Disclosed is a method of joining different materials including a polymer composite and high-tensile steel, at excellent joining strength and, more particularly, a method in which various variables in friction bit joining are designed and adjusted to improve joining load between different materials.

An apparatus includes a drum that rotates about an axis and rotating an anvil roll that rotates about an axis of rotation. The drum includes a fluid nozzle and a press member, the press member having an outer surface. The anvil roll includes a compliant outer circumferential surface. First and second substrates are advanced in a machine direction onto the drum. The fluid nozzle moves radially outward and a jet of heated fluid may be directed onto the substrates. The fluid nozzle retracts radially inward and the press member may be shifted radially outward. The substrates may be compressed between the press member and the anvil roll such that the press member deforms the compliant outer circumferential surface of the anvil roll.

The invention relates to a plastic-welding device for connecting a first, thin-walled plastic part to a second plastic part in a planar manner. The device includes a hand-held mounting aid and a welding head that can be held in a retainer of a hand soldering iron; wherein the welding head has a main body and at least one welding tip arranged on the main body. The mounting aid has at least one spacer, which can be placed onto the thin-walled plastic part by means of an underside of the at least one spacer and on the surface of which the main body of the welding head can be supported. The spacer is designed so that, when the main body is supported on the at least one spacer, a depth of penetration of the welding tip into the plastic parts to be connected is limited to a predetermined maximum value.

The invention relates to a method for producing a component bond (70, 140) comprising: a fastening structure (60, 160) that has at least one component layer (60A, 60a; 160a, 160b); and a thermoplastic connecting element (10, 110) having a head (12, 112) and a shank (14, 114), in which method the connecting element (10, 110) is driven into the fastening structure (60, 160) under pressure whilst rotating, such that the shank (14, 114) penetrates the fastening structure (60, 160). The connecting element (10, 110), after penetrating the fastening structure (60, 160), is converted by friction into a softened, free-flowing state in a die (44, 144) which is placed against the fastening structure (60, 160) in the opposite direction to the driving direction, resulting in a thicker section (22, 22) that extends beyond the radial extent of some sections of the shank (14, 114). The fastening structure (60, 160) is thus interlockingly held between the head (12, 112) and the thicker section (22, 122).

The invention relates to a method for joining a sealing seam of a tubular bag packaging by means of an ultrasonic applicator (10), characterized in that said ultrasonic applicator (10) generates ultrasonic waves at a frequency of between 0.1 MHz and 5 MHz, preferably between 0.5 MHz and 2 MHz. The invention also relates to a longitudinal seal joining device of a tubular bag machine for use with said claimed method.

An absorbent article includes a stretchable sheet that is a laminate of a non-stretchable first sheet layer, a non-stretchable second sheet layer, and an elastic film disposed between the first and second sheet layers, and the elastic film is stretchable at least in the front-back direction. The first sheet layer is bonded to the second sheet layer at a large number of joints directly or through the elastic film and the joints are arrayed at intervals. The stretchable sheet is contracted by a contraction force of the elastic film and can be stretched by an external force applied in the front-back direction. The leg portion is also contracted by a contraction force of the elastic film and can be stretched by an external force applied in the width direction. The leg portions and adjoined regions have different joint area rates and thereby have different stretching stresses.

A horn for an ultrasonic welding apparatus includes a body having an outer diameter surface and a convex welding tip having a first curved surface and a second curved surface. A peak curvature point is defined by the second curved surface. A base curvature point is defined at an intersection between the outer diameter surface and the first curved surface. An inner diameter is defined at an intersection between the first curved surface and the second curved surface.

The present disclosure relates to methods and apparatuses for mechanically bonding substrates together. The apparatuses may include a pattern roll including a pattern element protruding radially outward. The pattern element includes a pattern surface and includes one or more channels adjacent the pattern surface. The pattern roll may be positioned adjacent an anvil roll to define a nip between the pattern surface and the anvil roll, wherein the pattern roll is biased toward the anvil roll to define a nip pressure between pattern surface and the anvil roll. As substrates advance between the pattern roll and anvil roll, the substrates are compressed between the anvil roll and the pattern surface to form a discrete bond region between the first and second substrates. As such, during the bonding process, some yielded substrate material flows from under the pattern surface and into the channel to form a channel grommet region.

A sonotrode for reshaping a connecting element to form a closing head of a rivet including a cavity at least partially having the negative shape of the closing head to be formed, wherein the cavity provides a contact surface designed to come in contact with the connecting element during reshaping, wherein the sonotrode defines a longitudinal axis (l), and wherein the contact surface in a cross section in at least one first plane parallel to the longitudinal axis (l) includes a first contour with a convex shaped outer section, so that a line connecting two points within the convex shaped outer section extends through the sonotrode and not through the cavity. A system including a sonotrode and a connecting element and to a method of reshaping a connecting element.

A method of bonding a first object to a second object includes the steps of: providing the first object including thermoplastic material in a solid state, providing the second object including a proximal surface, applying a mechanical pressing force and a mechanical excitation capable to liquefy the thermoplastic material until a flow portion of the thermoplastic material is flowable and penetrates into structures of the second object, and stopping the mechanical excitation and letting the thermoplastic material resolidify to yield a positive-fit connection between the first and the second object. The second object has a region of low density, wherein the protrusion penetrates the region of low density at least partly before the thermoplastic material is made flowable, and wherein the first object includes a protruding portion after the step of letting the thermoplastic material resolidify, the protruding portion at least partly penetrates the region of low density.