Controlled temperature bonding

In a bonding station the parts of the apparatus to be bonded are retained at a thermal bias temperature at a permitted level and a thermal check valve interface is provided between the bonding location and the part of the station that would serve as a conduction heat sink, thereby thermally insulating other uninvolved parts of the structure and and confining the bonding heat to the bonding region. Such confinement reduces the dwell time that the bond must remain at the bonding temperature. The bonding station has a number of features: the parts to be bonded are maintained on a support member that is provided with a heat biasing capability that can establish the assembly at a specified temperature; a retention capability, such as the use of vacuum, is provided to maintain registration and thermal contact of the part with the support; and a thermal check valve capability is provided to control the rate of heat flow through the support member so that locallized heat is controlled in dissipation.