Since the introduction of the Dukane IQ ServoPress Ultrasonic Welding System in 2007, the benefit it has brought to their customer base cannot be overstated.
Just ask Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc. (SEL) –
SEL is a world leader in the design and manufacturing of protection, monitoring, control, communications and metering products for power grids and power systems around the globe.
A few years ago, SEL was facing a difficult challenge when welding a clear lens display screen to the polycarbonate body of one of their indicators, which is used on transformers, switchgear, sectionalizing cabinets, junction boxes and splices. Because the indicator is used in harsh, submersed and corrosive environments, the housing requires a hermetic seal that has to withstand a temperature from -40 to 150 °F. Unfortunately, the pneumatic welding process SEL was using was not giving them the seal they needed.
Eventually, according to Rick Lewis, manufacturing engineering supervisor at Schweitzer, SEL decided to redesign the plastic injection molds and to have ultrasonic welding supplier Dukane Corp. test the parts at the Dukane applications lab in St. Charles, IL. There, using a 20-kilohertz-frequency iQ Series servo-controlled welder, the Dukane specialists discovered that the solution was to vary weld speeds.
“Although old pneumatic systems are capable of varying the force during the weld, the rate of change is restricted due to the time required to move air in or out of the air cylinder,” explains Ken Holt, senior application engineer at Dukane. “Whereas, the servo system is capable of accelerations of 50 inches per second, which is equivalent to changing speed by 1 inch per second in 0.02 second.”
After testing, Dukane determined the optimum varying weld velocity speed setting to be from 0.02 to 0.09 inch per second. Holt says that the unique technology called Melt-Match® in the iQ system also proved helpful for this project. Match Melt® precisely matches the downward motion of the horn to the melt flow characteristics of the plastic to optimize molecular intermingling and produce strong welds. Holt said that Dukane’s Melt-Detect™, which ensures complete initiation of plastic melting before prompting the horn to initiate downward movement, was also a factor in optimizing the process.
Impressed with the lab test results, SEL purchased an iQ welder and integrated it into the robotic assembly cell for the fault indicators. Lewis says the welder works flawlessly. “It’s repeatability and graphing functions make it easier to set up new welding programs,” concludes Lewis. “The welder [also] reduces the engineering time and the number of scrap parts required to set up a new welding process.”
This is yet another example of Dukane’s applications lab expertise, proprietary technology like Melt-Match® and Melt-Detect™ and the second-to-none IQ ServoPress system finding solutions for customers to ensure the best results in their manufacturing and their company’s bottom line.
For more information on Dukane’s products and how we at Production Components can help you with Dukane products, call us at 203 881 3013 or email us at mail@production-components.com.
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