A method of repairing a defect of a thermoplastic component is provided. The thermoplastic component has a thermoplastic material at the defect having a first melting temperature, and the defect has a contact surface (TC contact surface). The method includes a) providing a patch comprising a second thermoplastic material having a second melting temperature that is below the first melting temperature. The patch includes a contact surface (TP contact surface); b) disposing a portion of a heating element between the TC contact surface and the TP contact surface. The heating element is operable to heat up as a result of electrical resistance; c) forcing the TP surface toward the TC surface; and d) inputting energy into the heating element to cause the heating element to heat and maintain the TP surface at or above the second melting temperature to produce bonding between the thermoplastic component and the patch.

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

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.

A method of manufacturing an armour layer of a flexible pipe for transporting fluid from a subsea location and apparatus are provided. The method comprises winding a first length of composite tape to form a first section of the armour layer and positioning an end region of the first length of composite tape over an end region of a second length of composite tape to form an overlapping tape section. Heat and pressure is applied to the overlapping tape section to form a joined overlapping tape section in which the first length of tape is joined to the second length of tape such that the joined overlapping tape section has a lap shear strength of at least 11 MPa. The joined overlapping tape section and the second length of composite tape are wound to form a second section of the armour layer.

A system for consolidating materials, comprising a sonotrode configured to direct ultrasonic energy into materials to be consolidated, wherein the materials to be consolidated have both a glass transition temperature and a melting temperature; a non-rigid consolidating material in proximity to the sonotrode, wherein the non-rigid consolidating material and sonotrode define a region therebetween for receiving the materials to be consolidated, and wherein the non-rigid consolidating material has a glass transition temperature that is higher than the glass transition temperature of the materials to be consolidated and a melting temperature that is higher than the melting temperature of the materials to be consolidated.

The invention relates to an apparatus and to a method for establishing a connection having material continuity or having material continuity and shaping matching or for separating such a connection of at least one metal or ceramic component and of a component formed from or by a thermoplastic polymer in which the components to be joined together can be pressed together by a pressing device having a counterholder and a plunger. A heating device is present at the plunger and/or at the counterholder or acts there. A heating of the at least one metal or ceramic component up to above the softening temperature of the component formed from or by polymer can be achieved with the heating device, with the heating device being having at least one electrical resistance heating element that is covered by an electrically insulating, preferably ceramic, protective film, and/or having at least one laser beam that is directed to the metal component(s) within the joining region, and/or having at least one inductor present at the plunger and/or at the counterholder for the inductive heating of the meal component(s).

There is provided a polymer fabrication method for forming 3-dimensional shapes from a sheet polymer blank (10) by machining at least one re-entrant, elongate groove forming a reduced thickness portion (25) permitting the blank to be folded and having opposed edges (12) at the surface, folding the blank about the groove to form at least a portion of the 3-dimensional shape, the re-entrant of the groove forming an elongate chamber (21) adjacent the reduced thickness portion and opening through an elongate gap (20) between the opposed edges, hot air welding the opposed edges across the gap with filler rod (22), and heating the reduced thickness portion to a selected thermo-reforming temperature via the chamber.

A repair system that includes a handheld device comprising a first extruder tip having an interior passageway extending between an inlet and a tip outlet, wherein the inlet is configured to receive a solid thermoplastic material and the tip outlet is configured to dispense a fluidic thermoplastic material; a nozzle surrounding the first extruder tip to form an annulus between an interior surface of the nozzle and an exterior surface of the first extruder tip; and a heater that is configured to heat the interior passageway of the first extruder tip such that the solid thermoplastic material becomes the fluidic thermoplastic material. In some embodiments, the repair system also includes a gas source in fluid communication with the annulus such that a skirt-shaped curtain of gas extends from the annulus and in a direction towards the tip outlet of the extruder tip.

A method for creating a termination by attaching some kind of fitting to the end of a tensile member such as a cable. The end fitting is provided with an internal cavity. The cavity has a proximal portion that is adjacent to the area where the tensile member exits the fitting and a distal portion on its opposite end. A length of the tensile member's filaments is placed within this expanding cavity and infused with liquid potting compound. The method exploits the characteristic of a liquid potting compound as it transitions to a solid. The potting compound in one portion of the cavity is typically transitioned to a solid at a more rapid rate than other portions. Once the potting compound in one portion of the cavity has transitioned sufficiently to hold the filaments at the desired level, tension is placed on the tensile member and a small linear displacement may be imposed on the tensile member. This linear displacement tends to pull the filaments residing in the potting compound into better alignment and improve load sharing.

A sensorless temperature sensing and control system and method uses electrical voltage and current feedback signals to monitor and control the temperature of heating elements used in a heat sealing process wherein sensors are not physically connected to a heat seal bar during the heat sealing process. After calibration of a heat seal bar using a sensor, voltage and current feedback signals are processed by a programmable logic controller (PLC) to calculate the real-time electrical resistance of each heating element. Data and electrical resistance is used to calculate real-time temperature of the heat seal bar during heating.