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Ultrasonic welding
From GAWDAwiki
Ultrasonic welding is a solid state welding process where two pieces are joined with a high frequency (ultrasonic) acoustic vibration.[1]
Ultrasonic welds are produced in less than a second, making this process one of the fastest welding methods available.
During the welding process, the materials to be welded are placed between a fixed shaped nest and a sonotrode which is connected to a transducer which produces a low amplitude acoustic vibration. The acoustic energy creates friction, produces heat, and then the parts are welded together in less than a second-making it one of the fastest welding methods in use today.
Ultrasonic welding can be confused with vibration welding since it relies on vibration to create a weld. However, in vibration welding only one material moves by a hydraulic linear motion generator or an alternating electromagnetic while the other stays in place.
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Ultrasonic Welding Machine
A typical ultrasonic welding machine consists of three components, often referred to as the "stack":
- Converter: Creates the high frequency vibrations through piezoelectric ceramic disks that surround metal plates. They emit the vibrations through a titanium cylinder when powered by an electrical power module.
- Booster: The converter's vibrations are doubled by the booster and can be modified depending on the material being welded.
- Weld Horn: The horn transmits the high frequency vibrations to the material and provides the physical force required to melt the materials.
Advantages of Ultrasonic Welding
- Low manufacturing costs and no materials required.
- Simple welding process with few parts.
- Welds are clean without any gaps or spatter.
- Simple, automated process that requires only one welder to operate.
- Bonds are reliable and free from impurities for electronics and computer components.
- Rapid drying time since adhesives are not used.
Limitations of Ultrasonic Welding
- Unable to weld materials with high moisture content. Vibration welding is a suitable alternative if the moisture content in the materials is too high.
- Material size is limited. It is only capable of welding materials that are 250 mm thick or less. An ultrasonic welding set up is not capable of producing sufficient power through its single transducer and low power horns.
- The range of metals it's able to join is limited.
History of Ultrasonic Weldin
Although ultrasonic welding was first developed in the 1940's, it was first used industrially in the early 1960's for fine wire binding in the growing electronics industry. Ultrasonic welding was also introduced into the plastic welding process in 1963 where it has proven one of the most popular welding methods. It has since been used for welding aluminum and thin sheet metal for the automotive industry in addition to welding copper to aluminum for ignition modules, wire to terminals, and wire-to-wire for harnesses.
