The invention relates to improvements of a heating means particularly in a vertical flow-wrapper.

A method and apparatus for making bags from a film that follows a film path through a bag machine includes an input section located on the film path, a sealing section located on the film path downstream of the input section, an output section located on the film path downstream of the sealing section, and a controller, connected to control the sealing section. The sealing section includes a sealer that includes a heater block and a manifold. There is an air flow path from the heater block to the manifold. Air is heated in the heater block in response to a control signal provided by the controller to the heater block. The heated air is provided through the air path to the manifold. A temperature sensor is disposed in at least one of the air path and the manifold.

A method of joining overlapping thermoplastic roofing membrane components in which a first thermoplastic roofing membrane component and a second roofing membrane component are positioned in overlapping relationship between a pair of complementary molding surfaces. Heat is generated in a metal substrate and transferred by thermal conduction from the metal substrate to overlapping portions of the first and second thermoplastic roofing membrane components to locally melt and coalesce a portion or more of the thermoplastic material of the first thermoplastic roofing membrane component and a portion or more of the thermoplastic material of the second thermoplastic roofing membrane component. The molten thermoplastic material of the first and second thermoplastic roofing membrane components forms a zone of coalesced thermoplastic material that, upon cooling, forms a solid weld joint.

An ultrasonic welding system includes an ultrasonic welding stack that is movable to initiated a welding operation. A plurality of sensors measure respective control variables and output control signals corresponding, respectively, to the control variables. A motion control system is coupled to and causes controlled movement of the welding stack, including initiating the welding operation. The motion control system determines, based on the control signals, control inputs such that any motion of the welding stack, subsequent to the initiating, is initially delayed until the control signals satisfy a predetermined condition. In response to the predetermined condition being satisfied, the motion control system causes the welding stack to move in accordance with a weld profile.

A method, and an apparatus associated therewith, for detecting plastic tube ends clamped in a butt welding machine, the plastic tube ends being planed by means of a plane, which can be introduced between the plastic tube ends, and subsequently being heated by means of a heating mirror, which can be introduced between the plastic tube ends, and the plastic tube ends are welded together after removal of the heating mirror, the plane and/or the heating mirror being tilted in between the plastic tube ends by means of a controlled movement, wherein detection or sensing of the plastic tube ends during the controlled movement of tilting in the plane and/or the heating mirror is carried out by means of at least one sensor arranged on the plane and/or on the heating mirror.

A method and tool for repairing a damaged zone of an aircraft radome, using the actual radome itself as a heating chamber to avoid resorting to an autoclave and the removal of certain parts of the radome which cannot withstand the curing temperature needed for the repair. The method for repairing a radome, wherein the radome comprises a composite panel exhibiting a double curvature forming a dome, the panel comprising at least one damaged zone, comprises the steps of closing an interior space of the panel using a cap to form a repair chamber. The surface of the panel forms the repair chamber containing the damaged zone. Another step is heating the space inside the repair chamber to form a heating chamber allowing the curing expected for repairing the damaged zone.

A hybrid manufacturing machine comprises a workpiece platform, a powder delivery system, and a scan head. The powder delivery system delivers powder from a powder storage system to the workpiece platform. A controller executes a program to perform a manufacturing operation on a part situated on the workpiece platform based upon a three-dimensional representation of the part. The scan head is controlled by the controller to emit a first energy beam that implements an additive process on the part, and a second energy beam that implements a material manipulation process on the part. The hybrid manufacturing machine can also include a measurement device, e.g., a laser profilometer, camera, microscope, etc. Under this configuration, the controller can control the scan head to emit the second energy beam to perform the material manipulation operation as a micro-machining operation to remove structure from the part based upon an output from the measurement device.

A stabilizer manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a stabilizer to which rubber bushes are heat-bonded is provided with a curing furnace in which high-frequency induction heating is performed, a conveyor for conveying the stabilizer in a conveying direction through the curing furnace, the rubber bushes being pressure-bonded to bonding locations on the stabilizer on which an adhesive layer is formed, power supply devices for supplying power to coils used in the high-frequency induction heating, and coils for generating a magnetic field in portions to be heated of the stabilizer near the bonding locations and for heating the portions to be heated; the coils being separated by a predetermined distance from the portions to be heated of a predetermined number of stabilizers conveyed in the conveying direction.

A manufacturing system may include at least one clamp configured to maintain a distance of separation between a first component and a second component for an epoxy provided therebetween. The manufacturing system may also include a laser, and a controller in communication with the laser. The controller may be configured to cause the laser to direct at least one light beam against one of the first and second components to heat the epoxy by conduction to a cure temperature.

A protective wrap material enclosing a stack of cut sheets of paper is folded so that overlapping flaps of the wrap material cover opposite ends of the stack. The overlapping flaps are secured and sealed together only at selected areas that comprise a minor portion of the overlapped flaps, wherein the sealed areas have sufficient burst strength to avoid inadvertent opening of the wrap but at the same time are relatively easy to separate when it is desired to open the wrap to gain access to the cut sheets of paper. In a preferred embodiment the wrap material is heat sealable, and a modified heat plate for applying heat only to the selected areas has a grooved front surface defining heat focusing bars that concentrate heat sufficient to fuse the wrap material only in the selected areas.