An end effector for installing pre-molded seal caps onto fasteners comprises a cap-dispenser assembly and a cap-placement assembly. The cap-placement assembly comprises a main housing and a plunger mechanism, comprising an outer plunger housing and an inner gripper. The inner gripper is rotatable relative to the outer plunger housing between a cap-retaining configuration and a cap-releasing configuration. The plunger mechanism is selectively translatable from an extended position to a retracted position and from the retracted position to the extended position. The main housing is selectively rotatable from a cap-receiving position, in which the plunger mechanism is aligned with the seal-cap-delivery-sleeve central axis, to a cap-installing position, in which the main housing is angularly displaced from the cap-receiving position, and from the cap-installing position to the cap-receiving position.

Disclosed is a locking device, comprising an outer sleeve (1) and at least one locking unit (2) located in the outer sleeve (1), wherein the locking unit (2) is formed by connecting a plurality of pressing blocks (3), a gap (5) is provided between two adjacent ones of pressing blocks (3), a rod locking hole (6) is provided in the gap (5), and a set screw hole (7) is provided on the outer sleeve (1) at a position corresponding to the locking unit (2); and when a set screw is screwed into the set screw hole (7) to directly or indirectly press the locking unit (2), the locking unit (2) deforms and drives the pressing blocks (3) to tightly press rods (8, 9) mounted in the respective rod locking holes (6) at the same time.

A method of bonding a first object to a second object, including the steps of: providing a profile body having a first profile body portion; providing the first object, wherein the first object has thermoplastic material; providing the second object, wherein the profile body is separate from and attachable to the second object or wherein the second object includes the profile body; embedding the profile body in the first object such that the first profile body portion is within the thermoplastic material of the first object. Embedding the profile body in the first object is caused by mechanical energy impinging on the first object and/or on the second object while the first object and the second object are pressed against each other.

A connection arrangement (4, 4′) of two components (1, 2) according to the invention has a curved surface portion having a contact point on at least one of these components. The curved surface portion can extend over the entire surface of a groove, for example. The other component has a taper. When assembling the two components before a force is applied, a line connection is created from the 2-contact point connection and when force is applied, the line connection changes through plastic deformation into a strip connection, on the basis of which the two components (1, 2) hold together.

A tool presses a joining element against a first object into a first opening of the first object while mechanical vibration energy is coupled into the first object and the joining element. Vibration energy and pressing force make the thermoplastic material of the distal portion of the joining element flowable and interpenetrates structures of the first object to yield, after re-solidification, an anchoring of the distal portion of the joining element in the first object. The second object is placed so that a proximal portion of the joining element is inserted into a second opening, and the first and second objects are pressed against each other while mechanical vibration energy is coupled into one of the first and second objects, until thermoplastic material of the joining element proximal portion is made flowable and interpenetrates structures of the second object to yield, after re-solidification, an anchoring in the second object.

A method of installing pre-molded seal caps onto fasteners that extend from a surface comprises sequentially delivering the pre-molded seal caps, arranged on a carrier strip, to a plunger mechanism via a feed system. The method also comprises sequentially removing the pre-molded seal caps from the carrier strip using the plunger mechanism, operating in concert with the feed system. The method further comprises individually installing the pre-molded seal caps onto selected ones of the fasteners using the plunger mechanism.

An end effector for installing pre-molded seal caps onto fasteners comprises a cap-dispenser assembly and a cap-placement assembly. The cap-placement assembly comprises a main housing and a plunger mechanism, comprising an outer plunger housing and an inner gripper. The inner gripper is rotatable relative to the outer plunger housing between a cap-retaining configuration and a cap-releasing configuration. The plunger mechanism is selectively translatable from an extended position to a retracted position and from the retracted position to the extended position. The main housing is selectively rotatable from a cap-receiving position, in which the plunger mechanism is aligned with the seal-cap-delivery-sleeve central axis, to a cap-installing position, in which the main housing is angularly displaced from the cap-receiving position, and from the cap-installing position to the cap-receiving position.

A stabilizer is provided with a restriction ring connected to a torsion portion at a connection portion adjacent to a bush. The restriction ring has a body, a female portion, a male portion, and a welded portion. The female portion has gripping portions with a spacing therebetween decreasing in the direction away from a valley bottom portion. The male portion has a neck portion, an expansion portion, and a contraction portion. The welded portion covers at least the range of the contraction portion and the valley bottom portion and melts in the plate thickness direction from the outer peripheral surface.

A bonding machine with horizontal correction function includes a first chamber, a second chamber, a pressing unit, a carrier, a plurality of level adjustment units, and a plurality of distance measuring units. The first chamber is configured to be connected to the second chamber to define an enclosed space therebetween. The pressing unit is disposed within the first chamber, and the carrier is disposed within the second chamber. The pressing unit faces the carrier and is configured to press the substrates placed on the carrier. The leveling units are disposed on the first chamber, and the distance measuring units are disposed on the second chamber. Each distance measuring unit is configured to project a detecting beam onto the pressing unit, to measure the level of the pressing unit so as to adjust the level of the pressing unit through the level adjustment unit.

A method for producing a connection unit (1) which has a connector with a connector shaft (6) and a disc (3) which is captively arranged on the connector shaft (6). The disc (3) has an annular disc body (23), the inner contour (33) and outer contour (34) of which have been produced by a plastic deformation of the disc body (23). The inner contour (33) is shaped such that the disc body (23) is fixed on the connector shaft (6). At the same time, the originally non-circular outer contour (34) is shaped so as to be at least substantially circular. The deformation process is carried out by introducing radial deformation forces into the outer circumferential surface (27) of the disc body (23).