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Partnering April, 2012
Ultrasonic Metal Welding Offers Important Advantages U
By Melissa Alleman, Sonobond Ultrasonics, West Chester, PA
ltrasonic metal welding is a solid-state welding process that uses localized high-fre-
quency vibratory energy in conjunc- tion with moderate clamping force. It does not require consumables — such as welding rods, fluxes, fillers, or sol- ders — or special cleaning methods. This energy-efficient, environmental- ly-friendly system produces no arcs or sparks. It is excellent for joining non-ferrous dissimilar metals, for welding thin sections to thicker sec- tions, for joining multiple layers of thin materials, and for welding through most oxides and surface oils. Ultrasonic metal welding produces strong joints that have good thermal and electrical conductivity. Only a modest amount of space is needed for the equipment. The advantages of ultrasonic
metal welding are particularly note- worthy in the assembly of wire har- nesses for automotive and similar applications. Resistance welders need 20 times more energy than ultrasonic welders. They may also require water cooling, which can be both costly and necessitate treatment of the water before it can be returned to the water supply. Yet it only takes about the same amount of time to make an ultrasonic weld as it does to produce a resistance weld. Wire harness manu- facturers also report that ultrasonic welding reduces the expense of attach- ing copper wires by 50 percent over old crimp and solder methods. In addition, ultrasonically welded joints are stronger, have better electrical con- ductivity, and weigh less without the mechanical crimp.
Wedge-Reed Design After pointing out that Sono -
bond’s ultrasonic metal welders are all manufactured in the U.S.A., Sonobond President Janet Devine went on to cite several other factors that help make this technology such an excellent choice. She said, “We design our equip- ment in ways that help manufacturers reduce costs. For instance, Sonobond machines are easy to operate and require only minimal training. Our microprocessor-controlled ultrasonic welders can set and recall up to 250 weld protocols from memory. Welding can be controlled by height, energy or time. All this substantially reduces the possibility of costly mistakes on the part of machine operators.” “There are also built-in features that provide meaningful savings to our customers. For example, all Sonobond metal spot welders use the patented Wedge-Reed System that combines high vibratory force with low amplitude coupling for maximum metal welding effective- ness. This system uses heat-treated, tool steel Taper Lock Tips that are manufactured to last for up to 100,000 welds. When the tips finally do need to be replaced, this can be done quickly and easily on our machines. However, ultrasonic metal welders manufac- tured by some other companies may require replacement of the entire horn, not just the tip. This can be much more expensive in terms of downtime and labor costs. But that’s not all. Only the Sonobond ultrasonic system is capable of welding most oxi- dized and tinned metals. This is an important reason so many companies specify Sonobond equipment.”
Many Applications During her long career at
Sonobond, Janet Devine has played a critical role in overseeing the devel- opment of ultrasonic metal welders for a wide variety of uses. These
applications include: l
gle pulse. l
Assembly of wire harnesses and heavy-duty cables for cars, trucks, and industrial machinery. Sonobond equipment can weld wire bundles with cross-sectional areas of up to 100mm2, even with lightly tinned or oxidized wires. It is unique in its ability to accomplish this with a sin-
with appropriate tooling. l
Advanced battery and super capacitor applications involving up to 80 layers of foils even if lightly tinned. The dual-head system can also weld 3 millimeter-thick, non- ferrous sheet metal when equipped
an array with excellent conductivity. l
Spot welding — including wire-to- terminal welding — in a single pulse. Sonobond ultrasonic metal welders are ideal for bus bar fabri- cation, as well as for welding stranded wire to brass or copper ter- minals and producing single point ground terminals.
industrial robots. l
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such as those used in the automo- tive industry. The “C-frame” units virtually eliminate the problem of tips sticking to aluminum parts and can be equipped for use on large
Welding of larger metal parts,
Assembly of the solar cells that con- stitute solar panels. Sonobond equip- ment can be used for welding alu- minum strips to the metalized glass on PV modules. The resulting inter- connects between the PV cells create
l
practically all U.S. foil mills. l
Fast, clean splicing of thin alu- minum and copper foils up to 0.004- in. (0.1mm) thick and up to 48-in. (1.2m) wide. Our system consists of a power unit with a solid-state convert- er, a welding head, and a rotating disk tip which transverses the width of the foil at speeds up to 15 feet per minute. This technology is found in
less than 1.5 seconds. l
The industry’s most powerful spot welder with a full 4,500 watts of output for welding heavy gage wire to terminals, ignition module plates, and other electronic/electrical assemblies. The welded joints are often stronger than the parent met- als, and the process usually takes
for precisely crimping and sealing copper and aluminum tubing. This one-step process creates quick, air- tight seals without brazing and can accommodate tubes already charged with coolant, fluids, and gasses.
Portable, hand-guided tube closure
Decades of Growth Ultrasonic metal welding has
gained acceptance — and even a cer- tain amount of prestige — over the decades. Time and time again, man- ufacturers across a wide variety of fields have found this process to be an extremely cost-effective and reli- able solution to their needs. Sono bond has played an impor-
tant part in finding new applications in evolving industries. These include significant innovations in the EV vehicle, solar, battery, electrical, and cable industries. At the same time, the company’s equipment continues to improve in terms of power capaci- ty, reliability, and better control functions.
Although recent economic con-
ditions have kept some companies from investing in new equipment, Ms. Devine believes there will be pent-up demand as things improve. She says, “We see more applications for ultrasonic welding and a greater acceptance of its use in a range of niche industries. We also anticipate that robotics will mean increased uti- lization of ultrasonics for welding aluminum and other lightweight sheet metals. This is especially true among automotive and battery man- ufacturers. Sonobond is very opti- mistic about the future of ultrasonic metal welding and firmly committed to maintaining its leadership role in this growing field.” In addition to its complete line
of ultrasonic metal welders, Sono - bond offers ultrasonic equipment for nonwovens/textile and plastic appli- cations. Among the company’s many customers are leading firms in the electrical, automotive, appliance, solar, aerospace, filtration, and ap -
parel industries. Contact: Sonobond Ultrasonics,
1191 McDermott Drive, West Chester, PA 19380 % 800-323-1269 or 610-696-4710 fax: 610-692-0674 E-mail:
info@SonobondUltrasonics.com Web:
www.sonobondultrasonics.com r
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