Disclosed embodiments provide automated fiber placement techniques for fabrication of parts made from composite materials. A peening system with multiple pins provides compaction over irregular surfaces, providing superior performance as compared with traditional compaction rollers. The apparatus that carries out the techniques include a tape dispensing system, a heating system, a peening system, a processor and a memory coupled to the processor. The memory contains instructions that when executed by the processor perform the steps of: dispensing a first ply of thermoplastic composite tape over a mandrel; dispensing a second ply of thermoplastic composite tape on the first ply; and peening the second ply onto the first ply, such that the second ply is bonded to the first ply.

Disclosed is a welding machine for synthetic resins. The welding machine for synthetic resins performs welding of fabrics using ultrasonic waves and through preheating sufficient not to burn off a coating solution on the surfaces of the fabrics using hot air so as to achieve rapid and firm welding due to concentrated molecular decomposition and melting on the bonding surface between the fabrics, allows both an ultrasonic horn and a welding wheel to be rotated vertically so as to achieve rapid and stable entry of the fabrics and welding of the fabrics while preventing the fabrics from slipping, and achieves stable welding of various fabrics through adjustment of pressing force of the welding wheel depending on the thickness or the material of the fabrics, etc.

A method for inspecting a weld of plastic pipes by means of a data processing device, comprising: capturing and storing documents; monitoring and recording the installation and the implementation of the weld of the joint; producing a welding report, or adopting a welding report from the welding machine; testing the weld ultrasonically, wherein the test detects and stores the defects that are in the weld; wherein software is used to capture and store the documents, the welding report and the defects, more specifically the data on said defects, wherein an algorithm of the software is used to evaluate the stored documents, reports, defects and data on said defects, and to classify the welded joint as compliant or non-compliant with the requirements.

A butt fusion machine for joining of polyethylene pipe comprises a carriage assembly and a carriage controller disposed in the fusion machine. Programmed instructions stored in a non-volatile memory of the carriage controller control the carriage assembly for selectively operating in at least manual, automatic, and semi-automatic modes of the butt fusion process. The butt fusion process, after a setup sequence includes (1) selecting a sequence of operating steps of an automatic mode, a semi-automatic mode, and a manual mode; and (2) executing the selected operating mode. The semi-automatic mode includes at least one step requiring intervention by an operator to confirm proceeding to a next step.

Manufacturing and assembly of a shoe or a portion of a shoe is enhanced by automated placement and assembly of shoe parts. For example, a part-recognition system analyzes an image of a shoe part to identify the part and determine a location of the part. Once the part is identified and located, the part can be manipulated by an automated manufacturing tool.

A method, and an apparatus associated therewith, for detecting plastic tube ends clamped in a butt welding machine, the plastic tube ends being planed by means of a plane, which can be introduced between the plastic tube ends, and subsequently being heated by means of a heating mirror, which can be introduced between the plastic tube ends, and the plastic tube ends are welded together after removal of the heating mirror, the plane and/or the heating mirror being tilted in between the plastic tube ends by means of a controlled movement, wherein detection or sensing of the plastic tube ends during the controlled movement of tilting in the plane and/or the heating mirror is carried out by means of at least one sensor arranged on the plane and/or on the heating mirror.

A machine converts a web of preformed pouches, which are defined by transverse seals extending from a remote edge, into inflated dunnage units. A sealing arrangement is positioned to provide a longitudinal seal intersecting the transverse seals to close the preformed pouches and form a dunnage unit. The sealing arrangement has at least two sealing belts. Each belt is positioned so that respective first sides engage a surface of the web and pull the web through sealing elements positioned on either side of the web. A heating element is on a second side of the first belt not engaging the web. A compliant material is on a second side of the second belt not engaging the web. As the web passes between the heating element and compliant material, imperfections in the web are smoothed by the compliant material and the layers of the web are sealed by the heating element.

A butt fusion machine for joining of polyethylene pipe comprises a carriage assembly and a carriage controller disposed in the fusion machine. Programmed instructions stored in a non-volatile memory of the carriage controller control the carriage assembly for selectively operating in at least one of a manual, automatic, and semi-automatic mode of the butt fusion process.

A butt fusion process, after a setup sequence includes (1) selecting a sequence of operating steps of a manual mode, an automatic mode, and a semi-automatic mode; and (2) executing the selected operating mode. The semi-automatic mode includes at least one step requiring intervention by an operator to confirm proceeding to a next step.

Proposed is lower rollers of a hot air welder, and more particularly, to a lower roller structure of a hot air welder, which includes a first lower roller unit installed on a worktable to be pivoted vertically and a second lower roller unit installed on a main body to be slidably moved in front and rear, such that a welding operation of flat fabric and a welding operation of a cylindrical shape can be performed in a single hot air welder through alternate use of the first and second lower roller units.

A sensorless temperature sensing and control system and method uses electrical voltage and current feedback signals to monitor and control the temperature of heating elements used in a heat sealing process wherein sensors are not physically connected to a heat seal bar during the heat sealing process. After calibration of a heat seal bar using a sensor, voltage and current feedback signals are processed by a programmable logic controller (PLC) to calculate the real-time electrical resistance of each heating element. Data and electrical resistance is used to calculate real-time temperature of the heat seal bar during heating.