Designed for medical and electronic component-assembly applications, a line of servo-controlled ultrasonic welding systems has been expanded to include small and large press models. The expanded iQ welding line is from Dukane Corp.’s Ultrasonics Div, St. Charles, IL, which supplies various welders for OEM and plastic-assembly operations, including ultrasonic, vibration, spin, thermal press, and hot-plate models. Boasting a data processing rate of 0.5 ms, the systems also enable validation of servo motion and speed control. The new high-frequency welders can function at 30, 40, and 50 kHz to handle such small medical components as valves, ports, filters, and implant parts. Capable of operating from 600 to 1800 W, the small system is suited for high-speed throughput and automation applications. For bigger medical parts, the larger press platform offers frequencies of 15 and 20 kHz. This press platform provides a high clamping force and a wattage range of 3300-5000 W.

Employing the company’s Melt Match technology, the welders can deliver increased repeatability, strong welds, user-friendly validation calibration, and decreased manufacturing costs compared with standard pneumatic welders. Melt Match is a method of controlling the collapse speed profile during the weld. The technology enables the welding system to precisely match the collapse speed during the melt phase in order to prevent material degradation from a collapse that is too slow and prevent cold forming caused by a collapse that is too fast. To limit such potential problems as well as increase bond strength, the technology allows the ultrasonic propagation to go deeper into the bond area and provide a larger affected heat zone. Testing showed that the average standard deviation of the bond strength for filter housing parts welded on the servo unit was 1.8% compared with 6.6% for those welded on a standard pneumatic machine, according to the supplier.