ABSTRACT
Ultrasonic welding (USW) is used in the automotive, aerospace, and electronics industries as an alternative to adhesive bonding, resistance welding, soldering, and mechanical fastening. The function of an ultrasonic welding machine is to generate and deliver high-frequency mechanical motion to a clamped workpiece. This is accomplished through the four subsystems of a USW machine. These are the power supply, the transducer, the coupling system, and the clamping system. Modern USW power supplies are constructed with solid-state circuitry, which assures reliable and stable operation over long periods. Two types of transducers are used for USW, depending upon the application. One is a magnetostrictive transducer and the other is a piezoelectric transducer. The parameters that are adjustable in USW are the power, clamping force, welding time, and frequency. The easiest materials to weld by USW are aluminum, copper, gold, silver, platinum, their alloys, and steels.
