Back to results
US 7,255,770 B2Granted
Method for laser welding flexible polymers
AssigneeMentor Corporation
InventorLawrence Y. Wissman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention concerns methods for joining flexible polymer workpieces using light energy. These methods, referred to as laser welding, can be used to join thermoplastic or thermoset polymers. The laser welding method of the invention is applicable to the creation or repair of any article requiring the bonding of two flexible polymer components or a flexible polymer component and an inflexible polymer component.
Claims37
A method for bonding a first workpiece to a second workpiece, the method comprising:
- providing a first workpiece comprising an elastomeric polymer comprising portion;
- providing a second workpiece comprising an elastomeric polymer comprising portion;
- contacting the first and second workpieces such that an overlap region comprising a region of the elastomeric polymer comprising portion of the first workpiece and a region of the elastomeric polymer comprising portion of the second workpiece is formed;
- and
- after said contacting, exposing at least a portion of the overlap region to light of a selected wavelength in an amount adequate to heat the light exposed portion sufficiently to bond the clastomerie polymer comprising portion of the first workpiece to the elastomeric polymer comprising portion of the second workpiece.
2 more elements
A method for forming a sealed prosthesis, comprising:
- providing an elastomeric polymer shell having an opening, the shell having an inner and outer surface;
- providing an elastomeric polymer patch covering the opening and overlapping the shell such that an overlap region comprising a portion of the patch and a portion of the shell is formed;
- and
- after forming said overlap region, exposing at least a portion of the overlap region to light of a selected wavelength in an amount adequate to heat the light exposed portion sufficiently to bond the patch to the shell thereby forming a sealed prosthesis,
- wherein the elastomeric polymer shell comprises a thermoset polymer, and wherein the elastomeric polymer patch comprises a thermoset polymer.
2 more elements
A method for forming a sealed prosthesis, comprising:
- (a) providing an elastomeric shell having an opening, the shell having an inner and outer surface;
- (b) providing an elastomeric patch covering the opening and overlapping the shell such that an overlap region comprising a portion of the patch and a portion of the shell is formed;
- and
- (c) after forming said overlap region, exposing at least a portion of the overlap region to light of a selected wavelength in an amount adequate to heat the light exposed portion sufficiently to bond the patch to the shell thereby forming a sealed prosthesis.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.