Fastening & Joining: Emerson Ultrasonic Welder Is an Automation-Ready Asset
The Branson Polaris IW Ultrasonic Welder was one of the displays Emerson brought to Hannover Messe earlier this year. This is where Kerryn Harrington, an ultrasonics product manager at Emerson’s Branson division, demonstrated just how user-friendly the entry-level, all-in-one design system can be.
“We’ll be launching mini Polaris welders this year,” said Harrington. “They come with more features, they are better for automation [and] adaptability, and have more configurable options as well.”
The Branson Polaris Integrated Welder has a 7-in. HMI, LCD touchscreen that features an operation summary display. Users can view recipe parameters, calibrations, weld history and alarm log as well as system information and diagnostics. Other features include a load cell for precise trigger setting, horn diagnostics, built-in amplitude control, pre-trigger function and cycle and batch counter. The welder has enhanced cybersecurity to keep manufacturing assets safe and compliant, according to Emerson’s press note.
Joining a Plastic Part
For the demo, Harrington set up the welder by selecting a recipe from the touchscreen. It can be customized for each application, she said, and users can “have a custom horn and tooling as well.” The part in Harrington’s demo resembled a plastic cover designed for an electronic device.
“I’m bonding a plastic part,” said Harrington. “This is something that we use for early applications testing. I’m placing it [on the base] and all we have to do is press these two buttons on the side, and that's it. Now we went from two parts to one part. You can see it’s very strong. You cannot break it, even if you tried.”
The new line of integrated welders was developed to streamline welding and bring efficiency and scaling capabilities to the plant floor. “Ultrasonic welding is a way to replace traditional material joining methods like glue, screws, adhesion,” explained Harrington.
Ultrasonic welding is a solid-state joining method that applies high-frequency vibrations under moderate pressure to bond materials such as thermoplastics and metals. Frictional heat is delivered to the interface, which disrupts the materials structure just enough to weld the pieces. There are no connective adhesives or soldering materials. To ensure a strong bond, key parameters—including amplitude, pressure, weld time and frequency—must be tightly controlled. The process is highly repeatable, and suitable for precision applications.
“This is a method that’s much more energy saving, better for sustainability,” said Harrington. “And there are no consumables, so you’re not having to buy additional glue or fasteners. There’s no dry time; it happens within seconds.”
The scope of applications includes automotive, textile, consumer electronics and food packaging.
Emerson said upcoming Polaris product releases will be enhanced to meet the need for scalable, automation-compatible systems. The updates would cover configurable controls, power supplies and software. Better connectivity will enable operators to analyze data, boost performance and maintain compliance in changing operating conditions, the company noted.
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