A first object is anchored in a second object. The first object has a material with thermoplastic properties, and the second material has a material that is solid and is penetrable by the first material when in a liquefied state. The second object has an insertion face with an opening having a mouth in the insertion face, and the first object has an insert portion that for anchoring is placed in the opening or about the mouth thereof. For anchoring, energy suitable for liquefaction of the first material impinges in an amount and for a time sufficient for at least partial liquefaction of the first material and interpenetration of the first and second materials. The second object, around the opening, has an anisotropic strength with respect to forces perpendicular to the opening axis.

A joining element has an anchoring portion for in-depth anchoring in the object and a head portion arranged proximally of the anchoring portion with respect to an insertion axis. The head portion has a lateral outer surface that has a structure that is well-defined, especially within tight tolerances. The joining element is positioned relative to an object of a non-liquefiable material such that the anchoring portion reaches into an opening of the object or is placed adjacent a mouth thereof. Then, the joining element is pressed towards a distal direction, to press the anchoring portion into the opening, while mechanical vibration energy is coupled into the joining element by a tool, in an amount and for a time sufficient for liquefaction of a portion of the thermoplastic material to cause interpenetration of the thermoplastic material into structures of the object.

An ultrasonic machine tool comprises a stand that can be attached to a base plate. The machine furthermore has a vibration generator by means of which a working member can be driven, wherein the vibration generator is borne by a slide displaceably guided in the longitudinal direction of the stand. The slide is in turn borne by a linear drive attached to the stand. The vibration generator is located in the alignment of the adjustment path of the linear drive.

A plastic tube sealing device includes a clamp which has a pair of jaws that can move relative to each other for inserting and crimping a plastic tube, the jaws containing high-frequency (HF) jaw electrodes, and includes an electrical HF power supply circuit including an HF generator and the HF jaw electrodes. The plastic tube sealing device further includes an impedance control device (9) for acting towards maintaining an impedance of the HF power supply circuit constant during a respective welding operation by correspondingly controlling the variable impedance HF resonant circuit. For this purpose, the HF generator includes a variable impedance HF resonant circuit with a capacitor unit and a coil unit, and includes the jaw electrodes, wherein the inductance of the coil unit and/or the ohmic resistance of the HF resonant circuit is/are variably adjustable and/or wherein the capacitance of the capacitor unit is variably adjustable and the capacitor unit has an electrically controllable capacitance diode or at least one movable capacitance-altering capacitor electrode arranged in the clamp.

A computer implemented method comprises the steps of: providing a user interface to a computer terminal; providing a welding machine interface (252) to a welding machine (22; 31) which is equipped with a set of sensors having a power supply sensor (221; 311) configured to sense a power supplied by the welding machine (22; 31) to set a connector to an object in runtime; obtaining a threshold performance metric data signal representing threshold product performance metric predefined via the user interface; obtaining a power supply data signal from the welding machine (22; 31) via the welding machine interface (252), which power supply data signal represents the sensed power supplied by the welding machine (22; 31) to set the connector to the object; applying a machine learning model to the power represented by the obtained power supply data signal such that the machine learning model calculates a model product performance metric, wherein the machine learning model is specifically pre trained with training power sensed by the power supply sensor (221; 311) of the set of sensors of the welding machine (22; 31) and measured product performance metrics; comparing the calculated model product performance metric to the threshold product performance metric represented by the threshold performance metric data signal; and generating a non-consistency data signal when the calculated product performance metric does not comply with the threshold product performance metric.

A sealing system (100) for sealing a packaging material is disclosed comprising an independently movable sealing device (101) being movably mounted on a track (102), a power generator (105) in communication with the sealing device (101) to supply a power signal (p1) at a frequency for said sealing over a power communication line (106), the sealing device (101) comprising a housing (107), a detection device (108) arranged in the housing (107) to register detection data of an environment therein and/or of sealing parameters associated with said sealing, and a transmitter (109) connected to the detection device (108), the transmitter comprising an encoder (110) to convert the detection data to at least one frequency pulse (p2), whereby the transmitter (109) communicates the at least one frequency pulse as a detection signal to a receiver (111) over the power communication line (106).

A device for joining material by anchoring an insert comprising a first material in a structure comprising a second material is provided. The first material is solid and comprises thermoplastic properties and the second material is solid and is penetrable by the first material when in a liquefied state. The device comprises a vibration device being configured to transmit vibrations to said insert to cause at least partial liquefaction thereof and being arranged to move, relative to said structure, along an insertion direction (ID) to insert said insert at least partly into said structure, a contact sensor being connected to the vibration device and being adapted to move together with the vibration device along the insertion direction (ID), the contact sensor having a sensor body being adapted to detect contact with said structure. A controller is further connected to the contact sensor and adapted for receiving a contact signal from the contact sensor indicating that the sensor body has come into contact with said structure.

A tape layup apparatus whereby the tape layup performance on a surface to be laid up can be enhanced is provided, the tape layup apparatus being an ATL apparatus 10 having an ATL head 20 for laying up with pressing a tape 1 on a laid-up surface 2a, the ATL head 20 equipped with a pressing part 30 to press the tape 1 on the laid-up surface 2a and a parallel linkage 40 to operate in a manner that allows a pressing position and/or a pressing attitude of the pressing part 30 to follow a form of the laid-up surface 2a.

A method of anchoring a connector in a heterogeneous first object that includes a first building layer and, distally of the first building layer, an interlining layer. The method includes providing the first object and the connector, which includes thermoplastic material in a solid state; contacting the connector with the first building layer; applying a first mechanical pressing force to the connector until the first building layer is pierced by the connector and a distal portion of the connector reaches into the interlining layer; applying a second mechanical pressing force and mechanical vibration to the connector until a flow portion of the thermoplastic material is flowable and penetrates structures of the first object, and a distally facing abutment face of the head portion abuts against the metal profile in a region next to the opening; and letting the thermoplastic material resolidify to yield a positive-fit connection.

A packaging machine comprising a control unit, a plurality of measuring devices and a plurality of working units for different process. The control unit is functionally connected to the working units and to the measuring devices. The measuring devices may detect actual process values at the respective working units and forwarding these values to the control unit for monitoring the respective working units. The control unit may create a specific program sequence for each of the individual working units and/or a program sequence coordinated with respect to the working units, by comparing the actual process values from the respective measuring devices with associated target process values from a memory. The individual working units may function according to this program sequence, depending on the actual process values detected at these working units, and/or the working units are coordinated with one another based on the actual process values.