Patent ID: 7914725

Claim:
A method of providing a fixed, seal-tight connection between a plastic end disk and a filter medium, comprising: providing said end disk having two neighboring plate-shaped layers, said end disk having on an end face side an infrared radiation (IR) transparent layer and on an opposing side an IR absorbent layer with an internal interface surface defined between said layers; providing said filter medium having terminal edges to be connected to said end disk at said end face side by said method; trans-irradiating said end disk with an IR radiation source delivering IR radiation onto said IR transparent layer from said end face side of said end disk; transmitting said IR radiation through said IR transparent layer to said internal interface surface of said IR absorbent layer; heating said IR absorbing layer by said transmitted IR radiation transmitted through said IR transparent layer; indirectly heating said end face IR transparent layer by heat conducted from said IR absorbing layer; melting said IR transparent layer by said indirect heating, beginning at said interface surface of said IR transparent layer, said melting proceeding outwards to said end face side of said IR transparent layer of said end disk; continuing said trans-irradiating step until a connecting area of said IR transparent layer is completely melted; ceasing the practice of said trans-irradiating step; pressing said terminal edges of said filter medium into said melted connecting area of said IR transparent layer at said end face side of said end disk; and maintaining said filter medium in said pressed in position on said end disk while said IR transparent layer cools until a fixed connection between said terminal edges and said end disk is achieved, wherein said end face side of said end disk is fused to said terminal edges of said filter medium.