Basic principles for ultrasonics

Various materials such as plastics, nonwovens, packaging or metals can be welded using ultrasonics. We'll explain how it works!

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Welding using ultrasonics

When you hear the term ultrasonics, you probably don't think about welding right away, you probably think about medical ultrasonic devices. In fact, ultrasonics can also be used to weld various materials such as plastics, nonwovens, metals or packaging. This works by converting high voltage from a generator into mechanical vibrations (ultrasonics). Sonotrodes then introduce these into the components being welded. The vibrations create friction heat and the materials start to melt. By applying additional pressure, the components can then be joined.

Advantages

Ultrasonic welding offers a number of advantages over conventional joining methods such as adhesive bonding or inert gas welding:

  • Ultra fast: The materials are melted and joined in split seconds.
  • Consistently high quality: Precise control technology ensures reproducible, precise and appealing results.
  • Flexible: Can be adapted to suit the most varied of materials, shapes and processes.
  • Environmentally friendly: Ultrasonic welding is clean, energy-efficient and doesn't produce any waste products. 
  • Cost efficient: Short process cycles, low energy consumption, no additional tools or aids such as screws, adhesives etc.

To put it simply, sound is vibration that you can sometimes hear. Ultrasonics are different: These are noiseless sound waves. They are often used in industry. Ultrasonic welding is suitable for various materials such as plastics, metals or nonwovens. The right weld tool and the setting of the process parameters are vital for a good weld result. This is the only way that a consistently high quality is guaranteed. 

ultrasonic welding vibrations how does it work

Success stories from our customers

Together with our customers, we solve over 1,500 applications worldwide every year. Read our customer stories to find out how our ultrasonics solutions help them produce more safely, efficiently and sustainably.

Apra-plast

Produce small batches simply faster! For the producers, manually inserting 18 brass female connectors into a plastic frame for a control unit was a laborious and costly process. Ultrasonic welding offered an efficient alternative which considerably shortened the cycle times and was also financially worthwhile – in spite of a low unit count.

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Bosch FreshUp

Strong but also visually appealing connections: Both were deciding factors for the production of the new electronic fabric refresher FreshUp. In order to meet them, BSH Hausgeräte GmbH chose ultrasonics as the most suitable joining technology.

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CUSTOMCELLS®

As one of the world's leading developers of customer-specific lithium-ion battery cells, CUSTOMCELLS® pursues the lowest possible reject rate in battery production with maximum process reliability. For the welding of its applications, the development and production company relies on ultrasonic technology in one of their production lines. The ultrasonic welding systems from Herrmann Ultraschall used there minimized the reject rate and optimized production efficiency.

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ZLÍN Robotics

A stronger, more stable and environmentally friendly joining process for ABS sheets: That was the goal of automating the process of assembling engine bonnets for lawn mowers using a collaborative robot.

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Downloads

BASICS OF METALS
AUTOMOTIVE, BATTERY pdf 2 MB pdf 1 MB pdf 2 MB
BASICS OF PACKAGING
CONSUMER, FOOD pdf 669 KB pdf 670 KB pdf 679 KB pdf 711 KB pdf 713 KB pdf 2 MB
BASICS OF NONWOVENS
HYGIENE, MEDICAL pdf 1 MB pdf 1 MB pdf 1 MB pdf 1,002 KB