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Ultrasonic Welding

Diagram of ultrasonic welding mechanism

Ultrasonic welding equipment has four main parts. A power supply converts low-frequency
electricity (50-60 Hz) to high-frequency electricity (20 - 40 kHz; 1 kHz = 1000 Hz). Next, a
transducer or converter changes the high-frequency electricity into high-frequency sound
(ultrasound). A booster makes the ultrasound vibrations bigger. Finally, a horn
or sonotrode focuses the ultrasound vibrations and delivers them to the materials to be welded.
Besides these pieces, there is an anvil upon which the welded materials are stacked and held. There
is also some method to apply force (usually air pressure supplied by a pneumatic piston) to hold
the materials together during welding.
Ultrasonic welding of plastics is used widely in making electronics, medical devices and car parts.
For example, ultrasonic welding is used to make electrical connections on computer circuit boards,
and assemble electronic components such as transformers, electric motors and capacitors. Medical
devices, such as catheters, valves, filters and face masks are also assembled using ultrasonic
welding. The packaging industry uses this technique to make films, assemble tubes and blister
packs.
Diagram of ultrasonic welding processing

The basic process of ultrasonic welding can be described by the following steps:

1. The parts to be welded are placed in the anvil or fixture.


2. The horn contacts the parts to be welded.
3. Pressure is applied to keep the horn in contact with the welded materials and to hold them together.
4. The horn delivers ultrasonic vibrations to heat up the materials. The vibrations move less than a
millimeter either up-and-down or side-to-side.
5. The materials are welded together.
6. The horn gets retracted and the welded materials can be removed from the anvil.
The welding times, applied pressures and temperatures are controlled by a computer
or microprocessor within the welding apparatus. And what actually happens during the welding
process depends on the nature of the materials. In metals, the ultrasonic vibrations are delivered
parallel to the plane of the materials. The frictional heat increases the temperature of the metal
surfaces to about one third of the melting temperature, but does not melt the metals. Instead, the
heat removes metal oxides and films from the surfaces. This allows the metal atoms to move
between the two surfaces and form bonds that hold the metals together.

In the case of plastics, the vibrations are perpendicular to the plane of the materials and the
frictional heat increases the temperature enough to melt the plastics. The plastic molecules mix
together and form bonds. Upon cooling, the plastic surfaces are welded together. Welding times
can vary, but the welds can form in as little as 0.25 seconds.

The factors that vary in ultrasonic welding are the frequency of the sound waves (usually 20, 30
or 40 kHz), the pressure applied to hold the materials together, and the time over which the
ultrasound is applied (fractions of a second to more than one second).

Ultrasonic welding has many advantages over traditional methods. For one, welding occurs at low
temperatures relative to other methods. So, the manufacturer does not need to expend vast amounts of fuel
or other energy to reach high temperatures. This makes the process cheaper. It's also faster and safer.

The process occurs in fractions of a second to seconds. So, it can be done more quickly than other methods.
In fact, it can bond plastics better and faster than glues. For example, the new smart keys in cars have a
transponder chip in them. The car can only start when it senses the chip. To make the key, one end of the
metal key blank and the chip get placed into one half of the plastic top. The other half gets placed over them
and bonded to the base half. This bonding would usually be done with glue, which takes time to cure. The
same task can be done with ultrasonic welding in less than a second.

Ultrasonic welding does not require flammable fuels and open flames, so compared to
other welding methods, it's a safer process. Workers are not exposed to flammable gases or
noxious solvents. In electronics, copper wires are usually bonded to electrical contacts on circuit
boards with solder. The same task can be done using ultrasonic welding in a fraction of the time
and without exposing workers to fumes from smoldering lead solder. Although workers' hearing
may be damaged by exposure to high-frequency sound, this potential danger is easily reduced by
enclosing the ultrasonic welding machine in a safety box or cage and/or using ear protection.

Finally, ultrasonic welds are as strong and durable as conventional welds of the same materials -- which is
just one of the reasons the method is being used in car manufacturing. To make cars lighter and more fuel
efficient, auto makers are turning to aluminum as the main metal in car bodies. Ultrasonic welding can be
used to bond the metal in less time and at lower temperatures than traditional welding.

Ultrasonic welding does have its limitations, though. First, the depths of the welds are less than a millimeter,
so the process works best on thin materials like plastics, wires or thin sheets of metal. Ultrasonically welding
a steel girder for a building would not be practical. Second, it does work best when welding similar materials
like similar plastics or similar metals.

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