Joining & assembly | processing
ultrasonic welding machine is commonly used in the medical industry where this level of control is required.”
single manifold that requires sealing.” Xfurth supplies a wide range of welding technologies.
However, according to Adamek, the most cost effective, versatile and commonly used welding method is currently ultrasonic – offering the flexibility to join, swage, insert, stake and form. The AGM 4020 (Acoustic Guard Machine 4000 Watt 20KHz) is a new welder developed to meet the the requirement for a standard machine with a greater welding capacity and to cater for larger components. “With the ultrasonics driven by a 4kW digital generator, harder to weld components in materials such as 30% glass fibre filled polyamide can be processed easliy using large hardened steel tools,“ he says. Other products currently in development include a
new servo driven ultrasonic welding machine. “We can see the benefit of being able to offer a servo driven ultrasonic welder for applications that require the utmost control and accuracy,” explains Adamek. “This is only achievable with a servo driven welding head coupled with a digital generator for the full monitoring and feedback options required when welding and continually monitoring the final weld results. The servo
Reinforcing opinion Intended to overcome some of the challenges of working with fibre reinforced plastics in industries such as automotive, Bielomatik Leuze has developed a camera system and image processing software that monitors infrared welding of fibre-reinforced plastic parts for under-the-bonnet automotive applications. “The materials, which are often reinforced with fibres, are designed for higher temperatures and cannot be melted using classic heating element processes,” explains Dr-Ing Tobias Beiss, Head of Innovation Management at Bielomatik Leuze. “The usual method, which is to spin weld short-glass-fibre reinforced plastics, is out of the question because this could lead to shreds of the fibres coming loose and subsequently causing problems with the use of a pump housing, for example.” Bielomatik says clean processing of engine compart- ment parts, as well as production of special safety components such as chute channels for airbags, is increasingly being performed using non-contacting methods such as infrared, hot gas or gas convection welding. Quality is not as easy to monitor using these technologies as it is with other methods. However, these components are frequently subject to a duty of documen- tation – the manufacturer must verify and evaluate the manufacturing process for every safety component and document the result. “We have to demonstrate that the welding in a non-contact process was executed perfect- ly,” says Beiss, “However, with non-contact heating, the parameters normally monitored by the welding machines do not suffice to deliver a sufficiently detailed statement on the quality of the welding process.” To solve this problem, an infrared camera system that records the temperature progression in certain
Left: Xfurth’s new Acoustic Guard Machine 4020 is
designed to handle larger parts with hardened tooling
Non-contact IR welding is increasingly being used for demanding heavily-rein- forced materials in the automotive sector. Left image shows a metal foil radiator in operation, image right a short-wave glass tube radiator
IMAGES: BIELOMATIK LEUZE
www.injectionworld.com May 2016 | INJECTION WORLD 29
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