Patent ID: 9586362
Date: 2017-03-07
CPC Classifications: B29C,B29K,B29L,H05B

Claim:
1. A thermoplastic welding apparatus comprising: a first composite part and a second composite part; a thermoplastic welding tool having a tooling surface defining at least a portion of a cavity of the welding tool, the cavity to receive the first and second composite parts; a smart susceptor positioned in the cavity of the welding tool between opposing surfaces of the first composite part and the second composite part; a tape attached only to a perimeter of the first and second composite parts and in contact with only a portion of the tooling surface defined by the perimeter of the first and second composite parts when the first and second composite parts are positioned in the cavity of the welding tool, the tape to provide a sealed portion in communication with the tooling surface and a non-sealed portion in communication with the cavity; a vacuum apparatus to apply a vacuum to the sealed portion such that a welding joint between the sealed portion and the non-sealed portion is exposed to a pressure differential provided by the vacuum in the sealed portion and a pressure provided in the non-sealed portion, the pressure differential to compress the smart susceptor between the first and second composite part while the vacuum is applied to the welding joint during welding; and a magnetic induction coil to extend through the welding tool and positioned adjacent the cavity, the magnetic induction coil to generate a magnetic flux field oriented generally parallel to a plane of the smart susceptor.