An improved ultrasonic system and method. The ultrasonic stack is moved at a low, constant (or slowly varying) speed at the initiation of the welding operation, with this speed being maintained until the predetermined condition is satisfied. In some applications, this produces a higher quality weld, such as in applications involving plastic material that softens very quickly once ultrasonic energy is imparted to the workpieces being welded, which causes the force between the workpieces to decrease rapidly. Advancing the ultrasonic stack at a low speed or slow acceleration can avoid scuffing or marking of the surface of the workpiece in contact with the ultrasonic horn, decrease audible noise produced during the welding process, and improve the consistency of weld quality in such applications compared to conventional techniques.

A horn and an anvil are moved toward and away from each other by axially reciprocating a driving rod and thereby reciprocatingly rotating a forked lever in a predetermined angle range. The horn and the anvil are moved toward and pressed against each other with a predetermined force with a bag mouth b held therebetween. A sensor detects the position of a second mounting block secured to the rear end of a sliding shaft of the anvil, thereby detecting the distance between respective pressing surfaces of the horn and the anvil, i.e. the thickness m of a portion of the bag mouth held between the pressing surfaces. When the thickness m is not less than a predetermined threshold value M, a vibrator is activated to perform sealing. When the thickness m is less than the threshold value M, no sealing is performed.

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.

A joining tool (7), a joining device (2) equipped therewith and a joining method for joining stringers (9) to flexible workpieces (8) are provided. A plurality of industrial robots (3 to 6) are equipped with the joining tools (7) and handle and join the stringer (9) jointly. The joining tools (7) are heated and grip the stringer (9) via a gripper tool (25) on the upper face (30) of the structural unit, using a controlled suction gripper (26), a heated counter-holder (29), which is arranged next to the gripper tool, likewise acting upon the upper face (30) of the structural unit.

A joining element has an anchoring portion for in-depth anchoring in the object and a head portion arranged proximally of the anchoring portion with respect to an insertion axis. The head portion has a lateral outer surface that has a structure that is well-defined, especially within tight tolerances. The joining element is positioned relative to an object of a non-liquefiable material such that the anchoring portion reaches into an opening of the object or is placed adjacent a mouth thereof. Then, the joining element is pressed towards a distal direction, to press the anchoring portion into the opening, while mechanical vibration energy is coupled into the joining element by a tool, in an amount and for a time sufficient for liquefaction of a portion of the thermoplastic material to cause interpenetration of the thermoplastic material into structures of the object.

A horn and an anvil are moved toward and away from each other by axially reciprocating a driving rod and thereby reciprocatingly rotating a forked lever in a predetermined angle range. The horn and the anvil are moved toward and pressed against each other with a predetermined force with a bag mouth b held therebetween. A sensor detects the position of a second mounting block secured to the rear end of a sliding shaft of the anvil, thereby detecting the distance between respective pressing surfaces of the horn and the anvil, i.e. the thickness m of a portion of the bag mouth held between the pressing surfaces. When the thickness m is not less than a predetermined threshold value M, a vibrator is activated to perform sealing. When the thickness m is less than the threshold value M, no sealing is performed.

A first object is anchored in a second object. The first object has a material with thermoplastic properties, and the second material has a material that is solid and is penetrable by the first material when in a liquefied state. The second object has an insertion face with an opening having a mouth in the insertion face, and the first object has an insert portion that for anchoring is placed in the opening or about the mouth thereof. For anchoring, energy suitable for liquefaction of the first material impinges in an amount and for a time sufficient for at least partial liquefaction of the first material and interpenetration of the first and second materials. The second object, around the opening, has an anisotropic strength with respect to forces perpendicular to the opening axis.

Welding apparatus (10; 30) having a safety feature comprising: two electrodes (11, 12; 21, 22), whereof at least one of said two electrodes is movably arranged in relation to the other electrode. The electrodes are in non-contact with each other and define a gap (13) in which an object (14) provided with an electrically non-conductive surface to be sealed may be inserted. The welding apparatus comprises an actuator (15; 25) configured to move at least one electrode when activated to squeeze the object, a detector (16; 26) configured to determine a clamping force when the inserted object (14) is squeezed between the electrodes, a distance sensor (17; 23) configured to measure the distance between the electrodes. There is also a conductance sensor (24) configured to measure the conductivity of an object located between the electrodes (11, 12; 21,22) when the object (14) is squeezed, and optionally a position sensor (19b) configured to detect the position of the object (14) inserted between the electrodes. The welding apparatus further comprises a processor configured to process the input from at least one of the detector (16; 26), the distance sensor (17; 23) and the conductance sensor (24) to provide an output that indicates if there is a blood bag tube inserted between electrodes, or if it is a foreign object.

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.

A computer implemented method comprises the steps of: providing a user interface to a computer terminal; providing a welding machine interface (252) to a welding machine (22; 31) which is equipped with a set of sensors having a power supply sensor (221; 311) configured to sense a power supplied by the welding machine (22; 31) to set a connector to an object in runtime; obtaining a threshold performance metric data signal representing threshold product performance metric predefined via the user interface; obtaining a power supply data signal from the welding machine (22; 31) via the welding machine interface (252), which power supply data signal represents the sensed power supplied by the welding machine (22; 31) to set the connector to the object; applying a machine learning model to the power represented by the obtained power supply data signal such that the machine learning model calculates a model product performance metric, wherein the machine learning model is specifically pre trained with training power sensed by the power supply sensor (221; 311) of the set of sensors of the welding machine (22; 31) and measured product performance metrics; comparing the calculated model product performance metric to the threshold product performance metric represented by the threshold performance metric data signal; and generating a non-consistency data signal when the calculated product performance metric does not comply with the threshold product performance metric.