Inventors:
John A. Hoefer - Louisville KY
David S. Perry - Louisville KY
Edward J. Schelmbauer - Louisville KY
Assignee:
General Electric Company - Louisville KY
International Classification:
B29C 6506
Abstract:
Apparatus for holding and spinning a plastic part during a friction welding operation to join the plastic part to work piece. There is included in the apparatus a driver to impact rotational movement, a vacuum chamber, and a rotatable part driver assembly. The part driver assembly is connected to the driver for rotational movement and has air ports in air flow communication with the vacuum chamber. The part driver assembly rotates the plastic part to be friction welded to a work piece. The part driver assembly also includes a vacuum head member with a hollow body rotatable independent of the part driver assembly, one end of the vacuum head member being adapted to receive a plastic part for friction welding to a work piece and the other end of the vacuum head being in air flow communication with the air ports in the part driver assembly to hold the plastic part on the vacuum head member by vacuum pressure during the friction welding operation.
