more cured. A rivet is installed through the workpiece stack-up and through the adhesive in another step. The method strengthens the resulting rivet-bonded joint by minimizing or altogether precluding fracture, cracking, and/or delamination thereat.

An adjustable sealing apparatus and corresponding method of use is disclosed. The sealing apparatus has a variable range of motion programmed to accommodate multiple types of sealing motion, including the reciprocal motion and rotary motion. The proposed design uses two sealing jaw units with each sealing jaw unit located on opposing sides of a continuous layered film. Each sealing jaw unit has a sealing jaw coupled to a distal end of extendable linkages. The sealing jaws are extendable to allow the sealing surfaces to engage one another at a plurality of sealing locations along a plurality of sealing paths. Moreover a control unit is communicatively coupled to each of the sealing jaw units and controls movement of the sealing jaw units to engage one another at one or more of the plurality of sealing locations which enables sealing of the film to produce bags.

An apparatus for fabricating an elastic nonwoven material generally includes a first bonding module, a second bonding module positioned in close proximity to the first bonding module, and a pinching device. The first bonding module and the second bonding module are adapted to bond at least one elastic strand of the elastic nonwoven material. The pinching device is adapted to limit a snap-back potential of the at least one elastic strand if the at least one elastic strand becomes severed during bonding.

A structure method accurately detects biting of a foreign object in a packaging machine. A control apparatus controls a packaging machine that sequentially seals and/or cuts a packaging material transported in a first direction using a rotor. The rotor is arranged to have a tangent to its outer circumference portion in contact with the packaging material extending in the first direction. The rotor is drivable and rotatable by a driver. The control apparatus includes an information obtaining unit that obtains information indicating a rotational position of the rotor and a status value of the driver in predetermined cycles, and a determination unit that determines a presence of an abnormality in a sealed portion of the packaging material using, from the information obtained by the information obtaining unit, a status value of the driver corresponding to a rotational position of the rotor falling within a predetermined range or being a predetermined position.

A gear housing for an epicyclic gear set, the gear housing including a hollow wheel having internal teething and a first front end with a first front-side joining surface; a housing cover having a second front end with a second front-side joining surface for longitudinally axially covering the hollow wheel; and a bonded connection for connecting the first front end to the second front end through the mating of the first and second front-side joining surfaces, at which the hollow wheel and the housing cover are connected to each other by a bonded connection, in particular, by heated tool welding, infrared welding, ultrasonic welding, or rotary friction welding.

A method and apparatus for making pouches is disclosed. It includes using one or more of the following features: using two servo motors to drive a platen, providing a calibration routine is run at start-up and/or after the machine has been operating; controlling in response to feed back from the servo motor(s) such as feedback indicative of the distance the platen travels; the feedback is not of force exerted by the platen; and/or the platen is controlled to prevent unacceptable fracturing of the film laminate.

An exchangeable ultrasonic welding module contains an ultrasonic transducer assembly (4) with a horn (5) and an anvil (7). The module contains a member (1) provided with a guideway (8) in a mating guideway (18) on the frame (10) of a filling tube (14). A locking element (11) secures the member (1) and the frame (10) in a fixed position relative to each other. The member (1) is provided with an element (2) for linear motion of a sliding carriage (3) and an adjustable stop (6) for restricting the carriage movement (3). The ultrasonic transducer assembly (4) is firmly affixed to the carriage (3), whereas the anvil (7) is affixed to the member (1). The frame (10) may contain an adjustable stop (9) for locking the member (1) in a defined position as the member is inserted into the mating guideway (18).

The present invention relates to a device and a method for manufacturing a bag received in an envelope and containing a brewable material with a bag manufacturing means which is configured to manufacture a bag containing brewable material, and with a sealing station with a sealing jaw element and a counter-jaw element which act on the envelope from opposite sides to seal in the bag. The device is further developed for a reliable and safe manufacture of the packing unit consisting of a bag and an envelope by the sealing jaw element being fixed to a sealing jaw swivel arm at which a sealing jaw connecting rod is applied, and the counter-jaw element being fixed to a counter-jaw swivel arm at which a counter-jaw connecting rod is applied, and by the sealing jaw connecting rod and the counter-jaw connecting rod being each eccentrically connected to a common drive shaft of a servomotor. In the method according to the invention, the contact force between the sealing jaw element and the counter-jaw element is controlled via the torque of the servomotor actuating the sealing jaw element and/or the counter-jaw element.

A structure accurately detects biting of a foreign object in a packaging machine. A control apparatus controls a packaging machine that sequentially seals and/or cuts a packaging material transported in a first direction using a rotor. The rotor is arranged to have a tangent to its outer circumference portion in contact with the packaging material extending in the first direction. The rotor is drivable and rotatable by a driver. The control apparatus includes an information obtaining unit that obtains information indicating a rotational position of the rotor and a status value of the driver in predetermined cycles, and a determination unit that determines a presence of an abnormality in a sealed portion of the packaging material using, from the information obtained by the information obtaining unit, a status value of the driver corresponding to a rotational position of the rotor falling within a predetermined range or being a predetermined position.

Certain implementations provide a form-fill-seal machine that can efficiently seal a packaging material. The transverse sealing unit may have first members to sandwich the packaging material and sealing the packaging material in a transverse direction, and second members for squeezing the packaging material while sandwiching the packaging material with a prescribed gap left therebetween. The control unit may cause the packaging material to be squeezed by the second members by causing the transverse sealing unit located at a reference position to descend faster than the packaging material being conveyed downward. The control unit may cause the transverse sealing unit to ascend while the packaging material is being sealed by the first members. The control unit may cause the transverse sealing unit to move such that the first members are separated from the packaging material.