Abstract: The invention relates to a thermode for connecting at least two components, comprising a tip having a body portion with at least two contact surface portions connected to and spaced apart from one another by a recess configured to receive a portion of one of the at least two components; and a support portion having at least one supporting surface portion configured to support a further component (being the other of the at least two components, wherein the contact surface portions and the supporting surface portion are configured to receive the at least two components between them and wherein one or both of the contact surface portions and the supporting surface portion are moveable relative to and towards one another to exert heat and/or pressure on the at least two components located between the contact surface portions and the supporting portion.

Abstract: A soldering tool may include a tool body comprising circuitry configured to interface with a controller, and a tip portion including a tip that is heated to melt solder and a handpiece that is graspable by an operator. The tip portion includes a heater and a sensor disposed in the tip. The tip portion includes a tip memory device disposed at the handpiece. The tip memory device is configured to store parametric data. The tip memory device is configured to exchange data with the controller.

Abstract: A component includes a magnetic core having a body formed of a first material, defining a first opening and a second opening thereon. A duct formed of a second material extends at least partially through the body between the first opening and the second opening. The first opening and the second opening are in fluid communication by way of the duct.

Abstract: Devices, systems, and methods are directed to automated techniques for fitting flanges to tubular sections used to form tubular structures, such as large-scale structures used in industrial applications (e.g., wind towers and pipelines). As compared to manual techniques for fitting flanges to tubular sections, the devices, systems, and methods of the present disclosure facilitate faster attachment of flanges, which may be useful for achieving cost-effective throughput. By way of further comparison to manual techniques, the devices, systems, and methods of the present disclosure may, further or instead, facilitate achieving tighter dimensional tolerances. In turn, such tighter dimensional tolerances may be useful for forming thinner-walled, lighter, and lower cost tubular structures. Still further or in the alternative, automated techniques for fitting flanges to tubular sections may facilitate attachment of multipiece flanges or other non-traditional flange geometries.

Abstract: In one embodiment, sheathed thermite rods are provided. For instance, a sheathed thermite rod may comprise a mixture of thermite within an outer casing, such as an aluminum tube, that adds rigidity and allows for better continuity of a burn across breaks in the thermite rod. The sheathing also allows for manufacture of the thermite rods to have reduced drying period, increasing speed of production. In another embodiment, tablet-based thermite rods are provided. A thermite tablet rod herein may comprise a series of inline thermite tablets contained within an outer casing. The tablets may be consecutively adjacent to one another along the length of the outer casing, and substantially conforming to the interior cross section of the outer casing, where the tablets are adjoined by pressure, an adhesive, and/or a burn continuance material.

Abstract: Methods and systems for providing a cold plate assembly include providing a base and a cover. The cover can be fixedly coupled to the base. Each of the base and the cover can include spaced internal ribs, which can form flow paths when the base and cover are fixedly coupled together. The internal ribs of the base and the cover can have spaced tabs that can be fixedly coupled to the other of the base or the cover. The base and the cover may also include spaced external or outer sacrificial ribs.

Abstract: A dissimilar material solid phase bonding method is disclosed wherein one member and another member having different compositions are brought into contact with one another by way of an insert material to form an interface (1) to be bonded, at which the one member and the insert material are in contact with one another, and an interface (2) to be bonded, at which the other member and the insert material are in contact with one another; the temperature of the interface (1) to be bonded and the interface (2) to be bonded is raised by means of frictional heat and/or by electrical heating; a bonding pressure (1) is applied substantially perpendicular to the interface (1) to be bonded; a bonding pressure (2) is applied substantially perpendicular to the interface (2) to be bonded; and the bonding pressure (1) and the bonding pressure (2) are set to different values.

Abstract: A repair welding method according to at least one embodiment is for a member in which a first end and a second end of a parent material are connected by welding and includes: a step of removing a portion including at least a part of a first heat-affected zone of an existing welded portion of the member; and a step of performing repair welding after removing the portion. In a cross-section including the parent material and the existing welded portion, all intersection portions between the first heat-affected zone of the existing welded portion and a second heat-affected zone due to the repair welding have an intersection angle between the first heat-affected zone and the second heat-affected zone of 70° to 110°.

Abstract: An alignment mechanism of a bonding machine includes a support pedestal, three first alignment members, and three second alignment members. The support pedestal includes a supporting surface having a placement area for supporting a first substrate, and the first and second alignment members are arranged around the placement area. The first alignment members each include a protruding part and a base. The protruding part is used in supporting a second substrate, and protrudes from the base and directed to the placement area. The base is used to position the first substrate. The second alignment members position the second substrate to align the first and second substrates and facilitate the bonding of the first and second substrates.

Abstract: A method of operating a wire bonding machine is provided. The method includes: (a) operating a wire bonding machine during at least one of (i) an automatic wire bonding operation and (ii) a dry cycle wire bonding operation, wherein a bonding force is applied during the operation of the wire bonding machine; and (b) monitoring an accuracy of the bonding force of the wire bonding machine during the at least one of (i) an automatic wire bonding operation and (ii) a dry cycle wire bonding operation.

Abstract: A soldering apparatus includes a cooling zone, upper and lower vent holes, an external channel, a blower unit, a heat exchanger, a pair of bypass channels, and a ventilation plate. The vent holes are provided, respectively, above and below a pair of rails configured to transport a board in the cooling zone. The external channel connects the vent holes with each other outside the cooling zone. The blower unit causes gas in the external channel to flow through the upper vent hole, the cooling zone, and the lower vent hole. The heat exchanger is provided in a lower opening linked to the lower vent hole in the cooling zone. The pair of bypass channels deliver gas above the pair of rails to the lower opening while bypassing locations of the pair of rails. The ventilation plate is provided in a space formed between the pair of bypass channels.

Abstract: A bonding tool includes a gas supply line that may extend directly between valves associated with one or more gas supply tanks and a processing chamber such that gas supply line is uninterrupted without any intervening valves or other types of structures that might otherwise cause a pressure buildup in the gas supply line between the processing chamber and the valves associated with the one or more gas supply tanks. The pressure in the gas supply line may be maintained at or near the pressure in the processing chamber so that gas provided to the processing chamber through the gas supply line does not cause a pressure imbalance in the processing chamber, which might otherwise cause early or premature contact between semiconductor substrates that are to be bonded in the processing chamber.

Abstract: A multi-position clamp is disclosed for positioning and holding a portable friction welding tool adjacent a substrate for friction welding a plurality of fixtures in a precise pattern referenced from a fixed position on a substrate. The clamp has a clamp base temporarily securable at the fixed position on the substrate, a traveling mount comprising a tool mount for receiving said portable friction welding tool, and a connection to the clamp base allowing relative movement of the tool mount over the substrate. Index stops help install the plurality of fixtures in the pattern and an articulated fixture loading system allow positioning and loading successive fixtures without disengaging and removing said portable friction welding tool from connection with the clamp base.

Abstract: An ultrasonic welding system is provided. The ultrasonic welding system includes a support structure for supporting a workpiece. The ultrasonic welding system also includes a weld head assembly including an ultrasonic converter carrying a sonotrode. The ultrasonic welding system also includes a conductive pin supply configured to provide a plurality of conductive pins for welding using the sonotrode.

Abstract: A flux tool allows the elastic pad to pressurize each flux pin individually in a process of dotting flux, so that even though a wafer or die may be deformed, high-quality flux dotting is achieved. Specifically, the flux tool allows the elastic pad pressurizing the flux pins to be made of rubber, especially silicone, so that primarily, the flux pins are entirely pressurized uniformly by means of the elastic force of the elastic pad, and secondarily, each flux pin is individually pressurized against the underside of the elastic pad, thereby adjusting the heights of the flux pins upon flux dotting according to the flatness or bent shape of the wafer or die to minimize the flux dotting defects.

Abstract: Methods and systems for detecting weld defects, and methods for manufacturing vehicles using such methods or systems, are provided. An exemplary method includes receiving an input indicating a weld material and material thickness by a portable computing device and determining, with the portable computing device, a detection protocol for the weld material and material thickness. Further, the method includes communicating the detection protocol from the portable computing device to a portable heating source and to a portable thermographic sensor, heating a weld with the portable heating source according to the detection protocol, and recording thermographic data from the weld with the portable thermographic sensor according to the detection protocol.

Abstract: Methods and systems for welding contacts of a plurality of battery cells are provided. A method includes using a detector to perform a scan of the cell electrode contact area for each of the plurality of battery cells. Based upon the scan of each cell electrode contact area, a determination is made of whether one or more possible weld sites for each electrode contact area are viable for welding. In response to determining that one or more weld sites are viable, one or more of the viable weld sites are selected and a welder is used to weld at least one of the selected weld sites.

Abstract: An ultrasonic metal welding device for welding electrical conductors using a compression chamber that is adjustable at least n height and that is delimited on opposite sides by a section of a sonotrode as a first delimiting surface and by at least one section of a counter electrode (156) as a second delimiting surface, wherein for welding, the counter electrode and the sonotrode are displaced relative to one another. The counter electrode used is one that comprises sections (152, 154) of geometrically different working surfaces or is composed of at least two sections that are displaceable relative to one another.

Abstract: A wire bonding system has a bonding tool and a wire guide for guiding a bonding wire to a tip of the bonding tool for conducting wire bonding operations. A wire biasing tool is located adjacent to the wire guide, and a rotary actuator is operatively connected to the wire biasing tool by a linkage mechanism. The rotary actuator is operable to move the wire biasing tool along a predetermined travel path to apply a biasing force onto a length of bonding wire extending from the tip of the bonding tool.

Abstract: A solder joint inspection model training method includes the steps of: training a first identification model according to first sample images to identify a surface-mount device with a solder joint in an image; training a second identification model according to second sample images to identify a surface-mount device without a solder joint in an image; inputting labeled original images to a trained first identification model to output first images; inputting the first images to a trained second identification model to output second images; masking the first images with the second images to generate images with normal solder joints and images with abnormal solder joints; and training a solder joint inspection model based on the images with normal solder joints and the images with abnormal solder joints.