The present invention relates to a method for evaluating an assembly by welding of parts made of thermoplastic materials, to a test piece and its associated uses, to an installation for implementing this method and to the associated welding system.

Systems for positioning and bonding a nutplate to a substrate having an aperture include a nutplate engagement fixture and a temperature sensor retention fixture. The nutplate engagement fixture includes a rigid tube and an elastomeric tube engaged with the rigid tube, the elastomeric tube having an elongated tube sized to provide a friction fit with the aperture and retain the elastomeric tube within the aperture. The rigid tube is operable to engage the nutplate at one end and the elastomeric tube is configured to anchor the nutplate engagement fixture at the aperture and secure the nutplate in contact with the substrate. The temperature sensor retention fixture includes a fixture body sized and configured to engage with the nutplate and at least one passageway within the fixture body sized and configured to allow a temperature sensor to be inserted or embedded therein with an end proximal a surface of the nutplate.

The present disclosure provides a method for detecting thermal sealing defects of a container during its transportation along a process line. The method is particularly suitable for containers caped with a cap liner and sealed with an inner seal. The method makes use of a high frequency heat (e.g. by a high frequency heat induction unit) to cause eddy current in the inner seal after which there is sensing by an IR imager of radiation emitted from the conductive innerseal to generate sensed IR image data indicative of the sensed radiation. The sensing is characterized by at least one of (i) a time window of a sensing session of between 50 msec to 300 msec during which said container is being transported through the FOV; and (ii) a sensing range of a wavelength spectrum region from 2 μm to 6 μm. The IR data is then processed so as to generate output data indicative of the presence or absence of at least one defect in the sealing of the container by said innerseal.

The present invention relates to a package seal control system (300), comprising a control unit (308), and data recording means (306) adapted to be communicatively connected to the control unit, wherein said data recording means (306) is adapted to monitor a longitudinal seal (302) extending in a direction conforming to a direction of flow of a packaging material (e.g. Tetra Pak) in a packaging and filling machine (100). The present invention further relates to its use and method for monitoring and optionally controlling the longitudinal seal (302) of a package material in a packaging and filling machine (100).

The present disclosure relates to a composite article that may include a plastic component, and a silicone component bonded the plastic component. The plastic component and the silicone component may be bonded at an intersecting region between a first surface of the plastic component and a first surface of the silicone component. The intersecting region may include at least one of an acetone content of not greater than about 0.2 ppm, an MEK content of not greater than about 0.2 ppm, or a trimethylsilanol content of not greater than about 0.2 ppm.

Systems for positioning and bonding a nutplate to a substrate having an aperture include a nutplate engagement fixture and a temperature sensor retention fixture. The nutplate engagement fixture includes a rigid tube and an elastomeric tube engaged with the rigid tube, the elastomeric tube having an elongated tube sized to provide a friction fit with the aperture and retain the elastomeric tube within the aperture. The rigid tube is operable to engage the nutplate at one end and the elastomeric tube is configured to anchor the nutplate engagement fixture at the aperture and secure the nutplate in contact with the substrate. The temperature sensor retention fixture includes a fixture body sized and configured to engage with the nutplate and at least one passageway within the fixture body sized and configured to allow a temperature sensor to be inserted or embedded therein with an end proximal a surface of the nutplate.

Methods for assessing fiber and bundle orientations and mechanical properties of fiber reinforced composite materials using Thermal Digital Image Correlation (TDIC) are disclosed. In some examples, the method comprises exposing the composite material to a temperature change; imaging the composite material at a plurality of time points before, during and/or after the temperature change; and assessing the characteristic of the composite material based on the imaging. In others, temperature changes naturally occur during the cooling process after manufacturing can be employed for this method such as compression molding process, injection molding process, resin transfer molding processes and its variants.

This invention relates to inspection techniques for use on composite joints and repairs. In this context, this invention proposes a system for inspecting a repair or joint consisting of a composite material applied to a structure, comprising at least one exciter or element that is excitable (2, 10) to a thermal and/or vibrational stimulus, the at least one exciter or excitable element (2, 10) being integrated into the repair (1) or joint.

Embodiments of systems and methods for positioning and bonding a nutplate to a substrate comprising at least one aperture, wherein the system includes a nutplate engagement fixture formed from a rigid tube and an elastomeric tube, a heater operable to deliver heat to a bonding surface of the nutplate, at least one temperature sensor operable to measure the temperature of the bonding surface of the nutplate, a temperature sensor retention fixture operable to position and secure the at least one temperature sensor to the nutplate, and a heater controller operable to control the output from the heater.

A non-destructive inspection judgment system for inspecting a non-destructive inspection subject using ultrasonic waves, including an ultrasonic wave generator transmitting and receiving ultrasonic signals by generating ultrasonic waves to the non-destructive inspection subject placed on an inspection table, an interface transmitting an ultrasonic signal received from the ultrasonic wave generator to an ultrasonic wave generation data controller, the ultrasonic wave generation data controller processing ultrasonic wave data received from the interface, a sealing defect presence judger determining, using the processed ultrasonic wave data, whether a sealing defect is present, and a display displaying a result of the judgment on a monitor to detect an unsealed portion of an aluminum pouch.