An edge trim for pieces of furniture, including a meltable layer, is described. The molecular structure of the meltable layer contains both polar and non-polar parts. By way of a non-limiting example, an edge trim for pieces of furniture having an exposed edge of wooden or wood substitute material is described, comprising a molten layer and a structural layer, wherein the structural layer and the molten layer are connected in an adhesive bond, wherein the molten layer is made of a material that is chemically modified such that polar and non-polar components are found in a single molecular structure, wherein the molten layer contains energy absorbing additives, wherein the energy absorbing additives of the molten layer are selected from the group consisting of metal oxides, metal phosphates, metal salts of organic anions and combinations thereof.

The present disclosure relates more to processes for making a filter element that includes a filter membrane having a strip of thermoplastic polymer material laminated thereto, for example, as a strip along an edge of the filter membrane. For example, one such process includes providing a sheet of filter membrane having a first surface and an opposed second surface; providing a strip of thermoplastic polymer material having a first surface and an opposed second surface; contacting the first surface of the strip of thermoplastic polymer material with the first surface of the filter membrane; and softening the strip of thermoplastic polymer material at at least its first surface by irradiation with laser radiation; such that the softened polymer material of the first surface of the strip of thermoplastic polymer material bonds to the first surface of the filter membrane upon hardening.

A method of bonding a second object to a first object includes: providing the first object having a thermoplastic liquefiable material in a solid state; providing the second object having a surface portion that has a coupling structure with an undercut, so that the second object is capable of making a positive-fit connection with the first object; pressing the second object against the first object with a tool that is in physical contact with a coupling-in structure of the second object while mechanical vibrations are coupled into the tool; continuing to press and couple vibrations into the tool until a flow portion of the thermoplastic material of the first object is liquefied and flows into the coupling structures of the second object; and letting the thermoplastic material re-solidify to yield a positive-fit connection between the first and second objects by the re-solidified flow portion interpenetrating the coupling structures.

An assembly (1) for protecting an acoustic device comprises an expanded polytetrafluorethylene (ePTFE) membrane (3) and first and second polymeric substrates (2, 4) disposed on opposing sides (5, 6) of the membrane (3). The first substrate (2) is transmissive for laser light of a predetermined wavelength, and the membrane (3) is joined to the first and second substrates (2, 4) by first and second laser weld joints (9, 10) on the first side (5) of the membrane (3) and the second side (6) of the membrane (3), respectively, that are created in a single laser transmission welding step through the first polymeric substrate (2) towards the second polymeric substrate (4). The first side (5) of the membrane (3) may be at least partially absorbent for the laser light and the second side (6) may be at least partially transmissive for the laser light. This may be achieved by a color gradient from black to white from the first side (5) to the second side (6).

A method for joining two objects by anchoring an insert portion provided on a first object in an opening provided on a second object. The anchorage is achieved by liquefaction of a thermoplastic material and interpenetration of the liquefied material and a penetrable material, the two materials being arranged on opposite surfaces of the insert portion and the wall of the opening. During the step of inserting the insert portion in the opening and/or during anchorage a clamping force is applied to opposing surfaces of the second object to prevent the second object from cracking or bulging.

A method of directly joining a polymer to a metal along a joint interface through the formation of CO-M chemical bonds, where M represents an element in the metal to be joined. The method includes heating the metal to a predetermined temperature above a glass transition temperature of the polymer and less than a flash ignition temperature of the polymer and less than a metal melting temperature of the metal; physically contacting at least one of the metal and the polymer; and applying compression pressure to the joint interface of the metal and the polymer when the metal is above the glass transition temperature of the polymer and less than the flash ignition temperature of the polymer and less than the metal melting temperature of the metal to generate intimate atomic contact between the metal and the polymer to create CO-M chemical bonds between the metal and the polymer.

A method of bonding a second object to a first object includes: providing the first object having a thermoplastic liquefiable material in a solid state; providing the second object having a surface portion that has a coupling structure with an undercut, so that the second object is capable of making a positive-fit connection with the first object; pressing the second object against the first object with a tool that is in physical contact with a coupling-in structure of the second object while mechanical vibrations are coupled into the tool; continuing to press and couple vibrations into the tool until a flow portion of the thermoplastic material of the first object is liquefied and flows into the coupling structures of the second object; and letting the thermoplastic material re-solidify to yield a positive-fit connection between the first and second objects by the re-solidified flow portion interpenetrating the coupling structures.

A device for joining material by anchoring an insert comprising a first material in a structure comprising a second material is provided. The first material is solid and comprises thermoplastic properties and the second material is solid and is penetrable by the first material when in a liquefied state. The device comprises a vibration device being configured to transmit vibrations to said insert to cause at least partial liquefaction thereof and being arranged to move, relative to said structure, along an insertion direction (ID) to insert said insert at least partly into said structure, a contact sensor being connected to the vibration device and being adapted to move together with the vibration device along the insertion direction (ID), the contact sensor having a sensor body being adapted to detect contact with said structure. A controller is further connected to the contact sensor and adapted for receiving a contact signal from the contact sensor indicating that the sensor body has come into contact with said structure.

A method for joining two objects by anchoring an insert portion provided on a first object in an opening provided on a second object. The anchorage is achieved by liquefaction of a thermoplastic material and interpenetration of the liquefied material and a penetrable material, the two materials being arranged on opposite surfaces of the insert portion and the wall of the opening. During the step of inserting the insert portion in the opening and/or during anchorage a clamping force is applied to opposing surfaces of the second object to prevent the second object from cracking or bulging.

A method attaches a liquid-repellent filter to an air vent of a resin molded article accommodating a component/electronic part. A thermal processing tip and a thermally welding tip and a molded article are provided. The thermal processing tip (22) forms a filter attachment surface (14) at the inlet or outlet of an air vent (16) in a thermoplastic resin molded article (13). A filter fixing rib (15) is formed around the attachment surface. The porous filter (18) is dropped onto the filter attachment surface, and a thermal welding tip (2) is used to melt the filter fixing rib such that the melted resin flows onto and covers a circumferential edge portion of the filter, penetrating the body of the filter. The melted resin penetrating the filter 18 and covering the circumferential edge portion of the filter are cooled to solid, whereby the filter is fixed to the filter attachment surface.