30-09-2017, 02:24 PM
Ultrasonic welding is an industrial technique whereby high frequency ultrasonic acoustic vibrations are applied locally to workpieces which are held together under pressure to create a solid state weld. It is commonly used for plastics, and especially for joining different materials. In ultrasonic welding, there are no connective stud bolts, nails, welding materials, or adhesives needed to bond the materials together.
The practical application of ultrasonic welding for rigid plastics was completed in the 1960s. At this point only hard plastics could be welded. The patent for the ultrasonic method for soldering rigid thermoplastic parts was awarded to Robert Soloff and Seymour Linsley in 1965. Soloff, the founder of Sonics & Materials Inc., was a laboratory manager at Branson Instruments where thin plastic films were soldered in bags and tubes using ultrasonic probes. Unconsciously, he moved the probe near a plastic tape dispenser and the dispenser halves were welded together. He realized that the probe did not need to move manually around the piece, but the ultrasonic energy could travel through and around rigid plastics and weld a complete gasket. He continued to develop the first ultrasonic press. The first application of this new technology was in the toy industry.
The first car made entirely of plastic was assembled using ultrasonic welding in 1969. Although the plastic cars did not get hooked, the ultrasonic welding did. The automotive industry has been using it regularly since the 1980s. Now it is used for a multitude of applications.
The practical application of ultrasonic welding for rigid plastics was completed in the 1960s. At this point only hard plastics could be welded. The patent for the ultrasonic method for soldering rigid thermoplastic parts was awarded to Robert Soloff and Seymour Linsley in 1965. Soloff, the founder of Sonics & Materials Inc., was a laboratory manager at Branson Instruments where thin plastic films were soldered in bags and tubes using ultrasonic probes. Unconsciously, he moved the probe near a plastic tape dispenser and the dispenser halves were welded together. He realized that the probe did not need to move manually around the piece, but the ultrasonic energy could travel through and around rigid plastics and weld a complete gasket. He continued to develop the first ultrasonic press. The first application of this new technology was in the toy industry.
The first car made entirely of plastic was assembled using ultrasonic welding in 1969. Although the plastic cars did not get hooked, the ultrasonic welding did. The automotive industry has been using it regularly since the 1980s. Now it is used for a multitude of applications.