A method and installation for joining a cover layer to an object in a continuous process. Joining is effected with the aid of a joining material having thermoplastic properties, wherein the joining material is arranged between the cover layer and the object and is liquefied using ultrasonic vibration energy. Before application of the ultrasonic vibration energy, the joining material is preheated in a contactless manner with the aid of electromagnetic induction in the region of the glass transition temperature of the joining material or above this glass transition temperature. The object is in particular a chip board and the cover layer an edge strip to be joined to an edge of the chip board.

A method for producing insulating profiles comprises manufacturing a profile body and a first functional element separately, and the profile body and the first functional element are supplied to an ultrasonic welding device, wherein the profile body and the functional element are connected to one another by a material bond by formation of a welded joint. The profile body and the functional element are brought together into a predetermined first cross-sectional geometry during formation of the welded joint and are thereafter guided in this cross-sectional geometry until the plastics material of the welded joint solidifies to such an extent that the profile body and the first functional element are fixed in the predetermined cross-sectional geometry.

A packaging apparatus, in particular for packaging smoking articles, includes a wrapping device for wrapping a barrier film around an item to be packaged, such as a pack of smoking articles; and at least one sealing head having a contact surface for contacting the barrier film wrapped around the item and sealing the barrier film along a seam to form a protective enclosure around the item. The contact surface of the sealing head is at least partially discontinuous to provide a non-sealing region in the sealing head. In this way, the non-sealing region can be positioned to at least partially, and preferably wholly, overlie a frangible part or strip provided in the barrier film.

The embodiment provides a heat-sealing apparatus and a method of accurately controlling heat sealing temperature by measuring the temperature using a heat-sealing apparatus which heat-seals a pair of heat seal materials by nipping them between a pair of heating bodies. The method of heat-sealing includes mounting a cover material on the surface of at least one of the heating bodies to be in contact with the heat seal material, attaching a minute temperature sensor to the surface of the cover material on the side to be in contact with the heat seal material, and controlling temperature of welding face by the temperature detected by the minute temperature sensor, and an apparatus therefor.

A method of directly joining a polymer to a metal along a joint interface through the formation of CO-M chemical bonds, where M represents an element in the metal to be joined. The method includes heating the metal to a predetermined temperature above a glass transition temperature of the polymer and less than a flash ignition temperature of the polymer and less than a metal melting temperature of the metal; physically contacting at least one of the metal and the polymer; and applying compression pressure to the joint interface of the metal and the polymer when the metal is above the glass transition temperature of the polymer and less than the flash ignition temperature of the polymer and less than the metal melting temperature of the metal to generate intimate atomic contact between the metal and the polymer to create CO-M chemical bonds between the metal and the polymer.

An unwinding assembly comprising first and second unwinding and handling units comprising respective robots having respective wrists movable under the control of at least one electronic control unit, wherein each of said unwinding and handling units comprises a respective unwinding device mounted on the wrist of the respective robot. The present invention also relates to an unwinding and handling unit capable of handling the reel carried by it with high freedom of movement, while maintaining small dimensions.

An anvil of an ultrasonic sealing apparatus that includes a horn provided with a strip-shaped vibration applying surface at an end face thereof, the anvil being provided with an abutment surface at an end face thereof, the ultrasonic sealing apparatus sandwiching a laminate of two or more sheets between the vibration applying surface and the abutment surface and melting thermoplastic resin on the sheets by ultrasonic vibration delivered to the vibration applying surface, thereby bonding the laminate. The abutment surface includes a strip-shaped welding surface portion projected toward the horn, and the end face thereof is opposed to the vibration applying surface, and a plurality of block members arranged along the strip-shaped welding surface portion in an extending direction of the welding surface portion without being in contact with each other, and the plurality of block members has a height equal to or lower than the welding surface portion.

An ultrasonic sealing apparatus which allows for easy maintenance of a horn and high cooling efficiency of the horn is provided. The ultrasonic sealing apparatus includes a horn that abuts on a cylindrical material and applies vibration thereto, and a horn cover which includes a small frames that cover a lateral surface of the horn and have slits through which a space in which the horn is enclosed communicates with outside, the horn cover being removably attached independently from the horn.

A counter-pressure roller for applying pressure on a longitudinal sealing of a packaging material web comprises, a first back-panel support section having a first radius and a second back-panel support section having a second radius, for supporting first and second back-panels of the web, respectively. The first radius is greater than the second radius, and a groove is between the first and second back-panel support sections, for holding a longitudinal overlap section formed by first and second edge sections of the first and second back-panels, respectively. The first edge section is positionable outside the second edge section, with the first edge section facing a bottom of the groove. The bottom has a third radius less than or equal to the second radius. The groove has a first groove edge section having a first inclination, and a second groove edge section having a second inclination.

A method for joining at least two joining partners includes performing a plurality of ultrasonic joining operations in direct succession, wherein performing an individual ultrasonic joining operation includes, with a second joining tool, applying pressure to a second joining partner arranged adjacent to a first joining partner, thereby pressing the second joining partner against the first joining partner, and, with the second joining tool, applying high-frequency ultrasonic vibrations to the joining partners. The method further includes, during at least one intermediate time interval between two directly successive ultrasonic joining operations, at least one of actively cooling and heating the second joining tool.