A system and method for bonding a first layer of material to a second layer of material includes a first electrically conductive plate, a second electrically conductive plate spaced apart from the first electrically conductive plate. The second electrically conductive plate is electrically grounded. A high frequency generator in electrical communication with the first electrically conductive plate supplies high frequency electrical signals to the first electrically conductive plate. An adhesive applied to one of the first and second layers of material has an electromagnetic susceptor material that when subjected to the electric field heats the adhesive to an adhesive curing temperature to bond the first layer of material to the second layer of material. A clamping mechanism applies pressure to one of the first and second layers of material to maintain contact between the first and second layers until an adhesive cure time has lapsed.

A portable welding device comprising: a base facing a work surface, designed to receive tapes in electrically conductive composite materials to be joined or defined by at least one already positioned tape; an operating head receiving one tape at a time and movable with respect to the base along at least a first movement line parallel to the work surface; a motorized arm connecting the operating head to the base and selectively activatable to impart movements to the operating head; and feeding means selectively activatable to feed one tape at a time to the operating head and connected to the operating head; the operating head comprises a positioning roller receiving a tape at a time; a pressure roller spaced from and aligned with the positioning roller along the first movement line; and an inductor interposed between the positioning roller and the pressure roller with reference to the first movement line.

A method of dissipating heat from a surface of a first thermoplastic composite (TPC) being inductively welded with a second thermoplastic composite (TPC) includes flexing a heat sink during placement to conform to the surface of the first TPC, cooling the heat sink, applying inductive heat to a weld interface area between the first TPC and the second TPC, and drawing off heat via the heat sink from the surface of the first TPC.

In a fastening method and fastening apparatus, workpieces are fastened using a fastener made of a thermoplastic polymer comprising carbon fibers. The method and apparatus involve induction heating of the carbon fibers to soften the thermoplastic polymer and then plastically deforming axial ends of the fastener using a die or dies to form first and second heads while a shaft body or a shaft part of the thermoplastic polymer comprising the carbon fibers is inserted through respective through holes formed in the workpieces.

A tooling for use in a method for electromagnetic welding of two contacted surfaces of molded parts. The tooling includes a rubber body and pressurizing means for pressurizing the rubber body and applying pressure to the contacted surfaces. The rubber body includes an embedded stiff body shaped such as to define different rubber body thicknesses in different directions, which causes a different pressure build-up in the different directions. A method for manufacturing the tooling. The tooling may be used in electromagnetic welding of two contacted surfaces of molded parts by moving a joining inductor along the contacted surfaces, generating an electromagnetic field in an induction-sensitive component of the molded parts to heat a thermally activated coupling means of the molded parts to above a melting temperature of the coupling means.

A fastening apparatus includes a fastening device (1, 3) that heats in a non-contacting state, and then applies pressure to, a shaft part (11b) or shaft body (111) while it is inserted through the through holes (W10, W20) of workpieces (W1, W2), thereby forming at least a second head part (11c) of a fastener (11). The fastening device (1, 3) includes: a fastening die (15) that forms the second head part (11c); and a shaft-part pressure-applying device (9) that applies the pressure to the fastening die (15). A determining device (5) determines whether the fastener (11) is defective or not by calculating a load curve defined by the time and the load during which the pressure was applied and then determining whether an amount of change per unit of time in the load curve after a reference load has been exceeded is within a range of a predetermined reference value.

Systems and methods are provided for controlling welding. One embodiment is a method for controlling welding of a composite part. The method includes locating a linear fiber optic sensor along a composite part comprising a matrix of thermoplastic reinforced by fibers, measuring temperatures along the weld line via the linear fiber optic sensor, performing induction welding at the composite part along the weld line, determining a continuum of weld temperatures along the weld line, and controlling the induction welding based on the continuum of weld temperatures.

A heat sink for use in induction welding includes a number of tiles, where the tiles are electrically non-conductive and thermally conductive, a joint flexibly joining the tiles together, and a fluid path formed through the heat sink for communicating a coolant therethrough.

A heat sink for use in induction welding includes a flexible backing and a number of tiles disposed on the flexible backing in a single layer, wherein the tiles are electrically non-conductive and thermally conductive.

A system and method for bonding a first layer of material to a second layer of material includes a first electrically conductive plate, a second electrically conductive plate spaced apart from the first electrically conductive plate. The second electrically conductive plate is electrically grounded. A high frequency generator in electrical communication with the first electrically conductive plate supplies high frequency electrical signals to the first electrically conductive plate. An adhesive applied to one of the first and second layers of material has an electromagnetic susceptor material that when subjected to the electric field heats the adhesive to an adhesive curing temperature to bond the first layer of material to the second layer of material. A clamping mechanism applies pressure to one of the first and second layers of material to maintain contact between the first and second layers until an adhesive cure time has lapsed.