New C-frame metal spot welders for auto industry

16 Nov '07

4 min read

Sonobond Ultrasonics announced that its new C-frame metal spot welders are now available for applications outside the auto industry. The initial development of these welders was part of an Advanced Technology Program sponsored by Ford Motor Company and partly funded by a grant from the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

This three-year program cost an estimated $8,910,000 and was designed to develop ultrasonic metal welding technology for use in the mass production of lower-weight, aluminum automobile bodies for better fuel economy.

Additional Applications:
According to Sonobond president, Janet Devine, “We engineered the Cframe ultrasonic spot welders specifically for the Advanced Technology Program. These units showed that they could effectively accommodate the large sheet metal parts used in building aluminum automobile bodies. As a result of this success, Sonobond has added them to our trusted WeldMaster line of ultrasonic metal welders.

These new C-frame spot welders, the WeldMaster C-Frame I and the WeldMaster C-Frame II, provide the same quality, reliability, and cost-effectiveness as our other welders. At the same time, they have exciting new features and benefits that manufacturers of other ultrasonic metal welders do not offer. This again demonstrates Sonobond's ongoing leadership in the field of ultrasonic welding technology.”

Operated by Robot Arm:
In developing the C-frame ultrasonic metal welders, Sonobondhas created units that permit more travel between the tip and anvil and have a deeper throat. The welders can also be operated by a robot arm. The robot arm positions the welder at the desired weld locations, while the automotive parts to be joined are held stationary in a fixture.

In talking about the development process, Devine says, “The first of the two C-frame welders we produced, the WeldMaster C-Frame I, has one ultrasonic head and an opposing anvil. Using the robotic arm enabled Ford Motor Company to evaluate thousands of welds. They found that the tips can perform up to 200,000 welds without experiencing serious degradation.”

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