B29C66/02241

Facer for End Fusion of Polyolefin Pipes

A facer facing the ends of polyolefin pipes for butt fusion is modular in the sense that it employs three types of modules, a drive unit, two blade holders and a motor assembly, that are separable from one another and each independently light enough to be hand-lifted along walls and up to ceilings. The drive unit module is adjustable to accommodate different guide rail spacings. The blade holder modules are interchangeable to accommodate different diameters of pipe. The motor assembly module has multispeed capability to accommodate the total area of material to be faced. Each module can be exchanged or modified without use of tools to change the geometry of the assembled facer to accommodate different fusion machines and/or diameters of pipe within working spaces dictated by the diameter of the pipe and not by a fixed geometry of a facer.

Liners And Methods Of Making Liners
20200331192 · 2020-10-22 ·

The present disclosure relates to liners and methods of making liners. The liners may be suitable for use with tanks and other storage/containment vessels, such as process tanks, immersion tanks, indoor or outdoor containment pits, gravity feed conduits (e.g., concrete trench, canal, or drain, etc.) for transferring or conveying liquid, grain storage tanks or containers (e.g., dielectric or electrically non-conductive liners for grain storage, etc.), etc.

Multifunction end effector apparatus and methods for assembling thermoplastic composite articles

Multifunction end effector apparatus and methods for assembling thermoplastic composite articles are disclosed. An example apparatus for assembling a thermoplastic composite article includes a robot and an end effector coupled to the robot. The end effector includes a cutting head, a vacuum head, and a welding head.

Composite panel sandwich structures with integrated joints
10792884 · 2020-10-06 · ·

A method and apparatus for fabricating a composite structure. The method comprises defining a shape for the composite structure with a first face sheet. The method places core sections on the shape defined by the first face sheet. The method places an adhesive in a group of joint cavities. The method places a second face sheet on the core sections placed on the first face sheet, wherein the first face sheet, the core sections, and the second face sheet, define a structural assembly in which the group of joint cavities are present. The method cures the structural assembly with the adhesive in the group of joint cavities to fabricate the composite structure in which the adhesive fills the group of joint cavities when the adhesive is cured.

Seam construction using radio frequency welding and tape
10751948 · 2020-08-25 · ·

A process of constructing an air tight and water tight seam, comprising cutting a sheet of selected material into two or more panels, sealing the panels at respective selected edges using an ultrasonic machine to form a seam, overlaying the seam with a tape made of the same selected material, and sealing the tape and seam using a radio frequency (RF) welding machine.

POLYMER FABRICATION METHODS
20200254678 · 2020-08-13 ·

There is provided a polymer fabrication method for forming 3-dimensional shapes from a sheet polymer blank (10) by machining at least one re-entrant, elongate groove forming a reduced thickness portion (25) permitting the blank to be folded and having opposed edges (12) at the surface, folding the blank about the groove to form at least a portion of the 3-dimensional shape, the re-entrant of the groove forming an elongate chamber (21) adjacent the reduced thickness portion and opening through an elongate gap (20) between the opposed edges, hot air welding the opposed edges across the gap with filler rod (22), and heating the reduced thickness portion to a selected thermo-reforming temperature via the chamber.

Structural Rework of Cellular Core Panels

Methods for reworking structures and reworked cellular core panels, reworked structures comprising the reworked cellular core panels, and guides and cutting apparatuses for reworking cellular acoustic panels and reworking cellular acoustic and non-acoustic panels are disclosed.

Tape attaching machine and tape removing method
10707104 · 2020-07-07 · ·

A tape attaching machine for attaching an adhesive tape to a frame and a wafer and cutting the adhesive tape along the frame is provided. The tape attaching machine includes a tape winding unit configured to wind a remaining part of the adhesive tape left after cutting the adhesive tape, the remaining part of the adhesive tape being not attached to the frame and the wafer. The tape winding unit includes a main shaft like a roller and a pair of jigs detachably mounted on the opposite ends of the main shaft. Each of the jigs is engageable with the main shaft so as to have a tape contact area around which the remaining part of the adhesive tape is adapted to be wound and a grip area formed axially outside the tape contact area and adapted to be gripped by an operator.

Joining method and machining head and manufacturing machine for carrying out the method
20200207029 · 2020-07-02 ·

A joining method for connecting at least two thermoplastic workpieces is provided to permit the joining even of non-transparent carbon fiber reinforced plastics parts by means of laser welding, in which a splice is produced at the edge regions of the workpieces and the workpieces are subsequently positioned relative to one another in such a manner that the opposite splice regions bound a seam region. Connecting bodies are then inserted into the seam region and heated by means of local heat input by laser beam such that a fixed integrally bonded connection forms between the workpieces and the connecting bodies.

Machine for sealing plastic profiled elements
10688729 · 2020-06-23 · ·

The machine (1) for sealing plastic profiled elements comprises: a base frame (6); a pair of retention members (7, 8), adapted to retain respective plastic profiled elements (P) having respective areas to seal (Z) with a first main edge (2a), a second main edge (3a), a first lateral edge (4a) and a second lateral edge (5a); a heat-sealing element with heated plate (11); sliding means (9, 10) of the retention members (7, 8); removing means (13, 14) adapted to remove material from the areas to seal (Z) at least at the first lateral edges (4a); lateral containment means (23, 24), which are adapted to abut on the areas to seal (Z) at the first lateral edges (4a) for the containment of a lateral sealing bead (S) and which comprise at least a V-shaped element (23) having two sides (25) arranged in a V pattern which are adapted to abut on at least a portion of respective first lateral faces (4) of the profiled elements (P).