A plastic tank is comprised of two parts, a base and a top, that are permanently joined to each other by welding at a circumferential joint formed by two mating flanges of the parts. Fusion weld elements are captured on the faying surfaces of the flanges of the assembled parts, and the elements melted by internal heating of metal portions of the elements. Before heating of the elements, the flanges are gripped by a clamp which applies a resilient force which, during welding, causes the flanges to move toward each other and thereby a good weld joint is formed.

A method of joining overlapping thermoplastic membrane components in which a first thermoplastic membrane component and a second thermoplastic membrane component are positioned in overlapping relationship between a pair of complementary molding surfaces, with at least one of the complementary molding surfaces being defined by an electrically conductive metal susceptor. Heat is generated in the metal susceptor and transferred by thermal conduction from the metal susceptor to overlapping portions of the first and second thermoplastic membrane components to locally melt and coalesce at least a portion of the thermoplastic material of the first thermoplastic membrane component and at least a portion of the thermoplastic material of the second thermoplastic membrane component. The molten thermoplastic material of the first and second thermoplastic membrane components forms a zone of coalesced thermoplastic material that, upon cooling, forms a solid weld joint that fusion welds the first and second thermoplastic membrane components together.

An accommodating intraocular lens comprises a first lens component, a second lens component, and an adhesive between portions of the two lens components. The cured adhesive bonds the lens components to form a fluid chamber. The lens components are bonded to one another along a seam which extends circumferentially along at least a portion of the lens components. The lens components may comprise the same polymer material. The cured adhesive also comprises the polymer or a prepolymer of the polymer to provide increased strength. The polymer is hydratable such that the lens components and the cured adhesive therebetween can swell together to inhibit stresses between the lens components and the cured adhesive.

A method attaches a liquid-repellent filter to an air vent of a resin molded article accommodating a component/electronic part. A thermal processing tip and a thermally welding tip and a molded article are provided. The thermal processing tip (22) forms a filter attachment surface (14) at the inlet or outlet of an air vent (16) in a thermoplastic resin molded article (13). A filter fixing rib (15) is formed around the attachment surface. The porous filter (18) is dropped onto the filter attachment surface, and a thermal welding tip (2) is used to melt the filter fixing rib such that the melted resin flows onto and covers a circumferential edge portion of the filter, penetrating the body of the filter. The melted resin penetrating the filter 18 and covering the circumferential edge portion of the filter are cooled to solid, whereby the filter is fixed to the filter attachment surface.

A welding head comprises a welding element for welding a lid to an opening device of a container, a supporting body for supporting the welding element and a compensating device for compensating a possible mutual mispositioning of the welding element and the lid during welding of the lid to the opening device, the compensating device being interposed between the supporting body and the welding element, the compensating device comprising a planar spring arrangement provided with at least one planar spring element having a first member and a second member mutually connected by deformable elements.

Methods and systems are provided for a housing for a fastener of a vehicle component. In one example, a housing for a fastener includes a central conduit adapted to receive the fastener, and a radial key extending outward from an outer surface of the housing. The radial key is first pressed against a vehicle component in an axial direction of the housing to form a first section of a channel within an interior of the vehicle component, and the key is then rotated against the interior to form an undercut, second section of the channel in a circumferential direction of the housing.

A plastic tank is comprised of two parts, a base and a top, that are permanently joined to each other by welding at a circumferential joint formed by two mating flanges of the parts. Fusion weld elements are captured on the faying surfaces of the flanges of the assembled parts, and the elements are melted by internal heating of metal portions of the elements. Two spaced apart circumferential welds which define an annular space are formed. The pressure within the annular space is changed in a test procedure to verify the integrity of the welds.

A container sealing apparatus including: a rotating spindle (24); a rotating turret means (38) disposed around the rotating spindle and having pockets (40) along a circular transport path; container support means (42) arranged below the rotating turret means in correspondence with the pockets (40), and which can rotate about the rotating spindle and rotate on their axes; lid pressing means (44) arranged above the rotating turret means in correspondence with the container support means, which can rotate about the rotating spindle and rotate on their axes, and can ascend and descend relative to the container support means; and laser irradiation means (46) capable of rotating about the rotating spindle and adapted to direct laser light toward the container (2), against which the lid (14) has been pressed by the container support means and the lid pressing means, thereby heat welding the lid (14) to the container.

The sealing device, forming the object of this invention, for packages containing food products, includes a unit for gripping and/or feeding a piece of thin flexible material forming a film used to cover and at least partly seal the food product; a sealing element which includes a rheostat having an annular body and two terminals extending from the annular body and connectable to a voltage generator capable of generating and maintaining an electrical potential difference at the ends of the two terminals in such a way as to cause to flow along the rheostat an electric current capable of heating the annular body to a predetermined sealing temperature. Each terminal has at the point of its connection to the annular body of the rheostat a cross section whose surface area is the smallest compared to the cross sections at all other points of the terminal.

An ultrasonic sealing method and device for a bag, in which pressurized gas spray outlets (47, 52) are provided at distal ends of a horn (31) and an anvil (32) so as to be used as gas blowing nozzles, the distal ends of the horn and the anvil are placed against a cutout (19) formed in a gas compartment (16) of the bag, a gas is blown into the gas compartment to inflate it, and then the horn and the anvil clamp films surrounding the cutout while the gas blowing is in progress, so that ultrasonic sealing is carried out by the horn to the films to trap the gas inside the gas compartment. A contact member (71) is provided directly under the horn. The contact member is pressed against inflated film (18) of the gas compartment, and in this state ultrasonic vibration energy is supplied to the horn.