A machine and method for making bags is described and includes a web traveling from an input section to a rotary drum, to an output section. The rotary drum includes at least one seal bar, having a single sealing zone, and a weakening zone disposed within the single sealing zone. The single sealing zone may be a heated perforator, includes a heating wire. The heating wire may be an NiCr wire stitched into the heater, and be disposed on a cap or on the seal bar. The weakening zone may create a line of weakness that is uniform or varies in intensity. The sealing zone may include temperature zones, cartridge heaters, cooling air, or heated air, or a source of ultrasonic, microwave or radiative energy.

A portable conveyor belt splicing apparatus is provided that includes an upper press assembly and a lower press assembly which include, respectively, upper and lower platen assemblies. The upper and lower press assemblies may each include a forced air cooling system for rapidly cooling platens of the platen assemblies. The upper and lower press assemblies may include insulating assemblies with resilient members that support the upper and lower press assemblies. The resilient members provide structural support and insulate the platens from the frame which reduces the power required to heat the platens. In one form, the apparatus includes a power supply circuit that can alternate between providing power to upper and lower heaters in response to the apparatus being connected to different types of standard power supplies. Further, the power supply circuit permits the use of a single recipe for a particular belt irrespective of the type of power supply.

Methods and devices for bonding a plurality of substrates in a nip provided between an anvil and a bonding device may involve preheating a portion of a first substrate for a preheating duration to impart a preheated temperature, and then conveying the plurality of substrates to the nip to form a bond. The portion of the first substrate may reach the nip at a final temperature that is within 0 C. to 40 C. of the preheated temperature. A time-in-nip to create the bond may be less than 20 milliseconds. The preheating duration may be at least 200% longer than the time-in-nip. Laminate materials formed via such methods and devices may include unbonded areas in the nonwoven material that may have at least 5 fibers per square inch that are fused at fiber-to-fiber intersections caused by preheating the nonwoven material.

A machine and method for making bags is described and includes a web, traveling from an input section to a rotary drum, to an output section. The rotary drum includes at least one seal bar, having a first sealing zone, and an adjacent weakening zone. The weakening zone may be a heated perforator, includes a heating wire, or be disposed to create an auxiliary sealed area. The heating wire can have, connected thereto, a source of power that is at an adjustable voltage or magnitude, and/or pulsed, and/or a feedback loop. The heating wire may be an NiCr wire and make intermittent contact with the web and be disposed in an insert. The weakening zone may create a line of weakness that is uniform or varies in intensity, is a separating zone, or includes a heat film, a toothed blade, a row of pins, a source of air, or a source of vacuum. The sealing zones may include temperature zones, cartridge heaters, cooling air, or heated air, or a source of ultrasonic, microwave or radiative energy.

A portable conveyor belt splicing apparatus is provided that includes an upper press assembly and a lower press assembly which include, respectively, upper and lower platen assemblies. The upper and lower press assemblies may each include a forced air cooling system for rapidly cooling platens of the platen assemblies. The upper and lower press assemblies may include insulating assemblies with resilient members that support the upper and lower press assemblies. The resilient members provide structural support and insulate the platens from the frame which reduces the power required to heat the platens. In one form, the apparatus includes a power supply circuit that can alternate between providing power to upper and lower heaters in response to the apparatus being connected to different types of standard power supplies. Further, the power supply circuit permits the use of a single recipe for a particular belt irrespective of the type of power supply.

A method of repairing a thermoplastic panel having a damaged portion therein that includes the steps of obtaining a patch member made of a thermoplastic material, positioning the patch member over the damaged portion, positioning the panel and patch member on a heat sink tool, using a hot forming tool to soften the panel and the patch member such that the material of the panel and the material of the patch member are welded together, and cooling the panel and patch member to integrally bond the patch member to the panel, thereby forming a panel and patch assembly.

Composite fasteners, associated blanks and also methods and apparatus for the installation of such fasteners are disclosed. An exemplary composite rivet (10) disclosed comprises an elongated body including braided reinforcement fibers (14) embedded inside the body and supported in a matrix material (16). Also disclosed are structural assemblies comprising composite fasteners and panels or other parts comprising composite and/or other materials.

A sonotrode for an ultrasonic welding apparatus, having a lower portion of length u and an upper portion of length o, the upper portion and the lower portion adjacent on a longitudinal axis of the sonotrode, and the total length of the sonotrode in the direction of the longitudinal axis being u+o, the lower portion having a sealing surface oriented perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, the sealing surface contacting a material to be processed. The lower portion has a slot, wherein the slot extends from the sealing surface to a side of the lower portion opposing the sealing surface, such that the lower portion of the sonotrode is divided into a plurality of segments which lie adjacent each other in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis.