The present invention relates to, in general, a welding end effector apparatus configured for welding a plastic component. The welding end effector apparatus typically comprises a frame structure supporting a welding tip. The welding end effector apparatus further comprises a plastic weld rod feeder apparatus configured for delivering a plastic weld rod to the welding tip. The welding tip is configured to deposit at least partially deformed plastic weld rod onto the plastic component for welding the plastic component. The frame is configured to operatively couple the welding end effector to a multi-axis robotic arm for welding the component.

A simultaneous laser welding apparatus of a vehicle light comprising a placement support for a container body and a lenticular body of a vehicle light to be welded together at reciprocal perimeter profiles associated at a welding interface, a plurality of laser sources suitable for emitting light beams, a plurality of optical fibres associated with the laser sources at input ends and suitable for transmitting said light beams, a fibre-holder support device for the optical fibres, suitable for blocking output ends of said optical fibres in predetermined positions, spaced apart by a pitch, a light guide provided with at least one seat which extends from a light input wall, which receives the light beams coming from the output ends of the optical fibres, to a light output wall which sends the light beams towards the welding interface. Advantageously, a single optical fibre is associated at its input end with each laser source so as to receive, channel and transmit towards the welding interface, the light beam produced by said corresponding laser source.

Plastic parts are welded in a laser welding system. An infrared laser source in a laser chamber is controlled by a controller using closed-loop feedback control with a corrected feedback signal that is compensated for background infrared radiation in the laser chamber. Prior to the infrared laser source being turned on, the controller senses with the optical sensor an intensity of background infrared radiation in the laser chamber. Once the laser is on, the controller senses with the optical sensor an intensity of infrared laser radiation in the laser chamber. The controller calculates the corrected feedback signal by subtracting the intensity of the background infrared radiation sensed when the infrared laser source was off from the intensity of the infrared laser radiation sensed when the infrared laser source is on.

Packaging apparatus comprises two counter-rotatable sealing dies for pressing together two tissue webs to produce pockets for containing a substance for preparing beverages and to seal around the pockets, and two heating drums for heating the sealing dies and each being positioned inside a respective sealing die, wherein a first heating zone of each heating drum comprises a first plurality of circumferentially distributed infrared heating elements, and a second heating zone of each heating drum comprises a second plurality of circumferentially distributed infrared heating elements.

A heat-seal band system is provided with an air gap arrangement that facilitates heat tunability and corresponding balancing of heat distribution through a tab to band (tab/band) junction of a heat-seal band. The heat-seal band may be implemented as a closed-contour heat-seal band with a band that has a workpiece facing surface that directs heat toward a workpiece and an opposite surface from which a pair of conductive tabs extend. Tab covers engage at least portions of the tabs to establish air gaps with dimensions that influence energy transmissibility at the tab/band junction. The tab covers may be fixed such as those defined by portions of clamps that hold the tabs and/or variable such as those implemented as replaceable gap gauges of different dimensions. Selecting and mounting different gap gauges facilitates heat tunability through adjusting the air gap to help identify an acceptable amount of heating uniformity about an entire workpiece facing surface of the heat-seal band.

A film edge sealing device is disclosed herein which has a groove defining a base. The base of the groove of the edge sealing device is oriented at a skewed angle with respect to a longitudinal direction of the conveyor of the heat sealing machine. Edges of a thermoplastic sheet or two stacked layers of thermoplastic sheets are introduced into the groove of the edge sealing device and placed in contact therewith to both heat and melt the edges of the thermoplastic sheet(s) to form a bead and join the edges thereof to form an edge bead seal.

An off-axis prepreg material manufacturing machine may include a robot configured to position a prepreg piece adjacent to an end of a prepreg layer. The machine may additionally include an alignment system configured to sense a position of the prepreg piece relative to the prepreg layer and generate a position signal representative thereof. The machine may also include a controller configured to receive the position signal and cause the robot to adjust the position of the prepreg piece such that an end edge of the prepreg piece and an end edge of the prepreg layer are in substantially abutting contact.

A film edge sealing device is disclosed herein which has a groove defining a base. The base of the groove of the edge sealing device is oriented at a skewed angle with respect to a longitudinal direction of the conveyor of the heat sealing machine. Edges of a thermoplastic sheet or two stacked layers of thermoplastic sheets are introduced into the groove of the edge sealing device and placed in contact therewith to both heat and melt the edges of the thermoplastic sheet(s) to form a bead and join the edges thereof to form an edge bead seal.

An object of the present invention is to provide a method of joining resin tubes, in which the degree of freedom of selecting a tube material is large, and further a defect such as stiffness and contraction at joining portions of the tubes is not developed. The method of joining resin tubes according to the present invention is a method of joining resin tubes so that a first tube is joined to a second tube, the first tube and the second tube each being made of synthetic resin, the method comprising: a surface activation step of activating each of a joining region of the first tube and a joining region of the second tube; and an adhesion step of adhering the joining region of the first tube obtained via the surface activation step with the joining region of the second tube obtained via the surface activation step to each other.

A laser welding apparatus is provides that includes: a support member including a heat generation portion which has a size that is limited to correspond to a size of a welding area of a plurality of plastic components and is made from a material that absorbs a laser beam and generates heat, and which generates heat of a temperature that is equal to or greater than a melting temperature of the plastic components; a laser beam irradiation unit for converging a laser beam to be transmitted through the plurality of plastic components, and irradiating the laser beam toward the heat generation portion through the plurality of plastic components; and a welding controller for causing a laser beam to be irradiated at the heat generation portion using the laser beam irradiation unit to thereby cause the heat generation portion to generate heat, and welding abutting faces of a welding area of the plurality of plastic components with heat that is generated.