| Dukane Corp. Announces Expansion of
Servo-Controlled Ultrasonic Welding Line New Small
Press and Large Press Models Meet Diverse Needs of Medical Market
ANAHEIM, Calif., February 8, 2011 – Dukane Corp.’s Ultrasonics
Division has expanded its novel line of iQ servo-controlled
ultrasonic welding systems for medical applications and other
high-value components. New high-frequency welders (30, 40, and 50
kHz) are targeted for smaller medical parts such as valves, ports,
filters, and implant components. Meanwhile, a larger press platform
(15-kHz and super 20 kHz) targets larger part sizes for medical
applications. These new welders also employ the company’s new Melt
Match technology which delivers greater repeatability, stronger
welds, easier validation calibration, and lower manufacturing cost
versus standard pneumatic welders. Dukane made the announcement here
at the 2011 Medical Design & Manufacturing West exhibition (booth #
2819) Feb. 8-10.
“We’ve expanded our iQ servo welding line
beyond the existing 20 kHz model and now offer wide-ranging
capabilities and flexibility to meet the unique and diverse
requirements of our customers,” says Michael Johnston, national
sales and marketing manager. The smaller press system ranges from
600 to 1800 watts and is well suited for higher throughput and
high-speed automation. The larger press platform provides higher
clamping force and wattage ranging from 3300 to 5000 watts.
The new models complement Dukane’s recently introduced line of iQ
servo-controlled ultrasonic welding systems which are an industry
first. They use Dukane’s Melt-MatchTM technology, a unique method
that precisely controls the collapse speed profile during the weld.
Collapsing too slow may cause material degradation while collapsing
too fast may result in cold forming. Melt Match is unique because it
precisely matches the collapse speed during the melt phase. As a
result, the ultrasonic propagation penetrates deeper into the bond
area and the affected heat zone is larger, resulting in superior
bond strength.
This high repeatability results in fewer
rejects for manufacturers. In fact, testing shows that the average
standard deviation of the bond strength for filter housing parts
welded on a servo unit was 1.8% compared to 6.6% for those welded on
a pneumatic machine.
The iQ servo-controlled welders also
offer more consistent part height unlike pneumatic welders whose
continuous travel during the hold phase may affect part height. The
iQ servo welder “controls the entire process,” according to
Johnston, and thus the collapse standard deviation of the iQ welder
is three times better than that of a pneumatic machine.
Melt-Match technology is driven by Dukane’s new patented iQ series
digital power supply, the fastest in the industry. It boasts a data
processing rate of 0.5 ms which
is twice as fast as competitive
systems. The technology also offers an important advantage for OEMs
such as medical device manufacturers who must verify that weld
process controls are in tolerance. The iQ unit incorporates a true
programmable servo drive mechanism for speed control. As s result,
validation of the servo motion is simplified. This compares to
pneumatic welders that attempt to control the weld speed via air
pressure through a proportional valve device. This can be
problematic because actual collapse speed during welding is a
variable and validating the air pressure does not ensure that
collapse speed is accurate and consistent, according to Dukane.
The family of iQ servo welders are compliant with FDA CFR Title
21 Part 11 and feature a robust mechanical design and ultra-rigid
support base. There are no operator-accessible settings and all
mechanical adjustments require a tool. The elimination of compressed
air helps to reduce clean room air filtration and significantly
lowers manufacturing cost.
About Dukane Corp.’s Ultrasonics
Division
Dukane Corp.’s Ultrasonics Division, headquartered
in St. Charles, Ill., is a leading supplier of ultrasonic,
vibration, spin, thermal press, and hot-plate welders for OEM and
commercial plastic assembly markets. Key end-use markets include
medical, automotive, consumer electronics, appliance, and packaging.
Dukane is an ISO 9001:2000 certified manufacturer. More information
is available by calling (630) 797-4902 or visit www.dukane.com/us.
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