29-08-2017, 08:54 AM
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 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, founder of Sonics & Materials Inc., was a laboratory manager at Branson Instruments, where thin plastic films were welded In bags and tubes using ultrasonic probes. Unconsciously, he moved the probe near a plastic tape dispenser and the dispenser halves were welded. 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 fall on, ultrasonic welding did. The automotive industry has been using it regularly since the 1980s. It is now used for a multitude of applications. The benefits of ultrasonic welding are that it is much faster than conventional adhesives or solvents. Drying time is very fast, and the parts do not need to remain in a stencil for long periods of time waiting for the joint to dry or cure. Welding can be easily automated, making joints clean and precise; the welding site is very clean and rarely requires any retouching work. The low thermal impact on the materials involved allows a greater number of materials to be welded 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, founder of Sonics & Materials Inc., was a laboratory manager at Branson Instruments, where thin plastic films were welded In bags and tubes using ultrasonic probes. Unconsciously, he moved the probe near a plastic tape dispenser and the dispenser halves were welded. 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 fall on, ultrasonic welding did. The automotive industry has been using it regularly since the 1980s. It is now used for a multitude of applications. The benefits of ultrasonic welding are that it is much faster than conventional adhesives or solvents. Drying time is very fast, and the parts do not need to remain in a stencil for long periods of time waiting for the joint to dry or cure. Welding can be easily automated, making joints clean and precise; the welding site is very clean and rarely requires any retouching work. The low thermal impact on the materials involved allows a greater number of materials to be welded together.