US Patent 9358764 System and method of joining components

A method of forming a structural assembly may include providing a first component and a second component to be joined together. The method may additionally include scanning a contour of a first mating surface of the first component and scanning a contour of a second mating surface of the second component. The method may further include producing a thermoplastic element having opposing first and second element surfaces substantially matching a contour of the first mating surface and the second mating surface.