An active anvil assembly for use in forming a looped suture is provided. The active anvil assembly includes an anvil member, a first sensor operably connected to the anvil member, and a control assembly. The first sensor is configured for measuring at least one of force, torque, and distance feedback. Also provided are systems and methods for forming a looped suture including an active anvil assembly.

A method for optimizing a welding process to produce a weld joint having a predetermined strength includes measuring a plurality of melt layer thicknesses of weld joints for a plurality of sample assemblies formed by the welding process, measuring a plurality failure loads of weld joints for the plurality of sample assemblies, each of the measured plurality of failures loads being associated with one of the measured plurality of melt layer thicknesses, selecting a first failure load from the plurality of measured failure loads responsive to determining that the first failure load corresponds to a predetermined weld strength, and selecting a first melt layer thickness from the plurality of measured melt layer thicknesses that is associated with the selected first measured failure load.

Disclosed is an automated method (54) which includes directing rays from a source (34) to a tube (38) disposed between relatively movable first and second sealing plates (20, 32), capturing an image (70) of at least a portion of the tube (38) by an image capturing device (26), and transferring the captured image (70) to a processing device (24). The method (54) also includes determining a plurality of 26 tube parameters by the processing device (24) based on the captured image (70), using an image processing technique and determining a plurality of sealing parameters from a database (44) by the processing device (24) based on the determined plurality of tube parameters. Additionally, the method (54) includes controlling the drive unit (22) and a heater (36) by the processing device (24) influenced by the determined plurality of sealing parameters, to respectively compress the tube (36)and perform heat sealing of the tube (38).

An active anvil assembly for use in forming a looped suture is provided. The active anvil assembly includes an anvil member, a first sensor operably connected to the anvil member, and a control assembly. The first sensor is configured for measuring at least one of force, torque, and distance feedback. Also provided are systems and methods for forming a looped suture including an active anvil assembly.

A pair of thermoplastic resin members are placed on an anvil. A pressing force of a tool horn vibrating ultrasonically in a direction not perpendicular to but along upper surfaces of the pair of thermoplastic resin members is applied to the upper surfaces. The application of the pressing force of the tool horn vibrating ultrasonically allows melting of a vicinity of the upper surfaces of the pair of thermoplastic resin members. A welded structure part is formed on an unwelded structure part, thereby welding the pair of thermoplastic resin members as an overlap structure including the welded structure part arranged on the unwelded structure part. The distance and positional relationship between the pair of thermoplastic resin members after the welding are unchanged before and after the welding. The surfaces, placed on the anvil, of the thermoplastic resin members are neither burned nor discolored.

An ultrasonic vibration welding apparatus includes an air cylinder that is coupled to an ultrasonic welding head unit and executes a pressurizing operation of pressurizing on the ultrasonic welding head unit, and a lifting-lowering servomotor that executes a lifting-lowering operation including a lowering operation of lowering the ultrasonic welding head unit and the air cylinder at once, as components separate from each other.

The present disclosure can provide for an ultrasonic welding method for a pair of workpieces. The method can include first pressing an ultrasonic welding stack against a first workpiece in the pair so that the first workpiece comes into contact with a second workpiece in the pair. The method can then provide for initiating a weld phase by outputting energy from the ultrasonic welding stack to the first workpiece. The method can provide for monitoring, with at least one sensor, a sensed parameter. The sensed parameter can be, for example, weld force and/or weld force rate of change. The method can provide for determining whether the sensed parameter has reached a predetermined level. Based on determining that the sensed parameter has reached the predetermined level, the method can provide for ending the weld phase.

Disclosed is an automated method (54) which includes directing rays from a source (34) to a tube (38) disposed between relatively movable first and second sealing plates (20, 32), capturing an image (70) of at least a portion of the tube (38) by an image capturing device (26), and transferring the captured image (70) to a processing device (24). The method (54) also includes determining a plurality of tube parameters by the processing device (24) based on the captured image (70), using an image processing technique and determining a plurality of sealing parameters from a database (44) by the processing device (24) based on the determined plurality of tube parameters. Additionally, the method (54) includes controlling the drive unit (22) and a heater (36) by the processing device (24) influenced by the determined plurality of sealing parameters, to respectively compress the tube (36) and perform heat sealing of the tube (38).

An apparatus for joining, in particular laser welding, two components, in particular plastics components, comprises—two workpiece receptacles (1, 3) for respectively holding the two components (2, 4) to be connected, —in each case one bearing element, preferably a bearing plate (7), for each of the workpiece receptacles (1, 3), —a clamping drive (SA) for at least one bearing element for feeding and bracing of the two components (2, 4) held in the workpiece receptacles (1, 3) during the joining process, —a controller (9) for the clamping drive (SA) and in particular a laser welding device (LS), and—a mechanically loose coupling between the clamping drive (SA) and bearing element (7) such that the two workpiece receptacles (1, 3) are tiltable towards one another during feeding and bracing. Also disclosed is a method for operating such a joining apparatus during a joining process of two components (2, 4) held in the workpiece receptacles (1, 3), in particular during a laser welding process.

The present disclosure can provide for an ultrasonic welding method for a pair of workpieces. The method can include first pressing an ultrasonic welding stack against a first workpiece in the pair so that the first workpiece comes into contact with a second workpiece in the pair. The method can then provide for initiating a weld phase by outputting energy from the ultrasonic welding stack to the first workpiece. The method can provide for monitoring, with at least one sensor, a sensed parameter. The sensed parameter can be, for example, weld force and/or weld force rate of change. The method can provide for determining whether the sensed parameter has reached a predetermined level. Based on determining that the sensed parameter has reached the predetermined level, the method can provide for ending the weld phase.