A yarn or thread may include a plurality of substantially aligned filaments, with at least ninety-five percent of a material of the filaments being a thermoplastic polymer material. Various woven textiles and knitted textiles may be formed from the yarn or thread. The woven textiles or knitted textiles may be thermal bonded to other elements to form seams. A strand that is at least partially formed from a thermoplastic polymer material may extend through the seam, and the strand may be thermal bonded at the seam. The woven textiles or knitted textiles may be shaped or molded, incorporated into products, and recycled to form other products.

An inductive welding device includes a circuit for the inductive heating of a metal that is embedded in a non-magnetic bed. A transformer induces eddy currents in the metal as a function of an exciter current and an exciter voltage and forms a load impedance together with the metal to be heated. Temperature monitoring is provided for the metal to be heated. The load impedance is operated in the region of the resonant frequency of the load impedance. The exciter current and exciter voltage and their phase shift relative to each other are measured and logged when the metal is heated. A temperature progression which is proportional to the phase shift is calculated from the exciter current, exciter voltage, and phase shift.

A yarn or thread may include a plurality of substantially aligned filaments, with at least ninety-five percent of a material of the filaments being a thermoplastic polymer material. Various woven textiles and knitted textiles may be formed from the yarn or thread. The woven textiles or knitted textiles may be thermal bonded to other elements to form seams. A strand that is at least partially formed from a thermoplastic polymer material may extend through the seam, and the strand may be thermal bonded at the seam. The woven textiles or knitted textiles may be shaped or molded, incorporated into products, and recycled to form other products.

A method and apparatus for sealing a plastic enclosure is provided. The apparatus includes a handle including elements pivotally coupled together at a first end. The apparatus also includes a heating element positioned along an inner surface of an element and connected to a power source where a longitudinal axis of the heating element is oriented parallel with a longitudinal axis of the element. Plastic material including first and second plastic layers is positioned at an interface between the second elements. Upon pivoting the first elements from an open position to a closed position the heating element increases a temperature at the interface to melt the plastic material and form a seal between the first and second plastic layers.

A yarn or thread may include a plurality of substantially aligned filaments, with at least ninety-five percent of a material of the filaments being a thermoplastic polymer material. Various woven textiles and knitted textiles may be formed from the yarn or thread. The woven textiles or knitted textiles may be thermal bonded to other elements to form seams. A strand that is at least partially formed from a thermoplastic polymer material may extend through the seam, and the strand may be thermal bonded at the seam. The woven textiles or knitted textiles may be shaped or molded, incorporated into products, and recycled to form other products.

A method for producing, by welding, a joint between a thermoplastic matrix composite material and an elastomeric material. The elastomeric material is functionalized by incorporating, onto the surface of the elastomer, a nonwoven fabric consisting of fibers of thermoplastic material. The functionalized surface of the elastomeric material is welded to the thermoplastic material of the composite. The functionalization of the elastomeric material is performed during the vulcanization of the raw elastomer. The vulcanization is performed under a sufficient pressure for the nonwoven fabric placed on the surface of the raw elastomer to become incorporated with same, at least at the surface, during the vulcanization process. The welding operation includes interposing a metal fabric coated with thermoplastic material between the surfaces of the elastomer and the composite that are welded to each other, and passing an electric current through same, resulting in the surface melting of the two materials.

A method includes a coating step of coating a vulcanizing adhesive at a surface of a vulcanized centrum of a rubber bush; a heating step of heating a portion to be adhered of a stabilizer bar; a fitting step of fitting the centrum of the rubber bush at which the vulcanizing adhesive is coated on the heated portion to be adhered of the stabilizer bar; and an adhering step of clamping the rubber bush in a radial direction by a clamping device to adhere the rubber bush on the portion to be adhered of the stabilizer bar.

A method for producing, by welding, a joint between a thermoplastic matrix composite material and an elastomeric material. The elastomeric material is functionalized by forming a thin layer of elastomeric material incorporating particles of thermoplastic material and melting the thin layer onto the surface of the elastomeric material during the pressure-vulcanization of the elastomer. The functionalized surface of the elastomeric material is welded to the thermoplastic material of the composite. The welding operation includes interposing a metal fabric coated with thermoplastic material between the surfaces of the elastomer and the composite that are welded to each other, and passing an electric current through same, resulting in the surface melting of the two materials.

A seal device includes a medium passage that sends a heating medium to a sealing units, the medium passage includes a heating medium passage portion for sending a heating medium to said communication part so as to heat the pressing part, a cooling medium passage portion for sending a cooling medium to the communication part so as to cool the pressing part, and a passage switch unit that switches between a state in which the heating medium passage portion and the communication part are connected, and a state in which the cooling medium passage portion and the communication part are connected.

A tool for fabrication of a thermoplastic panel includes a sealed vessel, a membrane and a heater. The sealed vessel defines a volume. The sealed vessel includes first and second fluid ports. The membrane is disposed within the volume to define first and second chambers. The first chamber receives a skin and a core of the thermoplastic panel. The first chamber selectively applies a first fluidic pressure to the skin and the core in response to receiving a first fluid via the first fluid port. The membrane abuts a major surface of the thermoplastic panel. The second chamber selectively applies a second fluidic pressure to the membrane in response to receiving a second fluid via the second fluid port. The heater selectively directs heat toward the first chamber. A method for fabrication of the thermoplastic panel is provided. Various examples of thermoplastic panels are also provided.