An apparatus for packaging a product comprises a packaging assembly to fix a film sheet to a support. The packaging assembly includes a lower tool having seats for receiving the support and an upper tool facing the lower tool and comprising a film holding plate for holding the film sheet. The film holding plate has an active surface for receiving the film sheet, where the upper and lower tools cooperating to define a packaging chamber. The packaging assembly is open to receive the film sheet in a first operating condition and is hermetically closed in a second operating condition. The film holding plate has a lateral surface extending substantially perpendicular to a plane defined by the active surface, the film holding plate comprising ejectors arranged in the lateral surface for ejecting a stream of gas substantially parallel to said plane and substantially away from a center of the active surface.

A cover for a housing of a vehicle and a method of sealing a cover to the housing, where in at least one example, the cover comprises a cover body configured to cover an opening of the housing and to engage the housing at an interface around the opening. The cover may comprise a heating element embedded within the cover body and operable to at least partially melt a portion of the cover body as a part of a process for sealing the cover to the housing. The portion of the cover body may deform and conform to an interface feature at the mating surface of the housing due to the at least partial melting of the portion of the cover body, and, in some examples, the heating element may be configured to fail and be inoperable.

Plastic parts are welded with a true 3D volumetric weld using intersecting multi-beam trace laser welding in which a plurality of spot laser beams having the same wavelength are directed to the so that the laser beams intersect each other at a point along a weld path within one of the plastic parts at an angle in an intersection angle range between ten degrees and ninety degrees. The plurality of laser beams are traced so that the intersection of the plurality of laser beams traces along the weld path to form a weld pattern that is linear, curvilinear, planar or three dimensional along a joint that is inside a volume of plastic. The plastic part in which the laser beams intersect is partially absorptive to laser light at a wavelength and the laser beams have this wavelength.

The invention relates to a method for welding a connection between a first joining surface of a first molded part and a second joining surface of a second molded part, which by means of a clamping device are moved and braced with their joining surfaces in contact with one another, wherein the first molded part is at least partially transparent for a primary beam of a first radiation source and at least partially absorbent for a secondary beam of a second radiation source, and the second molded part is at least partially absorbent for the primary beam, wherein sequentially the second molded part is irradiated with the primary beam and the first molded part is irradiated with the secondary beam.

A part assembly including a curing shield and a method for secondarily bonding two parts of the part assembly utilizing the curing shield. The method for secondary bonding includes fixing a base of a clip of a curing shield to a first surface of a first part. The curing shield includes a pad fixed to the clip. The clip has the base and a spine fixed to and extending away from the base and terminating at a distal end. The pad extends along at least a portion of a length of the spine between the base and the distal end. The method also includes applying adhesive along a faying surface of one of the first part and a second part. The second part is assembled to the first part along the faying surface so that the distal end of the clip extends toward the second surface and the curing shield defines a pocket adjacent the faying surface at least partly enclosed by the pad.

A part assembly including a curing shield and a method for secondarily bonding two parts of the part assembly utilizing the curing shield. The method for secondary bonding includes fixing a base of a clip of a curing shield to a first surface of a first part. The curing shield includes a pad fixed to the clip. The clip has the base and a spine fixed to and extending away from the base and terminating at a distal end. The pad extends along at least a portion of a length of the spine between the base and the distal end. The method also includes applying adhesive along a faying surface of one of the first part and a second part. The second part is assembled to the first part along the faying surface so that the distal end of the clip extends toward the second surface and the curing shield defines a pocket adjacent the faying surface at least partly enclosed by the pad.

A method of joining polymer components includes additively manufacturing first and second mating features on first and second polymer components such that a mechanical lock is created through undercut geometric features of an adhesive material when the polymer components are joined. Adhesive is added between the mating components to strengthen the joint.

The present invention relates to a machine comprising: an unwinding unit (11) for unwinding a flexible band (1), a folding unit (14) of a flexible band (1), a drive unit (31) configured for moving the flexible band (1) in a forward movement direction (DA), a welding unit (16) and a cutting unit (17) for cutting the flexible band, wherein the cutting unit (17) is a laser beam cutting unit (53) separating each individual flexible package from the flexible band (1) and providing a fill opening in each flexible package by means of at least one fill opening cut. The laser beam cutting unit (53) has associated therewith a separator device, movable in a vertical direction and including an insertable separator element (41), interposed between the opposite faces of the folded flexible band (1), in an area adjacent to the fill opening (3), for separating the opposite faces of the flexible band (1) during cutting operations to prevent the fusion thereof.

A method for manufacturing a microprojection unit (10) according to the invention involves: a microprojection tool forming step of forming a microprojection tool (1) by bringing a projecting mold part (11) into contact from one surface (2D) side of a base sheet (2A) including a thermoplastic resin, and thus forming a protrusion (3) that protrudes from another surface (2U) side, and withdrawing the projecting mold part (11) from the interior of the protrusion (3); a joining step of joining the one surface (2D) side of the base sheet (2A), in which the microprojection tool (1) has been formed, and a tip end of a base component (4); and a cutting step of cutting the base sheet (2A), to which the base component (4) has been joined, along a contour (4L) of the base component (4) at a position more inward than the base component's contour (4L) in a planar view of the base sheet (2A) as viewed from the microprojection tool (1) side, to manufacture a microprojection unit (10).

Systems and methods of using ultrasonic welding to form labels with RFID tags are disclosed. The methods can be useful for the production of a large volume of labels such as production with roll-to-roll processing. The labels can be useful for consumer products such as garments. The present invention discloses in one embodiment, a label having a first and second printed fabric label layer such that a radio frequency identification (RFID) inlay is disposed between the two printed fabric layers