What is ultrasonic metal welding?
Ultrasonic metal welding is a solid-state bonding process in which ultrasonic vibrations create friction-like motion between two surfaces, causing deformation and shearing of asperities to bring metal-to-metal contact and bonding.
What materials can be ultrasonically welded?
For example, ABS, acrylic, polycarbonate and PVC are amorphous polymers with little or no crystalline structure. These plastics are well suited to ultrasonic welding. Ultrasonic welding of two parts made from the same plastic material will usually obtain the best result.
Which type of weld is done by ultrasonic welding?
Ultrasonic welding is an industrial process whereby high-frequency ultrasonic acoustic vibrations are locally applied to workpieces being held together under pressure to create a solid-state weld. It is commonly used for plastics and metals, and especially for joining dissimilar materials.
Can you ultrasonic weld steel?
Ultrasonic energy has been used to join metal materials for decades. Ultrasonic energy can weld through contaminates to create a clean seal while providing increased quality and control. To achieve a high-quality seal, one part is held stationary while the second part is compressed beneath a vibrating horn.
How strong is ultrasonic welding?
Ultrasonic welding is the fastest known welding technique, with weld times typically between 0.1 and 1.0 seconds.
Is ultrasonic welding safe?
Safety: Using ultrasonic welding equipment is extremely safe compared to other welding techniques. The ultrasonic energy is highly targeted, reducing the risk of dangers due to excess electrical energy.
Who invented ultrasonic welding?
First invented in the 1940’s, ultrasonic welding for bonding thermoplastics went on to be patented in 1965 by Seymour Linsley and Robert Soloff. At the time, Robert Soloff was a lab manager at Branson Instruments.
What is the disadvantage of ultrasonic welding?
A limitation of ultrasonic welding is that with current technology, large joints cannot be welded in a single operation. In addition, specifically designed joint details are required. Ultrasonic vibrations can also damage electrical components, although the use of higher frequency equipment can reduce this damage.
Can sound waves melt metal?
Welding usually requires an open flame or torch to achieve the high temperatures necessary to melt the metal surfaces together. The technique, ultrasonic welding, used high-frequency sound waves and pressure to bond metals together and required less energy than conventional welding.
What are the disadvantages of ultrasonic welding?
Disadvantages
- It cannot be used to produce large joints (greater than 250 x 300 mm).
- It requires specially designed joints, so it can make tip contact during the welding process.
- High tooling cost for the fixtures.
- The ultrasonic welding process is restricted to the lap joints.
Does ultrasonic welding generate heat?
Ultrasonic welding is one of the most popular welding techniques used the in welding industry. The vibrations generate heat at the joint interface of the parts being welded, resulting in melting of the thermoplastic materials and weld formation after cooling.
Is ultrasonic welding expensive?
Ultrasonic welding offers many advantages to assemblers. “It is more expensive than resistance welding machinery, but [less expensive] than lasers.” Ultrasonics is much more cost-effective in the long run due to many factors, such as tooling, energy consumption and joint quality.