Ultrasonic welding technology: Promising applications for mechanical processing

Today, the machining industry is difficult to use a lot of different welding techniques, each of which has its own strengths but in general is based on the structure of the materials used. One of the most modern methods available in this area is the method of ultrasound.

Ultrasonic welding uses the vibration intensity of a superhumidifier to attach two components that may differ in structure. One of the biggest strengths of ultrasonic welding is that it can be used for other metallic materials like plastic. By applying the vibrations of the ultrasonic duplex to the weld, the vibrations with high frequency cause the material to melt and stick together. The commonly used wave in this technology is high frequency duplex with frequencies between 15 and 40kHz. Because these ultrasonic welding devices can focus on a certain point, the welding with this technology is extremely accurate.

Composition of ultrasonic welding technology

Ultrasonic welding machine was created to convert electricity into mechanical vibrating bars. The microcontroller reads the temperature and controls the output temperature correctly. Some other components:

• Power supply: The machine requires high voltage power from the grid.
• Converter: Convert high voltage voltage into controllable high frequency vibration.
• Amplifier: Amplifies the frequency and energy of generated waves.
• Groove: Known as the distance between the material to be welded and the groin. This distance needs to be calculated to focus the ultrasound on a certain point.

Welding materials should be held in place by a support. Air compressors are often added to welding machines so that the pressure of the compression wave can be transferred to the material through the channel.

Ultrasonic waves are applied in small amounts and continuously into the material, the intensity of the vibration will cause the material to vibrate, the vibration frequency is larger but the amplitude is only about ½ mm, causing materials to occur. close together and create heat to melt. This principle is similar to when you rub your hands together faster and more friction will get hotter. However, the frequency that the ultrasonic welding machine supplies so that it can melt the metal is not visible to the naked eye.

Benefits of ultrasonic welding machine:

• No need to use external heat sources: The heat used to weld parts obtained from friction produced between the point of contact of the material. This is the superior advantage of ultrasonic welding compared to other welding methods and is also the reason why ultrasonic welding is the fastest welding method in industrial production to date.
• High automation: The structure of the ultrasonic welding machine is not too complicated, so it is easy to perform automatic welding. Ultrasonic welding machine has built-in sensors that can directly monitor weld temperature continuously.
• High quality: The products of ultrasonic welding are very good quality, solid welds, no splashes, no slag welding.

Disadvantages of ultrasonic welding machine:

• Limitations when welding high-flex joints: With large folds, the welder cannot weld with conventional soldering torch. Special welding joints specifically designed for each coupling type are required.
• Limitations on the width of the weld: The welding torch of an ultrasonic welder is usually small to maximize the concentration of the ultrasonic waves, so the use of an ultrasonic welder to weld welds has an area of ​​250×205 mm².
• Thick and hard metals cannot be welded: Thick, high-strength metals are unlikely to vibrate with ultrasonic waves such as thinner and softer types.

Practical applications of ultrasonic welding technology:

Ultrasonic welding is used in many areas of industrial manufacturing. One of the most amazing applications is the welding of signal cables. Ultrasonic welding is also used in health, automobile manufacturing or housing construction applications because ultrasonic welding does not increase the weight of the material like other welding methods but still retain its strength durablility.

Although ultrasonic welding technology has been studied since the 1940s, this technology still has great potential for future development with methods of making cleaner, stronger welds between different materials.

Productivity and Quality Office