Ultrasonic Cutting and Welding Machines

Ultrasonic cutting machines and ultrasonic welding machines vibrate a cutting tool or welding head at a high frequency. They are used to cut or join carbon fiber, glass fiber, laminates, films, cork, prepreg, rubber, leather, plastic, food, and honeycomb materials. Ultrasonic cutting machines are also used to produce honeycomb parts and cut proprietary materials such as Kevlar, a registered trademark of DuPont. Some ultrasonic cutting machines are complete systems that include all of the components required for ultrasonic inlay cutting, ultrasonic scoring, and ultrasonic core cutting. Other ultrasonic systems are sold as individual components. For both types of ultrasonic cutting machines, features include temperature monitoring, automatic tool changing, and fume extraction. Ultrasonic equipment with static or zoned cutting tables and manual or automatic parts feeders is also available.

Selecting ultrasonic cutting machines requires an analysis of product specifications and applications. Most suppliers list parameters such as power supply, compressed air supply, noise level, motor type, and drive system. Product specifications also include cutting area, rated cutting speed, and maximum cutting speed; x-axis stroke, y-axis stroke, and z-axis stroke; acceleration, deceleration and dynamic acceleration factor. 2D ultrasonic cutting machines, 3D ultrasonic cutting machines, and 5-axis ultrasonic cutting machines are also available. In terms of applications, ultrasonic cutting machines are used mainly in the automotive, aerospace, and food processing industries. Often, ultrasonic cutting equipment is used in place of laser cutting machines or abrasive jets. Compared to these other cutting technologies, ultrasonic cutting machines produce low levels of heat and minimum distortion. The ability to cut soft materials such as linoleum is another advantage of ultrasonic cutting.

Ultrasonic cutting machines differ in terms of automation and control. Some equipment uses a CNC controller to operate automatically, or with little or no operator intervention. Typically, these ultrasonic cutters can change or adjust travel position, speed, and power in a pre-programmed manner. Ultrasonic cutting machines can also be controlled or programmed through a Microsoft Windows or personal computer (PC) interface. Both Microsoft and Windows are registered trademark of Microsoft Corp. Ultrasonic cutting machines with manual workstations are also available. Typically, these ultrasonic systems function semi-automatically or require basic operator intervention such as loading and setup.

Pages: 1 - 3 of 141