A method of fusing without contact the ends of thermoplastic filaments grouped together to form at least two tufts. The method steps include providing at least two tufts of thermoplastic filaments arranged at a distance to each other, providing a heating plate at least partly made from a conductive material and structured to have at least two heating sectors separated from one another by at least one separation sector arranged for emitting at least less thermal radiation then the heating sectors, each of the heating sectors having conductive material and a heating surface corresponding in shape and position to the shape and position of the ends of the tufts, exposing the ends of the tufts to the heating plate such that the tuft ends and the heating sectors are aligned with each other, and generating an electric-current flow through the heating sectors so that the heating surfaces of the heating sectors emit thermal radiation that is absorbed by the ends of the filaments, whereby the ends of the filaments melt and the filaments of each tuft are fused together.

An assembly is provided for induction welding. This assembly utilizes a heat shield (e.g., a mica heat shield) with a recess. An induction welding coil may be disposed within this heat shield recess during induction welding operations. The wall thickness of the heat shield within the recess may be reduced to enhance heat transfer to a workpiece during induction welding operations. Members may engage the heat shield on opposite sides of the recess (and that have an increased wall thickness) to support both the heat shield and the workpiece during induction welding operations, during which a biasing force may be exerted on both the heat shield and workpiece.

A joining method using heat fusion includes layering a first joining body and a second joining body having a smaller plane area than the first joining body; and performing heating and pressurization with a heater from a side of the second joining body. The method further includes a resin dam interposed between the second joining body and the heater. The resin dam includes a base body having one of front and back surfaces in contact with the heater and the other of front and back surfaces in contact with the second joining body; and a dam main body extending from a circumferential edge of the base body in a direction away from the base body and having a shape control surface facing a side surface of the second joining body.

There is provided a technique to strongly integrate a galvanized steel sheet and a resin molded article. A hot-dip galvanized steel sheet is immersed in an aqueous solution for aluminum degreasing to form a specific roughness on the surface. The surface is covered with convex protrusions having a diameter of about 100 nm, and a chromate treatment layer appears in the surface. A resin composition comprising 70 to 97 wt % of polyphenylene sulfide and 3 to 30 wt % of a polyolefin resin is injected onto the surface. The resin composition penetrates into ultra-fine irregularities and is cured in that state, and thereby a composite in which the galvanized steel sheet and the resin molded article are strongly integrated can be obtained. The shear rupture strength of the composite is extremely high.

An array of resilient floor tiles is assembled into a continuous sheet after being laid down. An array of included, sacrificial resistive wires is buried along the edges of the tiles and is controllably heated in order to cause welding of the edges of tiles across the paths of the wires to neighboring tiles. Subsequently the wires may be used to give the array integral tensile strength. The welded array is provided with greater strength for resisting use, expansive and contractile forces caused by environmental heat and cold and also long-term tile contraction owing to loss of plasticizer as may be seen with PVC-based tiles.

A heating block assembly including one or more configurable insulator segments and a heater block having a first surface configured to removably receive the one or more configurable insulator segments, in which each of the one or more configurable insulator segments covers only a portion of the first surface. A method for sealing at least one portion of a package using such a heating block assembly is also disclosed.

The invention relates to a method for joining fiber-plastic composite (FPC) components, in particular aircraft FPC components, comprising the following steps: i) providing a first and a second FPC component, the first FPC component having a recess; ii) introducing a stabilizing device into the recess of the first FPC component, the stabilizing device having a basic body with a cavity, an opening and a pressing element, which pressing element has at least partially a higher flexibility than the base body; iii) filling the cavity with a fluid, so that the pressing element is pressed against a delimiting surface of the first FPC component, which delimits the recess; iv) connecting the first FPC component to the second FPC component by joining at a connecting point, wherein a pressure force, is exerted onto the connecting point by means of the pressing element for stabilizing the form of the recess.

A heating block assembly including one or more configurable insulator segments and a heater block having a first surface configured to removably receive the one or more configurable insulator segments, in which each of the one or more configurable insulator segments covers only a portion of the first surface. A method for sealing at least one portion of a package using such a heating block assembly is also disclosed.

An induction welding assembly and inductive welding method is disclosed. A tooling block includes a workpiece zone, a conductive heat generation and transfer member, and a heat shield, with the conductive heat generation and transfer member being disposed between the workpiece zone and the heat shield. A first workpiece and a second workpiece may be disposed within the workpiece zone such that the first workpiece is disposed between the conductive heat generation and transfer member and the second workpiece. The heat shield, conductive heat generation and transfer member, first workpiece, and second workpiece may be pressed together. An induction coil may be positioned in spaced relation to the heat shield and may be operated to heat the conductive heat generation and transfer member. Heat is conductively transferred by the conductive heat transfer member to the first workpiece to weld the first workpiece and the second workpiece together.

A sealing apparatus for a secondary battery is disclosed, the sealing apparatus configured to seal a battery case of the secondary battery with an electrode assembly therein. The sealing apparatus comprises: a pair of sealing blocks which press the outer circumferential surface of the battery case; and a heating unit which is provided in the pair of sealing blocks and heat the pair of sealing blocks. The pair of sealing blocks comprise: lead sealing regions configured to press the lead sealing portion of the battery case; and case sealing regions configured to press the case sealing portion of the battery case. The heating unit heats the lead sealing regions and the case sealing regions of the pair of sealing blocks at different temperatures.