The present invention relates to a process for the production of at least two-layer thermoplastic foam sheets via thermal welding of at least two thinner thermoplastic foam sheets. In the process of the invention, at least two heating elements are conducted on mutually offset planes between the surfaces to be welded of the thinner thermoplastic foam sheets, and the foam sheets here do not touch the heating elements. The number of layers of the thermoplastic foam sheet is per se a result of the number of thinner thermoplastic foam sheets that are thermally welded to one another. If by way of example three thinner thermoplastic foam sheets are thermally welded to one another, a three-layer thermoplastic foam sheet is per se obtained, and if there are four thinner thermoplastic foam sheets the result is accordingly per se a four-layer thermoplastic foam sheet.

Advanced ultrasonic welding components of Applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 8,376,016 are readily incorporated into new form-fill-seal machines, but owners of existing machines utilizing heat-seal stations were unsuccessful at swapping the sealing packages. Retrofit kits to a replace heat sealing stations with an advanced ultrasonic sonotrode and anvil comprise: a housing; a linear rail fixed thereto; first and second bearing carriages being slidable upon the rail; and first and second fluidic muscles. Each of the fluidic muscles is mounted with a first end fixed to a respective housing wall, and a second end fixed to a respective bearing carriage, permitting actuation of each carriage through pressurization/depressurization of the muscles. The advanced anvil and sonotrode may be secured to respective carriages. In-line arrangements of anvil/sonotrode, bearing carriages, the first fluidic and second fluidic muscles provides a narrow profile, permitting side-by-side kit installations for retrofits accomplishing duplex sealing on a horizontal machine.

A laser component is provided, including a laser medium and a transparent heat transmitting member, at least one of which is oxide. Bonding surfaces of the laser medium and the transparent heat transmitting member are exposed to oxygen plasma, and thereafter the bonding surfaces are brought into contact without heating. The laser medium and the transparent heat transmitting member are bonded at atomic levels, their thermal resistance is low, and no large residual stress is generated due to the bonding taking place under normal temperature. The process of oxygen plasma exposure ensures transparency of their bonding interface. The laser medium and the transparent heat transmitting member are stably bond via an amorphous layer.

The invention relates to a method for laser welding two plastic components A, B brought into contact at least in the joining area, wherein component B facing away from the laser radiation consists of a plastic matrix with a white pigmentation of 1.5 5-20 wt.-%, and component A facing the laser radiation, through which the laser beam passes in the welding process, exhibits a plastic matrix. For a given laser wavelength the travel distance of the laser beam through the component A measures at most 10 mm, and given a white pigmentation of the component A in wt.-%, the product of the travel distance of the laser 10 beam through the component A in mm and white pigmentation in wt.-% is less than 1.25, and the travel distance of the laser beam through the component A measures at most 1 mm.

Provided is a low-cost flow sensor which improves productivity while maintaining high quality and high reliability. This flow sensor is provided with a housing, a cover, a circuit chamber sealed between these and housing electronic components or wiring, and a subpassage through which the fluid flows that is to be detected, and is characterized in that the welding width of a first welded portion forming the circuit chamber is greater than the welding width of a part of the second welded portion forming the subpassage unit.

Advanced ultrasonic welding components of Applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 8,376,016 are readily incorporated into new form-fill-seal machines, but owners of existing machines utilizing heat-seal stations were unsuccessful at swapping the sealing packages. Retrofit kits to a replace heat sealing stations with an advanced ultrasonic sonotrode and anvil comprise: a housing; a linear rail fixed thereto; first and second bearing carriages being slidable upon the rail; and first and second fluidic muscles. Each of the fluidic muscles is mounted with a first end fixed to a respective housing wall, and a second end fixed to a respective bearing carriage, permitting actuation of each carriage through pressurization/depressurization of the muscles. The advanced anvil and sonotrode may be secured to respective carriages. In-line arrangements of anvil/sonotrode, bearing carriages, the first fluidic and second fluidic muscles provides a narrow profile, permitting side-by-side kit installations for retrofits accomplishing duplex sealing on a horizontal machine.

A sonotrode and anvil are adapted for ultrasonic welding of work pieces, to produce a narrower weld region that exhibits greater durability, permitting use of less material per package. The horn-to-anvil contact is through a plurality of energy directors arranged into a three-dimensional grid pattern to be capable of distributed vibration-transmissive contact. The energy directors include a series of plateau surfaces regularly spaced apart in a first direction, and in a second direction that is orthogonal to the first direction, to form the grid pattern. The energy directors of the horn are configured to interlock with the energy directors of the anvil. The rectangular-shaped plateaus are spaced apart by angled side-surfaces that form valleys. A stepped transition to a corresponding region of reduced height for the energy directors of the sonotrode and anvil may form a cosmetic seal region with a lesser integrity, in addition to the main barrier seal.

A sonotrode and anvil are adapted for ultrasonic welding of work pieces, to produce a narrower weld region that exhibits greater durability, permitting use of less material per package. The horn-to-anvil contact is through a plurality of energy directors arranged into a three-dimensional grid pattern to be capable of distributed vibration-transmissive contact. The energy directors include a series of plateau surfaces regularly spaced apart in a first direction, and in a second direction that is orthogonal to the first direction, to form the grid pattern. The energy directors of the horn are configured to interlock with the energy directors of the anvil. The rectangular-shaped plateaus are spaced apart by angled side-surfaces that form valleys. A stepped transition to a corresponding region of reduced height for the energy directors of the sonotrode and anvil may form a cosmetic seal region with a lesser integrity, in addition to the main barrier seal.

Advanced ultrasonic welding components of co-pending application Ser. No. 12/925,652 are readily incorporated into new form-fill-seal machines, but owners of existing machines utilizing heat-seal stations were unsuccessful at swapping the sealing packages. Retrofit kits to a replace heat sealing station with an advanced ultrasonic sonotrode and anvil comprise: a housing; a linear rail fixed thereto; first and second bearing carriages being slidable upon the rail; and first and second fluidic muscles. Each of the fluidic muscles is mounted with a first end fixed to a respective housing wall, and a second end fixed to a respective bearing carriage, permitting actuation of each carriage through pressurization and depressurization of the muscles. The advanced anvil and sonotrode may be secured to respective carriages. In-line arrangements of anvil/sonotrode, bearing carriages, the first fluidic muscle, and the second fluidic muscle provides a narrow profile, permitting side-by-side kit installations for retrofits accomplishing duplex sealing on a horizontal machine.

Methods and apparatuses for bonding polymeric parts are disclosed. Specifically, in one embodiment, the polymeric parts are bonded by plastically deforming them against each other while they are below the glass transition temperatures. A method includes: placing a first polymeric part in contact with a second polymeric part; and plastically deforming the first polymeric part and the second polymeric part against each other to bond the first polymeric part to the second polymeric part. Additionally, during the plastic deformation, a temperature of the first polymeric part is less than a glass transition temperature of the first polymeric part and a temperature of the second polymeric part is less than a glass transition temperature of the second polymeric part.