A device for thermally welding workpieces including a heating element and a shielding gas supply is provided. The device includes a heating plate consisting of a thermal insulating material in which a groove is formed, said groove includes a heating element, relative to which a surface of a workpiece to be welded is positioned in close proximity to the heating element. A feed channel for a shielding gas is formed in the heating plate and communicates with the groove via at least one through-channel, and the feed channel for supplying shielding gas can be connected to a shielding gas source via a feed line and a valve. The device may further include an assembly for welding a first and a second workpiece, said assembly includes a first and second movement device for moving the workpieces towards one another.

A method of forming a package is provided and includes providing two laminate edge portions of the package, each of which includes a foil layer between first and second resin layers; and welding together the respective first resin layers at a first position spaced apart from the edges while not welding the respective first resin layers at the edges, wherein the edge portions include edges from which electrode terminals extend such that portions of the electrode terminals are exposed beyond the edges, and wherein the edge portions are between a sealing portion and exposed portions of positive and negative electrode terminals.

A yarn or thread may include a plurality of substantially aligned filaments, with at least ninety-five percent of a material of the filaments being a thermoplastic polymer material. Various woven textiles and knitted textiles may be formed from the yarn or thread. The woven textiles or knitted textiles may be thermal bonded to other elements to form seams. A strand that is at least partially formed from a thermoplastic polymer material may extend through the seam, and the strand may be thermal bonded at the seam. The woven textiles or knitted textiles may be shaped or molded, incorporated into products, and recycled to form other products.

A joining method is provided during which a first thermoplastic component joint section and a second thermoplastic component joint section are arranged between first tooling and second tooling. The second thermoplastic component joint section is abutted against the first thermoplastic component joint section at a joint area. The first thermoplastic component joint section is joined to the second thermoplastic component joint section to provide a unitized thermoplastic structure. The joining includes: pressing the first thermoplastic component joint section against the second thermoplastic component joint section at the joint area between the first tooling and the second tooling using a pressure device; and heating the first thermoplastic component joint section and the second thermoplastic component joint section at the joint area using a first heater configured with the first tooling. The unitized thermoplastic structure is cooled at the joint area using a first cooler configured with the first tooling.

A secondary battery includes: an electrode assembly; an electrode lead; a battery case with an accommodation portion for the electrode assembly and a sealing portion sealing the accommodation portion; and a lead film. The sealing portion includes a connection-sealing region connected to the accommodation portion, a front end-sealing region, and a reinforcement-sealing region therebetween. The reinforcement-sealing region includes a compressed surface, provided in the sealing portion between the connection-sealing region and the front end-sealing region and recessed into the sealing portion, and raised surfaces, provided in the sealing portion between the connection-sealing region and the compressed surface and between the front end-sealing region and the compressed surface and each of which is formed thicker than the compressed surface. The battery case has a resin layer, a metal layer, and an insulating layer. The resin layer of the raised surface is formed thicker than the resin layer of the compressed surface.

In the vicinity of an opening end of a first liner constituent member and a second liner constituent member made of a resin material, a flange portion is formed. After end surfaces of the opening end are abutted and joined to each other, the flange portion is removed in such a way that a part of a bottom portion remains. The remaining amount of protrusion is set such that the joint strength of a joint portion is not less than the tensile strength of the resin material or not less than the cohesion failure strength of the joint portion.

A method for manufacturing a thermoplastic composite product includes: providing a first and second thermoplastic composite component made from a consolidated stack of thermoplastic composite plies, said first and second component having a first and second ply drop off, respectively. The first and second components are positioned such that the first ply drop off and the second ply drop off are aligned, and the first and second components are fixedly connected by means of heating. The stacks of plies for the first and second components are constructed by stacking the plies in a stacking direction wherein the plies are arranged such that plies at a different position along the stacking direction are laterally offset relative to each other for the purpose of forming the first ply drop off and the second ply drop off, respectively, before consolidating.

A welding device (10a; 10b) for welding an outlet element (12a; 12b) to a packaging material (14a; 14b) has at least one anvil (16a; 16b) comprising at least one receiving region (18a; 18b) for receiving the outlet element (12a; 12b) that is to be welded, has a holding element (20a; 20b) which the anvil (16a; 16b) is arranged on, and at least one welding die (22a; 22b), in particular a sonotrode, which is configured to interact with the anvil (16a; 16b) for a welding of the outlet element (12a; 12b) to the packaging material (14a; 14b), wherein the welding device (10a; 10b) comprises at least one support unit (24a; 24b) for supporting the anvil (16a; 16b), comprising at least one movably supported support element (26a; 26b), which is configured to exert a holding force onto the anvil (16a; 16b) in a welding operation state of the welding die (22a; 22b).

Systems and methods of controlling outputs of infrared heaters used to join a first part to a second part, and a component made thereby. Upper and lower nests hold the first and second parts, respectively. A movable heating platen has infrared heaters on opposite surfaces. Imaging sensors have fields of view encompassing heated portions of the first and second parts, respectively, when the platen is retracted away from an area between the upper and lower nests. A controller causes the upper and lower nests to move while causing the platen to extend into and retract away from the area between the upper and lower nests. The first imaging sensor takes a first image of the heated portions of the first part, which causes an adjustment to be made to an output of the infrared heaters in a subsequent welding cycle.

A joint structure includes a first material (1), a second material (2) weldable to the first material, and a third material (3) at least a portion of which being sandwiched between the first material and the second material, having a through opening portion at the sandwiched portion, and including a material that is difficult to be welded to both the first material and the second material, the first material and the second material welded the via through opening portion. At least one of the first material and the second material is provided with a protrusion (14) inserted in the through opening portion. A first gap (4) is provided between an inner peripheral surface of the through opening portion and the protrusion. A second gap (5) is provided between the first material and the second material, the second gap having a size depending on a plate thickness of the first material in a region corresponding to the protrusion. Under a condition in which the second gap has a size of greater than or equal to 0.1 mm but less than or equal to 40% of the plate thickness of the first material in the region, the first material and the second material are welded by emitting a laser beam from a side on which the first material is disposed.