Abstract: Disclosed is a friction stir welding method of welding a butted portion of work pieces relatively easily and firmly with an improved finish after the butted portion is tack-welded. In the method, a plurality of work pieces are placed to be butted, a plurality of V-shaped grooves are intermittently formed along the butted portion, each of the grooves is tack-welded by using a welding material by TIG welding or MIG welding, deposits in the tack-welded sections are cut and removed so as to be substantially coplanar with a surface of the work pieces, and then friction stir welding is continuously performed over the entire length of the butted portion, and thus, the work pieces are joined.

Abstract: A functional module type medical apparatus for use in medical treatment and/or diagnosis and a functional module with individual function of medical treatment and/or diagnosis are disclosed. The functional module type medical apparatus comprises a common functional body with a module connection part, having at least one of a display section for displaying necessary information relating to medical treatment and/or diagnosis, an operation section for medical treatment and/or diagnosis, and a power source section for supplying driving power to the medical apparatus, in which the module connection part is constructed such that the corresponding connection part of a functional module having medical treatment and/or diagnosis is replaceably connected thereto, whereby the common functional body cooperatively functions in accordance with its individual function of the functional module when the functional module is connected thereto.

Abstract: A spot joining device comprises a joining tool, an induction motor for rotating the joining tool, a servo motor for vertically moving the joining tool along an axis of the joining tool, and a receiving member placed opposite to the joining tool. The joining tool includes a short-column shaped shoulder and a pin protruded downwardly along the axis from a central portion of a lower face of the shoulder at a tip end portion thereof. Two works such as aluminum alloy plates are lapped and placed on a receiving member. When the joining tool is rotated and moved downwardly, a joint spot of the works is heated and softened due to friction heat generated by the rotating pin. Thereby, plastic flow occurs in the vicinity of the joint spot. The vicinity of the joint spot is stirred and the works are fused at the joint spot. Thus, the works are spot-joined.