BENEFITS OF SERVO ULTRASONIC WELDERS TO MEDICAL INDUSTRY- A CASE HISTORY: A COLLABORATION PAPER BETWEEN DUKANE AND VALUE PLASTICS

摘要

Ultrasonic welding of thermoplastic medical devices has long been successfully accomplished using technology that employs pneumatic pressure to provide the force necessary for this joining process. The introduction of servo-driven ultrasonic technology, with Dukane's iQ Series Servo system, provides a new level of control to an already fast and flexible welding method. Servo technology allows direct control of the weld collapse velocity during both the weld and hold phases and results in a higher accuracy as a result of closed loop control of the position of the horn. This technology has allowed greater consistency, more tolerance of part variation, improved strength of the welds, better leak test yields, and better looking parts in the following case study.In the medical industry, there is a great need for reliable weld results in production and some of the most forward thinking manufacturers of medical parts have already benefitted from servo-driven ultrasonic equipment. One of these manufacturers, Value Plastics, A Nordson Company, a leader in the design and manufacture of plastic tube fittings and connectors, began working with Dukane's servo-driven ultrasonic welder in the second quarter of 2010. They have already used the servo welder in full production projects and are completing the research and development phase for additional jobs. Every one of these projects has shown improved weld consistency over the previously employed pneumatic welders. Value Plastic's use of the Dukane 20 kHz. pneumatically controlled DPC IV press and the 20 kHz. iQ Servo system on the same parts presents a unique comparison study of the capabilities of these two systems.