A method for producing a light module for a lighting device of a motor vehicle, wherein the module comprises a support component and a light-outcoupling component. According to the invention, a connection element for establishing a retaining connection between the support component and the light-outcoupling component is molded at least onto the support component by means of an injection molding process.

Systems and processes for thermoforming an article and for preparing an article for thermoforming are disclosed. The system for thermoforming can include one or more heating stations and a cooling station. The system for thermoforming can further include an article movement mechanism that can couple to an article and rotate the article inside a heating chamber, inside a cooling chamber, or both. The system for preparing an article for thermoforming can include a vessel that comprises a port, and a negative pressure generation system coupled to the port. The system for preparing an article for thermoforming can further include a compression material that forms an interior portion for receiving an article. The negative pressure generation system can cause the compression material to expand to allow for insertion of the article into the interior portion of the compression material.

A method for joining two components of a meltable material comprises the steps of providing a first component having a first border region and a second component having a second border region, placing the second component relative to the first component so as to form an overlap between the first border region and the second border region under a gap between the first border region and the second border region, continuously heating opposed sections of the first border region and the second border region at the same time through at least one energy source arranged in the gap at least partially, continuously providing a relative motion of the at least one energy source along the first border region and the second border region in the gap, and continuously pressing already heated sections of the first border region and the second border region onto each other.

A laser welding system for joining first and second thermoplastic workpieces, and including a clamp, an actuator, and a laser source. The clamp includes first and second clamping structures positioned together to engage opposite sides of the workpieces when they adjoin each other. The first clamping structure has a non-flat or irregular surface, facing the first workpiece. The actuator causes the clamping structures to press the first and second workpieces together. The laser source applies laser radiation having a wavelength of 2 microns toward the workpieces to be joined, while they are pressed together by the clamp, to melt irradiated portions of the workpieces to one another. The first clamping structure transmits substantially all of the energy of the laser radiation through the material. The first workpiece has a non-flat or irregular surface facing the first clamping structure, which substantially conforms with the surface of the first clamping structure.

An apparatus for internal heating of end portions of pipes made of thermoplastic material having a central axis including a heating element, designed to be inserted at least partially inside an end portion of a pipe made of thermoplastic material for heating an inner cylindrical surface of the portion, the heating element including an infra-red radiation unit designed to face at least partially the inner cylindrical surface.

A composite rim for a bicycle wheel that has a wall of structural fibers incorporated in a thermosetting polymeric material and a plurality of spoke attachment seats. The composite material includes at least one layer of woven bi-directional fibers where some fibers are in a nominal direction substantially parallel to the circumferential direction of the rim and some fibers are substantially orthogonal to the circumferential direction of the rim.

Disclosed embodiments provide an electrofusion pipe coupler with mechanical support. The electrofusion pipe coupler comprises a coupler housing. A wire is configured and disposed within the housing. Electrodes are affixed to the coupler housing and in electrical contact with the wire. A threaded pattern is formed in an outer surface of the coupler housing. Gripping wedges are affixed to the coupler housing. Each gripping wedge extends from the coupler housing. A nut is attached to the coupler housing, engaging with the threaded pattern, and compressing the wedges against the connecting pipes. This serves to provide axial load transfer from the connecting pipes to the coupler housing via the wedges, thereby providing improved mechanical stability for such pipe assemblies.

A disposable wearable article includes an elastic film stretchable structure in which an elastic film is laminated between a first sheet layer and a second sheet layer. The first sheet layer and the second sheet layer are bonded to each other through holes passing through the elastic film with many bonded portions arranged at intervals. A region having the elastic film stretchable structure includes a stretchable region that elastically stretches and contracts together with the elastic film. The stretchable region includes a plurality of elastic films disposed so as to have an overlapping portion. The number of laminated layers of the elastic film in a region located in an intermediate portion of the stretchable region in an orthogonal direction (XD) orthogonal to a stretchable direction (ED) is different from that in each of second regions adjacent to both sides of the first region.

The present invention can provide a fiber-reinforced expanded particle molded article having a reinforcing material fused and integrated with the surface of an expanded molded article, wherein the reinforcing material is a fabric or a braided product produced by weaving a linear composite material produced by melting and integrating a thermoplastic fiber comprising a low-melting component fiber and a high-melting component fiber, as two or more threads selected from the group consisting of a warp, a weft and a slant thread, the fiber-reinforced expanded particle molded article exhibiting an excellent reinforcing effect; and a method for economically producing the molded article by in-mold molding with a small number of steps.

A system and method for thermoplastic composite welding comprising a cooling means and a heat source. The cooling means cools a heat-side laminate so as to create a thermal gradient in the heat-side laminate. The heat source heats the heat-side laminate after the cooling step is initiated but before the thermal gradient dissipates so that a first side of the heat-side laminate closer to the heat source does not deform as faying surfaces of the heat-side laminate and another laminate farther away from the heat source are welded together.