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Weld Considerations

To be successful, automatic welding requires good weld design.  Some important features of this design are as follows:

• Components should be self aligning so that the pieces stay aligned as the assembly is transported through the system;
• Welding should only be attemped on one plane. Complicated contours or multi-plane weld lines are too finicky for fully automated welding;
• Weld features should follow industry guidelines for energy director design and surface finishes.

Automation Options

Automatic ultrasonic welding can be integrated within both rotary transfer and pallet transfer systems.

Automatic ultrasonic weld stations differ from manual work stations in the mounting and treatment of the welder. In manual systems, the welder is fixed and the work piece fixture is aligned with the horn to create good welds.  However, with automatic systems, there are generally many fixtures, and the weld horn must be aligned to the fixtures. This is generally accomplished by mounting the weld apparatus on a mechanism that allows adjustment of the weld axis and location, relative to the main transfer system. The weld horn is then aligned to a master fixture.  All other fixtures are then aligned to the master.

Benefits

Automatic ultrasonic welding provides the following benefits:

• Reduced labor content;
• Exact part handling and placement;
• Faster cycle times;

Examples

Examples of automatic ultrasonic welding cells include:

• In-Line Ultrasonic Welder