ULTRASONIC WELDING

Ultrasonic welding is an industrial technique

whereby two pieces of plastic or metal are joined
together seamlessly through high-frequency
acoustic vibrations.
One component to be welded is placed upon a fixed
anvil, with the second component being placed on
top.
An extension ("horn") connected to a transducer is
lowered down onto the top component, and a very
rapid (~20,000 Hz), low-amplitude acoustic
vibration is applied to a small welding zone.

The acoustic energy is converted into heat

energy by friction, and the parts are welded
together in less than a second
• Unique - no connective bolts, nails, soldering
materials, or adhesives are necessary to bind the
two parts together.
• Thus, saves on manufacturing costs and creates
unnoticeable seams in products where
appearance is important.
• A largely automated process
• But, it is only applied to small components -
watches, cassettes, plastic products, toys,
medical tools, and packaging.
• For example, the chassis of an automobile
cannot be assembled with ultrasonic welding
because the energies involved in welding
larger components would be prohibitive.
• In 1960 Sonobond Ultrasonics, originally
known as Aeroprojects Incorporated,
developed the first metal ultrasonic
welding machine to be awarded a United
States Patent
• Since early 90s, rapid developments
occured
• The range of materials that can be joined
together using this technique is increasing
• Earlier, only non-flexible plastics could be
welded because their material properties
allowed the efficient transmission of acoustic
energy from part to part.
• Nowadays, less rigid plastics such as
semicrystalline plastics can be welded
because large amounts of acoustic energy
can be applied to the welding zone.
• As the technology matures and becomes
more versatile, it is likely to obsolete large
classes of historical techniques for joining
materials together.
• Ultrasonic welding.
When bonding material through
ultrasonic welding, the energy
required comes in the form of
mechanical vibrations.
The welding tool (sonotrode)
couples to the part to be welded
and moves it in longitudinal
direction.
The part to be welded on remains
static. Now the parts to be
bonded are simultaneously 1. Anvil
pressed together. 2. Parts to be welded
The simultaneous action of static 3. Sonotrode
and dynamic forces causes 4. Ultrasonic oscillation
fusion of the parts without having
to use additional material. Differences in the process
for welding plastics and
This procedure is used on an metals with ultrasonics
industrial scale for linking both
plastics and metals
 Systems are composed of the same basic elements:

• A press to put the 2 parts to be assembled under pressure

• A nest or anvil where the parts are placed, allowing the high frequency
vibration to be directed to the interfaces

• An ultrasonic stack composed of a converter or piezoelectric transducer,

• An optional booster and a sonotrode (Horn).

All three elements of the stack are specifically tuned to resonate at the
same exact ultrasonic frequency (Typically 20, 30, 35 or 40 kHz)
– Converter: Converts the electrical signal into a mechanical vibration
– Booster: Modifies the amplitude of the vibration. It is also used in standard
systems to clamp the stack in the press.
– Sonotrode: Applies the mechanical vibration to the parts to be welded.
An electronic ultrasonic generator (US: Power supply) delivering a high
power AC signal with frequency matching the resonance frequency of
the stack.
A controller controlling the movement of the press and the delivery of the
ultrasonic energy
The mechanisms during ultrasonic metal welding

• Principle of ultrasonic metal welding

– 1. Sonotrode
– 2, 3 Parts to be joined
– 4. Anvil
– 5. Welding area
 Applications

• The applications are extensive and are in many industries

including electrical and computer, automotive and
aerospace, medical, and packaging.
• Too thick pieces cannot be joined. This is the main
obstacle in the welding of metals.
• However, wires, microcircuit connections, sheet metal,
foils, ribbons and meshes are often joined using
ultrasonic welding.
• Ultrasonic welding is a very popular technique for
bonding thermoplastics. It is fast and easily automated
with weld times often below one second and there is no
ventilation system required to remove heat or exhaust.
• This type of welding is often used to build assemblies
that are too small, too complex, or too delicate for more
common welding techniques
Computer & electrical industries

• Used to join wired connections and to create connections in small, delicate

circuits. Junctions of wire harnesses are often joined using ultrasonic welding
• Wire harnesses are large groupings of wires used to distribute electrical signals
and power.
• Electric motors, field coils, transformers and capacitors may also be assembled
with ultrasonic welding.
• It is also often preferred in the assembly of storage media such as flash drives
and computer disks because of the high volumes required. Ultrasonic welding of
computer disks has been found to have cycle times of less than 300 ms.
• Mostly used in microcircuits, since it creates reliable bonds without introducing
impurities or thermal distortion into components. Semiconductor devices,
transistors and diodes are often connected by thin aluminum and gold wires using
ultrasonic welding.It is also used for bonding wiring and ribbons as well as entire
chips to microcircuits. An example: in medical sensors used to monitor the human
heart in bypass patients.

• Has the ability to join dissimilar materials. Example: The assembly of battery
components. When creating battery and fuel cell components, thin gauge copper,
nickel and aluminum connections, foil layers and metal meshes are often
ultrasonically welded together. Multiple layers of foil or mesh can often be applied
in a single weld eliminating steps and cost.
Aerospace & automotive industries

• Used in the assembly of large plastic components and electrical

components such as instrument panels, door panels, lamps, air ducts,
steering wheels, upholstery and engine components. As plastics are
replacing other materials in the design and manufacture of automobiles,
the assembly and joining of plastic components has increasingly
become a critical issue. Some of the advantages for ultrasonic welding
are low cycle times, automation, low capital costs, and flexibility. Also,
ultrasonic welding does not damage surface finish, which is a crucial
consideration for many car manufacturers, because the high-frequency
vibrations prevent marks from being generated.

• Used in the aerospace industry when joining thin sheet gauge metals
and other lightweight materials. Aluminum which is a difficult metal to
weld using traditional techniques because of its high thermal
conductivity, is one of the easier materials to weld using ultrasonic
welding because it is a softer alloy metal and thus a solid-state weld is
simple to achieve.
• Also, with the advent of new composite materials, ultrasonic welding is
becoming even more prevalent. It has been used in the bonding of the
popular composite material carbon fiber. Numerous studies have been
done to find the optimum parameters that will produce quality welds for
this material.
Medical industry
• USW does not introduce contaminants or degradation into the
weld and the machines can be specialized for use in
clean rooms.
• The process can also be highly automated, provides strict
control over dimensional tolerances and does not interfere
with the biocompatibility of parts.
• Thus increases part quality and decreases production costs.
• Items such as arterial filters, anesthesia filters, blood filters,
IV catheters, dialysis tubes, pipettes, cardiometry reservoirs,
blood/gas filters, face masks and IV spike/filters can all be
made using ultrasonic welding.
• Another important application is in textiles. Items like hospital
gowns, sterile garments, masks, transdermal patches and
textiles for clean rooms can be sealed and sewn using
ultrasonic welding. This prevents contamination and dust
production and reduces the risk of infection.
 Packaging industry
• Many everyday items are either created or packaged using ultrasonic welding
techniques.
• Eg: Sealing containers, tubes and blister packs .Also in the packaging of
dangerous materials such as explosives, fireworks and other reactive
chemicals. These items tend to require hermetic sealing but cannot be
subjected to high temperatures.
• One example of this application is the container for a butane lighter. This
container weld must be able to withstand high pressure and stress and must be
airtight to contain the butane.
• Another example is the packaging of ammunition and propellants- which must
be able to withstand high pressure and stresses in order to protect the
consumer from the contents. When sealing hazardous materials safety is a
primary concern. Thus, the reliability and automation of this process are strong
benefits for companies.
• It is fast, sanitary and can produce hermetic seals. Milk and juice containers are
examples of some products that are often sealed using ultrasonic welding.
• The paper parts to be sealed are coated with plastic, generally polypropylene or
polyethylene, and then welded together to create an airtight seal. The main
obstacle to overcome in this process is the setting of the parameters. If over-
welding occurs then the concentration of plastic in the weld zone may be too
low and cause the seal to break. If it is under-welded the seal is incomplete.
Also, variations in the thicknesses of materials can cause variations in weld
quality. Therefore, the preparation is extremely important. Other food items that
are sealed include candy bar wrappers, frozen food packages and beverage
containers.
• In summary, It is increasing in popularity throughout
many of the industries because of ++low cycle
times, automation, low capital costs, flexibility,
cleanliness, dimensional reliability and the
bonding of dissimilar materials.
• --Some of the drawbacks of ultrasonic welding are
that its use is limited by the thickness of the
materials, it may require expensive specialized
tooling and it may generate noise. As these
drawbacks are overcome by continually developing
technologies, it will be interesting to see how this
unique welding technique continues to be utilized.
 Safety
There are risk of some hazards: exposure to high heat levels and
voltages. This equipment to be operated using the safety guidelines
provided by the manufacturer in order to avoid injury. Must never place
hands or arms near the welding tip when the machine is activated. Also,
operators should be provided with hearing protection and safety glasses.
Operators should be informed of the OSHA regulations for the ultrasonic
welding equipment and these regulations should be enforced.
• Machines must receive routine maintenance and inspection. Panel doors,
housing covers and protective guards need to be removed for
maintenance with the power to the equipment off and only by the trained
professional who is servicing the machine.
• Sub-harmonic vibrations may create annoying audible noise, may be in
larger parts near the machine due to the ultrasonic welding frequency.
This noise can be dampened by clamping these large parts at one or
more locations. Also, high-powered welders with frequencies of 15 kHz
and 20 kHz typically emit a potentially damaging high-pitched squeal in
the range of human hearing. Shielding this radiating sound can be done
using an acoustic enclosure.
• In short, there are hearing and safety concerns with ultrasonic welding
that are important to consider, but generally they are comparable to those
of other welding techniques.
 Joining: fasteners
• in general, double lap joints
preferable to single lap shear joints
• fasteners should normally be:
– 2 - 4 diameters from edge, and
– 3 - 4 diameters from adjacent fasteners
• Stress analysis dependent on:
– any pre-load
– stacking sequence
– free-edge effects, etc
 Joining:
• typical failures include:fasteners
– bearing failure,
– shear-out,
– cleavage, and
– direct failure of substrate or fastener material
• important considerations in joint design:
– matrix creep: torque applies compressive stress
in the unreinforced direction of the laminate
– galvanic corrosion:
• C and Al at opposite ends of the electrochemical corrosion
series
• thin fibreglass layer minimises such corrosion
 BigHead Bonding Fasteners
images from: http://www.bighead.co.uk/
• Extended heads to spread load:
 Joining: adhesive bonding
• adhesive joints
– spread load over more uniform area than fasteners
– result in a lower stress concentration
• good joint design is
essential for highly-stressed applications
• joints:
– best loaded in compression
– acceptable performance in shear
– avoid tension, especially peel and cleavage
 Correct joint design
... redrawn from diagrams in The [Permabond] Engineers
Guide to Adhesives

• Compression good Shear OK

 
KEY: adhesive substrate
 Wrong joint design
... redrawn from diagrams in The [Permabond]
Engineers Guide to Adhesives

• Peel (one flexible) Cleavage (two rigid)

x x
 Bonding - surface preparation
• Surface preparation is
crucial to achievement of a good bond
• for composites normally
degrease-abrade-degrease-dry sequence
– shot-blasting the surface is inappropriate:
it tends to remove too much substrate
– plastic bead blasting (or similar blast media)
permits greater control of material removal
– aerospace industry avoids silicone release:
• material transfer to the part surface can cause
significant weakening of the subsequent bond.
 Joining: welding thermoplastics
• joining of thermoplastic matrix composites:
– heat - compress - intermolecular diffusion - cool
• variety of techniques to heat the substrates:
– hot-plate
– resistance heating/induction heating
– infrared/laser
– dielectric/microwave
– friction-inertia/vibration welding
– ultrasonic welding
• solvent welding also possible
– beware health and safety and solvent entrapment
 Painting/surface coatings
• painting of composite substrates
– surface preparation as for adhesive bonding
• current trend towards in in-mould coating
– eliminates solvents in the workplace
– reduces labour required
– more uniform coating thickness
• but only on horizontal surfaces in compression moulding
• PU research funded by
– DTI Technology Programme/Zero Emission Enterprises
– EU REA grant FP7-SME-2011-1-286520.
 Gel-coat application

• By hand-painting or spray onto the open mould.

– The process releases volatile organic compounds
(VOC) into the workplace and the environment.

• By mould-opening and flow into the space

– horizontal surfaces increase by the required distance
– vertical surfaces see no increase in space
 New in-mould process
• InGeCt IMGC (in-mould gel-coating)
– applicable to RTM, RIFT and similar processes
– mould cavity divided by a separator layer
– separator has texture to
• provide stand-off from mould surface
• enhance physical bond to laminate and gel-coat
– IPR protected by British Patent GB 2 432 336A

• InGeCt IMS (in-mould surfacing)

– silicone shim defines space for gel coat
– mould laminate – remove shim – inject gelcoat
 IMGC concept
• as for RTM, but with two injection ports:

Separator layer
Gel-coat injection

Mould tool
Gel-coat

Laminate
Mould tool

Laminate injection
InGeCt double tetrahedron mould

challenging geometry
for test mould tool
 Repair
• before repair, non-destructive evaluation
– to determine full extent of damage
• design the repair
– for a general repair
• the hole is normally tapered at ten times the depth
– for an aerospace repair
• the hole is normally tapered at fifty-times the depth
or at 12.7 mm/ply (half-inch/ply) 
• appropriate machining techniques
– to remove the failed material
• rebuild the laminate
 Repair - sandwich panels
• it may be practical to:
– replace just one laminate skin, or
– replace one skin and the core,
leaving the second face intact.
• foaming adhesive
used to bond-in replacement honeycomb.
 Self-healing composites
• proposed use of hollow glass fibres
containing uncured resin:
– low viscosity resin systems generally do not
achieve the highest mechanical properties
– high viscosity resin systems would require some
form of pressure to facilitate flow
– how to mix and flow with no applied pressure ?
• University of Delaware Center for Composite
Materials is developing biomineralisation as a
route to the repair of the fibre network
• Machining
Summary
– cutting
– abrasive water jet
– laser
• Joining
– fasteners
– adhesive bonding
– welding thermoplastic
– painting/surface coating
• Repair
 Ultrasonic
• Advantages
– Fast
– Can spot or seam weld
• Limitations
– Equipment complex,
many variables
– Only use on small parts
– Cannot weld all plastics

0.1.1.2.5.T25.95.12
 Welding of Plastics

Hot Plate, Infrared Welding

Hot plate welding

 Welding of Plastics

Hot Gas Welding

• Thermoplastics
(hotmelts)
– Adhesive is heated
until it softens, then
hardens on cooling
• Hot gas softens filler
and base material
• Filler is pulled or fed
into the joint
 Vibration
• Advantages
– Speed
– Used on many
materials
• Limitations
– Size
– Requires fixturing
– Equipment costly

0.1.1.2.5.T24.95.12