Patent ID: 9358764
Filing Date: 2016-06-07
CPC Classification: B29C,B32B,B33Y,Y10T

Claim Text:
1. A method of joining components, comprising the steps of: providing a first component having a first mating surface, the first mating surface having a first contour; providing a second component having a second mating surface to be joined to the first mating surface, the second mating surface having a second contour; and scanning at least one of the first mating surface and the second mating surface to respectively determine the first contour and the second contour; additively manufacturing, based on the scanning, a unitary solid thermoplastic element directly onto at least one of the first component and the second component prior to assembly with a remaining one of the first component and the second component, the thermoplastic element having at least one of a first element surface and a second element surface respectively substantially matching the first contour and the second contour.