A protective packaging formation device is provided herein. The device includes an inflation assembly having a fluid conduit that directs fluid between overlapping plies of a polymeric web. The device also includes a driving mechanism that drives the film in a downstream direction. The device also includes a sealing mechanism that includes a thin film heater that heats the plies to create a longitudinal seal that seals the plies of film together. The driving mechanism drives the web such that the web slides across the heating assembly in a downstream direction to trap fluid between the plies.

A thermoplastic welding assembly includes a structural cage that supports a press and one or more hydraulic and pneumatic actuators. The press includes first and second plates that movable toward and away from each other to load and remove thermoplastic components to be held together for thermoplastic welding. Specifically, the first plate of the press includes non-conductive tooling inserts that are positioned to form a slot for a welding prove, and the second plates includes non-conductive tooling inserts that form cavities for plungers to move through. Plungers that are movable using the actuators are positioned in the cavities of the second plate, and compressible pressurizers are attached to the ends of the plungers. An operator uses electrical controls to move the plungers in the plunger cavities toward the thermoplastic components in the press to drive the pressurizers into the thermoplastic components and provide stabilizing pressure on the components during welding.

A system and method for thermoplastic composite welding comprising a cooling means and a heat source. The cooling means cools a heat-side laminate so as to create a thermal gradient in the heat-side laminate. The heat source heats the heat-side laminate after the cooling step is initiated but before the thermal gradient dissipates so that a first side of the heat-side laminate closer to the heat source does not deform as faying surfaces of the heat-side laminate and another laminate farther away from the heat source are welded together.

Apparatus and methods are described including adhering a first lens to a second lens such as to form a combined lens having a given optical design, by placing the first lens and the second lens in respective first and second pressure chambers with an adhesive layer disposed between the first lens and the second lens, bringing a convex surface of the first lens into contact with the adhesive layer, and bringing a concave surface of the second lens into contact with the adhesive layer. Other applications are also described.

A tooling for use in a method for electromagnetic welding of two contacted surfaces of molded parts. The tooling includes a rubber body and pressurizing means for pressurizing the rubber body and applying pressure to the contacted surfaces. The rubber body includes an embedded stiff body shaped such as to define different rubber body thicknesses in different directions, which causes a different pressure build-up in the different directions. A method for manufacturing the tooling. The tooling may be used in electromagnetic welding of two contacted surfaces of molded parts by moving a joining inductor along the contacted surfaces, generating an electromagnetic field in an induction-sensitive component of the molded parts to heat a thermally activated coupling means of the molded parts to above a melting temperature of the coupling means.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a heat-sealing device capable of preventing problems associated with cap sealing performance and/or sensation of the cap being open due to an inappropriate cap temperature. For this purpose, this heat-sealing device (10), which is used in a manufacturing apparatus (100) for manufacturing a product for which an opening part (1A: mouth part) of a container (1) is sealed with a cap (2), is provided with: a pressing plate (5) which is disposed on a path along which the containers (1) move; a heating unit (3) and sealing heads (4) for pressing the caps (2) sealing the container (1), the heating unit (3) and sealing heads (4) being arranged on the pressing plate (5); a temperature measurement device (7) for measuring the temperatures of the sealing heads (4); and a control device (8: control unit) for transmitting control signals to a container conveyance drive source (for example, inverter) in accordance with the measurement results from the temperature measurement device (7).

Apparatus and methods are described including an additional lens (24) made from an amorphous viscoelastic material and having an optical design. A curvature of the additional lens (24) is changed such as to conform with a curvature of abase eyeglasses lens (22), without causing a loss of the optical design of the additional lens (24), by heating the additional lens (24) to a temperature at which a Tan Delta of the amorphous viscoelastic material is between 0.2 and 0.8, and shaping the additional lens (24). Subsequently, the additional lens (24) is adhered to the base eyeglasses lens (22). The optical design of the additional lens (24) is such that, upon being adhered to the base eyeglasses lens (22), the adhered base eyeglasses lens (22) and the additional lens (24) provide a combined lens (20) having a desired optical prescription. Other applications are also described.

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 method and an apparatus for producing a three-dimensional decoration piece that does not damage the tacky bonding or adhesion strength of the lower layer material of the decoration piece. The method includes putting an upper layer material on a first table operating as cathode; lowering an upper mold operating as anode onto the first table, emitting a high frequency wave for dielectric heating; stopping the high frequency dielectric heating; moving a second table carrying a lower layer material having a tacky bonding property to below the upper mold; and lowering said upper mold onto the second table. In the apparatus, the second table or the lower mold is provided on the top surface thereof with recessed sections that are transversally and inwardly separated from a position where an edge of the first machining means contacts, by 0.2 mm to 1 mm; and a cushion member being arranged in the respective recessed sections.

There is described a forming assembly (10a, 10b) for forming a plurality of sealed packs (3) starting from a tube (2) of packaging material, comprising: a track (13a, 13b); a first element (15a, 15b), which is cyclically movable along the track (13a, 13b) and comprises, in turn, one of a sealing element (22b) or a counter-sealing element (22a) adapted to seal the pack (3); and a second element (14a, 14b), which is cyclically movable along the track (13a, 13b) and comprises, in turn, a first half-shell (21a, 21b; 21a′, 21b′) adapted, in use, contact the tube (2) so as to bound at least part of a respective pack (3) and control the shape of the pack (3) during the formation thereof; the first element (15a, 15b) and the second element (14a, 14b) are self-movable along the track (13a, 13b) independently of one another.