A method is provided for producing a component connection. The method includes the steps of: providing a first component that is made of a thermoplastic plastic material at least in the region of a portion of the surface thereof; providing a ball that is made of a thermoplastic plastic material in at least one region of the surface thereof; pressing the ball on the first component such that the thermoplastic plastic material of the ball comes into contact with the thermoplastic plastic material of the first component; vibrating the ball using an ultrasonic sonotrode and welding the ball with the first component; providing a second component having a through hole; bringing the second component to the first component in such a way that the ball projects at least into the through hole of the second component or a portion projects to a certain extent through the through hole; clipping a clip element to the ball, wherein the clip element projects beyond the through hole and joins both components to one another in an interlocking and/or force-locked manner.

Embodiments of systems and methods for positioning and bonding a nutplate to a substrate comprising at least one aperture, wherein the system includes a nutplate retention fixture formed from a threaded insert and an elastomeric tube engaged with the threaded insert; a heater assembly formed from a heating element, a temperature sensor operable to measure the temperature of the heating element, and a heater housing; a heater retention fixture operable to engage with the nutplate retention fixture and maintain the heater assembly in contact with the substrate; and a heater controller operable to control the output from the heating element. The heater retention fixture includes a cam-lock clamp provided concentrically around the nutplate retention fixture and configured to provide a circumferential clamping force to secure the heater retention fixture to the nutplate retention fixture.

A method of mechanically securing a first object to a second object, wherein the first object has a thermoplastic material in a solid state, the second object has a generally flat sheet portion having a second object edge. A third object is provided and arranged to provide an assembly including the first, second and third objects, in which assembly the second object edge is in contact with the thermoplastic material. Mechanical vibration energy is coupled into the assembly by means of a vibrating tool until a flow portion of the thermoplastic material due to friction heat generated between the second object edge and the thermoplastic material becomes flowable and flows around the second object edge to at least partially embed the second object edge in the thermoplastic material and the third object is caused to be embedded at least partially in the thermoplastic material of the first object.