An automatic splicing apparatus and methods thereof are provided herein for splicing together two ends of a sheet of tire material on a tire building drum. The apparatus comprises a frame, a splicer foot assembly, and a splicer roller assembly. The frame is configured to support the apparatus relative to the drum. The splicer foot assembly and the splicer roller assembly are independently longitudinally translatable relative to the frame. The splicer foot assembly includes a splicer foot having forward lower preparation rollers and rearward lower splicer rollers, and upper preparation rollers configured to operate in coordination with the forward lower preparation rollers to pull the two ends of the sheet of tire material together over the splicer foot. The splicer roller assembly includes upper splicer rollers configured to act in coordination with the rearward lower splicer rollers to splice the two ends together.

A method of sealing reinforced packages. The method can comprise moving an open-ended package in a downstream direction on a package conveyor by engaging the open-ended package with a chain flight of the package conveyor moving in the downstream direction. The method further can comprise forming a bag with a closed end by engaging at least a seal portion of a tail section of an open-ended tube portion of the open-ended package between the chain flight of the package conveyor and a hot plate positioned adjacent the package conveyor. The chain flight can move with the tail section in the downstream direction relative to the hot plate, which can transfer thermal energy to the tail section to at least partially form a seal along the seal portion in the tail section to at least partially form the closed end of the bag.

A method of induction welding a first carbon fiber thermoplastic composite (TPC) to a second carbon fiber thermoplastic composite (TPC) using an induction coil includes aligning the first TPC with the second TPC to form a weld interface area, flexing a heat sink onto a surface of the first TPC between the weld interface area and the induction coil, and inductively heating the weld interface area with the induction coil.

Methods of producing polymer-metal hybrid components that are bonded by C—O-M bonds at the interface using at least one of the hot pressing, rolling, and injection molding methods to create chemical bond formation conditions at the polymer and metal interface. When the thermal cycle and compressive pressure specified herein is combinationally created at the polymer and metal interfaced, strong C—O-M bonds forms at the interface and strongly bonds the metal and polymer together through the reaction carbonyl groups (C═O) in polymer and the metal surface. For polymers lacking enough carbonyl groups, new functional groups can be in-situ generation through introducing distributed air pockets at the polymer-metal interface for forming 3-dimensional distributed C—O-M bonds at the interface.

A method of sealing reinforced packages. The method can comprise moving an open-ended package in a downstream direction on a package conveyor by engaging the open-ended package with a chain flight of the package conveyor moving in the downstream direction. The method further can comprise forming a bag with a closed end by engaging at least a seal portion of a tail section of an open-ended tube portion of the open-ended package between the chain flight of the package conveyor and a hot plate positioned adjacent the package conveyor. The chain flight can move with the tail section in the downstream direction relative to the hot plate, which can transfer thermal energy to the tail section to at least partially form a seal along the seal portion in the tail section to at least partially form the closed end of the bag.

Methods for forming absorbent articles and side seam bonds of absorbent articles are described. In one embodiment, a method of forming absorbent articles may comprise advancing webs, coupling absorbent cores to the webs intermittently to form open absorbent article chassis, folding the absorbent article chassis, forming a first side seam bond first bond pair between a first region of the webs and a second region of the webs with a first ultrasonic horn, forming a second side seam bond of the bond pair between the first region and the second region with a second ultrasonic horn, the first bond being associated with a first absorbent article chassis and the second side seam bond being associated with a second absorbent article chassis, and cutting the folded absorbent article chassis between the first bond and the second bond to separate the first absorbent article chassis from the second absorbent article chassis.

A rotary device for welding a continuous web comprises a rotary unit rotating about a respective axis and welding units for welding the web mounted, angularly spaced, on the rotary unit. A movement device varies a radial position of the welding units. First and second supporting elements supporting the web are disposed, respectively, upstream and downstream of respective ones of the welding units, to keep the web tensioned when the respective welding unit is at an operating position. The first and second supporting elements are supported by a load-bearing structure connected to the welding units in such a way that a radial movement of the welding units corresponds to a movement of the first and second supporting elements towards and away from the axis.

A method for producing a fencing material including the steps of: providing a border material having an interior surface; providing a mesh material having a front and a back; treating the interior surface of the border material to produce a tacky border material surface; placing a portion of the front and/or the back of the mesh material against the tacky border material surface; pressing the tacky border material surface and the mesh material together; and thermally bonding at least some portion of the front and the back of the mesh material with the interior surface of the border material. The border material being a polyvinyl chloride, the mesh being a polyvinyl chloride material and/or a vinyl coated material.

The present welding system includes: a transport device that transports a work in a state where a plurality of webs are overlaid on each other; an anvil roller that includes an anvil which intermittently makes contact with the first surface of the work being transported; an ultrasonic horn that is opposite the second surface of the work and that cooperates with the anvil to apply vibration energy to the work so as to intermittently weld the webs; a speed changing device that lowers the transport speed of the work supplied between the horn and the anvil when the welding is performed; and a pressing device that presses the first surface of the work to the anvil when the welding is performed.

An automatic splicing apparatus and methods thereof are provided herein for splicing together two ends of a sheet of tire material on a tire building drum. The apparatus comprises a frame, a splicer foot assembly, and a splicer roller assembly. The frame is configured to support the apparatus relative to the drum. The splicer foot assembly and the splicer roller assembly are independently longitudinally translatable relative to the frame. The splicer foot assembly includes a splicer foot having forward lower preparation rollers and rearward lower splicer rollers, and upper preparation rollers configured to operate in coordination with the forward lower preparation rollers to pull the two ends of the sheet of tire material together over the splicer foot. The splicer roller assembly includes upper splicer rollers configured to act in coordination with the rearward lower splicer rollers to splice the two ends together.