Flexible Conductor Track Structure for Thermoplastic Resistance Welding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing resistance welding methods for thermoplastic components face challenges in achieving uniform heating and flexibility, especially with complex geometries, due to limitations in drapability and material constraints of metallic wire mesh and substrates, leading to high costs and inconsistent joint quality.
Innovation Solution
A conductor track structure with heating and connection sections on a carrier substrate, allowing for customizable energy input and design, enabling reliable welding of complex geometries and large joining areas, produced using methods like printing and embossing, which reduces material waste and production costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If metallic wire mesh or wound individual wires are used as resistance elements, then process-reliable high joint seam qualities are achieved, but the drapability of the welded semi-finished products is limited and flexibility is restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical form of the resistance element from rigid metallic wires to a flexible conductive layer that can be applied as a coating or laminate. This parameter change in material state and application method enables the resistance element to conform to complex geometries while maintaining electrical conductivity for reliable welding.
Solution Approach 2:
The conductive layer is applied to replicate the surface geometry of the workpiece, creating a custom-fitted resistance element that follows complex contours. This copying approach allows the same base material to be adapted to any shape, providing both flexibility for complex geometries and consistency for reliable joints.
2Reliability
If metallic semi-finished products are used as resistance elements, then process-reliable welding is achieved, but additional costs occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a cost-effective conductive coating or laminate that can be applied directly to the workpiece surface, replacing expensive pre-manufactured metallic resistance elements. This approach uses simpler, cheaper materials (such as conductive paints or thin foil layers) that achieve the same welding function without the high cost of precision-engineered metallic components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical wire mesh or wound wire structures with a deposited or laminated conductive layer. This substitution eliminates the need for complex metallic semi-finished product manufacturing while maintaining the electrical resistance function, thereby reducing material costs.
3Adaptability or versatility
If short and long carbon fibers or conductive compounds are used as resistance elements, then material availability is improved, but uniform heating is difficult to achieve
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a conductive coating or laminate that provides uniform electrical properties across the entire resistance element surface. This homogeneous structure ensures consistent current distribution and uniform heating across the welding area, eliminating the non-uniform heating problems associated with discrete carbon fibers or compounds.
Solution Approach 2:
The conductive layer can be formulated as a composite material combining conductive particles or fibers in a matrix material, creating a homogeneous structure that maintains both material availability (using carbon-based materials) and uniform electrical properties for consistent heating.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution provides flexible and reliable resistance welding for complex geometries with uniform heating, reducing material costs and improving joint quality by allowing for targeted energy input and precise positioning of the conductor track structure.
Implementation Method 1
electrical power is fed into the resistance element so that the surrounding thermoplastic material in the joining zone melts
Implementation Method 2
resistance welding using a resistance element... electrical power is fed into the resistance element so that the surrounding thermoplastic material in the joining zone melts
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 1C
Figure 2A~2B
AI summary
The invention relates to a resistance element (200A) that can be arranged for forming a resistance weld connection between a first thermoplastic component (100) and at least one second thermoplastic component (110), comprising a conductor path structure (210) formed on a carrier substrate (100), which has at least one heating section (212) and connection sections (214, 216), wherein the heating section (212) can be heated by the introduction of an electrical energy, such that surrounding plastic material can be melted. The invention further relates to a component arrangement and a method for resistance welding, as well as a component assembly.