Discussions & Questions - Recent Threads

Ultrasonic Welder Reject Limits

Kenlly Adames — Fri, 21 Jun 2019 20:07:51 GMT

Hello everybody,

I just joined this group and I'm not sure if this is to answer specific technical questions or if this to talk about ultrasonic welding in general, but here goes my question and you let me know:

I set up a reject limit for welding collapse distance, let's say I set it up to collpase 0.0004 in and set the reject limits between 0.0003 and 0.0005 in. I then monitor the weld results screen to check the values of each welding cycle. I notice the cycle is 0.00041, 0.00043, etc. but always within the limits, but anyways an alarm is generated. When I go to the alarm it says "Actual value = 0.0007", so the value on the result screen is different from the value on the alarm, and that happens on every cycle. I have not found a way to correct that, not even by calling Branson technical support.

Can anybody help?

Thanks in advance!

RE: Ultrasonic Welder Reject Limits

Tarick Walton — Thu, 18 Jul 2019 21:14:54 GMT

Hi,

I’m sorry for my delayed response. I’m the Ultrasonics Product Manager at Emerson and I’ve reviewed your problem with my technical team. Based on your summary and product symptoms, the system is working as intended but the root cause of your issue is a hidden factor – “Hold Force”. During the welding process, the ultrasonics energy will continue to be applied and weld your part until your target collapse of 0.0004 inches is achieved; however due to a hold force being applied to the plastic part, the molten plastic will continue to collapse under the hold force which ultimately delivers a final collapse of 0.0007 inches. What this means is that although ultrasonics ends at 0.0004 inches, the hold force continues to sandwich the plastic further whereby extending the collapse beyond the set limits.

To address this, we recommend the following 2 options:
1. The first option is to loosen the tight limits of 0.0003 – 0.0005 inches. By increasing the range of the limits, your actual value of 0.0007 inches will fall within the range and not cause an alarm.
2. The second option is to reduce your target collapse distance so that your post hold dimension is within your intended limits. (i.e. set a collapse target of ~0.0002 inches with the same hold force so that the final collapse is at 0.0005 inches).

I hope this explanation is helpful and if you have further questions, please feel to reach out to our application experts for further guidance.

Regards,
Tarick

VIDEO: How Ultrasonic Sealing Technology is Improving Package Design

Mike Mediana — Mon, 04 Mar 2019 20:16:33 GMT

Thermal sealing is common in the packaging industry, but it has it's challenges and limitations. In this video, I explain how ultrasonic sealing technology can help you avoid product loss, contamination and achieve faster line maintenance.

[View:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOn_AGXD3xA:616:371]

Do you have questions about ultrasonic sealing process? Reply below.

Branson Equipment's Quality Control Features

Julia Daniel — Fri, 08 Feb 2019 13:15:24 GMT

Quality control has become a top concern over the last 30 years within every industry. With the introduction of Six Sigma and ISO certification, quality control is no longer confined to manufacturing facilities but to areas that include service, healthcare and even education. It is no surprise that one of the biggest concerns our customers have is quality. No matter the industry the desire to have a low rejection rate is a top priority. With rejection rate low, the customer has more sellable products generating higher revenue which is the end goal. Quality control is rooted in the ability to set reasonable tolerances for production and the ability to track the data. The difficulty comes with figuring out what those tolerance levels are and tracking the parts to ensure they fall within those tolerances. It is not feasible to have an operator measure and inspect every part. With some customers, medical in particular, the company is almost required to do this because failure in the field is not an option. Branson equipment has features that help solve this issue and allow for individual part inspection.

Branson’s 2000X series has the capabilities to set suspect and reject limits within the power supply. This means that with each individual part the welder will monitor the limit you have programed and will alert you if the weld results are suspect and require further inspection or if they are a reject. The suspect and reject limits can be set to monitor a variety of controls including: Energy, collapse distance and time. With this capability the operator will immediately know if the part is within specification or not. This also allows for the quality manager to be alerted if this is a onetime issue or if the parts/ process needs to be further evaluated to find the root cause of the high rejection or suspect rate.

This is only one feature Branson equipment offers to aid in maintaining quality and repeatability for our customers. Is quality control a main concern that you or your customers have when it comes to bonding their products?

Ultrasonic Bonding in the Nonwoven Industry

Julia Daniel — Fri, 08 Feb 2019 13:13:02 GMT

In my recent article for Nonwoven Industry I discussed the advantages of using ultrasonic bonding for the nonwoven industry. The nonwoven industry has been a long-time customer of ultrasonic equipment. Emerson offers Branson ultrasonic equipment that can slit, bond, seal or quilt nonwoven synthetic materials to meet a wide range of medical and non-medical application requirements. Medical applications include surgical face masks, face shields, disposable hygiene products, gowns, and filter media. Non-medical uses for this versatile technology include consumer and personal care products, baby diapers and training pants, mattress pads, seat cushions and covers, household mops and cleaning products, disposable vacuum and filter bags, and more.

The biggest growth we have seen for ultrasonic technology in recent years is in the medical industry. Because ultrasonic technology can create strong, repeatable results, withstand sterilization processes all while lowering the risk of contamination by eliminating the introduction of solvents and glues to the manufacturing process makes it valuable for medical customers.

New opportunities are everywhere, driven in the short term as manufacturers learn more about the value and versatility of this process and in the longer term by changing demographics. As the number of older citizens in the U.S. and many western countries continues to grow as a share of total population, the demand for medical, sanitary, consumer care, bedding, seating, cleaning, and filtration products will only continue to grow. So too will the need to produce these products efficiently, with maximum cleanliness and minimum risk of contamination.

The unique ability of ultrasonics equipment to handle a broad scope of nonwoven product manufacturing—slitting, cutting, embossing, quilting and bonding—offers the perfect solution to this growing need. In addition, Branson ultrasonics technology can meet clean room manufacturing requirements, where required, and provide the data monitoring and storage capabilities needed to meet the highest regulatory requirements. These and other ultrasonics capabilities will only continue to evolve and expand in the future.

Ultrasonics bonding offers several advantages over other bonding methods: Because it uses friction to heat the material so that it bonds to itself without the use of glue or solvents which in turn creates a huge cost savings for customers. It also lowers the risk of contamination by eliminating the introduction of another product. Ultrasonics also can lower the likelihood of damaging nonwoven filter media, even the most delicate, thanks to our range of frequencies.

What are some nonwoven textile applications you or your customers have that could benefit from ultrasonic bonding over traditional solvents or glue?

Adhesives or Welding for Plastic Part Assembly

Alyssa Ortiz — Fri, 08 Feb 2019 11:23:45 GMT

One of the best things you can do, both for the design of your product and the success of your business, is to make design choices that keep your assembly options open. Emerson’s Tarick Walton, Global Product Manager for Branson Assembly Technologies, discusses options manufacturers can use for assembling plastic parts and understanding which option is best for their product design.

www.appliancedesign.com/.../95990-adhesives-or-welding-for-plastic-part-assembly