An end effector for welding composite components includes an end effector housing and a welding member mounted to the end effector housing. The end effector further includes a leading roller mounted to the end effector housing forward of the welding member and at least one follower roller mounted to the end effector housing aft of the welding member. The end effector further includes at least one first cooling air jet positioned to direct a first stream of cooling air toward the at least one follower roller.

Presented are repair systems for fixing filler-reinforced polymer structures, methods for making/using such repair systems, and techniques for repairing surface damage/defects of multidimensional fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) panels. A repair system for fixing a contoured surface of an FRP structure includes a flexible contact sheet that is fabricated from a thermally stable polymer, and has a textured contact surface that seats on the FRP structure and overlays the damaged area. A rigid cover sheet, which may be fabricated from a metal material, a polymeric material, and/or resin-impregnated fiber, has a complementary surface that conforms to the contoured surface of the FRP structure and covers the flexible contact sheet. The repair system also includes a heating element that lays against the rigid cover sheet and applies heat to the contoured surface with a substantially uniform profile that is sufficient to soften/melt portions of the FRP structure neighboring the damaged area.

A sealing device for sealing a lid material to sealing areas of a blister web comprises a first, heated sealing tool and a second sealing tool arranged opposite each other and movable relative to each other. A first intermediate element of elastic material is attached to the first sealing tool on a side facing the second sealing tool, and a second intermediate element of thermally-insulating material is attached to the second sealing tool on a side facing the first sealing tool. The first and second sealing tools are movable relative to each other between an opened position and a closed position, in which at least sections of the first intermediate element and of the second intermediate element exert pressure on each other. In the closed sealing position, the first intermediate element rests on the lid material and the second intermediate element rests on lands of the blister web.

In the ultrasonic welding method, ultrasonic vibration is imparted to a first resin member via a horn while applying a pressing force to the first resin member and a second resin member in which weld portions and come into contact with each other by using a jig for supporting the second resin member and the horn that is disposed to face the jig and in contact with the first resin member so as to weld the first resin member and the second resin member, in which a jig of which a support surface for supporting the second resin member is formed of an elastomer is used as the jig.

A method of producing vehicles includes coating a vehicle body with paint, drying the paint, mounting attachment parts on load-bearing components of the vehicle body that has been coated with the paint that has been dried, and applying an adhesive film including an adhesive layer to a surface of the vehicle body that has been coated with the paint that has been dried or at least one attachment part mounted thereon, wherein, to apply the adhesive film, the adhesive film is positioned between the surface and an elastic membrane with an automated system, and the elastic membrane is transformed in selected regions into a curved state with a convex and a concave side and is brought into contact with the surface with the convex side in front such that the adhesive layer of the adhesive film is pressed onto the surface by the membrane over the entire surface area.

A welding device includes a first graphite heater and a second graphite heater that come into contact with a first member and a second member; and a first die and a second die, which sandwich the first and second graphite heaters with the first and second members interposed therebetween. The first and second graphite heaters have graphite sheets that generate heat by electric power, insulating materials, outer covers, and inner covers, and are configured such that structures of the graphite sheets covered by the insulating materials are interposed between outer covers and inner covers.

A machine and method for converting film into bags or other articles includes a web traveling from an input section to a rotary drum, to an output section. The rotary drum includes at least one seal bar with a sealing zone and a weakening zone, or it can include or at least one sealing die that extends in the machine direction. The single sealing zone or sealing die may be a heated perforator, and may include a heating wire. The heating wire may be an NiCr wire stitched into the heater, and be disposed on a cap or on the seal bar. The weakening zone may create a line of weakness that is uniform or varies in intensity. The sealing zone may include temperature zones, cartridge heaters, cooling air, or heated air, or a source of ultrasonic, microwave or radiative energy.

An automatic-darkening filter 10, 10 that comprises a first polarizer 14, a second polarizer 18, a first liquid-crystal cell 16, and a sensor 64. The first polarizer 14 has a first polarization direction, and the second polarizer 18 has a second polarization direction. The liquid crystal cell 16 is disposed between the first and second polarizers 14, 18 and contains first and second optically-transparent, flexible, glass layers 40 and 42 with the liquid crystal layer 48 being located between these layers. The sensor 64 detects incident light and causes a signal to be sent, which causes molecular rotation within the liquid crystal layer. The inventive automatic-darkening filter is beneficial in that overall product weight can be reduced and the view field can be increased.

The present invention provides a method of manufacturing a decorative molding with a capability to decorate a large component to be decorated. The method includes pressing a heated pressing member against an area to be decorated having a plurality of spaced-apart surface sections to be decorated, with a transfer sheet interposed between the pressing member and the area to be decorated, to transfer decorative layers to the surface section to be decorated. The area to be decorated has a maximum width of not less than 400 mm. The pressing member has a pressing surface configured to come in contact with the transfer sheet and constituted by a rubber piece shaped into a flat plate. The rubber piece has a hardness of not more than 80 degrees and a thickness of not less than 3 mm, and is curved to fit a general surface shape of the area to be decorated.

A compound heat seal structure that, when heat-sealing a bag with a stacked area level difference, reliably seals even a section having different level and that can be easily opened. A compound heat seal structure is provided as a peelable seal in a band shape on a bag and a linear heat seal is added as a peelable seal in that band-shaped peelable heat seal in the longitudinal direction thereof.