Encapsulating of electronic components by ultrasonic wave energy

Claim 1

In a method for encapsulating a capacitor body wherein a foil sheet interwound with aN absorbent material forms a convolutely wound capacitor body impregnated with a liquid electrolyte and having terminals wires extending from said body, and wherein said body is inserted into an encapsulating container substantially equivalent in shape to said body and having electrical terminals electrically connected to said terminal wires, and wherein said container is fabricated from a thermoplastic material in two sections, and wherein a tongue is formed on one of said sections and a groove on the other of said sections for mating the sections together, the improvement comprising: loosely fitting said sections together for forming said container with said tongue fitting into said groove in a joint of minimal contact area between said tongue and groove for preventing said sections from constituting a heat sink upon heat being generated at said joint; applying an ultrasonic vibration to one of said sections for producing ultrasonic wave energy traveling radially through said sections and producing heat at the joint formed by said sections mated together, whereby said sections are integrally bonded into a single unitary container encapsulating said body.